RTHK: New clashes over anti-immigration rally in Sweden Swedish police said officers wounded three people on Sunday in the eastern city of Norrkoping as demonstrators protested plans by a far-right group to burn copies of the Koran. "Police fired several warning shots. Three people appear to have been hit by ricochets and are currently being treated in hospital", police said in a statement. The three who were injured were under arrest, police said, adding that their condition was not known. Sunday's clashes in Norrkoping were the second there in four days. On the first occasion, the demonstrators had protested against a rally by anti-immigration and anti-Islam group Hard Line, led by the Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan, 40. On Sunday, they rallied again to protest another gathering, which in the end Paludan abandoned. Four people were arrested among the approximately 150 participants, as protesters threw stones at officers and cars were set on fire, police said. According to health services quoted by local news agency TT, 10 people were hospitalised with minor injuries following the clashes and similar unrest in the neighbouring town of Linkpping, where far-right Hard Line also abandoned a demonstration. Paludan, who intends to stand in Swedish legislative elections in September but does not yet have the necessary number of signatures to secure his candidature, is currently on a "tour" of Sweden. He is visiting neighbourhoods with large Muslim populations where he wants to burn copies of the Koran. A lawyer and YouTuber, he has previously been convicted of racist insults. In 2019, he burned a Koran wrapped in bacon and was blocked for a month by Facebook after a post conflating immigration and crime. On Saturday, one of his rallies was moved from a district of Landskrona to an isolated car park in southern Malmo, the large neighbouring city, but a car tried to force the protective barriers. The driver was arrested and Paludan then burned a Koran. Hard Line's tour has sparked several clashes between the police and counter-protesters across the Scandinavian country in recent days. On Thursday and Friday, around 12 police officers were injured in the clashes. In the wake of the string of incidents, Iraq's foreign ministry said it had summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires in Baghdad on Sunday. It warned that the affair could have "serious repercussions" on "relations between Sweden and Muslims in general, both Muslim and Arab countries and Muslim communities in Europe". In November 2020, Paludan was arrested in France and deported. Five other activists were arrested in Belgium shortly after, accused of wanting to "spread hatred" by burning a Koran in Brussels. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2022-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Chinese Wisdom in Xi's Words: People united are as strong as fortress Xinhua) 07:59, April 18, 2022 BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- "As long as the people from all ethnic groups across the country, under the Party's leadership, unite together with one heart and one mind and bravely and readily stand out for ourselves, we will definitely be able to overcome all the difficulties and challenges on our road ahead, and continue to create new impressive miracles." These were President Xi Jinping's words on March 5, when he joined national lawmakers from Inner Mongolia for deliberation. He used a Chinese idiom, which roughly translates to "people, if united, are as strong as a fortress," to urge Chinese people of all ethnic groups to work hard in unity. The idiom could be traced back to the Discourses of the States, a book believed to be from the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.). It signifies that when people band together, they can overcome any difficulties. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that working hard in unity is the path the Chinese people must take to make historic achievements. Chairing a symposium with experts and scholars in June 2020, Xi noted that in the face of the sudden strike of COVID-19, all CPC members, the armed forces and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups have fought as one, made all-out efforts and put in place the most rigorous, comprehensive and thorough response measures. The nation's major strategic achievements in the battle against COVID-19, Xi said, speak to the enormous power of unity when all CPC members, the armed forces and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups pull together to tide over the difficulties. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Village Capital and The Lightsmith Group will accelerate 16 startups that are providing climate adaptation and resilience solutions in Asia and Africa. WASHINGTON & NEW YORK, April 18, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Village Capital and The Lightsmith Group ("Lightsmith") announced today that 16 startups were selected to participate in a new environmental accelerator called "ASAP", or the Adaptation SME Accelerator Project, focused on innovative climate adaptation ventures in Asia and Africa. The 16 startups were selected from more than 300 applicants and have developed technologies in water, agriculture, risk analytics, supply chain, infrastructure, and insurance that can support adaptation and resilience to climate change. During the ASAP accelerator program, the 16 companies will work with industry experts, investors, and ecosystem partners to develop the networks and tools they need to attract investment, grow their businesses, and increase their climate adaptation impacts. More information can be found here. "Through the ASAP Accelerator, we aim to help these entrepreneurs to scale their impact and connect to a global network working to develop solutions that address the impacts of climate change," said Brian Parham, ASAP Program Director at Lightsmith. ASAP is a grant-funded initiative led by The Lightsmith Group, in partnership with Village Capital, and with the support of the Global Environment Facilitys Special Climate Change Fund. Additional support is provided by Conservation International and the Inter-American Development Bank. The cohort is composed of: Asia Absolute Water (India), Agtuall (India), Aumsat Technologies LLP (India), Crop2X Private Limited (Pakistan), EF Polymer Private Limited (India), Hiraya Water (Philippines), Komunidad Global Pte Ltd (Singapore, Philippines), Ship60 (Vietnam) Africa Agromyx (Ghana), Cadel Consulting Ltd (Burkina Faso), Congretype (South Africa), Freezelink (Ghana), Kitovu Technology (Nigeria), Rwanda Bio Solution (Rwanda), Worldtech Consult (Ghana), ZR3I (Egypt) Story continues For more information, reach out to Ben Wrobel at Village Capital or Brian Parham at Lightsmith. About the Partners Village Capital & The Lightsmith Group Village Capital helps entrepreneurs bring big ideas from vision to scale. So far, VC has supported more than 1,400 early-stage startups and invested in more than 110 program graduates. The Lightsmith Group is an investment firm investing in companies that address critical societal needs. For more information, please see: www.lightsmithgp.com and for the ASAP project, please see: www.climateasap.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220418005281/en/ Contacts Media Contact Company name: Wing communications Contact Person- Shiva Bhavani Email: shiva@wingcomm.in Website: https://wingcomm.in/ Residents are encouraged to share their stories with the community to raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation and honor those that have given the gift of life CASPER, Wyo., April 18, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In honor of National Donate Life Month this April, Donor Alliance is inviting Wyoming residents to celebrate the gift of life by raising awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation at events across Wyoming. Ranging from the upcoming Wyoming Donor Dash event on April 23rd at the Tate Pumphouse to celebrations at Driver Services and hospitals across Wyoming, there are plenty of opportunities for Wyoming residents to honor the lives of donors, celebrate the lives of recipients and raise awareness for those still waiting for a lifesaving transplant. "Wyoming continues to make an incredible impact when it comes to residents who have signed up as organ and tissue donors," said Jennifer Prinz, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. "As we honor National Donate Life Month in Wyoming, were aiming to grow awareness and support of the generous gift of organ and tissue donation. In addition to raising awareness for this important cause and encouraging more people to sign up to become organ, eye and tissue donors, sharing the stories of our friends, family and neighbors gives hope to those on the waitlist." Wyoming Donor Dash 5K Walk/Run This years annual Wyoming Donor Dash returns to the Tate Pumphouse along the Platte River Trails. As the first running event in the spring season in the area, everyone is invited to join the annual 5k walk/run honoring and raising awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation in Wyoming. Taking place on April 23rd at 8 a.m., the Wyoming Donor Dash will feature a 5K walk/run, speakers including donor families and transplant recipients to share the impact of organ donation, and touching moments where attendees drop blue and green carnations into the North Platte River as the peaceful waters carry their blessings & prayers onward. Story continues This year, were honored to host two incredible mothers, Ashlee Ferre and Jaimie Robertson. Both are mothers of donors who will be on hand to share their stories and the impacts that their childrens gifts of life have had. Also sharing the impact of the gift of life is Jaimies sons heart recipient and his family. Beyond sharing their stories to encourage others to say yes to giving the gift of life, these strong mothers are also sharing their stories as an example of the incredible support of their community. Blue and Green Day In honor of Blue and Green Day on April 22, twenty-one of the states Driver Services offices in addition to hospitals across Wyoming are honoring the day with celebrations and office decorations. Additionally, on Monday, April 11th, Governor Gordon proclaimed it Blue & Green Day across the state by signing a Donate Life Blue & Green Day Proclamation. The Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center will also light up in blue & green lights to celebrate the gift of life on April 22. Wyoming residents are encouraged to join the celebration by dressing in blue and green to raise awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation, honor those heroes who have given the gift of life and highlight the need for more registered donors. Share a picture on social media using #ShineALight to help raise awareness and give hope to the more than 1,500 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in our communities. Donor Alliance is the federally designated non-profit that facilitates organ and tissue donation in Colorado and most of Wyoming. For more information about organ and tissue donation, please DonorAlliance.org. To sign up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor after death, please visit DonateLifeWyoming.org. About Donor Alliance Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. As the organ and tissue procurement agency for Colorado and most of Wyoming, Donor Alliance serves more than 5.8 million residents and more than 100 hospitals. Donor Alliance adheres to the highest medical, regulatory and ethical standards, and meets every performance standard. By respectfully working with the families of organ and tissue donors, maintaining partnerships with hospitals, educating residents on the life-saving benefits of donation and inspiring them to sign up on the states donor registry, Donor Alliance is able to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Colorado and Wyoming boast some of the highest rates of donor registration in the country, which directly translates to more lives saved and healed through organ and tissue transplantation. Donor Alliance is one of 58 federally designated organizations of its kind in the United States. For more information visit DonorAlliance.org or the Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220418005447/en/ Contacts Geoff Renstrom The Fletcher Group 208.871.9280 geoff@fletchergroupllc.com Ryea ONeill Donor Alliance 307.577.1700 roneill@donoralliance.org ReportLinker Factors such as the changing nature of warfare, the militarization of police forces, the increasing incidence of drug trafficking, and terrorist activities, and the modernization of armed forces are driving factors assisting the growth of the ammunition market. New York, April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Ammunition Market by Application, Caliber, Product, Component, Guidance Mechanism, Lethality, Region - Forecast to 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04759534/?utm_source=GNW The ammunition market includes major players Lockheed Martin (US), General Dynamics Corporation (US), BAE Systems (UK), Elbit Systems (Israel), CBC Global Ammunition (Brazil), and Nammo AS (France), among others.These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. COVID-19 has affected the ammunition market growth to some extent, and this varies from country to country.Industry experts believe that the pandemic has not affected the demand for ammunition in defense applications. However, due to continuous lockdown and social distancing measures, there has been a decrease in the need for ammunition in civil and commercial applications. Small: The fastest-growing segment of the ammunition market, by the caliber Based on caliber, the ammunition market has been segmented into small, medium, large, and others.The small caliber segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of this segment can be attributed to increased use of small caliber ammunition by military and homeland security personnel, owing to less lethality of this ammunition. Bullets: The fastest-growing segment of the ammunition market, by product The bullets segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR.In recent years, an increasing focus has been observed to upgrade land forces and airforce inventory across the globe due to multiple reasons such as geopolitical tensions and air force applications. For instance, the US has ongoing F-35 fighter aircraft programs. Whereas the Indian air force is looking for multi-role aircraft to strengthen their armed forces, and hence new aircraft procurements will lead to an increased demand for related ammunition in the coming years. Defense: The fastest-growing segment of the ammunition market, by application The defense segment of the ammunition market has been classified into military and homeland security. The growth of the defense segment of the ammunition market can be attributed to the increased spending of countries on military modernization programs, as well as the rise in terrorist activities and civil disturbances in several parts of the world. North America: The largest contributing region in the ammunition market. The ammunition market in the North American region has been studied for the US and Canada.Major factors that are expected to drive the growth of the market in the region include rising instances of terrorism, which have led to increased use of ammunition by armed forces and a growing number of drug cartels in Central America. North American countries are awarding a number of contracts to major players of the ammunition market for the delivery of ammunition, thus driving the growth of the ammunition market in the region.For instance, In July 2020, Northrop Grumman Corporation secured a contract from the US Army to deliver the next-generation airburst cartridge for the 30mm XM813 Bushmaster Chain Gun. The Bushmaster Chain Gun will be installed on the Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV). Also, the company has secured a contract worth USD 93 million from the US Army for the manufacture of multipurpose munition technology for destroying targets such as lightly armored and infantry fighting vehicles. The break-up of the profile of primary participants in the ammunition market: By Company Type: Tier 1 35%, Tier 2 45%, and Tier 3 20% By Designation: C Level 35%, Director Level 25%, and Others 40% By Region: North America 20%, Europe 5%, Asia Pacific 45%, and Middle East & Africa 30% Major companies profiled in the report include Northrop Grumman Corporation (US), General Dynamics Corporation (US), CBC Global Ammunition (Brazil), Olin Corporation (US), Ruag Ammotec (Switzerland), BAE Systems (UK), Thales Group (France), Rheinmetall AG (Germany), Nexter KNDS group (France), Elbit Systems (Israel), Nammo AS (Norway), and ST Engineering (Singapore) among others. (28 Companies) Research Coverage: This research report categorizes the ammunition market basis of applications (defense, civil & commercial), caliber (small, medium, large, others), product(bullets, aerial bombs, grenades, artillery shells, mortars), component(fuzes & primers, propellants, bases, projectiles and warheads, others), guidance mechanism (guided, non-guided), lethality(lethal, less-lethal) in these segments have been mapped across major regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.The scope of the report covers detailed information regarding the major factors, such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities, influencing the growth of the ammunition market. A detailed analysis of the key industry players has been done to provide insights into their business overviews; solutions and services; key strategies; new product launches; mergers; and partnerships, agreements, associated with the ammunition market. Reasons to buy this report: The report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall ammunition market and the subsegments.This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to position their businesses better and to plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. The report provides insights on the following pointers: Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on ammunition offered by the top players in the market Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product launches in the ammunition market Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets the report analyzes the ammunition market across varied regions Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the ammunition market Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of leading players in the ammunition market Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04759534/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body Auburn University has been awarded a $589,889, three-year grant for the first National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Teachers project at Auburn, titled, Project-Based Learning for Rural Alabama STEM Middle School Teachers in Machine Learning and Robotics. This project will provide hands-on research experiences in robotics and machine learning/artificial intelligence, or ML/AI, for 30 STEM middle school teachers10 each yearand expand their knowledge of teaching these concepts through project-based learning as part of a six-week summer program. Part of a collaborative effort between the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, the College of Education and teacher participants who will engage with project team members in developing curriculum modules using the contents in ML/AI, the program is expected to reach approximately 1,200 students across several school districts in rural and underserved areas of Alabama. The students will gain valuable knowledge relevant to preparing them for an increasingly technological society. The project aims to provide the following experiences: Professional development activities and pedagogical approaches in the fundamentals of robotics and ML/AI and a novel platform for research and education of ML-based mobile robots Engage teachers and undergraduate students in hands-on research projects on ML-based mobile robots that match well with faculty mentors active research projects Collaboration with engineering and STEM education faculty to develop and implement project-based curricular modules Leadership professional development and mentoring skills via teacher leader academies Assist teachers to implement the RET curricular modules via academic follow-up. The project team from engineering includes Xiaowen Gong, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, who serves as the projects principal investigator, Daniela Marghitu (Co-PI), faculty and director of the Education and Assistive Technology Laboratory in computer software and science engineering, and Thaddeus Roppel (Co-PI), associate professor in electrical and computer engineering. Education project team members include Melody Russell (Co-PI), Alumni Professor of science education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, who will assist with the development of curriculum modules, as well as teacher professional development, and Chih-hsuan Wang, professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology, who will serve as project evaluator. We really wanted to reach out to educators from Alabamas Black Belt region, which is traditionally underserved, and there is a high need for programs like this, said Gong. Every year, we will recruit 10 teachers and provide them with education and research activities directed by AU faculty members in electrical and computer engineering and computer science. We already have more than 10 AU faculty members signed up. Roppel, director of the Sensor Fusion Laboratory at Auburn, specializes in robotics and K-12 outreach. Roppel and Gong, along with a few other faculty members in electrical and computer engineering and computer science at Auburn, will be teacher participants mentors who provide research projects to the teachers. Marghitu will develop the comprehensive web portal of the project and will work with Russell on developing curriculum modules for the middle school classroom in collaboration with teacher participants. Marghitu will also organize, in collaboration with Gong and all Co-PIs, a one-week camp in which the teachers will practice teaching the RET curriculum modules. We hope this project will improve the content knowledge for students and teachers in underserved areas of Alabama through the development of innovative curriculum modules based on cutting-edge technologies, Gong said. This new component will not replace their existing curriculum, but we hope this will spark an interest in STEM-related education and inspire them to pursue this avenue as a career or education focus. Educators interested in applying for the program are encouraged to complete this preliminary questionnaire. General Hospital Days of Our Lives The Young and the Restless Want to know what happens next week on #YR? Here's a sneak peek! pic.twitter.com/IwL85YG71g Young and Restless (@YandR_CBS) April 15, 2022 The Bold and the Beautiful Steffy may be awake, but the challenges continue for the Forrester family. #BoldandBeautiful is new this week on @CBS. Watch the latest episodes on @paramountplus. pic.twitter.com/cOXIRqA0Ek Bold & The Beautiful (@BandB_CBS) April 17, 2022 This Week in Soaps history... April 21st-25th, 2008 This week on the US Daytime Soaps...Adam reached out to JR and asked him for help running the business. A bizarre occurrence left Adam rattled.Kendall and Zach burned down Tad's cabin. It was a symbolic gesture to put Kendall's night with Aidan in the past. Unfortunately, Zach had trouble letting go of it.Cassandra called Angie to let her mother know that she was headed to Pine Valley. Jesse, surrounded by family and friends, looked on as his coffin was exhumed and opened.Annie tripped and hit her head. She lied to Ryan about what happened.Erica decided to become a crusader for prison reform with plans to implement changes that would allow her fellow prisoners a real chance at rehabilitation. Erica landed in solitary confinement.Jack agreed to be Carmen's new attorney.Meg told Paul to get lost when he couldn't control his jealousy of Mike.Aaron and Sofie broke up because Sofie was spending time with Paul. Barbara told Sofie it was time to start her new career designing jewelry.Carly told Jack to move out.After Holden found Dusty's things, he told Lily something needed to change; Lily decided to go visit Iva, to try to get control of her life. Holden and Carly comforted each other about their marital situations and became better friends.Parker hurt his arm while skateboarding, and Jack was angry when he found out before Carly could tell him.Emily gave Casey a job as her administrative assistant, which became dangerous when a judge about whom Emily had written a negative story came to the office, intent on revenge. Margo was very angry about Casey's new job, and Emily fired Casey to keep the peace. Alison got into nursing school. Brad and Katie had their first fight but kissed and made up. A teenage girl told Brad that she was his daughter.Noah and Luke got a birthday present for Ameera and managed to find a moment to kiss. Ameera tried to seduce Noah, and when that failed, she wanted to return to Iraq. Luke and Noah convinced her to stay, and Luke decided it might be best if he moved in with them.At the court custody hearing, the judge decided to give Nick and Taylor shared custody of Baby Jack since Taylor received a good psychological evaluation. Brooke demanded that the judge listen to her argument that Taylor was not stable. Brooke whined that Taylor was carrying on with Brooke's son, Rick, and it was unhealthy. The judge told Brooke that she had no rights in the case, and that Rick appeared to be a positive influence.Stephanie surprised everyone with her decision to sell the Forrester mansion to Eric, and Stephanie gave Eric her blessing to live there with Donna.Storm broke into Ashley's house, and pulled a gun out while he spilled his guts about how he shot Stephanie, and framed his dad, Stephen, for the shooting. Katie showed up, and saw Storm with a gun. She tried to wrestle the gun away from Storm, and it went off, shooting Katie in the chest. At the hospital, the entire family gathered around to find that the bullet nicked Katie's heart, and she had little chance of survival. Brooke hoped for a miracle.Chelsea suffered from a post-operative infection and was re-hospitalized. While heavily medicated, Chelsea admitted to Daniel that she wished he were not her doctor so that they could enjoy a non-professional relationship.Philip warned Morgan that John was the cause of her father's problems. Marlena returned from her trip to find John preparing for a date with Nicole. John later admitted to Marlena that his date with Nicole was related to his business dealings with the Kiriakis men. John and Marlena forged ahead with their new relationship. John confirmed that Nicole was Philip's spy and told her to take a hike. Victor kicked Nicole and Chloe out of the Kiriakis mansion. Sami was still steaming at E.J. because he decided to represent Nicole.Ava continued with her plan to keep Steve, Kayla, Bo, and Hope captive until Kayla's baby was born. Steve told Ava that he would have sex with her and give her their own child if she released Kayla, Bo, and Hope, who all needed medical attention. Kayla was shocked to find Steve in bed with Ava. Bo, Hope, Kayla, and Steve finally escaped from the Vitale house, and Abe and Roman took a shaken Ava and some of her entourage into police custody.Stephanie told Max that she loved him and they almost made love. Angelo's point man cornered Stephanie at knifepoint and told her to leave with him or he would kill her.Philip argued with Victor about Chloe, and Nicole threatened Victor that she would reveal his secret if he didn't allow her to move back into the house. Nicole told Chloe that Victor had known of Brady's whereabouts all along.Ric took steps to get Anthony released and cleared of criminal charges. Claudia lied to Anthony, claiming that she had hired Ric. Anthony put a hit on Claudia. Jason was caught up in the hit and saved Claudia. Jason made it clear to Claudia that he would not rest until he found the person responsible for Michael's shooting. Ian realized that Jason was getting closer to discovering that he was the shooter. He quickly made plans to leave town.Nik decided to have the surgery to remove his tumor.Jax arranged for specialists from Europe to review Michael's case. The news was bleak.Anna Devane returned to Port Charles and learned that she was going to be a grandmother. Robin overheard Patrick talking about Anna.Johnny went to Sonny's with a gun to question him about Claudia's sudden disappearance.Lulu was a witness to a shocking scene.Nat tried to help Olivia recover. When Olivia collapsed and was taken to Cedars, Jeffrey decided to have her recuperate at Cross Creek. They signed divorce papers.Jeffrey tried to convince Ava to stop lying to Bill. Later, Ava found out that she was pregnant!Cassie had an awkward dinner with Harley and Cyrus. Harley told Cyrus that she felt like she was cheating on Gus, and asked him to move out. Harley went back to the Springfield Police Department, and was partnered with Marina. Harley caught Daisy selling fake ID's, and found out Cyrus was involved.Beth decided she wanted Alan, but Alan told her she couldn't have him until he was successful again.Frank offered Natalia and Rafe rooms at the boarding house (he didn't tell her he vacated his room for her).Dinah convinced Bill to help her take over Spaulding. She also made a sizable donation to the police department as long as Mallet remained chief.Josh returned from his convention unsure of what to do about Cassie. He told Cassie he'd be sleeping in Will's room for the time being.Starr changed her mind about having the abortion and left the clinic with Cole. Later, Cole asked Starr to run away with him.Clint received some damaging information about Calvin's sons.Antonio learned some heartbreaking news about Jamie.Natalie called Jared out on his jealousy.Cris had an explosive reaction to seeing John and Talia out.Dorian and Layla found Brody Lovett.Marcie was hurt when Adriana asked her to handle the guest book at the wedding; she had hoped that Adriana would ask her to be a bridesmaid.Bo learned that Clint hired Rex.Julian found out about the mishap surrounding his penis reattachment surgery and vowed to destroy Eve. Vincent continued to be a thorn in Eve's side. Viki tried to finish the job of killing Julian by using Esme. Viki overheard Eve telling a nurse that Julian could not have an erection because it would kill him, so Viki came up with the idea to use Esme to seduce Julian.Gwen and Rebecca plotted to send Little Ethan away to boarding school, but Ethan was against the idea. Consequently, Little Ethan pulled a prank on Gwen by turning her blue with a chemical from his chemistry kit.Gertrude (Theresa) and Pilar came to Little Ethan's defense by encouraging Ethan not to send him away to school.A jealous Fancy overheard Luis telling Pretty that she and her baby were the most important things in his life.Victor and Sabrina's feelings grew stronger, and they admitted that they were in love. Victoria continued to harbor resentment towards Sabrina, so she recanted her offer for Sabrina to be Reed's godmother.Felicia Forrester arrived in town for business and flirted with Nick every opportunity she had.Michael dropped his lawsuit against Jack because he did not want to follow in Gloria's footsteps. Jack was distraught because his father's ghost was no longer visiting him.Gloria and Jeffrey decided to get a divorce, but they finally gave in to their desire and made love. Jana taught Gloria about karma, so Gloria did charity work and even made plans to adopt a baby.Jill was furious over a change that Nikki and David had instated at Jabot.Karen moved out of Neil's apartment because she did not want be a surrogate grandma to Lily's baby. Lily turned down Cane's marriage proposal because she felt that he had only proposed due to the pregnancy.Amber and Daniel went out on an official date. Source 3 and Last week, U.S. natural gas futures notched their fifth weekly gain in a row, up 96% YTD and hit their highest settlement since October 2008. The front-month May contract (NG1:COM) jumped 16% for the week to settle at $7.30/MMBtu. The interesting part: investors are betting the surge will last for months, if not years. You can tell this by looking at trends in the nat. gas futures markets: futures due for settlement 10 months out are also trading above $7 on while the January 2024 contract is above $5, a clear indication of strong bullish sentiment running through the gas markets. A late-season blast of cold weather across the U.S. was a major reason for last week's surge. However, another major reason for the sustained increases that could continue is an "increasingly bullish fundamental backdrop as inventories are now sitting 23.9% lower than the same period last year, and 17.8% lower than the five-year average," as Tyler Richey, co-editor at Sevens Report Research, has told MarketWatch. Last week, the U.S. government reported that gas in storage rose by 15B cf, less than half the normal rise of 33B cf, bringing total storage to 1.397T cf. This means that supplies are 439Bcf less than a year ago and 303Bcf below the five-year average. Combined with "strong demand so far in the spring 'shoulder season,' when supply is supposed to build substantially before summer demand picks up, has bolstered prices as supply is expected to remain well below average for the foreseeable future," Richey has said. The biggest reason, however, for the natural gas surge is that foreign countries are signing large deals to import U.S.-produced gas in the form of liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Europe wants American gas so that countries there can pivot away from Russian gas. With U.S. exporters set to meet with customers in Berlin this week, additional demand-related news could be coming from the likes of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) and Tellurian Inc. (NYSE:TELL). Related: U.S. Natural Gas Prices Hit Highest Level In 14 Years As you might expect, natural gas equities have been flying: last quarter, the United States Natural Gas ETF (NYSEARCA:UNG) and the United States 12 Month Natural Gas ETF (NYSEARCA:UNL) emerged as the best-performing ETFs across the entire U.S. market, notching returns of 57.9% and 53.3%, respectively. However, the American energy market has nothing on its neighbor to the north: Canada's famous Oil Patch. The Canadian energy market has been playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers: the country's energy benchmark, Horizons S&P/TSX Capped Energy ETF (HXE.TO), is up a roaring 101% over the past year, nearly 40 percentage points better than its American brethren and more than 4x higher the S&P/TSX Composite Index return. Horizons HXE seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index, net of expenses. The S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index is designed to measure the performance of Canadian energy sector equity securities included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index. Over the past few years, a vicious one-two-three punch started with a gloomy long-term future outlook due to rampant fossil fuel divestments, climate change policies, and decarbonization, as well as shorter-term, but severe shocks from the COVID-19 crisis threw Canada's most important exports industry into an existential crisis. Meanwhile, the drumbeat of exits by foreign oil firms bailing on the unprofitable tar sands added an extra layer of gloom for an industry that's responsible for a fifth of Canada's exports. But with the oil and gas comeback, long-suffering Canadian energy stocks are looking like real bargains. Source: Y-Charts Here are some top Canadian gas stocks trading on the TSX and American exchanges. Many are mid-and small-cap companies, underscoring the strength of the bull market. 1. NuVista Energy Ltd Market Cap: $2.0B 12-Month Returns: 408.6% NuVista Energy Ltd .(OTCPK:NUVSF)(TSX:NVA) is a Calgary, Canada-based oil and natural gas company that engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas reserves in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. The company primarily focuses on the condensate-rich Montney formation in the Wapiti area of the Alberta Deep Basin. NuVista is reaping huge dividends for its massive investments in the natural gas business. Last year, the company's adjusted cash flows more than doubled and allowed the company to pay down a significant amount of its long-term debt. The company is targeting a long-term sustainable net debt target of less than 1.0 times adjusted funds flow in the stress test price environment of US$ 45/Bbl WTI and US$ 2.00/MMBtu NYMEX natural gas, representing a target net debt level of $200 - $250 million. Related: Oil Prices Rally Back To Pre-Strategic Petroleum Release Levels 2. Birchcliff Energy Ltd Market Cap: $2.1B 12-Month Returns:239.9% Another Calgary-based energy company, Birchcliff Energy Ltd.(OTCPK:BIREF) (TSX:BIR) is an intermediate oil and natural gas company that acquires, explores for, develops, and produces natural gas, light oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids in Western Canada. The company holds interests in the Montney/Doig resource play located approximately 95 km northwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta. Its asset portfolio also includes various other properties, including the Elmworth and Progress areas of Alberta. As of December 31, 2021, the company had interests in 200,712 net acres of undeveloped land, as well as proved plus probable reserves of 1,022 million barrels of oil equivalent. A couple of years ago, Birchcliff was struggling thanks to low natural gas prices and a high net debt position. But the situation has improved dramatically, and Birchcliff is taking advantage of the strong gas price to rapidly reduce its net debt. 3. Enerplus Corp. Market Cap: $3.3B 12-Month Returns: 157.4% Enerplus Corporation (NYSE:ERF)(TSX:ERF), together with subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and Canada. The company's oil and natural gas properties are located primarily in North Dakota, Colorado, Pennsylvania; and Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. As of December 31, 2021, the company had proved plus probable gross reserves of approximately 8.2 million barrels (MMbbls) of light and medium crude oil; 20.7 MMbbls of heavy crude oil; 299.3 MMbbls of tight oil; 56.2 MMbbls of natural gas liquids; 19.7 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of conventional natural gas; and 1,367.9 Bcf of shale gas. Last November, Jason Bouvier, analyst at Scotiabank, told the Financial Post that Canadian oil producers are "essentially printing money" at current oil and gas prices, and many would still have "still ample" free cash flow, even in a scenario of a drop in WTI to US$55. Bouvier said that average breakeven costs for small and mid-cap companies stand at a slightly higher US$43.50 per barrel, and identified Enerplus Corp. (NYSE:ERF) as one of Canada's energy companies with the lowest capex breakevens (including hedging gains). 4. Peyto Exploration & Development Corp Market Cap:$1.9B 12-Month Returns: 173.0% Peyto Exploration & Development Corp. (OTCPK:PEYUF)(TSX:PEY) engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the Deep Basin of Alberta. As of December 31, 2021, the company had a total proved plus probable reserves of 904 million barrels of oil equivalent. Last year, Peyto recorded a 121% increase in funds from operations amid a recovering natural gas market and rising production, allowing the company to hike its dividend by an impressive 1,400% from $0.04 per year to $0.60 per year. 5. Ovintiv Inc. Market Cap: $13.8B 12-Month Returns: 130.5% Ovintiv Inc.(NYSE:OVV)(TSX:OVV) is a Denver, Colorado-based company that, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids. OVV was founded and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, and was the largest energy company and largest natural gas producer in Canada before it rebranded as Ovintiv and relocated to Denver in 201920. The company operates through USA Operations, Canadian Operations, and Market Optimization segments with principal assets in the Permian in west Texas and Anadarko in west-central Oklahoma as well as Montney in northeast British Columbia and northwest Alberta. Its other upstream assets comprise Bakken in North Dakota, and Uinta in central Utah; and Horn River in northeast British Columbia, and Wheatland in southern Alberta. Last month, Mizuho upgraded OVV to $78 from $54 (good for 45% upside to the current price), citing improving tailwinds. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The benchmark U.S. natural gas price soared by more than 7% early on Monday to hit the highest level since the second half of 2008, as Europe races to buy non-Russian gas after Putins invasion of Ukraine. At 10:18 a.m. ET, the front-month futures price at the Henry Hub had jumped by 6.37% at $7.755 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). Thats more than double the price of the U.S. benchmark compared to the start of this year. In the week to April 12, speculators increased their bullish bets for a second week, with buying concentrated in gold, grains, and natural gas, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, said on Sunday. Last week, U.S. natural gas prices reached the highest close at $7.3 since 2008. Below normal temperatures and strong exports driving the current tightness with stockpiles now almost 18% below the usual level, Hansen noted. Higher demand for heating and record LNG exports left U.S. natural gas in storage at the end of the winter at its lowest level in three years, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Friday. Because of the higher withdrawals, by the end of March, the U.S. had the least amount of natural gas in underground storage in the Lower 48 states since 2019. A colder January 2022 and record-high U.S. LNG exports led to more withdrawals even though domestic production of natural gas increased, the EIA said. The U.S. is exporting record volumes of LNG as the United States looks to help European allies with non-Russian gas supply. In another bullish factor for natural gas prices, immediate demand in the United States is expected to be strong Monday through Wednesday, as chilly late-season weather systems track across the Midwest and Northeast with rain and snow showers, as well as cooler than normal lows of 20s and 30s, NatGasWeather.com noted on Monday. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A Caribbean medical school with Illinois ties has agreed to pay a $1.2 million settlement, after the Federal Trade Commission alleged that the school lied about its students success being placed into residencies and passing a medical licensing exam. St. James School of Medicine, which has campuses in Anguilla and St. Vincent, allegedly made misleading claims to attract students since at least 2018, according to the FTC. The school and other defendants neither admitted to nor denied the allegations, as part of the settlement order, which was approved Friday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Advertisement The settlement order applies to the school itself, as well as the schools Park Ridge-based operator Kaushik Guha, and Park Ridge-based Delta Financial Solutions, which provides financing for the schools students. Guha serves as executive vice president of operations of Human Resource Development Services, the Park Ridge-based parent company of the school. Guha said in a statement Monday that the school has added additional language and clarifications to its website wherever its medical licensing exam pass rates and residency placement rates are mentioned. Advertisement We have chosen to settle with the FTC over its allegations that disclosures on our website and in Deltas loan agreements were insufficient, Guha said in the statement. While we strongly disagree with the FTCs approach to this matter, we did not want a lengthy legal process to distract from our mission of providing a quality medical education at an affordable cost. St. James is a for-profit school that advertises itself as a lower-cost alternative to U.S. medical schools. Caribbean medical schools are typically for-profit institutions that have sometimes been criticized for having lower admission standards than U.S. medical schools. Guha, however, said in his statement that St. James provides a high-quality medical education at a tremendous value, opening the door to a medical career to students who would otherwise find it impossible to become a doctor. St. James claimed that nearly 97% of its students passed an important standardized test, called the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Exam, when, in reality, only 35% of those who completed the necessary coursework to take the test passed it, the FTC alleged. The school also claimed that its students matched into residencies which is real-world training doctors undergo after they graduate from medical school 85% to 90% of the time, when the average match rate was actually 63%, according to the FTC. St. James lured students by lying about their chances of success, said Samuel Levine, director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a news release Friday. The FTC also alleged that the defendants marketed financing for tuition and living expenses, but the financing contracts contained language that attempted to waive consumers rights under federal law and omit legally required disclosures. The settlement money will go toward refunds and canceling debt for students who financed their educations at St. James in the past five years. St. James enrolled about 1,300 students a year between 2016 and 2020, according to the FTC. lschencker@chicagotribune.com The results of Colombias 13th March presidential primary elections have shed light on who the leading candidates are for the countrys approaching presidential election on 29th May. Leader of the Historic Pact (Pacto Historico) coalition and ex-guerrilla fighter Gustavo Petro stood out among his competitors by receiving 3 million votes, the largest number of votes received by any candidate during the primaries. Federico Gutierrez, former mayor of Medellin, emerged as his closest competitor, netting around 1.4 million votes. Political Polarisation The primaries also underscored a notable degree of political polarization among voters. Petros Historic Pact coalition obtained 5.8 million votes and Gutierrezs Team for Colombia (Equipo por Colombia) totaled 4.1 million, illustrating voters support for leftist progressive candidates and conservative-leaning candidates respectively. In comparison, the Hope Center Coalition (Coalicion Centro Esperanza) led by centrist candidate Sergio Fajardo received a total of 2.2 million votes. Fajardo himself secured only 72 thousand, trailing behind both Gutierrez and Petro. The apparent decline of Colombias political center is indicative of the Colombian publics thirst for socioeconomic change in the face of numerous challenges, both recent and long entrenched. In the recent past, Colombia experienced social unrest driven in part by the harsh economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw Colombias GDP shrink by 6.8% in 2020. Though the economy has seen signs of recovery, growing by as much as 13.2% in the third quarter of 2021, Colombias employment rate has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Fatigue and anger at long-term issues including high income inequality, corruption, and Colombias ongoing struggle with guerrilla and criminal groups have also spurred demand for change. A Heated Electoral Battle Given his performance in the primary and voting intention polls, Petro is by far the leading presidential candidate. Gutierrezs good performance at the primaries, which came as a surprise given his lower ranking in a February voting intention poll than competitors like Fajardo, suggests that he will be one of Petros main challengers. Petro may also face some competition from independent candidate and former mayor of Medellin Rodolfo Hernandez, who came closest to Petro in the February poll with 13% to Petros 27%, ahead of both Fajardo and Gutierrez. However, its possible that the splitting of the anti-Petro vote among opponents such as Hernandez and Gutierrez could benefit Petros electoral prospects. Related: U.S. Natural Gas Prices To Spike As Exports Boom In Colombias 2018 presidential election Petro received 25% in the first round and 41% in the runoff. Despite performing better in this years primary than that of 2018, it remains unlikely that Petro, or any other candidate, will receive more than half of the votes in the first round of Colombias election on 29th May. Nonetheless, Petro is highly likely to move into the second round, scheduled for the 19th of June, as he did in 2018. It is harder to gauge who will garner enough votes to join him in the runoff, though Gutierrez or Hernandez are the most likely candidates. Gutierrezs opponents have argued that he represents a continuation of the politics of incumbent President Ivan Duque and the Democratic Center (Centro Democratico) party; this accusation is not entirely without justification given that Democratic Center candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga stepped down on the of 15th March to support Gutierrez. Consequently, Gutierrez may struggle to obtain support from Colombias youth and other groups eager for change. By contrast, Hernandez stands to gain among those tired of Colombias political establishment due to his status as a political independent and vocal anti-corruption platform. To shore up his chances for victory in the runoff Petro must make an effort to assuage the concerns of moderate voters in the face of polling reinforcing that, despite increasing identification with the political left, the majority of Colombians (60%) identify with the political center. The Elections Significance In the short term, uncertainty surrounding the elections outcome is likely to dampen foreign investment somewhat. If a more conservative candidate like Gutierrez or Hernandez wins the election it is probable that markets would react positively, or at least that any negative turns would be more subdued. On the contrary, a victory for Petro has the potential to create significant uncertainty and curtail investment in areas including Colombias energy sector as a consequence of Petros stated aim to roll back Colombian oil production. This policy, if implemented, would likely have serious economic consequences for Colombia given that oil is Colombias largest export good and that oil rents account for approximately 3% of Colombias GDP (as of 2019). Petro has also come under fire for his plan to move the savings of private Colombian pension funds into the state pension system (Colpensiones) and use the money to, among other things, provide a pension to 3 million elderly Colombians who do not currently receive one. Critics have described it as tantamount to the expropriation of Colombian workers savings and a move that would decrease investor confidence in Colombia. A victory for Petro would be an unprecedented development in Colombian history, where a leftist President has never been elected before. His election may lead to unrest among a subset of Colombias population, concerned that Petro will turn Colombia into a state like neighboring Venezuela or nearby Cuba. Such an outcome is not very probable as his party does not hold a majority in either house of Colombias Congress and Petro would need to build a coalition in both houses in order to implement his planned reforms. This, along with the stiff conservative opposition Petro would face, would likely result in the softening of several of Petros proposals. Nevertheless, a Petro victory would likely initiate a process of rapprochement between Venezuela and Colombia which, though it may upset those who argue that the Maduro regime should be isolated for its human rights violations, may also open up avenues for dialogue and humanitarian assistance. Colombias 2022 electoral developments have highlighted that the countrys political landscape is in flux, undergoing polarisation, and desperate for change. This political flux has been observed elsewhere in Latin America in recent years, with countries like Honduras, Peru, and Chile also experiencing elections that saw the election of often left-leaning candidates outside of the political establishment. Such a result in Colombia would confirm this trend and undoubtedly have a lasting impact on Colombias political and economic trajectory, as well as on inter-Latin American relations. By Global Risk Insights for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The visit at the beginning of this year of Qatars Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to the White House, and his meeting in March with German economy minister, Robert Habeck, point to the emirate continuing to navigate a relatively neutral course between the power blocs of the U.S. and its allies on the one side, and China and its allies on the other. These visits followed concerns in Washington that a series of developments, highlighted by OilPrice.com, indicated that Qatar was shifting decisively towards the China power axis, leveraged by its key proxy in the Middle East, Iran. This course for Qatar is intended above all else to keep it out of direct conflict with either side in the ongoing struggle between the superpowers and to allow it to maintain its status as a leading gas power through its liquefied natural gas (LNG) capabilities. Given the current supply and demand dislocations in the oil and gas market, its timing is impeccable. For a considerable time, Qatar was the number one exporter of LNG around the world based around its 6,000 square kilometer North Dome site. This site, together with the neighboring 3,700 square kilometer area of Irans South Pars field, comprises by far the largest non-associated natural gas field in the world. By conservatives estimates, the entire 9,700 square kilometer site holds at least 1,800 trillion cubic feet of non-associated natural gas and at least 50 billion barrels of natural gas condensates. Despite this, for a period it lost the top spot to relative newcomer Australia, which shipped an estimated 77.514 million tonnes of LNG on an annualized basis from the countrys 10 LNG projects during 2019. The figure from Australia nonetheless marked an 11.4 percent increase on the 2018 number, driven mainly by production increases at the giant Darwin-based Ichthys LNG Project, and came as a reminder to Qatar that its global competition in the LNG sector had moved up a gear. Qatars response was to announce its intention to increase its LNG production capacity by 64 percent over the next seven years, to a new target of 126 million metric tons per year (mtpy) by 2027, up from its then-capacity of around 77 million mtpy. This superseded the longstanding target of 110 mtpy (although this remained an interim target for Q4 2025), in line with the discovery of further productive layers of gas deposits attached to the main North Dome site but located about 12 kilometers onshore from the coast onshore in Ras Laffan. According to Qatars Energy Minister, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, at the time, this would allow the emirate to move ahead with engineering work on two further LNG production facilities, with a combined capacity of 16 million mtpy (mega-trains). Prior to this expansion announcement, Qatar had revealed that it was already planning to build four new LNG trains. One key sticking point that had to be overcome in order to achieve these aims was to come to a workable accommodation with neighboring Iran on how the North Dome/South Pars site would be developed. From 2005 until the end of the first quarter of 2017 Qatar had placed a moratorium on the further development of its North Dome site in order to conserve its principal hydrocarbons (and indeed financial) resource but the resolve to continue with this self-imposed prohibition was finally removed for two key reasons. First, it was overtaken as the top global LNG exporter by Australia, and second, Qatars moratorium on its side of the supergiant gas field had only seemed to act as an accelerator on Irans development of its side of the 9,700 square kilometer site. This prompted frequent complaints from Doha that its neighbors no-holds-barred development of its South Pars site would damage the future recovery rate in Qatars own North Dome. Related: Mid-Cap Energy Stocks Are Outperforming Supermajors To seek to rectify this, senior figures from Irans Petroleum Ministry and Qatars Energy Ministry began a series of meetings to agree on a new North Dome-South Pars joint development plan, as analyzed in-depth in my new book on the global oil markets. These meetings covered two main areas, a senior source who works closely with Irans Petroleum Ministry told OilPrice.com. First, Iran agreed to stop the aggressive recovery tactics that it had been using along the border areas [demarcating South Pars and North Field] and second Qatar agreed to sit down with the Chinese and the Russians to discuss the future co-ordination of gas export destinations for Iranian, Qatari and Russian gas flows, marketing and pricing, he said. At that time, Iran and China were talking about expanding the scope of the previously agreed 25-year deal between them, and Russia was keen to ensure the smooth continuation of its own gas supplies to China [principally via the US$400 billion 30-year deal agreed in May 2014] and to ensure that Iranian gas did not take the place of Russian gas and influence in Europe, he added. These talks between Qatar and Iran and the subsequent plethora of deals between Qatar and China raised questions in Washington. These concerns had already been stoked by Qatars fractious relationship with key U.S. ally in the Middle East at the time, Saudi Arabia. Following the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar that ran from 2017 to 2021, the Qataris view of how it regards Saudi Arabias future is best evidenced by the fact that it pulled out of the Saudi-dominated OPEC in January 2019 after 60 years as a member. It is also a reflection of the delicate balancing act that Qatar needs to maintain between the Middle Easts two leading powers Saudi Arabia and Iran given not just the fact that it shares the North Dome/South Pars site with Tehran but also that it is geographically positioned directly between Saudi Arabia on its west and Iran on its east. Qatars negative view of Saudi Arabia is no longer an issue for the Biden White House, given that President Biden has vocally expressed a similarly dim view of Saudi Arabia, and is reflected in the fact that around the same time as the Qatari Emirs visit to Washington in January Biden designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally. Qatar is focused now on filling as many of the gas supply gaps left as a result of Russias invasion of Ukraine as it can. It is still producing around 77 million mtpy and its plans for 126 million mtpy by 2027 remain in place. It is also the majority owner of the Golden Pass LNG terminal in Texas with partner ExxonMobil, with the site having an authorized export capacity of up to 18.1 million mtpy and is expected to start up in 2024. In November, Qatar placed an order for six new LNG carriers with South Korean shipyards, aimed at handling its upcoming LNG expansion. This is part of a program announced last April that saw Qatar reserve LNG carrier construction capacity at three South Korean shipyards and Chinas Hudong Zhonghua shipyard through to the end of 2027 to build as many as 100 new LNG carriers in a program worth more than US$19.2 billion. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Soaring prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal on the international markets have left Pakistan, the worlds fifth-most populous nation, with having to cut electricity supply to households and industry as the country in a deep political and economic crisis cannot afford to buy more of the expensive fossil fuels. Pakistanwhose population is the fifth largest in the world after China, India, the United States, and Indonesiastarted to feel the pinch of high energy prices as early as last autumn, when it was struggling to procure imported LNG for its power plants. Pakistans predicament came amid a global natural gas crunch and surging prices for the fuel in Europe and Asia, months before prices shot up again as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As global energy prices remain elevated and highly volatile with the Russian war in Ukraine, Pakistandependent on imports with relatively poor state financesis especially hard hit. The energy crisis, and the political crisis with last weeks ousting of Imran Khan as prime minister of the country, which has nuclear weapons, have combined to throw the Pakistani state budget and finances into disarray. Now Pakistan cannot afford to buy more LNG and coal, on which its power plants rely to generate electricity, Bloomberg reported on Monday. In the middle of last week, on April 13, a total of 7,140 megawatts (MW) capacity plants were shut either due to fuel shortage or technical faults, Miftah Ismail tweeted. Ismail has been picked to serve as a finance minister by new Prime Minister-designate Shehbaz Sharif. According to Bilal Kayani, Assistant Secretary General at the Pakistani party PMLN, foreign exchange reserves at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) amounted to just $10.8 billion on 8 April, a day before Imran Khan was ousted through the vote of no confidence. Thats less than 2 months of import cover. Reserves declined rapidly by $5.4 billion in just 5 weeks, Kayani said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Libyan National Oil Company (NOC) has declared force majeure on another key Libyan oil field, the 300,000 bpd Al Sharara, amid protests that had shut down production at two ports and the El Feel oilfield on Sunday. According to the NOC, a group of individuals put pressure on workers in the Al-Sharara oil field, which forced them to gradually shut down production and made it impossible for the NOC to implement its contractual obligations. The NOC said it was obliged to declare a state of force majeure on Al Sharara until further notice. Al-Sharara is Libyas biggest oilfield, and the move effectively suspends all Libyan oil production and exports. On Sunday, the NOC said that loadings of crude oil at two Libyan ports had been suspended amid anti-government protests that were interfering with oil industry operations. Loading from the Mellita terminal was suspended following a shut down in production at the El Feel oil field, with the NOC stating that individuals were preventing the fields workers from continuing production. Also on Sunday, the NOC shut down operations at the Zueitina export terminal over protests calling for the resignation of incumbent Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. The NOC has been eyeing a ramp-up in production to 1.4 million bpd for Libya, but a new political battle is setting the stage for potential return to civil war. Libya has been producing around 1million bpd since the beginning of this year. Two rival governments have now emerged in Libya, with incumbent Prime Minister Deibah refusing to step down for newly sworn-in eastern prime minister Fathi Bashaga, who last week said his forces would take over the capital Tripoli peacefully. The latest protests that have led to force majeure appear to be engineered by supporters of the Bashaga to gain control of the oil industry from supporters of the incumbent Dbeibah. Early on Monday, the initial force majeure declarations pushed oil prices higher, with Brent trading above $111 per barrel. With the latest force majeure declaration for Al-Sharara, oil prices are pushing higher still, with Brent at $113 at the time of writing (2:47pm EST) and WTI above $108. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Loadings of crude oil at two Libyan ports have been suspended amid anti-government protests that are interfering with the operation of the country's oil industry. The National Oil Corporation has declared force majeure on loadings from the Mellita terminal after production was suspended at the El Feel field. The field, NOC said, "was subjected to arbitrary closure attempts, due to the entry of a group of individuals and the prevention of the field's workers from continuing production, which was totally shut down on Sunday." Meanwhile, unnamed sources told Bloomberg that the Zueitina export terminal was also out of commission due to protests insisting on the resignation of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. The Libyan NOC has since confirmed the Zueitina force majeure. "The NOC regrets the situation and demands that the language of reason and wisdom prevail and to keep the oil sector away from conflicts, in order to preserve the remaining dilapidated infrastructure, due to the consequences of arbitrary closures and the scarcity of budgets over the previous years," the state oil company said. The news of the latest industry disruptions in Libya pushed oil prices higher, with Brent crude trading above $111 per barrel at the time of writing and West Texas Intermediate trading at over $106 per barrel. The latest disruptions come amid plans by the government to boost Libya's oil production to 1.4 million bpd, taking advantage of favorable international price trends. Libya has the biggest oil resources in Africa, but the political instability in the country has prevented it from not only fully utilizing it but even returning to production levels from before the civil war that toppled the Ghaddafi regime. Average crude oil production in the country was 1.2 million barrels last year, but this has fallen to about 1 million bpd since the start of 2022, Bloomberg reported. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: BOSTON (AP) Democratic leaders in the Massachusetts House released a nearly $50 billion state budget proposal Wednesday that would increase spending on areas like schools and local aid while sidestepping a series of tax breaks pushed by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. The budget would expand state support for early education and child care programs, provide free school lunches for another year and strengthen workforce training and youth engagement programs. The plan is for the 2023 fiscal year that begins July 1. It would also require that jails and prisons make phone calls free for prisoners and their families. The proposal does not include any broad-based tax increases or fee hikes. The $49.6 billion budget plan would boost spending by more than $2 billion or 4.2% over the current years budget. Thats 2.9% or nearly $1.4 billion more than Bakers budget proposal unveiled in January. Not included in the House plan is a package of more than $690 million in proposed tax cuts suggested by Baker. One would eliminate income taxes for the states lowest-paid 230,000 taxpayers by raising the states adjusted gross income thresholds for no tax status to $12,400 for single filers, $24,800 for joint filers, and $18,650 for heads of households. Another would give renters a bigger tax break on their monthly payments. The state rent deduction is currently 50% of rent but capped at $3,000 a year. Bakers plan would increase that cap to $5,000, letting more than 880,000 Massachusetts renters keep approximately $77 million more annually. Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano didnt rule out revisiting Baker's proposed tax breaks before the end of the Legislature's formal session on July 31, but said House lawmakers didnt feel they were necessary now. Baker said the state can afford the tax cuts given its strong fiscal position. The House is expected to debate and vote on their budget proposal later in the month. Last up in the annual budget-writing process is the Senate, also controlled by Democrats. Once the House and Senate approve their separate versions of the spending plan, a special committee of House and Senate members will come up with a compromise version that will head back to both chambers for a final vote. That final version then heads to Baker's desk for his signature. Baker can issue vetoes, but Democrats have large enough majorities in both chambers to override any vetoes if they want. The goal is to have the new budget wrapped up before by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Dozens of Republican leaders in Ohio are mounting a last-minute effort to urge former President Donald Trump not to endorse Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance in the crowded upcoming primary for an open Senate seat. A draft letter circulating among Republicans and obtained by The Associated Press calls on Trump to remain neutral in the race. It was written following a news report that Trump was going to endorse Vance, a step the former president has not yet taken. But the letter is a sign of anxiety among some Republicans about which candidate Trump may pick in advance of the state's May 3 primary. Vance has come under particular scrutiny from some of Trump's most loyal supporters for criticizing the former president in the past, something the Republicans highlighted in their letter. In bullet points, they remind Trump of Vance's past comments, including references to potentially supporting Hillary Clinton and comparing the former president to another opioid. We know there are many qualified candidates in this race who have stood up for the America First agenda over the years and have carried the Trump mantle over the years, again with the notable exception of JD Vance, they wrote. While we were working hard in Ohio to support you and Make America Great Again, JD Vance was actively working against your candidacy. The letter, signed by GOP party leaders, including a slew of county chairs, tells the former president that an endorsement that cuts against your support and legacy in Ohio will only serve to confuse or upset voters and may even suppress Republican turnout in the fall. Representatives for Trump and Vance, who has said he regrets his past comments, did not respond to requests for comment. David Johnson, chairman of the Columbiana County Republican Party, who helped to draft and circulate the letter, said the effort came together in a series of phone calls between party chairs Thursday. Johnson, who has endorsed former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken for Senate, said the letter has now been signed by between 40 and 50 people, including supporters of Timken, former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, Cleveland investment banker Mike Gibbons and state Sen. Matt Dolan. Two other candidates round out a seven-way primary to replace Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman. All of us think its just not a smart thing to do for winning that seat. Thats the objective, he said. Vance supporters, meanwhile, urged Trump to stick with him. President Trump would be making a fantastic choice by endorsing JD Vance, said Marshall Pitchford, the chairman of Ohio Right to Life. JD is 100% pro-life without exceptions. He will continue President Trumps pro-life victories in the US Senate. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The Cubano sandwich at TriBeccas Sandwich Shop in Avondale can silence all conversation. Honestly, how is one supposed to pay attention to anything else while in the presence of such a jaw-droppingly gorgeous creation? From the lacquered brown hue of the crusty bread to the tempting combo of juicy roast pork and salty ham blanketed in gooey cheese, its easy to become transfixed and lose track of company. Yet, its also deftly balanced, with contrasting textures and an array of assertive flavors from salty and savory to acidic and slightly spicy. Advertisement Its also very untraditional. Like most beloved regional dishes, the traditional Cuban, or Cubano, sandwich contains only a handful of components, yet what precisely those are and how they are applied is fraught with controversy. Whole books are even written on the subject. Most versions of the pressed sandwich have Cuban bread, sliced ham, shredded roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard, but restaurants in Tampa one of the places the sandwich first began popping up in the late 1800s enjoy adding salami, something that Miami detractors rail against to this day. (In a mostly funny, low-drama way.) Advertisement TriBeccas intentionally steers clear of those troubled waters. Were not trying to be a Cuban restaurant at all, says owner Becca Grothe, which explains why she swapped the traditional Cuban bread for a crackly ciabatta baked by pHlour Bakery in Chicago. And instead of plain mustard, the shop spreads on mustard butter and chipotle aioli, which is not even a little bit traditional. Im just trying to make a good sandwich with the best local ingredients possible, Grothe says. Shes not kidding about that last statement. In fact, one could make a good case for the specificity of calling this a Fairbury Cuban sandwich, since she gets the ham from Twin Oak Meats and the pork from Slagel Family Farm, both of which are in Fairbury, Illinois. Though the pickles are produced by Pickled Prince in Chicago, that company uses as much seasonal produce from Down at the Farms, a farmer-to-farmer marketing and delivery service that is, you guessed it, based in Fairbury. The Swiss cheese, on the other hand, comes from the distant lands of Wisconsin. One bite was all it took for me to fall for its charms. Turns out, thats true for everyone else involved. Becca Grothe and Cam Waron at their restaurant, TriBecca's Sandwich Shop, 2949 W. Belmont Ave., on April 1, 2022, in Avondale. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) As the story goes, Becca Grothe was working as a sous chef at Sunday Dinner Club, a weekly pop-up run by Josh Kulp and Christine Cikowski, when she decided to make a version of the layered and pressed sandwich. According to Kulp, who also co-owns Honey Butter Fried Chicken with Cikowski, it was a moment none of them can forget. Everyone once in a while, we eat something that makes us want to start a new project, Kulp says. One was eating honey butter on fried chicken, and then there was this one. After a brief stint as a pop-up at the Revival Food Hall and the usual pandemic-related delays, TriBeccas Sandwich Shop opened in Avondale in February, with Kulp and Cikowski helping on the business side. (The name is a play on Grothes first name and Tribeca, the absurdly expensive lower Manhattan neighborhood.) Look past the Cuban sandwich, and youll realize that TriBeccas biggest influence is the kind of comforting Midwest fare Grothe grew up eating. (Shes from Galesburg, Illinois, about 45 miles from the Iowa border.) This explains the shops version of the loose meat sandwich, which, lets be honest, is one of the most unfortunately named dishes in existence. Fortunately, its also known as a Maid-Rite, after the Iowa-based restaurant chain that serves them. TriBeccas MaidWrong starts with sauteed ground beef like most versions do (albeit with more of top-quality Slagel Family product) before once again leaving tradition far behind by adding Muenster cheese, a sweet onion mixture called agrodolce, and a steak sauce aioli affectionately known around the restaurant as A2. Its easily the best version of the dish Ive ever tried. The MaidWrong sandwich ($12) features ground beef covered with Muenster cheese, a sweet onion mixture called agrodolce, and a steak sauce aioli. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) TriBeccas also has two versions of the horseshoe, that cheesy Springfield, Illinois, specialty where a burger patty on toast is topped with crinkle-cut french fries and doused in cheese sauce. (At TriBeccas, you can also order it with tofu instead of beef.) Advertisement Its another personal dish for Grothe. My mom grew up outside of Springfield, Grothe says. So every time we go back to visit, we make sure to all go out and eat one. According to Kulp, Grothe has something of an obsession with cheese sauce, and it shows. The most important thing is that its not grainy, Grothe says. I hate it when its broken and grainy. To achieve the silky balance, she uses a pepperjack cheese spread from Pine River, which is based in Wisconsin. Personally, this is one of those absurdly heavy dishes that I only need once a year, though its well done for what it is. The real find is the crispy frosted cauliflower sandwich. Its based on a family recipe, though not one Im exactly begging to try. The crispy "frosted" cauliflower sandwich ($12). (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) It is sort of a side dish that my mom used to make, Grothe says. Shed take cauliflower and slather it in mustard and mayonnaise, top it with shredded cheese and microwave it. Fortunately, Grothe has taken those flavors, covered the cauliflower in panko, and fried it to create what is one of Chicagos best vegetarian sandwiches. I dont understand how the coating stays so miraculously crunchy, even if you get the sandwich to go. Side dishes wouldnt look out of place at a Midwestern potluck. The ranch broccoli salad tastes exactly like it sounds it would, with crisp, bright green florets in a punchy version of the dressing. The pepper jack also shows up in her spirited take on mac and cheese. Advertisement Ranch broccoli salad ($6) is a menu item offered at TriBecca's Sandwich Shop. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Desserts are limited to a crispy griddled rum cake and a creamy banana pudding cup. But theres also a separate dessert concept sharing space with TriBeccas called Tubers Donuts. These wild potato doughnuts are the brainchild of Cam Waron, Grothes husband. Each one starts with mashed potatoes folded into local flour and then fried in clarified butter. While you can get the Vanilla Iced, which is topped simply with a vanilla buttermilk glaze, you might find yourself tempted by the Fries in Your Frosty, which arrives with a chocolate ganache glaze and crunchy potatoes. The shop itself is bright, adorable and very small, with only one booth and a few bar seats by the window. Its understandable if you get your order to go. Instead of someone taking your order, you can either order online or from a computer at the counter, though Grothe is there to help if you have any questions. Sure, Chicago isnt exactly starved for sandwiches, but crafting multiple showstoppers using ingredients mostly sourced from within a few hours of Chicago is something else entirely and I, for one, am hungry for more. TriBeccas Sandwich Shop 2949 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago 773-878-2717 Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > tribeccas.com Advertisement Tribune rating: Very good Open: 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday to Monday Prices: Sandwiches $11-$13; sides $4-$5; doughnuts $3.25 Noise: Conversation friendly Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, and bathroom on first floor RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) U.S. Senate hopeful Ted Budd is benefitting from President Donald Trumps endorsement and a super PAC's commitment to flood airwaves and mailboxes to help him as the May 17 Republican primary approaches. But rival and former Gov. Pat McCrory still has managed to stick close to Budd when it comes to head-to-head fundraising. Campaign finance reports for the first quarter show McCrory, the former governor, and current U.S. House member Budd collecting essentially the same level of contributions and other funds. McCrory's campaign said it raised $1.13 million through March 31, compared to $1.125 million raised by Budd., according to reports due Friday with the Federal Election Commission. McCrory also reported having more cash in his campaign coffers entering April $2.2 million compared to $1.9 million for Budd. Since early 2021 before either candidate had entered the race Budd has raised slightly more overall, FEC reports show. Budd has raised $4.24 million compared to $4.16 million for McCrory. Budds overall total contains $275,000 that he loaned his campaign. McCrory with a high name recognition from his time as governor from 2013 through in 2016 had outraised Budd in the second quarter of 2021. As word of Trump's June 2021 endorsement spread, Budd and McCrory's numbers were about even in the third quarter, and Budd outraised McCrory by about $220,000 in the fourth quarter. The candidates' fundraising may shrink in comparison to Club for Growth Action, a super PAC that has said it plans to spend $14 million on activity in the North Carolina primary, praising Budd and attacking McCrory. An FEC filing by the group said it had already incurred $4.7 million in independent expenditures in the race through February. The super PAC and Budd's campaign are barred from coordinating activities. Among other Republican Senate hopefuls, former Rep. Mark Walker's campaign totals remain well behind those of Budd and McCrory. He was also outraised in the first quarter by first-time political candidate Marjorie Eastman of Cary, FEC reports show. Walker reported collecting $105,000 in the first quarter and had $509,000 in cash available. Eastman, a combat veteran, raised $372,000 of which $160,000 were in a personal loan and had $441,000 in cash on hand, according to reports. The four candidates are among 14 seeking the GOP nomination. The top vote-getter must receive more than 30% of the vote to avoid a late July runoff with the second-place finisher. Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in an 11-candidate field raised $3.66 million in the first quarter and had $5.1 million on hand entering April, according to her FEC report. Beasleys campaign had announced those totals earlier in the month, showing she is the most prolific fundraiser in the field to date. All of the candidates, including Libertarian Party nominee Shannon Bray, are seeking to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr. Budd has said Trump's endorsement which was on full display during a rally by the former president in Johnston County on April 9 has contributed to his recent surge in polls. McCrory has accused Washington-based Club for Growth of essentially buying support for Budd. The head of another Club for Growth affiliate that endorsed Budd calls him a principled and proven conservative, and said McCrory is too liberal. The ex-governor and other primary rivals have also criticized Budd for declining so far to participate in televised debates. Eastman, McCrory and Walker will attend a live GOP debate Wednesday evening sponsored by Spectrum News 1, the cable channel said Monday. Carolina Senate Fund, a super PAC supporting McCrory and opposing Budd, reported last week that it had collected $478,500 in the first quarter and had $752,000 entering April. In a separate filing, the organization said it had spent $117,000 on campaign mailers. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Sri Lanka's president acknowledged Monday that he made mistakes that led to the country's worst economic crisis in decades and pledged to correct them. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa made the admission while speaking to 17 new Cabinet ministers he appointed Monday as he and his powerful family seek to resolve a political crisis resulting from the countrys dire economic state. Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, with nearly $7 billion of its total $25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment this year. A severe shortage of foreign exchange means the country lacks money to buy imported goods. People have endured months of shortages of essentials like food, cooking gas, fuel and medicine, lining up for hours to buy the very limited stocks available. During the last two and a half years we have had vast challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the debt burden, and some mistakes on our part, Rajapaksa said. They need to be rectified. We have to correct them and move forward. We need to regain the trust of the people. He said the government should have approached the International Monetary Fund early on for help in facing the impending debt crisis and should not have banned chemical fertilizer in an attempt to make Sri Lankan agriculture fully organic. Critics say the ban on imported fertilizer was aimed at conserving the country's declining foreign exchange holdings and badly hurt farmers. The government is also blamed for taking out large loans for infrastructure projects which have not brought in any money. Today, people are under immense pressure due to this economic crisis. I deeply regret this situation," Rajapaksa said, adding that the pain, discomfort and anger displayed by people forced to wait in long lines to get essential items at high prices is justified. The Cabinet appointments follow weeks of protests over shortages of fuel and food and demands that Rajapaksa, his politically powerful family and his government resign. Much public anger has been directed at Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. They head an influential clan that has held power for most of the past two decades. Thousands of protesters occupied the entrance to the presidents office for a 10th day on Monday. The president and prime minister remain in office, but some other relatives lost their Cabinet seats in what was seen as an attempt to pacify the protesters without giving up the family's hold on power. Many senior politicians and those facing corruption allegations were excluded from the new Cabinet in line with calls for a younger administration, though the finance and foreign affairs ministers retained their positions to assist with an economic recovery. Most of the Cabinet resigned on April 3 after protests erupted across the country and demonstrators stormed and vandalized the homes of some Cabinet ministers. Opposition parties rejected an offer by President Rajapaksa to form a unity government with him and his brother remaining in power. Opposition parties have failed, meanwhile, to gain a parliamentary majority. Last week, the government said it was suspending repayment of foreign loans pending talks with the International Monetary Fund. Finance Minister Ali Sabry and officials left for talks with the IMF on Sunday. The IMF and World Bank are holding annual meetings in Washington this week. Sri Lanka has also turned to China and India for emergency loans to buy food and fuel. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The gubernatorial campaign of State Sen. Brett Lindstrom released polling Monday that indicates an increasingly tight three-way contest for the Republican nomination. The poll was conducted before serious allegations against one of the front-runners sent a shockwave through the race. Polls released by two campaigns in mid-March already had suggested a three-way race, with Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster polling ahead of Lindstrom and University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen. The new polling, by 3D Strategic Research, was conducted for Lindstroms campaign April 10-12. It suggests the gaps among candidates narrowing as undecided voters peel off, with Herbster four points behind Lindstrom and Pillen. The ballot may be tied, but the momentum is clearly behind Brett Lindstrom, Lindstrom campaign spokesperson Pat Trueman said in a statement. Hes in the drivers seat for the final month of the campaign. The new poll found Lindstrom and Pillen each polling at 27% and Herbster at 23%, with 12% of voters undecided. Former State Sen. Theresa Thibodeau came in at 6%. According to a polling memo, the survey included 500 GOP voters, with respondents randomly selected based on how likely it is that they will vote in the May 10 primary. Of those, 60% were reached via a call on their cellphone and 40% via landline, according to the campaign. The overall margin of error for the survey was plus or minus 4.38 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval meaning the three front-runners all polled within the margin of error. On April 14, two days after the survey ended, the Nebraska Examiner published allegations from eight women, including a state senator, who said Herbster had groped them. Herbster has denied the allegations, which have sparked condemnation from many figures across Nebraskas political landscape. The Herbster campaign on Monday questioned the new polls credibility: There is no credible polling that we have seen throughout the campaign that has shown Brett Lindstrom any higher than third place, spokesperson Emily Novotny said in an email. This includes polling through the past weekend. The Herbster campaign declined to release any polling from the weekend, citing campaign policy. Deputy campaign manager Rod Edwards said its the campaigns policy not to publicly release specific polling data in the last 30 days of the campaign. A spokesperson for Pillen pointed out the candidates position in the Lindstrom campaigns poll: Jim Pillen is leading a tight race even in his opponents internal polls, the statement reads. We need a conservative governor, and one who will represent the whole state, not just Omaha. Randall Adkins, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said he thinks the latest poll shows the race is continuing to tighten as undecided voters make their picks. Given its timing in the context of the allegations against Herbster, however, Adkins said the data likely already is out of date. A poll the same firm conducted for the Lindstrom campaign March 7-9 indicated Herbster was ahead at 30%, followed by Pillen with 23% and Lindstrom with 20%. It showed 18% undecided and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percentage points. The Herbster campaigns survey of 600 Republican voters March 8-10, conducted by supporter Kellyanne Conways KAConsulting, showed Herbster polling at 27%, Pillen at 18% and Lindstrom at 17%, with 35% of voters undecided. The margin of error for that survey was plus or minus 4 percentage points. Lindstrom is working with a significantly smaller war chest than the other top two candidates. Through April 5, he had spent more than $1.2 million. Pillen had spent nearly $4.8 million and Herbster, who has largely bankrolled his own campaign, had spent nearly $8.7 million. Both Lindstrom and Herbster have been targeted by third-party attack ads Gov. Pete Ricketts, Pillens most prominent backer, said he contributed money to the dark-money group that has attacked Herbster. Ricketts has said he did not fund a group targeting Lindstrom. <&rule> Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) (THE CONVERSATION) Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the number of people studying Ukrainian on Duolingo, a language learning website and mobile app, has increased by more than 500%. Most of those who are taking up Ukrainian are probably unaware that there is a long-running controversy about this particular form of speech. One side views Russians and Ukrainians as one people, and the opposing side does not. Unfortunately, there isnt a clear answer. The difference between a language and a dialect depends upon whom you ask. The linguistics angle Many linguists base their determination of language-or-dialect on whether forms of speech are mutually understandable. In simple terms, if two people are speaking different dialects of the same language, they can probably understand each other. However, if two people are speaking separate languages, they probably wont be able to understand each other. By this definition, Czech and Slovak could be viewed as dialects of the same language. The same goes for Indonesian and Malay. Some spoken forms look quite different when pen is put to paper. For instance, Serbian is written with a variation of the Cyrillic alphabet, like Russian, while Croatian uses a form of the Latin alphabet, like English. Nonetheless, many linguists would consider Serbian and Croatian to be dialects of the same language, because its the understandability of spoken forms that generally counts. Humans have been talking for a very long time, but weve only been writing things down for a few millennia. Plus, of the roughly 7,000 known living languages only about 4,000 have a writing system. Politics says something different For political scientists, the difference between a language and a dialect is not based on mutual understandability, but rather politics. For example, Hindi and Urdu are separate languages because the governments of India and Pakistan say they are, even though the colloquially spoken forms of the two varieties are strikingly similar. Max Weinreich, a Yiddish scholar, popularized the idea that a language is a dialect with an army and navy. In other words, a government can promote the view that a dialect is a separate language even if it isnt in linguistic terms. Moldova, for instance, argues that Moldovan is a separate language, even though it is nearly identical to Romanian. Although Romania has gotten upset about such linguistic rebranding, according to Article 13 of the Moldovan Constitution, the countrys official language is Moldovan, and not Romanian. Thus the two are separate languages at least politically. Bestowing official status on a particular spoken form not only encourages its use in government, including the courts, but it also usually means that a spoken form will be taught in schools, thereby ensuring that future generations share a common language even if it was invented for nationalistic purposes. Cantonese is widely spoken in and around Hong Kong, yet it is often treated as a dialect of Chinese. However, spoken Mandarin and Cantonese are not mutually understandable. As such, in linguistic terms, these two forms of speech would not be considered dialects of a single language, but rather separate languages. In order to strengthen the power of the central government against separatist sentiment, the Chinese government has long promoted a language unification agenda. The intent is both to create a common way of communicating for the country but also to minimize the linguistic and cultural differences that exist among different communities. To help spread the adoption of Standard Chinese, as defined by the government, television and radio professionals are subject to strict requirements and can even be fined for using incorrect pronunciation. Throughout China, local forms of speech are being phased out as mediums of instruction in schools in favor of Mandarin. Many of these forms are now declining, and some are at risk of going extinct. Such efforts do not necessarily mean that these types of speech arent real languages in the linguistic sense. But politically, the difference between a language and a dialect is whatever China says it is. This is even reflected at the international level, as many organizations, such as the United Nations, recognize Chinese as being the form of speech standardized and promoted by the Chinese government. Resolving the conflict So, is Ukrainian a dialect of Russian or a separate language? Linguistically, Ukrainian and Russian are about as different as French and Portuguese. Although French and Portuguese both descend from Latin, theyve now diverged enough to make mutual understanding difficult. Similarly, while both Ukrainian and Russian share a common ancestor, their present-day spoken forms are now different enough that theres a strong linguistic case for them to be considered separate languages. Politically, however, whether Ukrainian is a dialect or language will, in part, depend upon how the war ends. If Ukraine remains an independent country that considers Ukrainian a separate language it is a separate language. If, however, Russia ends up controlling the entirety of Ukraine, thereby finishing the process that it began in 2014 with its annexation of Crimea, then Russia could promote the view that Ukrainian is but a mere dialect of Russian, to reinforce Ukraines diminished status as a part of Russia. In short, not only is Ukraines territorial integrity at risk, but so is the independence of a unique and distinct cultural community. [Youre smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversations authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.] This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/is-ukrainian-a-language-or-a-dialect-that-depends-on-whom-you-ask-and-how-the-war-ends-180849. Licenced as Creative Commons - attribution, no derivatives. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. Error! There was a problem with reporting this article. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. Report Abuse Log In to report Humble to hold election for three seats, charter changes The city of Humble will conduct an election in May for three of its five council seats. Nine amendments to the city charter will also be on the ballot. See cityofhumbletx.gov/city-elections for complete information. Four candidates are running for seats on the Humble City Council. One position is opposed; the other two candidates are running unopposed. Bruce Davidson, a CPA who has lived in Humble more than 24 years, is running unopposed for Place No. 3. Davidson was appointed to the council upon the resignation of Norman Funderburk, who ran (successfully) for mayor. He earned his bachelors degree in finance and accounting from the University of Houston and became a certified public accountant in 1991. He owns a local accounting firm in Humble. Paula Settle, running unopposed for Place No. 4, has lived in Humble nearly 50 years. Settle took office in January 2021 after winning a runoff election by one vote. A graduate of Humble High School Class of 1969, she has two adult daughters and three granddaughters. For the last 22 years, she has overseen the daily operations of Humble Machine Works. Settle is a member of the Humble Chapter Order of the Eastern Star, the Humble Police Academy Alumni Association and Humble Citizens on Patrol. David Pierce, currently serving on the council in Place No. 5 and as the mayor pro tem, is a company officer and has lived in Humble nearly 70 years. Pierce previously served eight terms on the Humble City Council before taking a 13-year break, then returned to the council when he was elected to Place 5 in 2015. Pierce is founder and chief executive officer of Humble Industries, Inc., manufacturing products for energy, oil and gas, water wells, tank trucks and mining in Humble for more than 32 years. Pierce received the Humble High Alumni Associations Mamie Morris service award, is a past honoree of the Humble Livestock Show and Rodeo, and a life member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Pierce is being challenged by Linda Greenan, a dispatcher, who has lived in Humble nearly 25 years. Greenan ran unsuccessfully against council member Charles Cunningham in the May 2021 election. Election Day is Saturday, May 7. Early voting is April 25- May 3. Voting will be conducted at the Humble City Hall. BLOOMINGTON The second of potentially six bench trials for a former Bloomington piano teacher accused of sexual assault of a child started Monday with testimony from one of the six accusers. Aaron M. Parlier, 41, of Mackinaw, was previously sentenced to 450 years in prison after a judge found him guilty last year of sexual assault and child pornography charges. The 38 felony sex charges were severed into separate trials for each victim. He is charged in Mondays trial with one count each of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13 years old (Class X felony) and child pornography (Class 2 felony), and 10 counts of criminal sexual assault of a minor (Class 1 felony). Parlier is accused of committing the aggravated criminal sexual abuse charge from April 2015 to January 2018; the predatory criminal sexual assault charge from July 2009 to July 2010; and the criminal sexual assault charges from July 2010 to July 2013. He was arrested and charged in February 2018. The accuser who testified Monday said that she took piano lessons with Parlier from when she was roughly 6 to 12 years old. She said Parlier became a family friend and was a respected person in the community because of his piano teaching and his assistance tuning pianos for local concert halls and schools. They remained in contact for a few years after her lessons until she was about 15, she said. The relationship became inappropriate around age 8 or 9 when Parlier placed his hand down her shirt, the accuser said, and it continued to progress. Parlier engaged in sexual intercourse when the girl was about 11 years old, she said. She said the sexual acts happened more times than I could count, and that they were recorded because he recorded them or made me record them. She also testified that the sexual intercourse would occur at her home, in his car, in a back room of a piano store he worked at and at a Bloomington concert hall. Authorities learned of the misconduct through an essay that a separate girl wrote for a class in high school where she referenced having been sexually abused by her piano teacher, a prosecutor said. That report opened a floodgate, McLean County Assistant States Attorney Erika Reynolds said, adding that it led to a search warrant for Parliers computer which contained child pornography videos that prosecutors say he created. A December 2017 police interview with Parlier that was played in court revealed him telling authorities that he engaged in sexual acts with the girl around four to five times, but he did not tell police her age at the time. Parlier described in the police interview the first sexual interaction with the girl, which occurred in his vehicle. He accused her of touching him inappropriately and it escalated, and he said to police, To be fair, I didnt put up too much of a protest. The accuser testified Monday that Parlier bought her gifts, or whatever Id want, including a pet, in exchange for not telling anyone about their sexual relationship. Parlier bought her an engagement ring when she was a freshman in high school, she said. If convicted of the predatory criminal sexual assault charge, Parlier would be sentenced to natural life in prison. If he is not found guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault but is convicted of any other charges, Parlier faces up to an additional 216 years in prison. The bench trial was expected to conclude Monday after press time, but a ruling is expected later in the week. Contact Kade Heather at 309-820-3256. Follow him on Twitter: @kadeheather Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Question: Today is Tax Day in the U.S. In 2020, of the 50 states, Illinois was the state where residents paid the second-highest amount of taxes in America, superseded only by New Jersey. Is that still the case? Answer: Unfortunately, we've moved up to No. 1, the state with Americas highest tax burden, according to the website MoneyGeek. Covering all taxes income, sales, property, others the average Illinois household pays 16.8% of its income on taxes alone. On the other hand, as pointed out by the website, if people relied solely on taxes, Alaska would be overrun with new residents, as it pays no state sales tax, no income tax and its property taxes are low. And yet it remains one of the countrys least populated states. The atmosphere at the Assemblies of God Church, Salvation Chapel at Awudome Tsito was one of joy as they marked Easter Sunday which signified the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead. Clad mostly in white, they danced and sang praises unto the risen Lord. Some of the worshippers who spoke with the Ghana News Agency noted that the lifting of the restrictions on the Covid-19 was a major boost for this year's Easter. They contended that all their church activities during the period were held without any restrictions. Rev. Samuel Amegboe, Resident Minister of the Church in a sermon noted that the greatest problem facing humanity was not poverty, war, disease, or lack of shelter but sin. "Sin is the cause of all the woes we have to contend with," he said. The sermon, which was on the theme, "behold Jesus the Lamb of the world" was taken from John 1: 29, John 3: 16 and I John 3: 18. He said had God wanted to punish the sin of the world like Sodom Gomorrah, he would have created a new set of people all the time. Rev. Amegboe intimated that in dealing with the sin of the world, God had to sacrifice His only begotten son. He said the sacrifice freed mankind from the wrath of God and eternal condemnation. "It is also the remedy for the sin problem as it destroyed the work of Satan which is sin," he said. Rev. Amegboe continued that the sacrifice was also an escape route from sin. He advised Christians to seek pardon for their sins through Jesus Christ adding that rejection of Jesus was tantamount to contempt of divine rejection. Rev. Amegboe urged them to use the Easter season to reflect on the love of God and get reconciled with Him. He appealed to those in leadership positions to emulate Jesus Christ by sacrificing a little of their comfort for others. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Police recruits who were deployed to various parts of the country especially recreational centers for the Easter occasion were charged to exhibit high level of professionalism. Their deployment formed part of efforts to train them on the job as the Police administration seeks to increase the visibility. The Director-General of Police Administration, COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno told them not accept any gift. Dont accept any gift from anybody, nobody should say that he is drinking Coke and so he is giving you beer to drink, he is giving you Coke to drink, he said. Source: 3news.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 He set a high standard for himself and his colleagues from the outset, with a sometimes brainy, sometimes brawny account of "Train" (from his "Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard" album). The solemn introductory passages attested to the control of Potter's work on tenor saxophone and the depth and poise of his thinking, but it didn't take long before he picked up tempo and fervor. Fast-flying passages alternated with sprawling lines; funk beats gave way to easy swing; nothing stayed the same for very long. When Potter topped it all of with an a cappella cadenza built on snippets of motifs we'd heard thus far, there was no question that a major performance was underway. A man from Kentucky, USA who was fired for having a panic attack that his bosses saw as 'violent' after he was thrown a birthday party at work against his wishes has been awarded $450,000 by a jury. Kevin Berling asked an office manager at the Gravity Diagnostics lab in Covington, Kentucky not to throw him a party because of his anxiety disorder in August 2019. When he found out that a party was planned for lunchtime, he spent the break in his car working on breathing techniques to quell his stress. According to NewYorkTimes, the next day, he had another panic attack in a meeting with two supervisors who talked to him about his 'somber behavior.' The company says he had clenched his fists, turned red and ordered his superiors to be quiet during the meeting, leaving them 'shaken.' Berling's lawyer says the closed fists were part of a coping maneuver to deal with the tense situation. 'They were absolutely in fear of physical harm during that moment,' Brazil, the company's co-founder, told the Times. 'They both are still shaken about it today.' He was sent home after the meeting. A couple hours later, he texted one of his superiors to apologize, according to a complaint filed in Kenton County Circuit Court. He was fired via email three days later. He then filed a disability discrimination suit a month later, in September 2019. On March 31, a jury awarded Berling $150,000 in lost wages and benefits and $300,000 for suffering, embarrassment and loss of self-esteem after finding that he had been discriminated against for his disability.Gravity founder Julie Brazil, who does not appear to have been involved in the party planning, says she stands by her decision to terminate him 'for his violation of our workplace violence policy.' Gravity founder Julie Brazil (pictured below) who does not appear to have been involved in the party planning, says she stands by her employees' decision to terminate him 'for his violation of our workplace violence policy.' A lawyer for the company says the company will challenge the verdict and may file an appeal. 'My employees were the victims in this case, not the plaintiff,' she said. Gravity Diagnostics is licensed in 'all 50 states' in the US and serves 'over 1,000 customers from small private practices to universities, to Fortune 500 companies,' according to its website. Berling had been working at the Covington lab for 10 months . His lawyer Tony Bucher says he had received 'outstanding' monthly reviews. The company itself in a statement said Berling was never given a bad review. His lawyer points to the amount of money Berling could have earned at his job had he not been fired, given that the COVID-19 pandemic sent the lab's value soaring. 'Based on his employment records, where would he be?' Bucher told LINK nky. 'There are people whose income has gone up at least 50 percent during that time. He lost a nice opportunity with that company.' The lawyer says the person responsible for scheduling the celebrations simply forgot to honor his client's request. 'She didnt do it to be mean. She said she would accommodate it and she just forgot,' he said. 'Basically what the argument was is he was fired for having a panic attack,' Bucher said. 'They made assumptions that he was dangerous based off of his disability and not off of any evidence that he was violent.' Brazil says her employees made the right choice to protect their co-workers. 'My employees deescalated the situation to get the plaintiff out of the building as quickly as possible while removing his access to the building, alerting me and sending out security reminders to ensure he could not access the building, which is exactly what they were supposed to do,' she told LINK nky. 'As an employer who puts our employee safety first, we have a zero-tolerance policy and we stand by our decision to terminate the plaintiff for his violation of our workplace violence policy,' Brazil said. 'My employees were the victims in this case, not the plaintiff. 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 " " Authorities gathered on the roof of the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles after the discovery of Elisa Lam's body in the hotel's water tank. Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images When 21-year-old college student Elisa Lam was found dead in the water tank of the Cecil Hotel (now closed) in Los Angeles in 2013, the mysterious circumstances surrounding her case captured national attention. Her body was found after guests of the hotel complained about low water pressure and a strange taste, which led employees to investigate their water tanks. That's where they found Lam's body, floating naked, her clothes, watch and room key in the water beside her. Her cell phone was never found. The coroner listed her death as a drowning. Lam traveled to Los Angeles from Vancouver alone, and went missing from her Cecil Hotel room soon after she arrived. After a week searching for leads, the Los Angeles Police Department released a video of her last known whereabouts: security camera footage from inside the hotel's elevator. It was this video that sparked interest from amateur internet sleuths because of her seemingly strange behavior: Lam pushes the buttons for several floors at once, then appears to hesitantly poke her head into the hallway and look quickly back and forth before backing into the elevator and ducking into the corner. Advertisement The elevator door does not close. She pokes her head out again, then leaves the elevator altogether. She stands to the side and gesticulates strangely with her hands as if talking to someone, though no one else can be seen on the video. Finally, Lam leaves the scene entirely, and the elevator doors close. Some viewers think her behavior could be explained away as possible psychedelic drug use, while others say she could have been trying to hide from a pursuer. Her death has even been linked to the Korean elevator game, a ritual of pressing buttons on an elevator in a certain order to reach another dimension. The most plausible explanation is that Lam had bipolar disorder, and according to her autopsy, had only taken her prescribed stimulant medications but neither of her stabilizers. This may have led to a manic episode, which can cause some bipolar sufferers to experience hallucinations or psychosis. If Lam had a manic episode, it's possible she thought someone was following her, perhaps causing her to hide in the water tank for safety. This doesn't satisfy everyone, however. The hotel's water tanks are not easy to access; they are located on the roof of the Cecil, and only hotel staff keys unlock the doors to the roof. Lam could have used the fire escape to get onto the roof, but those trigger alarms and hotel staff say they never heard the alarms go off. Also, the openings to the water tanks are 10 feet (3 meters) up, and require a ladder to reach, but there were none around the night Lam ended up inside. The lid to the tank also was not hinged, leading some to wonder how the lid was closed if she got in of her own accord. Then there's the Cecil itself, a hotel with a storied and gory reputation. Notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez aka the Nightstalker lived there in 1984 while he killed 13 people. There were also several suicides, including one where the victim fell on top of a pedestrian, killing them both. This grisly past only helped fuel the paranormal theories, buttressed by Lam's unsettling behavior in the video. Even the footage itself is a focus of some conspiracy theorists, who allege that the time stamp in the bottom of the frame skips forward, as if a minute of footage were removed. It is also noted that at times while Lam appears to speak to someone, her mouth is pixelated, obscuring her words. Finally, in an even more bizarre coincidence, it was discovered that a tuberculosis drug was being studied nearby the Cecil. The name of the drug? LAM-ELISA. While nothing has been found connecting Lam or her death with the tuberculosis study, this was just one more in a series of strange circumstances that ensures that Elisa Lam's death will be a source of fascination and speculation for a long time to come. Advertisement Originally Published: Jun 27, 2017 Manila City Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso, former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, and Senator Panfilo Lacson, all presidential candidates for the 2022 Philippine election, hold a copy of their signed agreement during a joint news conference at the Manila Peninsula, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 17, 2022. The survey laggards arranged the Easter event to declare their intention of not quitting the presidential race. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David Who thought this was a good idea? Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senator Panfilo Lacson, and former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, all survey laggards, held a press conference on Sunday (April 17) at an expensive hotel to claim that a certain presidential candidate allegedly approached their respective camps to ask them to withdraw from the presidential race. So, the three of them who were also joined by vice-presidential candidates Senate President Vicente Sotto and Willie Ong made a stance that they are not bowing down. This, they said, is them showing unity. It could have ended there... until Moreno opened his mouth. I am calling for [Vice President] Leni [Robredo] to withdraw [because] whatever [she is] doing is not effective against [former senator Ferdinand] Marcos. Withdraw, come and join us, he said. But Moreno, Lacson, and Gonzales must be delusional to think that any of them will win should Robredo withdraw. In the latest Pulse Asia survey, Moreno fared 8%, Lacson 2%, and Gonzales 0% literally the size of an Easter egg. If we combine their ratings (and even if we add Senator Manny Pacquiaos 6% in the equation), they still would not match Robredos 24%. How did they arrive at the idea that any of them will win if Robredo backs out, especially after their recent display of bullying? Given yesterdays brouhaha, I believe many of Robredos supporters will shift to other more significant candidates should the vice president quit; if you ask me, choosing to vote for Ka Leody de Guzman will make more sense. Manila City Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso, former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, and Senator Panfilo Lacson, all presidential candidates for the 2022 Philippine election, hold a joint news conference at the Manila Peninsula, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 17, 2022. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David It was also funny when Gonzales said that the Filipinos should look past Number 2 referring to Robredo who currently ranks second in Pulse Asias survey and consider them instead. Why are they proposing to have a new Number 2 when the goal should be to have a new Number 1? If their real goal is to avoid a Marcos presidency, as Moreno said when he asked Robredo to withdraw, shouldnt they be ganging up on Marcos and not on Robredo? It is like competing your goal should be to beat the reigning champion and not the first runner up. Only a loser thinks that way. Focusing all your energy to beat the first runner up just does not make sense. Story continues Unless, of course, their goal is to let Number 1 win by pulling Number 2 down with them. We can never know. Moreno and Lacson must have been extremely hurt when IM Pilipinas and Partido Reporma left them for Robredo. Add to that that Robredo saw a surge while Moreno saw a decrease in their respective preference ratings (it is likely that the numbers that Moreno lost were among those that were added to Robredos, hence his unmistakable agitation towards Robredo). Their man egos must have been really bruised for them to resort to wonk-wonk bullying of the female candidate who is currently enjoying the momentum. The conduct displayed by Moreno, Lacson, and Gonzales revealed an unfortunately common behavior in the countrys heavily patriarchal society: men always expect women to make space for them. Moreno and friends should be at the forefront of progress as aspiring national leaders. But alas, being at the expensive Manila Peninsula cannot even cover their disgusting sexism and misogyny. With three weeks left before the elections, it seems very obvious that we are already following a two-way race between Marcos and Robredo. This is most probably why Moreno, Lacson, and Gonzales are desperately fitting themselves in the show, hoping to still look relevant all in the disguise of unity. Former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales speaks during a joint news conference with Manila City Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso and Senator Panfilo Lacson, all presidential candidates for the 2022 Philippine election, at the Manila Peninsula, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 17, 2022. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David As the sadbois of Philippine politics (as described by netizens) were busy ganging up on the lone female presidential candidate in a press conference, Robredo was busy having lunch with the Sumilao farmers in Naga; the Sumilao farmers have been marching across the country to actively campaign for Robredo, who served as their lawyer back when they were fighting for their ancestral land that was being claimed by the giant San Miguel Corporation. Also, on the same day, Robredo shifted her campaign symbol from a pink rose to a flower bearing the Philippine flag's colors: red, blue, and yellow joined by the campaign colors of Robredo and her running mate Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan: pink and green. If anything, the change in their overarching campaign message shows that the pink rose has already bloomed to that of a Philippine flower more patriotic and more inclusive. Isn't that what unity is? Robredo capped off the night with a Facebook post addressing her supporters. She said in Filipino, 20 campaign days left. Let us not let our emotions take over. Let us refrain from saying hurtful words. Let us focus on the campaign person to person, heart to heart. We have a nation we need to fight for. I remained amazed by how graceful and calm Robredo responds to attacks characteristics that only persons with a sense of dignity and nobility have. That Facebook post was such a huge slap to Moreno, Lacson, and Gonzales; their expensive press conference turned out to be all for naught. Instead of holding a presser, Moreno, Lacson, and Gonzales should have used that time and energy instead to focus on their respective campaigns and not on Robredos. But because of their recent theatrics, they have exposed that their male egos and toxic-masculine self-interests are hurt because a woman candidate is ahead by a wide margin in surveys. So, they resort to what a group of scared boys does in times of fear stand up and portray themselves as bullies. Sadbois and bullies. That is how you will be remembered. Juju Z. Baluyot is a Manila-based writer who writes in-depth special reports, news features, and opinion-editorial pieces for a wide range of publications. He covers cultures, media, gender, and the 2022 Philippine elections. The views expressed are his own. Watch more videos on Yahoo: CBCP president and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David addresses the congregation during the Solidarity Mass for the Moral Choice special mass held at the Baclaran Church on Wednesday, April 6 2022, which was streamed live. Filipino bishops are urging the Catholic faithful to vote wisely on May 9. (SCREENGRAB: Baclaran Church YouTube channel) The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has urged Filipinos to vote with their conscience and fight disinformation as the May 9 general elections draws ever closer. According to Good News Pilipinas, CBCP president and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David appealed to the faithful to not gamble away the countrys future in light of the national polls Delivering his homily during the Solidarity Mass for the Moral Choice at the Baclaran Church, which was streamed live on the CBCP Facebook page, Bishop David called on the Filipino electorate to choose the right leaders. The cleric also reminded them not to be neutral or indifferent to the plights of others, and to treat each other with respect regardless of political beliefs. Mag-ambag tayo sa pamamagitan ng pagtupad ng ating mga tungkulin. Hindi natin maitataguyod ang kinabukasan na wala tayo. Huwag nating iasa ito sa iba. Kailangang kasangkot at kabahagi tayo.( Let us contribute by fulfilling our duties. We cannot sustain the future without us. Let us not depend on others. We need to be involved.) The Bishop added, "Baguhin natin kahit unti-unti ang ating kulturang pampulitika. Kung mananatiling mababa ang pagtingin at pagkilos natin sa pulitika, hindi pag-unlad ang ibubunga nito. Huwag sana nating isugal ang ating kinabukasan." (Let us change even little by little our political culture. If we remain low in our view and actions in politics, it will not result in progress. Let us not gamble away our future.) As Christians, added the CBCP president, voters should seek the truth and not fall for deceitful lies and disinformation on social media. He said that social media trolls who peddle lies are no different from those who once called for Jesus Christ to be crucified. Bishop David also named several criteria to help voters choose their leaders. In addition to having honesty and integrity, a good leader will uphold and protect the democracy of the Filipino people, abide by the law, and respect human rights. Such a leader will also respect women and will combat illegal activities such as illegal gambling, illegal drug trade, illegal logging and illegal mining, he added. Common salt (NaCl) acts as an intermediary in the chemical vapor deposition growth of 2D molybdenum disulfide, speeding the process of its creation. Materials theorists at Rice University discovered that salt and a precursor form a eutectic, which has a lower melting temperature than either of them. Credit: Jincheng Lei/Yakobson Research Group Skipping ahead in a line is rude, but sometimes it's acceptable. Especially for salt. The Rice University lab of materials theorist Boris Yakobson shows why in its follow-up to a 2018 study that demonstrated how salt simplifies the formation of valuable 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) with a first-principles analysis of the process that could refine it even further. The theoretical study by Yakobson and colleagues Jincheng Lei, Yu Xie and Alex Kutana, all alumni of his lab, and researcher Ksenia Bets shows through the simulation of atom-level energies why saltparticularly iodized saltlowers the reaction temperature in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace necessary to form MoS 2 . It does so by helping to skip some steps and leap high energy barriers in conventional CVD growth to yield far more MoS 6 , an essential precursor to 2D MoS 2 . Their study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society focused on how salt lowers activation barriers to enhance the sulfurization of molybdenum oxyhalides, the gas feedstock in MoS 2 crystallization. MoS 2 is a natural compound known in bulk form as molybdenite, and in 2D form is highly coveted for its semiconducting properties, which promise advances in electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, catalytic and medical applications. But 2D MoS 2 remains hard to manufacture in commercial quantities. The Rice team first entered the fray when labs in Singapore, China, Japan and Taiwan used salt to make a "library" of 2D materials that combined transition metals and chalcogens. Why it worked so well was a mystery, prompting them to call upon the Yakobson lab's expertise in modeling materialseven only theoretical onesfrom the ground up. Their comprehensive models show that while the international labs used chloride salts to make their library of materials, the iodide salts commonly found on kitchen tables are better at speeding up the synthesis of MoS 2 . "Fast and large-scale synthesis is imperative for the widespread application of MoS 2 ," Lei said. "We carefully studied the entire growth process, hoping to optimize it as much as possible. It turned out that by simply changing chloride to iodide, one could synthesize MoS 2 much faster while at even lower growth temperatures." This happens when salt and the precursor form a eutectic, a mixture of substances that melt and solidify at a single temperature that's lower than the melting points of the constituents. "After salt-assisted synthesis was shown to enable the growth of many more TMD (transition metal dichalcogenide) compounds than was possible beforehand and significantly improved growth conditions for previously synthesized ones, it became clear that there is something special about this process," Bets said. "Some experimental groups attempted to investigate further, but monitoring the molecular composition of the gas phase under growth conditions is not a simple task," she said. "Even then, you cannot see the whole picture. "We were very thorough, following up on Jincheng's work on the mechanism of conventional MoS 2 growth. We simulated all parts of the process, from sulfurization to the 2D crystal growth. This comprehensive approach paid off." In simulations, the Rice team directly observed the entire sulfurization process as oxygen and chlorine atoms were gradually replaced by sulfur in MoO 2 Cl 2 , a common precursor, under CVD conditions. The lab said the eutectic effect may be a common phenomenon in the CVD synthesis of 2D dichalcogenide monolayers, and thus worth continued study. Explore further Lab peers inside 2D crystal synthesis More information: Jincheng Lei et al, Salt-Assisted MoS 2 Growth: Molecular Mechanisms from the First Principles, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2022). Journal information: Journal of the American Chemical Society Jincheng Lei et al, Salt-Assisted MoSGrowth: Molecular Mechanisms from the First Principles,(2022). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c02497 Computational model of gold nanoparticle functionalized with left-handed enantiomers of cysteine and phenylalanine. Credit: Andre Farias de Moura Vaccines can be made over 25% more effective by adding left-handed chiral gold nanoparticles as adjuvants, according to a study by an international collaboration in which Brazilian researchers took part. An article reporting the results is published in Nature. Three research groups collaborated on the study, one affiliated with the University of Michigan in the United States, and another with Jiangnan University in China. The Brazilian group was led by Andre Farias de Moura, a professor in the Chemistry Department at the Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar) and a researcher with the Center for Development of Functional Materials (CDMF), one of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs) funded by FAPESP. The study did not involve COVID-19 vaccines because it began well before the pandemic. The researchers used vaccines developed to combat a specific influenza virus strain. While this is not the strain that is currently circulating in Brazil, in principle the results can be generalized for any type of vaccine, evidently with case-by-case complementary studies. The reason is that left-handed chiral gold nanoparticles are not the active ingredient, but an adjuvant that potentiates the recipient's immune response. "The key to understanding the contribution of these nanoparticles is the concept of chirality, which applies to an object or system that can't be superimposed on its own mirror image," Moura told Agencia FAPESP. Chirality, then, is a type of asymmetry. The term is derived from kheir, the Ancient Greek for hand, and the best example is precisely the difference between left hand and right hand. When we hold up our hands to a mirror, the hand we see on the right is our left hand and vice-versa. "Everything alive on Earth is chiral. Chiral molecules can have entirely different properties depending on whether they're left- or right-handed. The two chiral forms of the same molecule are known as enantiomers," Moura said. "A tragic example is thalidomide, a drug prescribed to pregnant women for morning sickness in the late 1950s and 1960s. It caused babies to be born with a range of malformations. One of the enantiomers in the substance had the expected therapeutic effect, but the other atrophied the limbs of the fetus." Nanoparticles Research in nanomaterials has advanced sufficiently to enable scientists to separate one enantiomer completely, Moura explained, and the study reported in Nature was based on this possibility. "We began with gold nanoparticles, which are symmetrical and lack chirality. They're achiral. We first induced chirality in them by having them interact with the amino acid cysteine, and then intensified the induced chirality by exposing them to polarized light using the amino acid phenylalanine as a light-harvesting antenna," he said. Chirality is measured in "g-factor" on a scale from minus two (-2) to plus two (+2). The procedure used in the study enabled the scientists to exceed 0.4 and resulted in three nanoparticles: the original achiral gold, the right-handed enantiomer, and the left-handed enantiomer. "Initially we tested the nanoparticles on human immune cells cultured in vitro and found that the chiral nanoparticles induced production of substances associated with an immune response even in the absence of an antigenany substance capable of triggering antibody production. This kind of reaction is exactly what an adjuvant does in a vaccine," Moura said. Next, the researchers tested the nanoparticles on the influenza virus. "We found that the enantiomers greatly enhanced the efficacy of the vaccine," Moura said. "Specifically, the left-handed enantiomer caused a 25.8% increase in efficacy compared with the right-handed enantiomer, and an even greater increase compared with the achiral nanoparticle." The knowledge is published and available to anyone who wishes to use it, Moura stressed. "It can be used by any producer of any type of vaccine, including vaccines for novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 or influenza. We aren't vaccine developers, but we're offering this basic knowledge as a novel technological platform for those who are," he said. Explore further Using chiral gold nanoparticles to enhance immune response More information: Liguang Xu et al, Enantiomer-dependent immunological response to chiral nanoparticles, Nature (2022). Journal information: Nature Liguang Xu et al, Enantiomer-dependent immunological response to chiral nanoparticles,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04243-2 Complex functional information hidden in amino acid sequence patterns are automatically learned by large-scale and self-supervised deep learning models Credit: Unsal et al Deep learningbased language models, such as BERT, T5, XLNet and GPT, are promising for analyzing speech and texts. In recent years, however, they have also been applied in the fields of biomedicine and biotechnology to study genetic codes and proteins. Bioinformaticians, genetics researchers and neuroscientists have been trying to infer the biological roles of genes and proteins for decades. To do this, however, they need to analyze extremely large and highly complex biological data. Researchers at Hacettepe University, Middle East Technical University and Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey, have recently carried out a study evaluating the potential of deep learningbased language models for studying proteins and predicting their functional properties. Their paper, published in Nature Machine Intelligence, provides a valuable summary of the advantages and disadvantages of different state-of-the-art approaches. "Molecular biology data can be modeled as a language (i.e., the language of genes/proteins), such that the sequence of a gene or protein can be thought of as a sentence with a specific meaning in natural language, and the semantics of this protein language is the specific biological, physical and chemical properties of these biomolecules," Tunca Dogan, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "Based on this idea, our work tries to build machine learning models that take language model-derived high dimensional numerical embeddings of proteins as input and predict their functional properties with high accuracy." In their paper, Dogan and his colleagues assessed the ability of different protein language modeling approaches to extract hidden patterns containing important clues about the functional properties of proteins. Their evaluations included all the most well-known natural language modeling architectures (i.e., BERT, T5, XLNet, ELMO, etc.), each of which can contain hundreds of millions or, in some cases, billions of parameters. "Self-supervised pre-training of these models requires huge resources," Dogan explained. "Thanks to valuable previous work on this topic, which aimed to pre-train protein language models using these architectures, we mostly focused on our secondary supervised training for predicting functional properties." In order to effectively assess the protein language models and compare their performances, the team first had to compile large and reliable testing datasets, each with a different difficulty level. Ultimately, they created four benchmark datasets that allowed them to investigate semantic similarities, ontology-based functional definitions, drug target protein families, and physical interactions between proteins. All of these are crucial biological mechanisms that are known to be closely linked to the occurrence and progression of genetically inherited diseases, such as different types of cancer. "Perhaps our most notable finding was that these deep language models are able to successfully learn the functional properties of proteins using the amino acid sequences as the sole input, which is quite a difficult problem," Dogan said. "These results are also consistent with the findings of recent protein structure prediction studies (e.g., Deepmind's AlphaFold2 and Baker Lab's RoseTTAFold), which uses the sequence as its input and predicts the 3D monomer structure with extremely high performance." In the future, the models evaluated by this team of researchers could help to enhance precision medicine interventions, for instance analyzing the molecular make-up of patients resulting from genomic variations to devise personalized treatments. While the results gathered by Dogan and his colleagues highlight the huge potential of deep learningbased protein modeling tools, existing methods will still need to be significantly improved before they can be integrated into real-life clinical decision-making systems. "We are now working on a new system to better represent proteins," Dogan added. "In addition to amino acid sequences, this system utilizes network-based data (i.e., known protein-protein interactions) and knowledge hidden in the unstructured biomedical texts (e.g., scientific articles) at the input level, together with integrative deep learning approaches. Our ultimate aim is to obtain a universal protein representation that can successfully be used in any biomedical or biotechnological modeling task." Explore further Researchers identify new medicines using interpretable deep learning predictions More information: Serbulent Unsal et al, Learning functional properties of proteins with language models, Nature Machine Intelligence (2022). Journal information: Nature Machine Intelligence Serbulent Unsal et al, Learning functional properties of proteins with language models,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-022-00457-9 2022 Science X Network The crew of the Xelo issued a distress call and sought shelter in Tunisian waters from bad weather before the vessel went down. Divers who inspected the hull of a tanker loaded with 750 tonnes of fuel that sank off southeast Tunisia detected no leaks on Sunday, officials said. The Equatorial Guinea-flagged Xelo, which sank Saturday in the Gulf of Gabes, has settled on its side at a depth of almost 20 metres (65 feet), the environment ministry said. "No leak has been detected," it said in a statement. The inspection was carried out by divers accompanied by the ship's captain and engineer, said Mohamed Karray, spokesman for a court in Gabes city that is investigating the sinking. The Xelo was travelling from Egypt to Malta when it went down. With the scene sealed off by Tunisia's military, the defence ministry released pictures showing the vessel submerged on its side. The crew of the Xelo had issued a distress call on Friday evening and sought shelter in Tunisian waters from bad weather before going down. Tunisian authorities rescued the seven-member crew, who received first aid and were moved to a hotel. Transport Minister Rabie Majidi said Sunday that rescue workers had checked during the operation that the valves were closed, and the team of divers ensured they were sealed and intact. A tanker carrying 750 tonnes of diesel fuel from Egypt to Malta sank Saturday in the Gulf of Gabes off Tunisia's southeast coast. "The situation is not dangerous, the outlook is positive, the ship is stable because luckily it ran aground on sand," he told reporters. The minister said the priority was to pump the diesel fuel and prevent any spillage or pollution. An Italian ship specialised in cleaning up marine pollution will be sent alongside a team of divers to aid with efforts, an Italian official said. As a precaution, protective booms have already been placed around the wreck. Environment Minister Leila Chikhaoui has also been at the scene in the port of Gabes to follow up on the incident. Tunisian officials are investigating the itinerary of the tanker, which reportedly has Turkish and Libyan owners. The Tunisia branch of the World Wildlife Fund has expressed concern about another "environmental catastrophe" in the region, an important fishing zone. Divers from the Tunisian navy at the scene of the sunken Xelo vessel, off the Gulf of Gabes, in southeastern Tunisia. The tanker is 58 metres (63 yards) long and nine metres wide, according to ship monitoring website vesseltracker.com. It began taking on water around seven kilometres (four miles) offshore in the Gulf of Gabes and the engine room was engulfed, according to the environment ministry. Explore further Sri Lanka navy plugs fuel leak on fire-stricken tanker 2022 AFP El Yeso Dam, Chile. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Companies can go bankrupt due to poor business models, more successful competitors, or a decline in their target consumers. But as glacier retreat and droughts lead to lower river flows, hydroelectric power companies like Alto Maipo SpA ("Alto Maipo") are adding climate change to the list of culprits. On November 11, 2021, Alto Maipo, a Chilean subsidiary of the American Fortune 500 Company AES Corporation, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the state of Delaware for its highly controversial hydroelectric power project on the Maipo River, southeast of the capital city of Santiago. In its bankruptcy filing, the company claimed that decreasing electricity prices in Chile and the effects of climate change on its water supply make its current financial structure unsustainable. The filing follows years of intense pushback from environmentalists and residents in the Maipo Valley and Santiago over the company's diverting of the Maipo River, which is the main water supply for the city. Much of the scrutiny comes from concerns that the Maipo Valley is already overexploited by developers who have built mines, the El Yeso Dam, and several hydroelectric plants meant to subsidize miningfour of which are owned by Alto Maipo's American parent company, AES Andes. Construction of the Alto Maipo hydroelectric power project began in 2008 despite considerable opposition from residents of the surrounding valley and Santiago. The energy generated was meant to power mineral operations such as Los Pelambres, a copper mine north of Santiago. Costs of the project have ballooned from $700 million to over $3 billion. Scheduling and construction setbacks have pushed the expected finish date by more than 9 years. It is now projected to be completed this summer. The project was expected to generate an average of 2,213 GWh of energy per yearenough energy to power Dallas, Texas, three times overbut generated just half of that (1,100 GWh) in 2021 in large part due to droughts and shrinking Andean glaciers. The loss of revenue from decreased water flow was a key factor in Alto Maipo declaring bankruptcy last November in the face of fractional energy outputs from the project that are trending downward. While supporters of the project tout it as "run-of-the-river," this label is not accurate, according to Carl Bauer, a water policy professor at the University of Arizona. Run-of-the-river projects are hydroelectric projects that place the turbines and generating plants directly in the river so that water flows through without being removed or held in a reservoir. The Alto Maipo hydroelectric plant is "diverting water and piping it through tunnels, eventually returning it quite a bit downstream" unlike a true run-of-the-river project, said Bauer. The project diverts 43 miles of the river and its tributaries through a tunnel to turbines which generate electricity before returning the water to the river upstream of Santiago. Bauer notes this has significant environmental impacts and leaves areas of the basin entirely dry. This has led to considerable opposition from environmentalists, local communities in the Maipo Valley, and Santiago residents. Santiago's city government has not opposed the project, but Bauer says that this likely is due to the upstream location of the water's return, which leaves the urban water supply unaffected. Though Alto Maipo said in its bankruptcy claim that the droughts and low water flows were unexpected, critics such as NGOs No Alto Maipo and Ecosistemas have pointed out that the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) conducted in 2008 by Alto Maipo was flawed and incomplete. These organizations asserted that the ESIA used historical water flow data as a basis for the project rather than the current data at the time, leading to faulty projections in energy generation. Both movements are led by community coalitions and environmentalists that have opposed the Alto Maipo Project for over a decade. In 2017, No Alto Maipo and Ecosistemas filed a complaint with the International Finance Committee (IFC), a global development institution and large investor in Alto Maipo. Unlike entirely private bank groups, the IFC is the financial arm of the World Bank Group, a bank of the United Nations focused on helping developing countries. As a result, it is more open than private banks to addressing complaints and allegations against the recipients of its funding if they are shown to be in violation of the UN's policies. No Alto Maipo and Ecosistemas stated that Alto Maipo violated the IFC's policies on social and environmental governance, saying that the ESIA failed to acknowledge potential water shortages due to climate change. They added that the ESIA did not consider how the hydroelectric project would affect recreation, tourism, and drinking water in the valley. The IFC agreed with these charges, adding in their report that Alto Maipo did not properly consult affected communities. As a result, the IFC fully divested from Alto Maipo in May 2018. In the years before petitioning the IFC, as well as after, these groups organized large demonstrations, which have brought in people from dozens of organizations and professions. A 2010 demonstration included 300 muleteers from the mountain range around the Maipo Valley, a mass to pray for the water of the Maipo, and several Chilean senators and public figures. Other major demonstrations took place in 2013, 2015, and 2017 as well as a demonstration organized by women in 2019 and another led by local residents in 2020. More recently, a protest in 2021 brought together outdoor communities under the campaign "Save the Maipo," organized by Patagonia, an American outdoor clothing brand. Magdalena Gil, an environmental sociologist at the Catholic University of Chile and homeowner in the Maipo Valley, said that developers frequently fail to consider the full impacts of projects in the overexploited Maipo Basin. Hydroelectric plants, the El Yeso Dam, and mining operations put a strain on the water resources of the valley, which she notes has seen 15 years of drought and is "the number one tourist post in the metropolitan region." Gil told GlacierHub that the Alto Maipo hydroelectric plant should not be discussed as a stand-alone project. "We need to discuss the sustainability of the Maipo Valley, which is the sustainability of Santiago and its metropolitan region," she said. Currently, the bankruptcy claims are under review by the Delaware District of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Alto Maipo is planning to restructure itself in a way that would give most of the control of the company to its parent company, AES Corporation, and not give junior creditors any recoverya decision that is unpopular with those unsecured creditors. It argued on March 29 of this year that the courts should not allow the company to solicit creditor votes for its reorganization plan. Bauer is almost certain the Alto Maipo hydroelectric project will be completed one way or another at this point. Whether or not it is profitable in the face of droughts and shrinking glaciers is much less certain. But does that mean that in the face of worsening climate change all hydroelectric projects on rivers like the Maipo are doomed from the start? Not necessarily, according to Bauer. "Changing flows due to climate change will affect the economics and engineering of all water resource projects," he said. However, he added that groups can take advantage of extra water coming off glaciers that are retreating, either for hydropower or freshwater storage over the next few decades. By targeting areas where glaciers are producing more meltwater as they recede, groups can utilize short-term projects that are less intrusive and exploitative of the rivers they are built on, said Bauer. The bankruptcy of Alto Maipo demonstrates that developers need to use holistic, future-thinking approaches to renewable energy. Moreover, it shows the importance of prioritizing community voices in the face of climate change to protect vital economic, recreational, and municipal water sources like the Maipo River. Explore further Storms leave three million without water in Chile capital This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Nearly 70 years agoin its 1954 Brown v. Board decisionthe Supreme Court framed racial segregation as the cause of educational inequality. It did not, however, challenge the lengths to which states went to ensure the unequal funding of Black schools. Before Brown, Southern states were using segregation to signify and tangibly reinforce second-class citizenship for Black people in the United States. The court in Brown deemed that segregation was inherently unequal. Even if the schools were "equalized" on all "tangible factors," segregation remained a problem and physical integration was the cure, the Court concluded. That framing rightly focused on segregation's immediate horrorexcluding students from schools based on the color of their skinbut obscured an important fact. In addition to requiring school segregation, many states also had long segregated school funding. Some had used "racially distinct tax" policies that reserved separate funds for white and Black schools. Other states had moved school funding responsibility and control from state officials to local communities. Local officials could then ensure inequality without any specific law mandating it. Brown's focus on physical segregation inadvertently left important and less obvious aspects of local funding inequality unchecked. Those practices still drive underfunding in predominantly poor and minority schools. Through the University of South Carolina School of Law's Constitutional Law Center, since 2021 we have been documenting the historical connection between segregation and states' reliance on local school funding. In our view, until states stop relying so heavily on local school funding, the equal educational opportunities that Brown first sought will remain out of reach for K-12 students in the 21st century. What's wrong with local funding A large body of evidence shows "money matters." Increased spending improves college attendance rates, graduation rates and test scores. But, as a 2018 report revealed, school districts enrolling "the most students of color receive about $1,800, or 13%, less per student" than districts serving the fewest students of color. A more recent analysis further demonstrated that school funding cuts during the Great Recession disproportionately affected Black students and exacerbated achievement gaps. Most school funding gaps have a simple explanation: Public school budgets rely heavily on local property taxes. Communities with low property values can tax themselves at much higher rates than others but still fail to generate anywhere near the the same level of resources as other communities. In fact, in 46 of 50 states, local school funding schemes drive more resources to middle-income students than poor students. The local funding gap between districts mostly serving middle-income versus poor students in New Jersey, for example, is $3,460 per pupil. While state and federal programs often send additional funds to poor students, they are insufficient to fully meet the additional needs of low-income students. Missed opportunities to cure local funding In Brown v. Board, the court glossed over the history of school segregation and its nuances. The court said it was impossible to "turn the clock back to 1868," when the nation adopted the Fourteenth Amendment, or "even 1896," when the court authorized segregation. Instead, it declared that "we must consider public education in the light of its full development and its present place in American life throughout the Nation." This pivot let the court tackle segregation on a slate scrubbed clean of history's mess. But it also deprived the court of any serious consideration of Southern states' complex and racially motivated system of local school funding. Later court decisions did not even recognize that a problem with local funding might exist. To the contrary, they put a preference on local funding over remedying inequality. In the 1973 case of San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, the court rejected a challenge to the inequality local school funding causes, reasoning that "local control" over school funding was "vital to continued public support of the schools" and "of overriding importance from an educational standpoint as well." A year later, in Milliken v. Bradley, the Supreme Court blocked a desegregation remedy that would have spanned multiple districts. Finances and local autonomy were at the heart of the court's rationale. It wrote, "No single tradition in public education is more deeply rooted than local control over the operation of schools." In its view, desegregation between districts would destroy that tradition and create a host of problems regarding local school funding. To be sure, those decisions did not preclude desegregation within individual districts. But the Court declared desegregation and school funding inequality that occurs between school districtsas opposed to within school districtsas largely beyond the reach of federal judicial power. Funding, control and segregation Our research reveals that during the South's Reconstruction, Black people and progressive whites saw state control as the solution to inadequate and unequal education. They adopted policies to that effect, many of which were enshrined in state constitutions rather than laws reversible by the legislature. Local communities were certainly important to the implementation of schools, but states like Texas and Virginia centralized school administration, school finance and a variety of other policies. Some states, such as South Carolina, placed the core issue of physical segregation under state control and prohibited it outright. Then, during the Jim Crow era, localism became the tool to reverse this progress and equality. States increased reliance on local taxation, gave local white officials discretion over state funds, and constitutionally secured segregation. Some went so far as to craft color-coded funding systems where white taxes funded white schools exclusively. Others, like South Carolina, achieved the same end by letting taxpayers select which of the segregated schools would receive their funds. Southern leaders openly linked local funding and control to the "wisdom" of segregation. The development of Northern local school systems was historically distinct. Yet, even in some Northern states, racial antagonism and concerns over segregation prompted pushes for local decision-making. More generally, some Northern states followed a trajectory similar to Southern states: Illinois, for example, imposed a statewide property tax for white education with supplemental local funding before the Civil War. Ironically, though, it ultimately became one of the states most dependent on local funding. Toward a more fair system While Brown v. Board declared school segregation itself unconstitutional, other related aspects of segregated schoolsparticularly the decentralization of school fundingcontinued unchecked after it. The longer those aspects remained, the more courts accepted them as a neutral aspect of delivering public education. An important step in remedying entrenched school funding inequalities is to first recognize that they are rooted in the history of Jim Crow segregation. Another potential step is to return to the more centralized approach of Reconstructionan approach that states during their progressive eras have long recognized. And this step makes good constitutional sense, too. After all, every state constitution places the ultimate obligation to fund and deliver public education on states, not local governments. Explore further School segregation tied to problem drinking among Black youth More information: Derek W. Black, Localism, Pretext, and the Color of School Dollars, SSRN Electronic Journal (2022). Derek W. Black, Localism, Pretext, and the Color of School Dollars,(2022). DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4082368 This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. NEW YORK When I first saw Tracy Letts The Minutes in 2017 in Chicago, director Anna D. Shapiros sizzling Steppenwolf Theatre production felt like a takedown of Donald Trumps triumphalist America, too engaged in self-promotion to confront the unsavory aspects of its own origin story. Thanks to COVID-19, the shows move to Broadway took years, not minutes. Trump is gone, maybe. But this intense play now feels aimed not so much at Trumpism but at how small-town councils and school-board meetings are turning into war zones, their traditional reliance on Roberts Rules of Order supplanted not just by screaming matches but by quietly devastating executions of majority power. One community at a time. Advertisement As we all know, whatever side were on, small-town democracy is fast turning into a zero-sum American game. Each side is out for blood. Thats what The Minutes is about. In this play which features a Steppenwolf-heavy ensemble cast comprised of Ian Barford, Blair Brown, Cliff Chamberlain, K. Todd Freeman, Danny McCarthy, Jessie Mueller, Sally Murphy, Austin Pendleton, Jeff Still, the excellent newcomer Noah Reid as the town dentist and the scary playwright himself as the town mayor Letts is continuing the theme that dominates his best-known play to date, August: Osage County. Advertisement In that hit Broadway play (which became a movie), the playwright drew from his own familial and institutional history to suggest that the presence of a bunch of warring white academics on land once belonging to Native Americans was sufficiently delegitimizing as to rip apart a dysfunctional, modern-day family overly imbued with its own self-justifying mythology. Jeff Still as Mr. Assalone, Tracy Letts as Mayor Superba and Cliff Chamberlain as Mr. Breeding in "The Minutes" on Broadway at Studio 54 in New York. (Jeremy Daniel photo / HANDOUT) The Minutes, set in the council chamber of fictional Big Cherry (which feels like a town in Texas or Letts native Oklahoma) looks not at a group related by bloodlines, but by a collective determination not to examine a towns own past. That communal self-mythologizing is encapsulated in an origin story into which everyone buys, whether they are business people, retirees or the mayor himself. And, as the play progresses, the determination of this group not to allow themselves to be challenged grows more intense by the minute. Thats all you need to know. Letts has structured the work as a mystery: Reids dentist wants to know what has happened to the minutes of a previous meeting and why a potential whistleblower (played with earnest intensity by Barford) has disappeared. The clerk (dryly played by Mueller) appears to be on the dentists side. Surely the one Black guy in the room is an ally? Maybe the business guys? Maybe the goofy retiree, played by Pendleton, benign until his character is threatened? But the mayor, played by Letts with the menace of surety, knows how to execute the kind of collective power too much for any dentist. And that circling of the wagons is what you get to watch here, as performed by a cast with no weak links. For a play written some five years ago now, the work still retains remarkable currency. Its not as if American democracy suddenly is feeling more secure. And its another example of powerful Steppenwolf acting, not the showcase August: Osage County afforded, but a symphony of provincial low-burn tyranny, nonetheless. You might be put in mind of Shirley Jacksons The Lottery. Or Stranger Things. Or a grown up version of Lord of the Flies. As is typical with Letts, there is much noir humor. The character names alone tell you plenty: Mayor Superba (Letts), Mr. Carp (Barford), Mr. Oldfield (Pendleton), Ms. Innes (Brown), Mr. Breeding (Chamberlain); Mr. Assalone (Still); Mr. Hanratty (McCarthy) and, of course, Mr. Peel (back, Reid). Jessie Mueller as Ms. Johnson, Noah Reid as Mr. Peel, Jeff Still as Mr. Assalone, Tracy Letts as Mayor Superba and Cliff Chamberlain as Mr. Breeding in "The Minutes" on Broadway at Studio 54 in New York. (Jeremy Daniel photo / HANDOUT) I wish Shapiros powerful original production had not been obliged by all the COVID-19 chaos to move to Studio 54, a bigger theater than ideal and a space that diffuses some of the original intensity of the piece, especially since people moving on and off microphones is baked into the play. Still, The Minutes, which has a set from David Zinn that deliciously parodies small-town self-mythologizing, can survive that. Its an important play, a visceral theatrical experience, all about what has happened to retail American democracy and how this nation decides on which stories about itself it wants to believe. Advertisement The Minutes on Broadway at Studio 54, 254 West 54th St. New York; theminutesbroadway.com Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@chicagotribune.com Credit: CC0 Public Domain Along most of the historic South Florida coast, mangroves were nature's way of protecting the coast from waves and hurricanes. As development inched closer to the water, seawalls became the method of choice to separate land and sea. With 2 feet of sea level rise on the horizon by 2060, which is the right choice for extending the life span of cities like Miami? The scienceat least for pure flood controlsuggests the man-made answer wins out over nature's solution, with some caveats. Peter Sheng, a University of Florida researcher who's studied the protective value of mangroves in Florida, said they're an incredible tool when used correctly. In places like Cutler Bay, huge swaths of mangroves provide a barrier between the 10-foot-plus waves from hurricanes and populated areas. "If you have a narrow urban mangrove planter, it doesn't cut it," he said. "Three meters of mangrove does nothing. It's a token for the look. If you want to dissipate waves, you need at least 100 meters." This math was evident in the federal government's decision that the best method to protect Miami-Dade's coast from the punishing hurricanes of the future was a 20-foot wall stretching for miles along the coast, and not the dense mangroves and short seawall combination many residents brought up in public meetings. Ultimately, the county and its residents rejected the wall, sending the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers back to the drawing board for a new solution that Miami-Dade residents will actually like, and one that is intended to protect them for decades to come. How do mangroves stack up? It's not that seawalls are better than mangroves 100% of the time, said Rik Gijsman, a coastal engineer and researcher at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. In a 2021 paper, he and other authors analyzed a decade's worth of research on how well mangroves work at reducing flooding compared to a seawall. "It's not an 'or' question. It's different systems and they can both be useful depending on the conditions locally," he said. "I think we need both and it depends on the local conditions, how to integrate the two." Rod Braun, climate strategy director for The Nature Conservancy, said mangroves have a long list of benefits, including erosion control, providing a habitat for the fish and other organisms that inhabit the bay, improving water quality and storing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that causes global warming. And unlike a concrete wall, they actually form a stronger and higher barrier over time. "I think it makes it just a nicer place to live," he said. And seawalls have issues. When waves crash against the hard concrete, it carves away at the sand below, making it a less friendly place for sea creatures or plants. Combining the two, known as a hybrid approach, solves a lot of those issues. It's what the city of Miami suggested for the new coastline of Morningside Park, a 6-foot seawall in combination with mangroves and other landscaping. Then some residents complained that mangroves would ruin their view and they were removed from the project. But in the case of the Army Corps plan, which was designed to protect the county from the punishingly high waves associated with hurricanes and not just occasional flooding, the data show that even a hybrid approach might not be enough. Gijsman said studies consistently show that to cut huge waves down to size takes a lot of mangroves, an Everglades-sized amount of mangroves. "Mangroves will never provide full safety for real storm surges," he said. "To really attenuate the waves you need kilometers of them." The science is still out Yuepeng Li, a Florida International University researcher who's published multiple papers attempting to quantify exactly how much protection mangroves offer, said there are a lot of factors when it comes to figuring that out. It matters what species of mangrove you're talking about, and even the ratio of roots to branches makes a difference. Accounting for those variables, he said, it takes about half a mile worth of mangroves to lop off even one foot of storm surge. "Even one mile of mangroves, I don't think it will significantly decrease the surge," Li said. One of the reasons builders stick with seawalls over mangroves, Gijsman said, is that you can build a concrete structure exactly the same way every time and all but guarantee the same performance. "We've realized for a long time already that natural area contributes to flood protection, but it's not that simple to work with because nature is unpredictable, and as an engineer, you want to be on the safe side," he said. For instance, engineers can calculate what it would take to make a seawall crack and fail. When it comes to mangroves, they aren't as sure. That makes it difficult to provide the "return on investment" numbers agencies like the Corps rely on to make decisions. And as the world gets hotter, wetter and saltier, mangroves could perform worse. Best of both worlds When armoring the coasts, seawalls and mangroves aren't mutually exclusive solutions. Increasingly, planners are looking to combine both strategies. Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, an assistant professor with the University of Miami's college of engineering, said he's "all about the hybrid" of the twousing a seawall to protect against flooding and plants like mangroves to bring in the environmental benefits. But calculating those eco-friendly additions is much harder than simply seeing how much less flood damage a city faces with or without a seawall. Not everyone agrees on the value of having a few dozen fish around or a few pounds of carbon dioxide sucked out of the atmosphere. Rhode-Barbarigos said if planners change the question they ask at the beginning from "what offers the best flood protection?" to "what does the most good for this space?" then a hybrid solution is the clear winner. "What you're getting with the hybrid, I want to believe, is the best of both worlds and not the opposite," he said. Explore further Mangroves reduce flood damages during hurricanes, saving billions of dollars in property losses 2022 Miami Herald. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Graphical abstract. Credit: Science of The Total Environment (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154875 Plastic rubbish is everywhere and now broken-down microplastics have been found in variable concentrations in blue mussels and water within the intertidal zone at some of southern Australia's most popular and more remote beaches. Flinders University researchers warn that this means microplastics are now finding their way into human food suppliesincluding wild-caught and ocean-farmed fish and seafood sourced from the once pristine Southern Ocean and gulf waters of South Australia. "Our findings shed light on the urgent need to prevent microplastic pollution by working with the communities, industries and government to protect these fragile marine systems," says Professor Karen Burke da Silva, senior author of a new article just published in Science of the Total Environment. The Flinders University research team sampled varying levels of microplastics on 10 popular beaches across South Australia, from Coffin Bay and Port Lincoln on the West Coast to Point Lowly and Whyalla on the Spencer Gulf, to popular Adelaide metropolitan beaches along with Victor Harbor, Robe and Kangaroo Island. "Low to medium levels of microplastics (less than 5mm in size) measured in the common blue mussel (Mytilus spp.), a filter feeder affected by ecosystem conditions, were measured to analyze the main kinds of pollution affecting the environment, and single-use plastic was the main offender," Professor Burke da Silva says. Microplastics are ubiquitous in our marine environment and tend to be more abundant in mussel samples near larger towns and cities, with levels four times higher at Semaphore Beach compared to more remote Ceduna on Eyre Peninsula. "By investigating microplastic load in the mussel, we call attention to the implications of microplastic pollution on South Australia's unique marine ecosystems and on the local human food chain," says Janet Klein, the first author of the article. Microplastic contamination at Semaphore Beach and then Hallett Cove up to four times higher than tests run at Ceduna, and twice as high as Coffin Bay on Eyre Peninsula. Trillions of microplastic particles exist in the world's oceans, with the highest concentrations recently found in the shallow sea floor sediment off Naifaru in the Maldives (at 278 particles kg-1) and lowest reported in the surface waters of the Antarctic Southern Ocean (3.1 x 10-2 particles per m3). For the first time, the new Flinders University study measured the presence of microplastics in South Australia's coastline, in areas important both for shipping, fishing and tourism, along with other industries and local communities. Microplastic concentration in the SA intertidal water was found to be low to moderate (mean = 8.21 particles l1 4.91) relative to global levels and microplastic abundance in mussels (mean = 3.58 8.18 particles individual1), within the range also reported globally. Plastic types include polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), acrylic resin, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) and cellulose, which suggests both synthetic and semi-synthetic particles from single-use, short-life cycle products, fabrics, ropes and cordage from the fishing industry. "The areas examined include some biodiversity hotspots of global significanceincluding the breeding ground of the Great Cuttlefish in the Northern Spencer Gulf and marine ecosystems more diverse than the Great Barrier Reef (such as Coffin Bay), so cleanup and prevention measures are long overdue," says Professor Burke da Silva. "Apart from the harvesting of blue mussels, we also need to consider the impact of microplastic particles entering other parts of the human food chain with microplastic pollution expected to increase in the future." The article, "Microplastics in intertidal water of South Australia and the mussel Mytilus spp.; the contrasting effect of population on concentration," has been published in Science of the Total Environment. Explore further Call to recycle plastic waste More information: Janet R. Klein et al, Microplastics in intertidal water of South Australia and the mussel Mytilus spp.; the contrasting effect of population on concentration, Science of The Total Environment (2022). Journal information: Science of the Total Environment Janet R. Klein et al, Microplastics in intertidal water of South Australia and the mussel Mytilus spp.; the contrasting effect of population on concentration,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154875 Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. Credit: NIAID (CC BY 2.0, 2016) Before being accidentally introduced to the New World by the 16th century slave trade, the yellow fever mosquito was a species native only to Africa. Highly adaptable, it has since become an invasive species in North America, but researchers at The Ohio State University may have found a way to squash the pesky population in its juvenile stages. Recently published in the journal Insects, a new paper describes how mosquitoes have evolved a natural resistance to some chemical insecticides, and offers an alternative called carbon black, a type of carbon-based nanoparticles, or CNPs. Study co-author and an associate professor of entomology at Ohio State, Peter Piermarini described CNPs as "microscopic" materials made out of organic elements. The study used a modified version of carbon black called Emperor 1800, which is often used to coat automobiles black. While CNPs are a relatively new scientific development, they have been considered as new tools to control various insect and pest infestations, he said. "If we can learn more about how carbon black works and how to use it safely, we could design a commercially available nanoparticle that is highly effective against insecticide-resistant mosquitoes," Piermarini said. The yellow fever mosquito, or Aedes aegypti, is a species of mosquito known for spreading not just yellow fever, but also diseases like the Zika virus, dengue fever and chikungunya fever. Adults rarely fly more than a few hundred meters from where they emerge, but their abundance leads to steady transmission of diseasesenough to claim tens of thousands of lives every year and hospitalize hundreds of thousands more people. Because of this, the mosquito is considered to be one of the deadliest animals on the planet. For this study, the researchers' goal was to figure out how toxic these nanomaterials could be to mosquito larvae, or the immature form of the insect. Contrary to popular belief, not all mosquitoes set their sights on turning our blood into their latest meal. Male mosquitoes subsist only on flower nectar; it's the females that will consume both flower nectar and blood in a bid to provide their eggs with enough protein to grow. When female mosquitoes are ready to lay their eggs, they return to standing pools of water, like lakes or birdbaths, to release them. After they hatch, these larvae will stay in the water for about a week until they reach adulthood, and take wing. To test whether Emperor 1800 would be effective in stopping that process, researchers worked with two different strains of the yellow fever mosquito inside the lab, one extremely susceptible to typical chemical insecticides, and the other, extremely resistant to them. By applying the carbon black nanomaterials to the water during the earliest stages of the mosquito's life cycle and checking in 48 hours later, they were able to determine that CNPs kill mosquito larvae both quickly and efficiently. "Given the properties of carbon black, it has the most potential for killing larvae because it can be suspended in water," Piermarini said. Their findings showed that the material seemed to accumulate on the mosquito larvae's head, abdomen, and even in its gut, meaning that at some point, the larvae were ingesting smaller particles of carbon black. "Our hypothesis is that these materials may be physically obstructing their ability to perform basic biological functions. It could be blocking their digestion, or might be interfering with their ability to breathe," said Piermarini. However, there was one thing that Piermarini found particularly surprising. When first suspended in water, carbon black appeared equally toxic to larvae of insecticide-resistant and insecticide-susceptible mosquitoes, but the longer the carbon black was suspended in water before treating them, it became more toxic to the insecticide-resistant larvae. "When you first apply the CNP solution it has similar toxicity against both strains," Piermarini said. "But when you let the suspension age for a few weeks, it tends to become more potent against the resistant strain of mosquitoes." Although they couldn't determine the reason behind the time-lapsed deaths, the study concluded that these new nanomaterials could be extremely beneficial to controlling the species when applied as a preventive treatment to mosquito breeding grounds. But before it can be utilized by the public, Piermarini said, carbon black needs to undergo rigorous testing to ensure it won't harm humans and the environment as a whole. Co-authors were Erick Martinez Rodriguez, a visiting scholar currently in the Ohio State Entomology Graduate program, Parker Evans, a previous Ph.D. student in the Ohio State Translational Plant Sciences Graduate program, and Megha Kalsi, a previous postdoctoral researcher in entomology. Explore further Larvicidal flavonoids inhibit key enzyme in yellow fever mosquitoes More information: Erick J. Martinez Rodriguez et al, Larvicidal Activity of Carbon Black against the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti, Insects (2022). Erick J. Martinez Rodriguez et al, Larvicidal Activity of Carbon Black against the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti,(2022). DOI: 10.3390/insects13030307 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Two weeks ago, President Joe Biden ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the country's petroleum stockpile for the next six months. The United States' Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a collection of underground salt caverns, was created following the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s, which was when the U.S. and other Western countries faced substantial petroleum shortages, fueling elevated oil prices. The oil crisis arose after Arab oil producers cut off exports to protest U.S. military support for Israel in its 1973 war with Egypt and Syria. The petroleum reserve was created to provide the American people with a supply that can be used in case of an emergency. The reserve, which is located in Texas and Louisiana, holds up to more than 700 million barrels of oil, but according to the U.S. Energy Department only holds 560 million barrels presently. This is the third time the Biden-Harris administration has tapped the reserve, but it's not the first time it's been touched within U.S. history. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush ordered the withdrawal of almost 34 million barrels during the Gulf War, but 17 million barrels were used at the time. Also in 2011, President Barack Obama authorized the release of 30 million barrels to balance out the disruption of supply from Libya. During Biden's State of the Union speech in March 2021, he ordered the release of 50 million barrels of oil. In November 2021, he authorized another 30 million barrels in order to boost the oil supply. Now, Biden is tapping into the reserve again to combat the nation's current oil crisis and control the energy prices that were rising slowly, but have recently skyrocketed due to global leaders imposing sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. This is the largest release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in U.S. history and will decrease the amount of oil to 384.6 million barrels by the time the six months concludes, which ABC News reports is a 40% drop for the reserve since Biden took office in January 2021. But the question remains, should the president or any future president ever tap into the reserve, and is it really in the best interest of the American people? "We should not be giving an inch to the fossil fuel industry. And I wouldn't even be tapping into the reserves at this point," says Nada Sanders, distinguished professor of supply-chain management at Northeastern. "Once you dip into it, you have to replenish it. Replenishing it means the green light to drill morethe green light for the oil companies, and I find that to be extremely disturbing." The U.S. Energy Department reported that in 2021, the nation consumed an average of nearly 20 million barrels of petroleum a day. The president said it's unknown if gas prices will decline drastically, but he suggests in the coming months that it might be "anything from 10 cents to 35 cents a gallon." "In terms of when one compares simple usage, what the usage is on a daily basis to the amount that will be released, what would it do? It would do nothing," Sanders says. "It's going to do nothing [for oil prices], but it's going to be really detrimental." NPR reports that Bob McNally, who's a consultant with a firm called Rapidan and who worked on crude oil issues under the George W. Bush White House, says, "I doubt that even this big of a release is going to keep crude oil prices, and therefore gasoline prices, from rising further. And that's because Russia is the world's largest oil exporter." The Associated Press reports that even if crude oil prices don't drop, Biden can argue that he at least tried by tapping into the reserve. "No one thinks that the effect on gas prices is going to be particularly large, so if those things are true, then it almost has to be purely political," says Nick Beauchamp, assistant professor of political science at Northeastern. Following Biden's latest order, the White House reported that it predicts that domestic production of oil is expected to increase by 1 million barrels per day this year and nearly 700,000 barrels per day next year. "They use up those barrels, and then they buy them again when prices go down a little bit. When this war [in Ukraine] is over they'll probably go down by a decent amount," Beachamp says. "On the other hand, no one knows whether the war will go on for two weeks, two years, or 20 years." Explore further Ecuador expands oil extraction from Amazon reserve Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In October, a report released by the White House warned that "Climate change is an emerging threat to the financial stability of the United States." The intensifying impacts of climate change can jeopardize businesses in numerous ways. Extreme weather events disrupt operations, make resources such as water or energy scarce or more expensive, and increase the cost of insurance, posing financial risks for those who invest in companies unprepared to deal with these impacts. Other attendant climate, environmental, and social impacts also have financial repercussions. The loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services could cost the global economy $2.7 trillion by 2030 according to the World Bank. Sea level rise threatens real estate and coastal infrastructure. Increasing water scarcity around the worlda McKinsey study estimated that global water demand will exceed the available supply by 40 percent by 2030may disrupt supply chains and business operations. New regulations that drive a shift away from fossil fuels could introduce uncertainty into business decisions. And companies' reputations may suffer as investors increasingly favor more sustainable companies. So is it less risky to invest with sustainability in mind? And does sustainable investing actually help the planet? What is sustainable investing? Security and Exchange Commission chairman Gary Gensler said that investors with over $130 trillion in assets under management have been asking for companies to reveal their climate risks. More and more investors, especially younger ones, want to invest in companies that take climate risks into consideration, and that are sustainable and socially responsible. They are demanding information about a company's relationships, how it conducts business, how it is governed, its supply chain practices, and its values. Sustainable investing is a strategy that seeks to ensure that companies produce positive social and environmental impacts as well as long-term financial gains. Such socially responsible investing is also called ESG investing because it considers the environmental, social, and corporate governance aspects of a business. Companies are given ESG scores based on these factors: Environmental: What impacts a company has on the environmentits carbon footprint, waste management, water use and conservation, and the clean energy and technology it uses. Social: How a company deals with human rights, racial diversity in hiring, the health and safety of employees and board members, and community involvement. Governance: How a company is governed or managedthe quality of management and the board, diversity, executive compensation, shareholder rights, transparency and disclosure, anti-corruption, and political contributions. The growth of sustainable investing In recent years, assets in sustainable mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have grown rapidly. From 2020 to the end of 2021, assets in these funds grew 52 percent to $362 billion. Broadridge Financial Solutions projects that ESG assets could reach $30 trillion by 2030. Despite this growth, however, sustainable investing does not necessarily yield greater returns. The authors of a new book on sustainable investing found no unambiguous evidence that sustainable investing out-performed traditional portfolios in the long run. Meanwhile as money pours into ESG funds, the world's environmental and social crises continue to worsen. So is sustainable investing actually helping to combat climate change and advance a sustainable society? Lisa Sachs, director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, said, "What is being called sustainable finance, or what is expected of ESG investing is not what many of us would expect, which is an approach to investing that accounts for and minimizes negative impacts and brings positive impacts. There are a lot of different strategies, purposes, and approaches that are captured under the umbrella of sustainable investing or ESG investing. Those terms are often used interchangeably, but they don't all mean the same thing." Three types of sustainable investing For portfolio investors, there are three distinct approaches to sustainable investing, said Sachs. They are completely different in their goals, strategies, and effects on real-world outcomes. 1) Maximizing risk-adjusted returns The idea here is that if you account for environmental, social and governance factors, particularly their risks and opportunities, you can make better investment decisions, maximize returns, and minimize risk. For example, a major long-term threat to fossil fuel companies comes from increased social and political stigmatization of their activities. This stigmatization could lead to pressure on governments to levy a carbon tax or implement other regulations that would impact fossil fuel company finances and increase uncertainty about their profitability. But accounting for risks is no guarantee that there will be longer-term consequences such as stigmatization and government regulations that could influence company behavior. "Just accounting for those [ESG] risks in order to maximize returns is neither designed to, nor will it have an effect on real world outcomes," said Sachs. 2) Aligning portfolios with values This entails excluding certain types of investments or specifically including certain types of investments in a portfolio in accordance with one's values. The growing divestment movement aims to avoid investing in fossil fuel intensive companies with the goal of forcing them to leave fossil fuels in the ground (stranded assets) or pressuring them to reduce their carbon emissions or move into alternative energy sources. According to the Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitment Database, 1,508 institutions have committed to divestment. These include universities such as Harvard and Columbia, foundations such as the Ford Foundation, pension funds, faith-based organizations, and even governments. However, while these institutions are valued at over $40 trillion in total, this does not mean that they are divesting that amount of money. And despite the important symbolism and growth of the divestment movement, Sachs said that research suggests that at its present scale, it doesn't actually affect the cost of capital or the behaviors of targeted companies. This is because divestment doesn't take any money from the coffers of fossil fuel companies since the shares have already been issued; when divested, they are simply being bought by someone else. Moreover, "Even if the maximum possible capital was divested from fossil fuel companies, their shares prices are unlikely to suffer precipitous declines," revealed an Oxford University report. What could have an impact on company behavior, however, through adjusting the cost of capital, the availability of financing, and financing terms is if banks and private equity would divest. "Banks and private equity and those who are bringing new capital or underwriting capital, or determining the terms of capital, have more power to shift the cost of capital and the availability of capital, than do universities," said Sachs. However, most are not using their power to advance sustainability. A new report revealed that the world's 60 largest banks have put $4.6 trillion into the fossil fuel industry since the Paris Agreement. U.S. banks JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America are responsible for 25 percent of this funding despite being members of the international Net Zero Banking Alliance committed to reaching net zero by 2050. 3) Active stewardship Shareholders of a company have power and influence over management and boards of directors and can take action. "Shareholders have the power to bring resolutions to ask management to take certain actions, and vote on others' resolutions. They do vote on directors, and that's one important way to hold directors accountable," said Sachs. "One could vote against any director that doesn't take sustainability concerns seriously." As an example, Engine No. 1, an activist investment firm, was able to install three directors on Exxon Mobil's board in an effort to pressure the company into reducing its carbon footprint and consider the risk of climate impacts on long-term shareholder value. It achieved this by getting the support of Exxon's large institutional shareholdersBlackRock, State Street and Vanguardasset managers who support the goal of net zero by 2050. "This type of 'sustainable investing' is critical and valuable," said Sachs. "If all owners of capital were active stewards of that capital and were pushing management for more responsible practices and more responsible board management, I think that would be really great. But in the universe of 'sustainable investing practices,' or ESG practices, that is a very small sliver of what is normally included under that umbrella." The challenges of sustainable investing Because ESG strategies are designed to account for how real-world crises affect companies so they can reap better risk-adjusted returns, ESG ratings do not reflect a company's impacts on the real worldthey rate how well a company is managing its risks. Moreover, it is hard to know exactly what a company's ESG score means because rating companies do not reveal what risks they are assessing or their methods of rating. Companies are being rated on certain aspects, but not on others, and they are being rated from a risk perspective, not from an impact perspective. Sachs cited Coca Cola as an example. "They get a double A rating as a top ranked sustainability company. Probably because they are managing their water risks, and maybe looking at their climate policies, maybe looking at their labor policies. But that rating doesn't account for the fact that the core producta sugar beverageis leading to the largest public health crisis that we currently face." Nonetheless, Coca Cola is considered a best-in-class company for beverages. To create ESG funds, ESG portfolio companies bring together best-in-class businesses with high ESG ratings based on hidden factors that don't account for the overall impact of the company. "This makes it difficult for investors who want to understand which companies are 'sustainable' or are doing well," said Sachs. "That information cannot be gleaned by this [these scores]." Some experts believe that sustainable investing actually inhibits climate action. Tariq Fancy, former sustainable investing chief at BlackRock, called sustainable investing a "dangerous placebo" because "it keeps government regulation to address the climate crisis at bay through feeding us yet another narrative in which our answers are solved by the 'free market' magically self-correcting." Sachs contends that the finance industry has helped delay government action to combat climate change because the private sector does not want regulations. Many businesses and financial sector entities are in fact lobbying heavily against the types of climate action sustainable investors want to see. The diverse, unregulated, and inconsistent practices of sustainable investing are also a huge challenge to its efficacy. There are no accepted definitions of what constitutes a sustainable investment and so far, there have been no consistent regulations requiring disclosure of climate risks, or any consistent approach to accounting for emissions. Aside from sowing confusion, this lack of clarity has also allowed for "greenwashing," when companies claim to be more sustainable than they actually are, whether intentionally or not. Influence Map a U.K. think tank, studied 723 equity funds using ESG claims in their marketing; more than 70 percent of the funds with ESG goals were not aligned with the goal of the Paris Agreementto keep global temperatures below 2C above pre-industrial levels. More recently, Morningstar removed the ESG tags from 1,200 funds. More effective sustainable investing In March, the Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) proposed a new rule that would require all U.S. publicly traded companies to disclose to the government and to their shareholders how the risks from climate change could affect their business. It would establish a framework for companies to report the climate risks they face in annual reports and stock registration statements. If the SEC rule is passed, its mandated disclosures about a company's governance, risk management, strategy with respect to climate-related risks, greenhouse gas emissions, climate goals, and transition plans, will force companies to back up any claims they make. SEC Chairman Gensler said, "if adopted, it [the proposed rule] would provide investors with consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information for making their investment decisions and would provide consistent and clear reporting obligations for issuers." Disclosure of this information would also give investors more leverage to compel businesses to change practices that contribute to climate change and likely spur companies to be more sustainable. Peter Drucker, an Austrian-American business leader, famously said,"You can't manage what you can't measure." As such, the SEC rule is an important step in the right direction, but it needs to be followed by action. Given the far-reaching implications of climate change, and the urgent need to curtail fossil fuel use and strengthen climate resilience, strong federal policies are essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "Once we identify the problems, they need to be regulated, because we shouldn't be looking to the market to self-regulate based on these disclosures," said Sachs. "We need real regulations that address climate change. We should not look to our portfolios to effect the change that we want. We should look to our government officials, and we should not be disabused into thinking that the private sector or the financial sector are going to solve these problems." If you are considering sustainable investing, understand the three strategies of investing and be realistic about the purposes, strategies, and outcomes of the ones you choose. Most importantly, be an educated and active investor. Do your homework in terms of how a company is managed, what its climate goals are, and what strategies it is using to achieve them, and actively engage its management. CERES, a nonprofit organization whose goal is changing corporate environmental practices, has developed tools investors can use to find out how companies are addressing climate change and water risks, how to assess company progress towards net zero goals, track shareholder proposals on ESG issues, engage with companies, and more; it also coordinates the Investor Network on Climate Risk to advance sustainable investment practices. "We have the opportunity to align the capital that we have, and the capital that many in our generation want to be mobilized, for good," said Sachs. "To actually think about what it would look like to mobilize it for good and determine the proper investment opportunities, I think, are some of the most important questions of our generation." Explore further New US rule requires publicly-listed firms to disclose emissions This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu. The development of offshore wind energy in the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast has looked like a juggernaut for a few years now. Thats consistent with the broad consensus on the value of the energy resource and its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Still, anytime government and political leaders are given something unstoppable costing vast sums and delivering more goodies to hand out than an Easter basket, the public and those more directly affected must be cautious. We said people and particular interests, such as commercial fishing and wildlife protection, should be reassured by the thorough environmental reviews and studies that will accompany the creation of this new industry. For example, NOAA Fisheries has been working with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and offshore wind developers to determine how projects might affect cod, black sea bass and other fish species and to protect them. The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection and the state Board of Public Utilities this spring said they will commission three studies on how offshore wind installations will affect wildlife, fisheries and habitats. With no apparent serious risks of harm evident from offshore wind projects around the world, we suggested, Americans should have a lot of confidence in their scientific institutions and government regulatory structure to minimize the downsides of offshore wind energy development, if any. We still think thats true, but a recent decision favoring an offshore wind company raises this question: Are the environmental benefits of offshore wind energy so great that theyll trump other environmental regulations? Last month, the DEP quietly put a notice in the New Jersey Register that it is changing coastal wetlands maps in Salem County in response to a request from PSEG Power, which with rsted is developing the leading Ocean Wind project off Atlantic City. The DEP will reclassify 150 acres of wetlands as uplands to accommodate the building of the New Jersey Wind Port to serve the offshore wind industry. The port will be adjacent to PSEGs three nuclear generating stations on the bay in Lower Alloways Creek Township. A reassessment found that the acreage no longer met the definition of coastal wetlands, the DEP said, thanks to a large amount of fill materials and an elevation above tidal flows. The fill includes Delaware River dredge materials, gravel and asphalt. PSEG had requested reclassification of 197 acres. The DEP said there would be no environmental impact from the change and pointed to the environmental benefit of reducing fossil fuel use with sustainable wind energy. The wetlands to uplands change also raised the eyebrows of the former and longtime director of New Jersey Sierra Club, Jeff Tittel. He told NJ Spotlight, We want the wind port to move forward, but what are they going to do to mitigate the impacts? Do we want to increase fill in areas subject to climate change and sea level rise? We can imagine lesser environmental considerations being overwhelmed by the ultimate goal of clean energy in a hurry. This isnt the time to start worrying that will happen, but a wetlands reclassification that typically is very hard to get suggests its a risk to watch out for. Market volatility, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and a high world demand for U.S. corn and soybeans are driving prices for farmers to record highs, local farmers say. But those same market conditions have sent the cost of farm inputs, particularly fertilizers, skyrocketing. Its a perfect storm on this whole price thing, Taylor Ridge farmer Tom Mueller said. If there is one area of American economy that is always affected by global issues, it is agriculture, he said. Brazil and Argentina didnt have as good a corn crop last year, and that has contributed to the price, he said. China is needing both more corn and soybeans. Corn for May delivery closed Friday at $7.90 per bushel on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, up 6 cents from Thursdays close. The last time corn was close to that was in 2012 when it reached $6.67 a bushel, according to statistics from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In October 2021, farmers were getting about $5.02 per bushel, according to the USDA. Soybeans for May delivery closed Friday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange at $16.82 per bushel, up 6 cents from Thursdays close. Soybeans reached $14.1 per bushel in 2013. In October 2021, farmers were getting about $11.90 per bushel, according to the USDA. Just a few months ago I could sell corn off the combine for $5.50, Mueller said. I thought that was a good price, and then it was. I locked it in. I look kind of stupid now because now I could have gotten $2 more. Scott County farmer Robb Ewoldt said corn and soybeans were in demand for other things besides food and feed. Soybean oil is also being used for renewable diesel fuel, and jet fuel is being made out of soybean and corn oil, which blows my mind. But as prices to farmers have risen to record highs, so have the cost of fertilizers. War in Ukraine is only part of the issue. A number of supply-and-demand factors were already at work driving fertilizer prices higher. These include the global demand for fertilizer outpacing production, supply-chain disruptions and high production costs such as the high price for natural gas, which is used to make nitrogen products such as anhydrous ammonia. Mueller said a year ago, a ton of anhydrous ammonia cost him about $450. Its about $1,600 a ton now, he said. Ewoldt said an acre of crops required an average of 180-200 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other popular fertilizers, such as potash and urea, also have doubled in the past year. Potash has risen from about $400 a ton to more than $800 a ton, while urea has risen from about $450 per ton to about $900 per ton. There are even transportation issues. Union Pacific is mandating reductions in shipping for companies that supply fertilizers to farmers for the time being. Kristen South, senior director of corporate communications and media relations, said in an email that the railroad was working with customers to address the impact of several disruptive events. To address the national supply chain issues, she said, the railroad is removing Union Pacific-controlled cars to ease congestion and asked customers to reduce their own growing inventories; adding 100 additional locomotives to the fleet; training 450 new employees, in a tight labor market, with more in the pipeline to graduate this summer; relocating approximately 80 crew members to support high demand areas; and partnering with customers to begin a metered approach in the coming days. This allows us to continue serving all customers while simultaneously working through a backlog of cars, restoring our ability to process volume an approach we successfully applied last year with West Coast intermodal traffic, South said. Ewoldt said Russia was a huge producer and exporter of nitrogen, potash and phosphorous. Theyre not exporting anything. No insurance company is willing to underwrite the shipping, he said. Russia also is not exporting any agriculture products, which arent sanctioned, because no insurance company is willing to take the risk. Ukraine also is a huge exporter of fertilizers on the world market, and of course, the war with Russia has stopped all that, he added. What Europe can no longer get from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, which produce potash, Europe will then turn to other sources, such as the U.S. It could get to be a situation where those countries once supplied by Russia are going to be willing to pay a lot of money to U.S. producers, he said. Saskatchewan-based Nutrien announced in a news release March 16 that because of the war the company planned to increase potash production by about 15 million tons in 2022, with the majority of that produced in the second half of the year. Nutriens Interim President and CEO Ken Seitz said in the news release, The impacts of this conflict extend beyond Eastern Europe as a disruption in supply of key agriculture, fertilizer and energy commodities could have implications for global food security. Government policies in the U.S. have made their mark, too, Ewoldt said. The policies of our current president who doesnt want any investment in natural gas exploration means were out of luck finding more natural gas to keep our nitrogen and fertilizer prices down, he said. Ewoldt said that in the end, all the volatility and uncertainty would force farmers to be better, more efficient and to look for other fertilizers, such as using more manure. Farmers in the U.S. are expected to add more acreage to soybeans this year, and fewer acres to corn. According to the USDAs prospective planting report issued March 31, acreage for soybeans is up 4%, while corn planted acreage is down 4%. Ewoldt said a serious supply issue could come about when it came to wheat. Russia is the No. 1 exporter for wheat, but they cant ship any wheat, he said. Ukraine was the No. 4 exporter of wheat, but they will be an importer of wheat for the next five to 10 years because their infrastructure is shot. Middle Eastern countries that rely on wheat from Russia and Ukraine will suffer because there is no substitute for wheat, Ewoldt added. Wheat could potentially go up to six times its value, he said. Its a relatively low input, low fertilizer, high value commodity. Maybe you see a lot more winter wheat seeded this fall. Thats a real possibility right now. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A Davenport-based company has started clearing ground in Rock Island for what it hopes will become the nations first vertical take-off and landing facility for battery-powered aircraft. Jake Pautsch, president and CEO of DIFCO, Inc., said site preparation had begun at 3050 3rd Ave. in Rock Island for the construction of an electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aerial facility. Called a vertiport, Pautsch envisions the facility eventually utilizing solar energy to power electric charging stations used for battery-powered aircraft. Doing so, though, requires approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which Pautsch said could take three to five years. Until then, he said plans are for the site to provide aerial medical transportation to local hospitals. The announcement of the project caught Rock Island city officials off guard. "This is a unique situation for sure. We typically do not see a developer announce a project to the media without a clear plan of action presented to the city first," Rock Island Interim City Manager John Gripp said. "The press release and media coverage was certainly a surprise to everyone, Gripp said. The team (city staff) has met and is in the process of contacting the development group to get more detailed information to fully understand and move the project forward. While a project like this will require the development group to work with several different agencies, staff fully supports development in Rock Island and looks forward to learning more about the project. Pautsch, an industrial real estate developer and helicopter pilot, stated in a news release that his company partnered with rotorcraft aviation company Hughes Aerospace and Five Alpha on the development in early 2021. A search of Hughes Aerospaces website did not find mention of the partnership. Once the facility is constructed, Pautsch said he intends to work with vendors to provide traditional helicopters, including any that might be used by area hospitals for medical transport. He said the site was perfect as a medical vertiport, with plans for an operator of hospital aviation as an anchor tenant. In a statement announcing the project, Pautsch said the vertiport will supply Quad City metro medical patients with safer and faster high-end access to aero-medical transport that would support both traditional rotorcraft as well as the rising, electric battery-powered eVTOL aircraft." "The site in Rock Island is perfect for power production and even better for aviation purposes," Pautsch said in an interview. "It's zoned for industrial (use), and it's centrally located between all four of the Quad-Cities. The location is phenomenal for this purpose." Asked for details about the vendor that would provide traditional helicopter service to the vertiport, Pautsch cited a non-disclosure agreement. The public announcement about the project did not mention a partnership with any local hospital system to supply Quad City metro medical patients with safer and faster high-end access to aero-medical transport. Todd Mizener, senior communications specialist for Genesis Health System, declined to comment on the announced project. When finished, Pautsch said the vertiport would include a 24,000-square-foot hangar and facilities for lease, refueling services, a pilot lounge, a prototype visual navigational aid beacon, and an area navigation (RNAV) instrumentation approach and departure egress. The facility will be named after Pautschs older brother, Cpl. Jason G. Pautsch, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2009. Pautsch said he expected the vertiport to be operational for traditional helicopters within eight months to a year. "The power production we are building will be what charges the batteries for electric vertical take-off aircraft, he said. It's a new concept, but it's no different than a seaport for ships or (a) heliport. Vertiports are standalone facilities, while heliports are part of a larger facility like a hospital." To help with financing, Pautsch said his company secured $457,000 from the Illinois Power Agency to build a solar rig to power electric charging stations used for battery-powered aircraft. While federal approval to use such aircraft is years away, Pautsch said the solar energy powered by the site would be used in the meantime for "supplying the MidAmerican Energy power grid." Pautsch called the planned project "ahead of the times. Most people don't understand it yet, he said. "Think of it like a Tesla vehicle. They have batteries, that's how they are powered. Aircraft that are going to be battery-powered will be no different. Love 3 Funny 4 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Lifeline long has enjoyed a proclivity for fantasy novels and often has adapted them well. This one is trickier than most there are some issues of storytelling that present themselves here, not the least of which is the difficulty of keeping the audience engaged with the trajectory of what is a very complicated story, what with all the planets, supernatural characters and the rest. The problems flow mostly from not fully realizing the emotional landscape of the piece, from not sufficiently emphasizing the parts of L'Engle's world that mirror our own. She was, after all, an allegorist. Republican candidate Esther Joy King is crushing her 17th Congressional District competition in terms of fundraising with less than three months to go until the June 28 primary election. According to Federal Election Commission first-quarter campaign finance reports, King has raised nearly $2.2 million, far outpacing the leading Democratic candidate, former WQAD meteorologist Eric Sorensen, who has brought in $312,500. Nine candidates are vying for the seat soon to be vacated by outgoing U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, who announced last April that she would not seek a sixth term. The general election is Nov. 8. In addition to Sorensen, the crowded field of seven Democratic candidates who will face off in the June 28 primary are Rock Island County board member Angie Normoyle, Rockford resident and former Illinois state Rep. Litesa Wallace, Rockford Alderwoman Linda McNeely, Rockford Alderman Jonathan Logemann, Marsha Williams of Channahon and former cannabis lobbyist Jacqueline McGowan. King, an East Moline attorney, will compete against East Moline insurance broker Charlie Helmick in the Republican primary. Esther Joy King Of the $2.2 million in donations to King, more than $1.9 million come from individual donors. Among the largest donations is $17,400 from Jeffrey Jay, a physician and venture capitalist from Palm Beach, Fla.; $11,600 from philanthropists Daniel and Kathy Mezzalingua of Naples, Fla.; and $5,800 from Chicago billionaire and hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin. First-quarter reports show King spent $930,000 and has almost $1.5 million cash on hand. Of her expenditures, $887,000 went toward operating expenses. This is King's second attempt at running for Congress. She lost to Bustos in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election by 11,526 votes. Charlie Helmick Helmick has no revenue or expenses filed with the FEC, meaning he either has not met the minimum level or he is paying for everything out of pocket. The FEC requires a candidate to file a quarterly report when their campaign exceeds $5,000 in either contributions received or expenditures made. Helmick lives in East Moline and co-owns two Country Financial Insurance franchises with his wife, Shirley. Eric Sorensen Of the seven Democratic candidates, Sorensen is leading in terms of fundraising with more than $313,000 in revenue coming from more than 1,050 donors with an average contribution of less than $165. According to his FEC filing, Sorensen's largest donations include $5,800 from Stephen Schuler, an investment manager from Oak Park; $5,000 from Tom Skilling, a Chicago meteorologist; and $1,500 from Terence Kelly, president of an investment company in Madison, Wis. Sorensen has spent $124,572 to date and has $188,000 cash on hand. Joe Goldberg, campaign manager for Sorensen, attributed his strong fundraising to grassroots support in a news release. "Momentum continues to grow because voters know their trusted meteorologist is the best choice to represent them in Congress," Goldberg said. Sorensen has received three national endorsements: the National Weather Service Employees Organization; 314 Action; and the LGBTQ Victory Fund. Jonathan Logemann Logemann has raised $257,600, of which $243,000 has come from individual contributions. His largest donations include $5,800 from Marni George of Carbondale, Co.; $5,800 from Joseph Alsop, a venture capitalist from Beverly, Mass.; and $2,900 from Justin Fern, a Rockford real estate developer. Logemann reported $142,500 in expenses and $115,000 cash on hand. Logemann has received three national endorsements: VoteVets; Serve America PAC; and Democrats Serve PAC. Angie Normoyle Normoyle, who has received a national endorsement from Leadership Now, reported $160,670 in contributions, of which $30,000 is a personal loan to her own campaign. Other donations include $2,900 from Jenny Molyneaux, project manager for the Quad Cities Community Foundation; $2,900 from Julie Corey, owner of Corey Search Group in Barrington; and $1,000 from Cosette Shrader, a Bettendorf travel consultant. Normoyle reported $94,900 in expenditures and $65,800 cash on hand. Litesa Wallace Wallace reported $92,950 in first-quarter contributions, with $85,700 coming from individual donors. Wallace donated $28,000 to her own campaign, making her the single largest donor. Wallace reported $82,900 in expenses and $38,400 cash on hand. Wallace has received national endorsements from Democracy for America and Collective PAC. Marsha Williams Williams has raised $45,000, of which $5,000 was donated by Williams to her own political campaign, Friends to Elect Marsha Williams. Williams reported $25,700 in expenditures and $42,575 cash on hand. Jacqueline McGowan McGowan, of Palos Hills, is a former cannabis lobbyist and stockbroker. While living in California last year, she ran as a gubernatorial replacement candidate in case Gov. Gavin Newsom was recalled. First-quarter FEC reports show McGowan has $17,745 in contributions, $13,288 in expenditures and $4,500 cash on hand. Linda McNeely McNeely, is a Rockford alderwoman and businesswoman who owns the Rockford accounting and tax preparation service, Bias Terry McNeely & Associates. She has not filed any campaign disclosures with the FEC, indicating she has not raised or spent at least $5,000. According to the FEC, McNeely, Williams and McGowan currently have ballot objections pending against them related to a number of alleged invalid signatures and/or contested addresses on their petitions that could invalidate the minimum requirement of 400 signatures needed to remain on the ballot. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Mother Nature has repeatedly tricked us this year. Just when we thought spring was about to arrive, Old Man Winter decided to kick up a ruckus, demolishing any illusion we had about spring having arrived, a pattern that has been repeated several times. But now there are some signs that spring is (at least tentatively) arriving. A bush on campus not far from the building where my office is located is showing a few small white blossoms. Some daffodils in our yard are blooming. Migratory waterfowl and other birds have returned. White pelicans can be seen swimming around in the harbor at Sunset Marina, scooping up small fish with their long beaks with a pocket attached to their lower beak. I recently got a photo of a pelican that had scooped up a fish and was in the process of swallowing it. At Nahant Marsh in Davenport (one of my recently discovered favorite places) Northern shovelers, ring-necked ducks and other waterfowl, including Canada geese, are present in abundance. In one of the backwater areas near the Rock River, where I visit when shooting wildlife photos, blue-winged teal can be seen. Spring has to be coming when migratory waterfowl return. If Old Man Winter is to be resoundingly defeated, though, there is much that remains to be accomplished. The eagles have not yet returned to their huge 13-foot nest in a tree by one of the backwaters of the Rock River (the location of which I do not wish to disclose.) I fully expect that they will return when their biological clocks tell them that it is time to add to their family. White-breasted nuthatches have been checking out the birdhouses I put up in our back yard three years ago, birdhouses in which house wrens have nested. Nuthatches usually nest in cavities in trees or in abandoned woodpecker holes. Perhaps they are planning to upgrade their living accommodations by nesting in one of the birdhouses. We will have to see what happens in that regard. Ever-faithful robins are to be found in abundance on lawns and anywhere else where earthworms might work their way to the surface when it rains. Robins are good birds with few flaws of character, apart from eating strawberries from berry patches without having permission to do so. It will not be long until the wildflowers are blooming in Blackhawk State Park, among them Dutchmans breeches (Dicentra cucullaria,) jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllam) and red trillium (Trillium erectum.) This park is another favorite place that my camera and I enjoy visiting. The thousand or so daffodils of several different colors that we planted in the ravine behind our yard a few years ago will soon be blooming. Ditto for the magnolia tree by our driveway and the flowering crab on the other side of our backyard fence. Here on the Augustana campus, spring in its full glory will soon arrive when the dogwood trees, magnolia trees, redbud trees and other flowering trees burst into bloom. (Our campus is not closed to the public. Grab your camera and come on over when the sun is shining and the flowering trees are showing off their spring splendor.) Having been tricked several times by Mother Nature, I am reluctant to say that spring is here. Old Man Winter might still kick up a ruckus. He is as unpredictable as they come and very simply cannot be trusted. But with migratory waterfowl having returned and daffodils starting to bloom, spring cant be far away. Am I ready for spring? You bet I am. I trust that you are as well. Dan Lee, a regular columnist, is the Marian Taft Cannon Professor in the Humanities at Augustana; danlee@augustana.edu. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Tickets go on sale Friday for Celtic ThroneThe Royal Journey of Irish Dance. Celtic Throne returns to Rapid City for one performance at 7:30 p.m. June 13 at The Monument. Tickets range from $60 for adults to $30 for youths ages 4 through 12. For tickets and information, call 1-800-468-6463 or go to themonument.live. Celtic Throne is bringing a majestic musical score and a brand-new Irish dance production from Herbert W. Armstrong College and Armstrong Dance. According to a news release, Celtic ThroneThe Royal Journey of Irish Dance explores the ancient origins of Irish step dance and celebrates the millennia-long journey of a music-and-dance-loving people as they migrate from the ancient Near East to Ireland, Scotland, England and the United States. Infused with innovative choreography, dazzling costumes, spectacular lighting and projection, Celtic Throne is Armstrong Colleges largest production to date, the news release said. Celtic Throne combines a cinematic musical score with hard- and soft-shoe Irish dancing, all set against epic imagery of Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, scenes from the British Empire and traditional America. The Armstrong Dance troupe is comprised of more than 30 Irish dancers from around the world, including Britain, Australia, Canada and the United States, ranging in age from 23 to just 5 years old. The troupe features students from the John Carey Academy, some of whom have competed in top Irish dance competitions, including Worlds, All Irelands, Great Britain and North American Nationals. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 An abortion clinic is set to open in Casper this summer. The clinic would be the only facility to offer surgical abortions in Wyoming, and opponents have begun to organize against it. Surgical abortions can end a pregnancy further in its term than abortions by medication. A Jackson doctor is currently the only provider of medical abortions in Wyoming. The Casper clinics Second Street facility is still under construction, but its founder says it should be staffed and ready to open by the summer if all goes according to plan. Its operated by Circle of Hope, a national health care nonprofit with a mission of providing reproductive care to underserved, rural areas. In addition to performing abortions, the clinic plans to offer family planning, OB/GYN and gender-affirming services. Casper will be the companys first location, but founder Julie Burkhart said the organization is planning on expanding across the country. The nonprofit lists a Washington, D.C. address on its website, but registered the Casper address with the Wyoming Secretary of States Office earlier this year. Casper is centrally located, so this clinic will be as accessible as possible to the majority of Wyomingites ... including people in the rural parts of the state, Burkhart said. Its also positioned to be accessible to people in nearby areas of South Dakota and Nebraska, she said. Protests planned Abortion is a divisive topic in Wyoming in this most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed three abortion-related bills through the committee stage, one of which became law. That bill would ban abortion in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. The clinic is working with a community advisory board of Wyoming residents from local churches, tribes and health care. There is a robust, diverse community of people in Wyoming who believe that people should be able access the health care they need, including abortion, said Rev. Leslie Kee of Caspers Unitarian Universalist Church, who sits on the committee. Opening this clinic is essential for those across our state who currently find that care is out of reach, including people living in rural areas, members of Native tribes, and those with low incomes. But others in Casper and around the state oppose the clinics opening. I dont think theres a market for it, said Michelle St. Louis, an anti-abortion Casper resident. We all know teenagers who chose to go through with their pregnancy, its not their first inclination to get an abortion. Most women dont want to do that. Several local residents are planning a prayer event outside the facility on April 21, and a life chain demonstration the following Sunday. A larger coalition from across Wyoming is coordinating a trip to Casper for the clinics anticipated opening in June, Park County Right to Life President Tim Lasseter said. The groups are planning a peaceful protest for the opening, Lasseter said, reaching out to churches and anti-abortion groups around the state. We expect there to be a large turnout, he said. Were not looking for confrontation, were just looking to let people know we disagree. Marti Halverson, president of Right to Life Wyoming, said the statewide group is planning multiple tracks of opposition to the clinic. The organization has some money were willing to put behind the effort, she said Thursday, but declined to specify what members were planning. You have 53 life-friendly legislators, a governor who says hes pro-life, Halverson said. This should be shut down tomorrow. Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Burns, opposes abortion and said the practice shouldnt be used as birth control. Bouchard himself was adopted as a baby, and said that since Americans are leaving the country to adopt children, there should be no reason to abort a fetus that could be adopted in the U.S. Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, is also an abortion opponent. Casper is the wrong place for an abortion clinic, he stressed. "The D.C. left-wing interests bringing this to Wyoming are wrongly and totally inconsistent with our Wyoming values," he said. Burkhart says shes no stranger to opposition shes operated reproductive health clinics in Washington, Oklahoma and Kansas. Her former boss, nationally known abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, was murdered in 2009 at his Wichita church. We do recognize that there are people in Wyoming who are opposed to what were doing, including many in the state legislature, Burkhart said. We hope that those who oppose our work will do so peacefully and without harassing or intimidating people seeking or providing reproductive health care. Existing services Surgical abortions can be performed later in a pregnancy than medical ones, which are limited to those who have been pregnant for 10 or fewer weeks. Until recently, one doctor in Jackson did provide surgical abortions though state health department statistics from recent years show very few were actually performed. But after the doctor sold his clinic to St. Johns Health in 2020 and resigned as a hospital contractor in October, the Jackson Hole News&Guide reported that hes barred from practicing there by a non-compete clause in the sale. Another Jackson-based doctor is now the states sole abortion provider, though her office only offers medical abortions. Because of legal restrictions and other barriers to abortion access, people sometimes need access to abortion care after that (10-week) period, Burkhart said. Chelseas Fund, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to Wyomingites seeking abortions, has assisted 63 people so far in 2022. Their money helps cover the cost of the abortion medication, which starts at $350 for a mail-in dose. Nurse Cristina Gonzalez, who works with the fund, said they dont turn anyone away who needs help. (The Casper clinic) would increase access because its providing options to individuals in the state, not overwhelming one resource, Gonzalez said. Now, if youre outside that 10-week time frame, youre looking at having to go to Colorado. A Wyoming law passed in 2019 prohibits all abortions after viability, the point when a fetus could survive outside the womb. According to the health department, 91 abortions were performed by Wyoming providers in 2020 the first full year the state required providers to report statistics. One of those was reported as a surgical dilation procedure. Eighty-eight were medical, and the other two did not specify the method. Among those who received abortions in 2020, 48 (or 53%) were already mothers to at least one child. Four had four or more children. Every abortion during that year was performed before 10 weeks, though one did not report. More than half were performed before reaching six weeks of pregnancy. Gonzalez said most of the people Chelseas Fund helps are single working mothers who already have children. Follow city and crime reporter Ellen Gerst on Twitter at @ellengerst. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Vehicles lined up this past weekend with occupants ready to sign petitions to once again put a recreational marijuana measure on the state ballot. Campaign organizer Matthew Schweich said nearly 900 verified registered voters turned out for the drive-through petition event held Saturday and Sunday in a parking lot at 230 E. North St. in Rapid City. It was a major success, but we are not out of the woods yet, Schweich, of South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, said Monday. We need more signatures, and then I think we will be in good shape. According to volunteers working Sunday, many of those who stopped by on Easter weekend were over 40 years old and upset with Gov. Kristi Noem for challenging the constitutionality of Amendment A, which was approved by 54% of the voters in November 2020. The state Supreme Court ruled in November 2021 that the amendment is unconstitutional since it addressed three separate issues recreational marijuana, medical marijuana and hemp after a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the governor by Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom and Rick Miller of the state Highway Patrol. We voted this in two years ago and Noem took it away from us, said one man who declined to identify himself. His wife, who said she was a lifelong Pennington County resident, echoed her husbands sentiments. Schweich and volunteers said that was a common theme heard throughout the weekend. What youre going to find are a lot of people here dont actually care a ton about cannabis. Theyre just so mad, he said Sunday morning. One lady said Im going to vote against this initiative when its on the ballot. I just believe in the initiative process so much that Im going to support you on the ballot. Jim of Rapid City, who also declined to identify himself, said he was upset with how Noem handled Amendment A and a medical marijuana ballot measure also approved by voters in 2020. Our governor has not been very cooperative. I mean slow walking it is an understatement, he said. Shes done everything to just push it off. I mean its the will of the majority of South Dakota. The Ohio native said he wants to see medical marijuana made more available after state lawmakers voted to make numerous modifications to the initiative that Noem later signed into law. I just got back after an eight-hour back surgery, my third one, at the Mayo Clinic, and Im familiar with drugs. Ive had two knee, three hips and three back (surgeries). I was an athlete who just broke down, he said. An alternative to pain pills is cannabis. The owner of Puffys medical marijuana dispensary, Kittrick Jeffries, was among those working Sunday to help with the steady stream of vehicles whose occupants included a number of aging Baby Boomers. "It's been really interesting to see the wide demographic of people that have come out and signed," he said. "You have a lot of advocates for the cannabis industry and then you have people that were upset with the overturned amendment." Schweich estimated Monday that the group has collected 14,300 of the 17,000 signatures needed to get the initiated measure placed on the November ballot. His goal is to submit 19,000 signatures to the Secretary of State's office by the May 3 deadline. This was the second drive-through petition event held by South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws with the first being two weeks ago in Sioux Falls. Encouraged by the results, Schweich said the organization will hold drive-through petition events again this upcoming weekend at the same location in Rapid City as well as in Sioux Falls. In addition to collecting signatures, the organization is verifying if those who show up are registered voters in South Dakota. In order to do so, they only need to provide their first and last names and either their ZIP code or date of birth. With that information, the group can visit a portal on the Secretary of State's website to learn if an individual is a registered voter. No identification is required. If a voter is not registered, the organization will help with that as well. "The average turnaround is three or four minutes," Schweich said. "It's a very efficient system." You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 9 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 After serving more than 43 years as a prosecutor in South Dakota, United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced Monday that he intends to retire, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. U.S. attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer in their district and is also involved in civil litigation where the United States is a party, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. There are 94 U.S. Attorneys, one for each federal court district. Holmes began serving as acting U.S. attorney under the Vacancies Reform Act on Feb. 26, 2021, following the resignation of U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons. On Dec. 23, 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Holmes U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota for 120 days. Holmes, a Custer native, began his career as a prosecutor in 1978 as a clinical law intern in the Pennington County State's Attorneys Office while still in law school at the University of South Dakota. The following spring, Holmes was offered a position by then newly elected South Dakota Attorney General Mark Meierhenry to serve as an assistant attorney general in the litigation division. Holmes spent nine years in the state attorney generals office handling a broad variety of criminal cases ranging from homicides to drug conspiracies. He also represented South Dakota in civil litigation, including jurisdictional challenges on Indian country issues. While in the attorney generals office, Holmes held the positions of head of the litigation division, deputy attorney general, and chief deputy attorney general. I was very fortunate to begin my legal career under the tutelage of Mark Meierhenry. Mark was a great lawyer and a mentor to so many South Dakota attorneys, Holmes said. In 1988, Holmes joined the U.S. attorneys office in Pierre where he handled primarily Indian country criminal cases and drug prosecutions. In 1995, Holmes moved to the Sioux Falls U.S. attorneys office to become the lead drug task force prosecutor for the District of South Dakota. During his 34 years as a federal prosecutor, Holmes prosecuted a wide array of federal criminal cases, including large-scale drug conspiracies, violent crimes, tax fraud, federal program fraud and environmental crimes. He received several awards for his work in the U.S. attorneys office, including the Directors Award for Superior Performance by an assistant U.S. attorney, Outstanding Performance Award from the Environment Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, the Bronze Medal Award from the Environmental Protection Agency, West Central Region Organized Crime Drug Taskforce Award for outstanding achievement, National Department of Justice Organized Crime Drug Taskforce Award for outstanding achievement, and Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Prosecutor of the Year Award. Holmes has served three times as acting U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota. Holmes also held the position of first assistant U.S. attorney for four different U.S. attorneys. He has been the criminal chief for the office for over 19 years. It has been an honor to work with so many dedicated law enforcement officials from state, local, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies who toil every day to keep our communities safe. In my career I also have had the privilege of serving alongside many talented and devoted attorneys. I have always admired their professionalism and their dedication to public service, Holmes said. The U.S. District Court will appoint an interim U.S. Attorney on April 22. Holmes has agreed to remain with the office for a period of time to assist with the transition. Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 The large cow moose happily grazing the new buds off every bush within reach didnt seem to have a care in the world Monday morning. It didnt matter that people were hard at work just a few feet away at Hamilton's Geum Geospatial just across the street from the library or that other people were walking by on the nearby downtown sidewalks or that there was traffic on the streets. Just like every spring, moose are back in Hamilton. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist Rebecca Mowry said she received her first report of a moose grazing in someones yard on the north end of town on Pine Street a week ago. She knew it wouldnt be the last. It seems like this time of year, the moose come into town looking for whatever is turning green, Mowry said. The biologist had already seen a cow moose down along the river, but she cant be sure if the one that showed up downtown Monday was the same one. "There certainly could be more than one," she said. Just like every other year, Mowry offers the same advice. When you see a moose in town, do your best to steer clear and no matter how tame it seems, please dont try to touch it. She wont tolerate that, Mowry said. They do become somewhat habituated to people and that can sometimes offer a false sense of security for some. People need to remember that moose are unpredictable. They have their limits and they can kill you with one kick. The odds are Mondays moose is pregnant. Generally, calves are born in late May or early June. When they have their babies, people need to be especially aware, Mowry said. That can make them even more dangerous. Just give them space. When you go and its dark, be aware that one might be hiding in the alley or laying down in your front yard. Most importantly, do not feed the moose. They do like to eat flowers and will nip the buds of those new young trees that people plant, she said. They seem to really like tulips. I spray mine with deer repellent, which seems to work pretty well. If you dont want your flowers eaten, try to protect them as best you can. Its not only moose that are making themselves know now that spring is here. FWP Bear Specialist Jamie Jonkel has been getting reports of black bears waking up in the Bitterroot from their long winters nap and looking for easy calories. There is a video circulating of a black bear yanking down a bird feeder at a home on the northern end of Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. On Facebook, people were reporting a bear and two cubs were seen recently at the Bitterroot National Forest's popular Bass Creek Recreation Area near the Larry Creek Group Site. As soon as we get some more green up, theyll start moving more, Jonkel said. If people have stuff in their yards, theyll hit that too. The black bears didnt move into the high country as much last summer as usual after a bumper crop of berries along the river bottom between Lolo and Stevensville kept them from heading up into the hills searching for huckleberries. Sadly, when they were down along the river, they also got gobs of food rewards from nearby homes, he said. They stumbled into garbage cans right and left. When bears come out of hibernation, it takes them a while to get moving. Once they find a roadkill or lion or any source of meat, it brings them out of hibernation, Jonkel said. In Missoula, we have reports on about 10 bears. About five are still lethargic. The other five are hitting green-up or, sadly, theyre getting into garbage. The first day of April is when Jonkel recommends that people prepare for the summer season of living with bears. Its time to take down the bird feeders, store all the bags of chicken feed in big steel boxes and move the dog food off the porch and into a garage or stout shed. Now is the time to button up, he said. And people living in the Bitterroot shouldnt forget that they could run into a grizzly anytime they venture into the woods. Last summer a grizzly that called the Clark Fork home took a walk-about in the East Fork of the Bitterroot and a large older male was documented in the Sula area. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The founder of car dealer CarLotz has found a new place to help guide the leadership of a Richmond-based company. Naborforce, a fast-growing company that provides a platform in which people can make money by helping aging adults with household chores or companionship, said April 12 that it has appointed Michael Bor, one of the founders of Richmond-based CarLotz, to its board of directors. We have been fine-tuning our playbook so we would be ready for explosive growth, and we are there, said Paige Wilson, the founder of Naborforce. We have been getting all the infrastructure in place, so we would be ready to accelerate growth, which is the perfect time to bring on Michael. Naborforce which was founded by local entrepreneur Wilson in 2018 has an online platform where aging adults or their family members can hire people in their own communities called Nabors to work part-time performing non-medical household chores such as laundry and shopping for aging and homebound people. For fees ranging from $25 to $33 an hour, the Nabors also provide occasional visits and companionship for people who need assistance or someone to check on them in their homes. Naborforce offers its service in Richmond, Williamsburg, Charlottesville and Williamsburg in Virginia, but it also has expanded its service to the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Charlotte areas of North Carolina, as well as Bethesda in Maryland. In March, the company expanded into the Atlanta area, and it has plans to expand into 10-12 more markets in the next year. Bor was not available for comment but in a statement said he had watched the growth of Naborforce over several years. Im thrilled to now join the board and work with this driven team of professionals to achieve great things for all the stakeholders involved, Bor said. Bor was the founding CEO of CarLotz, the Richmond-based retailer that sells used vehicles on consignment. Bor was instrumental in taking CarLotz public as its chairman and CEO. This month, he was replaced in those roles by Lev Peker, the former chief executive at CarParts.com, an e-commerce provider of automotive parts and accessories. But Bor will remain in a consulting role with CarLotz for a year. Paige Wilson is a talented founder building a marketplace that allows people to age safely in their own homes, something that is in demand now more than ever, said John Chadwick, founding partner of Nashville-based Claritas Capital, an investor in Naborforce. We believe Michaels strategic and operational experience building a large marketplace from the ground up will be a big asset to Naborforce during this period of significant growth, said Tania Grant, a principal with Claritas Capital and a Naborforce board member. A 25-year-old Petersburg man was fatally shot in his automobile early Sunday morning while driving southbound on Interstate 85, a short distance from the Squirrel Level Road exit. Virginia State Police said a light-colored vehicle was seen leaving the scene of the 2:27 a.m. shooting, which follows two others on local interstate highways last week. The victim of the Sunday shooting was identified as Raeqwon Curtis Hinton. According to state police, Hinton drove a black Chrysler 300 to a BP gas station off Boydton Plank Road in Dinwiddie County, where he died. LVIV, Ukraine Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale offensive to take control of Ukraines east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles long, Ukrainian officials said in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war. The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a video address. He said a significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. Advertisement The Donbas is Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia. In recent weeks, the Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after its attempt to storm Kyiv failed. After withdrawing from the capital, Russia began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for an all-out offensive. Advertisement No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight, Zelenskyy vowed. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day. The Ukraine militarys general staff said Russian President Vladimir Putins forces were increasing assaults in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions both of which are part of the Donbas as well as in the area of Zaporizhzhia. This morning, almost along the whole front line of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, the occupiers attempted to break through our defenses, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraines national security council, was quoted as telling Ukrainian media. Fortunately, our military is holding out. They passed through only two cities. This is Kreminna and another small town. He added: We are not giving up any of our territories. A Ukrainian military official said street battles had begun in Kreminna and that evacuation was impossible. Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said heavy artillery fire set seven residential buildings on fire and targeted the sports complex where the nations Olympic team trains. In this image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with Matti Maasikas, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 18, 2022. Zelenskyy submitted Ukraine's answers to a questionnaire from the European Union, the first step in his campaign to obtain accelerated EU membership. (AP) Haidai later told Ukrainian television that Russians took control of the city after leveling everything to the ground, so his forces retreated to regroup and keep on fighting. Meanwhile, in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard that was holding out against Russian forces, said in a video message that Russia had begun dropping bunker-buster bombs on the Azovstal steel plant where the regiment was holed up. Advertisement The sprawling plant contains a warren of tunnels where both fighters and civilians are sheltering. It is believed to be the last major pocket of resistance in the shattered city. Overnight and on Monday, Russia bombarded the western city of Lviv and a multitude of other targets across Ukraine in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the countrys defenses. At least seven people were reported killed in the missile strikes on Lviv, a city close to the Polish border that has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. To the Kremlins increasing anger, Lviv has also become a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons. The attack on Lviv hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto shop, according to the regions governor, Maksym Kozytskyy. He said the wounded included a child. A Lviv hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled the fighting in other parts of the country was also badly damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. The city has seen its population swell with elderly people, mothers and children trying to escape the war. The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv, said Lyudmila Turchak, who fled with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe. Advertisement Lviv, the biggest city and a major transportation hub in western Ukraine, is about 50 miles from Poland, a NATO member. Russia has strongly complained about the increasing flow of Western weapons to Ukraine and warned that such aid could have consequences. On Russian state media, some anchors have charged that the supplies amount to direct Western engagement in the fight against Russia. A powerful explosion also rocked Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to an air base, according to residents. It was not immediately clear what was struck. Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, was hit by shelling that killed at least three people, according to Associated Press journalists on the scene. One of the dead was a woman who appeared to be going out to collect water in the rain. She was found with a water canister and an umbrella by her side. Military analysts say Russia was increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railroads and other infrastructure ahead of its assault on the Donbas. Moscow said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the past day, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. Advertisement It also reported that its artillery hit an additional 315 Ukrainian targets and that warplanes conducted 108 strikes on troops and military equipment. The claims could not be independently verified. Gen. Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News that Russia was waging a softening-up campaign ahead of the Donbas offensive. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagons assessments of the war, said there are now 76 Russian combat units, known as battalion tactical groups, in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. That could translate to around 50,000 to 60,000 troops, based on what the Pentagon said at the start of the war was the typical unit strength of 700 to 800 soldiers, but the numbers are difficult to pinpoint at this stage in the fighting. The official also said that four U.S. cargo flights arrived in Europe on Sunday with an initial delivery of weapons and other materials for Ukraine as part of a $800 million package announced by Washington last week. And training of Ukrainian personnel on U.S. 155 mm howitzers is set to begin in the next several days. The capture of Mariupol, where Ukraine estimates 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, seized from Ukraine from 2014. Advertisement The U.S. defense official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas. Associated Press journalists Nico Maounis and Philip Crowther in Lviv, Ukraine, Adam Schreck in Vasylkiv, Ukraine, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report, as did other AP staff members around the world. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nations largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on law enforcement authorities to investigate a potentially sinister motive for vandalism targeting a Virginia mosque. Vandals smashed a window and did other damage to the interior of the newly-constructed West End Islamic Center on Shady Grove Road in Glen Allen on Saturday. This was reportedly the second time vandals targeted the facility. The mosque released the following statement regarding the incident: The West End Islamic Center is a community-based center in Glen Allen, VA. We have worked with Henrico County officials and our neighbors for over ten years to assist in opening our doors just in time for our holy month of Ramadan. However, it is with great sadness that in just six months, West End Islamic Center has experienced two incidents of vandalism. The most recent occurred on Saturday, April 16, between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. We feel compelled to speak out against these expressions of hatred. An attack on any house of worship certainly feels like an assault on the community. Unfortunately, we were not able to capture the incident and perpetrators on security cameras. We nevertheless feel that this incident merits local, state, and federal authorities to investigate these events as a hate crime. The rights of all people of faith is a founding principle of America. This attack is incredibly hurtful. Its hard to imagine that someone would want to attack our place of worship. We do not know or understand the motivation of the person(s). What we do know is that love is stronger than hate, and the members of our mosque will stand together. We trust that our neighbors and friends will continue to stand with us and support our community as we worship during this holy month of Ramadan. We call on law enforcement to swiftly investigate this crime and increase patrols in the area until those responsible are apprehended, said CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell. Because the attackers vandalized the mosque without stealing anything, law enforcement should also investigate a possible bias motive for this incident. Everyone in our nation, regardless of faith, must be free to worship without the threat of harassment or violence. Henrico Countys prosecutor said Sunday night that law enforcement is investigating. We dont know yet who the perpetrators are, but we are investigating thoroughly, Commonwealths Attorney Shannon Taylor said in a written statement. Should this be egregious, bigoted hate, it will not be tolerated in Henrico. She continued, During this holy month of Ramadan and during the Passover and Easter season, we are reminded even more of the importance of tolerance and brotherhood. The Virginia Department of Education provided more information to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, as ordered by a judge on April 8. The department had the option of appealing the order from substitute Richmond District Court Judge Jennifer Rosen or complying by providing more information, and the department sent an email Friday with the information. A Times-Dispatch reporter filed a petition in court against the department after the departments FOIA officer refused to comply with a provision of the law that requires public bodies when they withhold records under a discretionary exemption to identify with reasonable particularity the volume and subject matter of withheld records. Judge orders Va. Department of Education to provide more detail in FOIA request A judge in Richmond on Friday ordered the Virginia Department of Education to provide more specific information to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in response to a FOIA request the newspaper made for communications between state officials and a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. The department said it was withholding five emails from the newspaper as working papers of the governors office, but wouldnt specify the subject matter. The judge heard the case and ordered the department to provide the newspaper with the date of the withheld emails and the individuals included on the emails. The FOIA request had asked for correspondence between certain Department of Education officials and people at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., called American Enterprise Institute. Records showed that the department was receiving assistance from a research fellow there, but the relationship is murky. Jillian Balow, the new state superintendent of public instruction under Gov. Glenn Youngkin, issued a statement through a spokesperson that said she and her counterparts frequently engage with policy experts across the nation, many of whom are associated with non-profit organizations focused on improving outcomes for all students. During my years as a state superintendent and national officer of organizations such as the Education Commission of the States, Council of Chief State School Officers and Conservative Leaders for Education, Ive found it important to listen, learn, debate, and discuss issues with researchers, economists, education leaders, associations, policymakers, and others representing diverse viewpoints. The five emails the department opted not to turn over came on Jan. 25. Included on each of the emails was: Balow; Dicky Shanor, Balows chief of staff; Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Schultz; Education Secretary Aimee Guidera; Deputy Education Secretary Sarah Spota; and Max Eden, the research fellow at American Enterprise Institute who has assisted the department. Youngkin and Balow are reversing K-12 diversity and equity policies that were promoted under James Lane, the superintendent of public instruction for Youngkins predecessor, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. More than a dozen media organizations are suing Youngkin over his withholding of emails sent to a tipline to which he encouraged people to report so-called divisive topics in K-12 schools. MADRID (AP) The phones of dozens of pro-independence supporters in Spain's northeastern Catalonia, including the regional chief and other elected officials, were hacked with controversial spyware available only to governments, a cybersecurity rights group said Monday. Citizen Lab, a research group affiliated with the University of Toronto, said a large-scale investigation it had conducted in collaboration with Catalan civil society groups found that at least 65 individuals were targeted or their devices infected with what it calls mercenary spyware sold by two Israeli companies, NSO Group and Candiru. NSO said the allegation could not be related to NSO products. Candiru couldn't be reached for comment by The Associated Press. Almost all of the incidents occurred between 2017 and 2020, when efforts to carve out an independent state in northeastern Spain led to the country's deepest political crisis in decades. The former Catalan Cabinet that pushed ahead with an illegal referendum on independence was sacked. Most of its members were imprisoned or fled the country, including ex regional president Carles Puigdemont. NSOs Pegasus spyware has been used around the world to break into the phones and computers of human rights activists, journalists and even Catholic clergy. The firm has been subject to export limits by the U.S. federal government, which has accused NSO of conducting transnational repression." NSO has also been brought to court by major technology companies, including Apple and Meta, the owner of WhatsApp. Citizen Lab said its investigations into the use in Spain of Pegasus and spyware developed by Candiru another Israeli firm founded by former NSO employees started in late 2019 after a handful of cases targeting high-profile Catalan pro-independence individuals were revealed. Amnesty International said its technical experts had independently verified the attacks. The Toronto-based non-profit said it could not find conclusive evidence to attribute the hacking of Catalan phones to a specific entity. "However, a range of circumstantial evidence points to a strong nexus with one or more entities within Spanish government, Citizen Lab said. Spain's Interior Ministry said no ministry department, nor the National Police or the Civil Guard, have ever had any relation with NSO and have therefore never contracted any of its services. The ministry's statement said that, in Spain, all intervention of communications are conducted under judicial order and in full respect of legality. The prime ministers office didnt immediately respond to questions from AP. A spokeswoman with Ministry of Defense, which oversees Spain's armed forces and intelligence services, declined to clarify if it had contracted NSO or Candiru software. The government of Spain always acts according to the law, said the spokeswoman, who wasn't authorized to be named in the media. Pegasus infiltrates phones to vacuum up personal and location data and also surreptitiously controls the smartphones microphones and cameras, turning them into real-time surveillance devices. NSO Groups stealthiest hacking software uses zero-click exploits to infect targeted mobile phones without any user interaction. NSO Group claimed it was being targeted by Citizen Lab and Amnesty International with inaccurate and unsubstantiated reports and false" allegations that "could not be related to NSO products for technological and contractual reasons. "We have repeatedly cooperated with governmental investigations, where credible allegations merit, an NSO spokesperson said in a statement. Citizen Lab said signs of a zero-click exploit not previously identified were found in infected devices of Catalans at the end of 2019 and in early 2020 before Apple updated its mobile operating system to patch vulnerabilities. Among the targeted individuals were at least three European lawmakers representing Catalan separatist parties, members of two prominent pro-independence civil society groups, their lawyers and various elected officials The revelations come as European Union lawmakers on Tuesday are holding the first meeting of a committee looking into breaches of EU law associated with the use of hacker-for-hire spyware. Four former regional Catalan presidents, including Puigdemont and his successor Quim Torra while he was holding office, were also subject to direct or indirect spying, the researchers said. Current Catalan President Pere Aragones, whose phone was infected, according to Citizen Lab, while he served as Torra's deputy from 2018 to 2020, said massive espionage against the Catalan independence movement is an unjustifiable disgrace, an attack on fundamental rights and democracy." Because the software can only be acquired by state entities, the Spanish government must offer an explanation, Aragones said in a series of tweets. No excuses are valid, he wrote. To spy on representatives of citizens, lawyers or civil rights activists is a red line." In a response to Amnesty International's formal request in 2020 for full disclosure on contracts with private digital surveillance companies, Spain's Defense Ministry said that information is classified, the rights group said Monday. The Spanish government needs to come clean over whether or not it is a customer of NSO Group, said Likhita Banerji, an Amnesty International researcher. It must also conduct a thorough, independent investigation into the use of Pegasus spyware against the Catalans identified. In a separate report also released Monday, Citizen Lab said it had also found evidence in 2020 and 2021 that the British prime ministers office was infected with Pegasus spyware linked to the United Arab Emirates. It said it found suspected infections at Britains Foreign Office linked to the UAE, India, Cyprus, and Jordan. The group said it had informed the British government about the findings. Other countries where Citizen Lab and other public-interest researchers have confirmed Pegasus infections on political dissidents and journalists critical of governments include Poland, Mexico, El Salvador and Hungary. NSO Group claims it only sells Pegasus to government agencies to target criminals and terrorists, but hundreds of cases have been documented of its use against human rights and other activists, lawyers, reporters and their relatives. Frank Bajak in Boston and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The Mississippi man charged in a fatal Interstate 81 crash that killed one person and seriously injured another in February waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Botetourt County General District Court on Monday. At about 4:20 a.m. on Feb. 8, a 2018 Chevrolet Impala clocked going 99 mph southbound by a Botetourt County deputy turned off the interstate at the mile marker 168 interchange, crossed the road and hit a parked tractor-trailer, state police said. The Chevrolet caught fire in the collision. One passenger died at the scene, and one was airlifted to a hospital. Errington Fitzgerald Stenson, 28, was the driver of the Chevrolet. He was also transported to a hospital but was released and returned to Mississippi before charges were filed against him. Stenson was arrested in his Mississippi hometown of Gulfport and charged with two felonies homicide and eluding law enforcement officers. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving. On Monday, substitute General District Court Judge David Spigle certified all three of Stensons charges to a Botetourt County Circuit Court grand jury, which is scheduled to review the charges in June. Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Gillian Deegan said Stenson likely waived his right to the preliminary hearing because the crash victims that would have been called to testify could not make it to the courthouse. None of the victims have ties to Botetourt County, Deegan said. The families of the deceased and injured passengers live in Mississippi, and the driver of the tractor-trailer that was hit in the accident lives in California. Stenson is being held at the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail. 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. ROCKY MOUNT A Rocky Mount woman is dead and a man is facing two felony charges following a shooting in Rocky Mount on Thursday. Online court records show that Timothy Walton was jailed Thursday and charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Larether Tanika Latrice Patterson, 37, of Rocky Mount, died in the shooting, according to a news release from the town. The Friday release stated that the other individual Heidi Pullum, 43, of Rocky Mount was still being treated at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. The investigation is still underway and additional charges are pending, the Friday release said. Walton has a number of previous misdemeanor and felony charges in Virginia, dating back to at least 1991. A news release from the town of Rocky Mount stated that Rocky Mount police responded to a shots fired call at 3:22 p.m. Thursday in the area of North Main Street and Circle Drive. According to the release, officers found two individuals with gunshot wounds, one of whom was pronounced deceased on site. The other individual was transported to the hospital in Roanoke. 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. A yearslong civil dispute involving Roanoke County, the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center and some county residents is scheduled to be heard by the Virginia Supreme Court on Wednesday. Residents who live near the center, including local businessman Stan Seymour, have tried to sue both the county and the center unsuccessfully for years, with the feud stemming from the use of an easement on their private road that leads to the center. Roanoke County Circuit Judge Charlie Dorsey ruled in March 2021 that the neighbors have no standing to sue the center or the county for granting a special use permit allowing new construction at the center, a former residential property located at the end of a private drive off Coleman Road in residential Cave Spring. In 2018, the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors granted the center permission to build a raptor aviary on its grounds. Seymour and other Coleman Road neighbors sued, and the circuit court ruled in the centers favor. Other neighbors involved in the lawsuit include Seymours wife, Jane, and Adrian Maver and his wife, Blaine Creasey. Multiple attempts to reach Stan Seymour were unsuccessful over the last few days, but he did speak to a Roanoke Times reporter about the case in late March after objections were raised by some on social media about the use of one of his Bojangles restaurants for a meet and greet with the Vinton Police Department. Unfortunately, me and my neighbor are financially well off, Seymour said. The county picked the wrong people to try to bully, he said. Seymour is the owner of six Bojangles restaurants in the Roanoke Valley. He maintains that the wildlife center hasnt abided by county code. They took the family residence and converted it to commercial operation. They have to drive across my neighbors property and my property. Theres no road access, so theyre bringing 60-plus cars a day across our property. County code does not permit it. But they allowed it. And that laid the ground for the state Supreme Court appeal, he said. The wildlife centers website acknowledges the complaints made by Seymour and other neighbors. Their aggressive actions suggest they want the center to shut down or forcefully move and have taken the center before Zoning, Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors over the centers existence, the website says. The centers property was zoned agricultural for decades before it was purchased by the center in 2013, which allows for a veterinary hospital to exist with that zoning. Roanoke County Attorney Peter Lubeck concurred with the centers messaging on land use Monday, stating the center fits within the countys permitted uses for the area. The timeline of when each party moved to the street begins with the Seymours in 2008, followed by the wildlife center in 2013 and then Maver and Creasy moving to Coleman Road in 2017, according to Lubeck. He also said the Seymours bought another lot closer to the wildlife center in 2017. Another lawsuit filed by Seymour and the other parties made its way through circuit court, this one focusing on the right for the center to operate at its current location, which was also thrown out in court. The state Supreme Court declined to hear that appeal in October, with its clerk writing that, upon review of the record in this case and consideration of the argument submitted in support of and in opposition to the granting of an appeal, the Court is of the opinion there is no reversible error in the judgment complained of. Accordingly, the Court refuses the petition for appeal. Lubeck is representing the county at Wednesdays hearing and attorney James Gilbert is representing the center, according to the Virginia courts website. Lawyers for the plaintiffs include James Cowan, Brian Wheeler, Daniel Chapman and Joseph Rainsbury, according to the courts website. Lubeck said he is hopeful the latest attempt to stop expansion of the wildlife center will be dismissed as it was last year in circuit court. We hope that the court will agree with the circuit court and find that no error was committed but also what the county would hope is for the neighbors to make peace with each other. Its always unfortunate when neighbors are having issues and that leads to contention and lawsuits. And from what I understand, the wildlife center isnt going anywhere, he said. The county attorney believes this should be the last legal proceeding in relation to the dispute if the plaintiffs appeal is denied. I think this is the last reasonable causible action they can bring, but its hard to predict, Lubeck said. If neighbors are not getting along theres still creative ways that they might try to challenge. Im not sure if I can predict what they would do. If Seymour and his neighbors win the appeal, the case would be kicked back down to the circuit court and tried based on the merits of the case, Lubeck said. He also noted that it could take the court up to several months to render a ruling. 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. BLACKSBURG The Town Council has granted an open space easement to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation for roughly 205 acres of land on Brush Mountain, furthering plans to expand natural recreational amenities in an area near the Jefferson National Forest. The easement, which passed on a 7-0 vote this past week, keeps the property as forested land that can still be used for recreation purposes, Town Manager Marc Verniel said. The land, located just north of Meadowbrook Drive and the Heritage Community Park, is among three neighboring Brush Mountain properties that are slated to help grow the areas repertoire of outdoor amenities. The three properties will altogether encompass over 600 acres of mountain land and eventually house a total of 18 miles of multi-use trails, according to Verniel and documents on the recent easement. The work in that area launched several years ago when a local conservation group, the New River Land Trust, was awarded funding through the VOF to buy land on Brush Mountain. The money at the time originated from payments made by the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline to offset forest land impact caused by the projects construction. Prior to the measure approved this past week, the town during the fall accepted just over 190 acres of land thats formally referred to as Brush Mountain 1 and granted an open space easement to it to VOF. The easement granted this past week was for the nearby land referred to as Brush Mountain 3. The acquisition of Brush Mountain 2 is still being worked on, said Town Attorney Larry Spencer. The ongoing work on Brush Mountain has been touted by several town officials. Our partnership with the land trust and the different folks who have helped obtain these properties has just been an incredible resource, said Councilman John Bush, who is an avid cyclist. People are going to need places to hike, ride bikes and take walks. Maybe even ride horses. Bush said the work on Brush Mountain complements another popular outdoor destination that now provides a recreational connection between the town of Christiansburg and the Jefferson National Forest the Huckleberry Trail. Thats all connected, and thats just an amazing thing, he said. It just opens up the possibilities of the things you can consider and do. Outdoor recreational amenities also help draw people to the area, particularly young professionals being recruited by institutions such as Virginia Tech, Bush said. These are the sorts of things people are looking for, he said. The New River Land Trust secured funding from a variety of sources to acquire the Brush Mountain 3 property, according to the town. The funding included a $200,000 grant from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the MVP voluntary stewardship fund, $112,500 from the town and a $210,000 grant from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. MADISON, Wis. The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday adopted Republican-drawn maps for the state Legislature, handing the GOP a victory just weeks after initially approving maps drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The court reversed itself after the U.S. Supreme Court in March said Evers maps were incorrectly adopted, and came just as candidates were about to begin circulating nominating papers to appear on this years ballot without being sure of district boundaries. Advertisement Democrats would have made some marginal gains under Evers plan, but Republicans were projected to maintain their majorities in the Assembly and Senate, according to an analysis from the governors office. Evers map created seven majority-Black state Assembly districts in Milwaukee, up from the current six. The map from the Republican-controlled Legislature had just five. Advertisement The Wisconsin Supreme Court had adopted Evers map on March 3, but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it on March 23. The high court ruled that Evers map failed to consider whether a race-neutral alternative that did not add a seventh majority-black district would deny black voters equal political opportunity. Evers told the state Supreme Court it could still adopt his map with some additional analysis, or an alternative with six majority-Black districts. The Republican-controlled Legislature argued that its map should be implemented. The Wisconsin court, controlled 4-3 by conservatives, sided with the Legislature. The maps proposed by the Governor ... are racially motivated and, under the Equal Protection Clause, they fail strict scrutiny, Chief Justice Annette Ziegler wrote for the majority, joined by Justices Patience Roggensack, Rebecca Grassl Bradley and Brian Hagedorn. The Legislatures maps, they wrote, are race neutral and comply with the Equal Protection Clause, along with all other application federal and state legal requirements. Hagedorn, a conservative swing justice, initially backed Evers map but reversed himself once the matter came back before the court. In a separate concurrence, he wrote that the U.S. Supreme Court decision required the state court to adopt a race-neutral map, and the Legislatures maps are the only legally compliant maps we received. The courts three liberal justices Jill Karofsky, Ann Walsh Bradley and Rebecca Dallet dissented. Karofsky, writing for the minority, said the Legislatures maps fare no better than the Governors under the U.S. Supreme Courts rationale. If, according to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Governors addition of a Milwaukee-area majority-minority district evinces a disqualifying consideration of race, then the Legislatures removal of a Milwaukee-area majority-minority district reveals an equally suspect, if not more egregious, sign of race-based line drawing, Karofsky wrote. Advertisement Assembly Speaker Robin Vos tweeted praise for the ruling, saying Republicans have thought our maps were the best option from the beginning. Evers called the decision outrageous and said the court had backtracked on an earlier finding that the Legislatures maps unlawfully packed Black voters to reduce their voting power. Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers speaks at Cumberland Elementary School, July 8, 2021, in Whitefish Bay, Wis. (Scott Bauer/AP) At a time when our democracy is under near-constant attack, the judiciary has abandoned our democracy in our most dire hour, Evers said. Republicans hold a 61-38 majority in the Assembly and a 21-12 advantage in the Senate. Even under the GOP map that the state court initially rejected, they were not expected to gain a supermajority that could override any Evers veto. The U.S. Supreme Courts ruling in the Wisconsin case marked the first time this redistricting cycle that it has overturned maps drawn by a state. The court has signaled it may significantly change the ground rules that govern redistricting. The courts involvement comes after its 2019 ruling that federal courts have no role in stopping partisan gerrymandering. Advertisement In February, it stopped a ruling by a panel of federal judges requiring Alabama to redraw its maps to give Black people a better shot at selecting their representatives, saying it may need to revise the long-standing case law that governs that. Its that case law that the high court referred to in the Wisconsin ruling. The court declined to block maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. But four conservative justices wrote that they want to rule on the novel legal theory that state legislatures, rather than state courts, have supreme power in drawing maps. While the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Wisconsins legislative maps, it adopted the congressional maps as proposed by Evers. Republicans currently hold five of the states eight seats. That map made one of those GOP districts more competitive. Redistricting is the process of redrawing political boundaries based on the latest census. Mapmakers can create an advantage for their political party by packing opponents voters into a few districts or spreading them among multiple districts a process known as gerrymandering. Opened on Christmas Day 1882 by the Norfolk and Western Railway, the Tudor Revival hotel has been rebuild twice while hosting six U.S. presidents and two vice presidents, among other luminaries. The modern Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center was deeded to Virginia Tech by the railroad in 1989, then remodeled after a successful fundraising campaign called Renew Roanoke. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nations largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on law enforcement authorities to investigate a potentially sinister motive for vandalism targeting a Virginia mosque. Vandals smashed a window and did other damage to the interior of the newly-constructed West End Islamic Center on Shady Grove Road in Glen Allen on Saturday. This was reportedly the second time vandals targeted the facility. The mosque released the following statement regarding the incident: The West End Islamic Center is a community-based center in Glen Allen, VA. We have worked with Henrico County officials and our neighbors for over ten years to assist in opening our doors just in time for our holy month of Ramadan. However, it is with great sadness that in just six months, West End Islamic Center has experienced two incidents of vandalism. The most recent occurred on Saturday, April 16, between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. We feel compelled to speak out against these expressions of hatred. An attack on any house of worship certainly feels like an assault on the community. Unfortunately, we were not able to capture the incident and perpetrators on security cameras. We nevertheless feel that this incident merits local, state, and federal authorities to investigate these events as a hate crime. The rights of all people of faith is a founding principle of America. This attack is incredibly hurtful. Its hard to imagine that someone would want to attack our place of worship. We do not know or understand the motivation of the person(s). What we do know is that love is stronger than hate, and the members of our mosque will stand together. We trust that our neighbors and friends will continue to stand with us and support our community as we worship during this holy month of Ramadan. We call on law enforcement to swiftly investigate this crime and increase patrols in the area until those responsible are apprehended, said CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell. Because the attackers vandalized the mosque without stealing anything, law enforcement should also investigate a possible bias motive for this incident. Everyone in our nation, regardless of faith, must be free to worship without the threat of harassment or violence. The great Russian chess master Garry Kasparov said of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, It has taken a massive war to remind Europe and America that fighting for freedom is a global battle, and that giving it up inevitably weakens the forces of democracy at home. The tragedy unfolding across Ukraine nevertheless spawned the rebirth of values humanity had seemingly forgotten. The free world is increasingly admiring the brave resistance against aggression and the selfless courage and honor it demands. In the United States and globally, appreciation for the Iranian peoples four decades-long struggle for freedom and democracy is also coming into focus. It is rather odd that Russias perverse behavior in Ukraine has not deterred Western democracies from seeking its assistance to get Tehran to curb its dash towards nuclear weapons. Thousands of miles from Ukraine, however, bipartisan U.S. senators joined Ukrainian political leaders at a virtual conference to dissect Irans malign activities, its nuclear program, crimes it is committing against the people in Iran and its full support for the invasion of Ukraine. Throughout human history, tyrants, occupiers, and rights violators have promoted their own false narratives. Recent events in Iran and in Ukraine have damaged this narrative. In Iran, the regimes highest authorities have acknowledged that opposition forces in the country are a credible threat to the mullahs power while the peoples resistance in Ukraine threatens to overwhelm one of the most powerful armies in the world. While the world has turned its attention to Ukraine, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, told conference attendees, we cannot lose sight of the threat of the Iranian regime, as it remains one of the few countries to vocally back Russias completely unprovoked and devastating invasion of Ukraine. He decried the cooperation of tyrants in Iran and Moscow and said Iranian regime, continues to stand by Putin in the face of truly horrific actions leveraging its role in the talks in Vienna to again redirect attention away from the very real and immediate threat of Irans nuclear program. He blamed Irans President Ebrahim Raisi for the ongoing crimes the regime in Tehran perpetrates against the Iranian people, a person, who was actively involved in the forcible disappearance and extrajudicial killing of thousands of Iranian dissidents in 1998, and the brutal crackdowns against peaceful protesters. Senators, including Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, denounced Ebrahim Raisi, who was handpicked by the Supreme Leader, is notorious for his key role in the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran, based on a religious decree issued by the Supreme Leader against the main Iranian opposition, the MEK. He expressed optimism about the resistance movement in Iran, led by a strong and dedicated woman [Maryam Rajavi], they continue to be a source of inspiration for the protesters in Iran who seek to end the tyranny. Such optimism is rooted in facts. Recently, for example, Iranian authorities erected a statue of terrorist operative Qassem Soleimani. Iranian resistance units set it on fire less than 24 hours later. And pro-democracy hacktivists took control over state media broadcasts, condemning Khamenei and praising the prospect of a democratic Iran. These, and the daily protests by teachers, industry workers, students and even political prisoners, point to instability for the regime. In a message to the conference, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, highlighted this resistance and said, Since 2018, there have been eight major uprisings in Iran involving 200 cities and hundreds of thousands of people. The parallels of the decades-long struggle of the people of Iran and the recent attacks on the sovereign and democratic people of Ukraine, are inescapable realities of our time, she added. We are witnessing the strong resistance of the people of Ukraine against the unjust invasion of their country, a resistance that I know is well appreciated by the people of Iran, Shaheen said. This sentiment was painfully illustrated by five Ukrainian political leaders who joined the confidence live from Ukraines war zone. Ms. Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, urged Western democracies to impose a no-fly zone over her country, was not a surprise. But her eloquent expression of defiance resembling that of the revered World War II British Prime Minister Winston Churchill certainly was. There is only one way that you deal with a tyrant, you fight him, you fight until the end, you fight him until the last person standing, she said. In July 2021, Iranian resistance leader Mrs. Rajavi predicted that in the new era, the hostility and enmity between the Iranian regime and society will intensify. The new era to which she referred, began with the appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as President of the Islamic Republic. Raisis long history of crimes and current support for the carnage in Ukraine are not disparate facts. He is not only dramatically increasing the repression of dissent and exacerbating suffering in Iran, but also fanning a new era of hostilities in the entire region. Today, the US government must show support for the people and their resistance to tyranny in Iran and in Ukraine. Western democracies must reinforce their role as defenders of universal human rights principles by seeing that Raisi is brought to justice before international tribunals for crimes against humanity and genocide. Such an undertaking will rob the tyrants of the diplomatic veneer they will deserve. After all, what value does diplomacy have when terrorists and pariahs are afforded diplomatic cloaks? Meaningful pressure on tyrants signals much-needed and much-deserved support for what the Russian chess master aptly called a global battle, at a time when both Ukrainian and Iranian people are eager to defend democracy and freedom. Sadeghpour is political director for Organization of Iranian-American Communities United States, (https://oiac.org/). He lives near Falls Church. We did not expect to return to the matter of the proposed Henrietta Lacks statue, or the internet project that accompanies it, quite so soon. Yet Thursday, Roanoke Vice Mayor Trish White-Boyds delight was contagious as she shared that the private fundraiser to pay for both is teetering at the brink of $100,000. Achieving the ultimate goal of $160,000 could happen within weeks, she said. The internet project, Roanoke Hidden Histories, charged to the Richmond-based company Hidden in Plain Site, is already moving forward. The concept involves creating a virtual tour of sites significant to the history of Roanokes Black communities, modeled after the creators first project, which offers an online tour of places important to Richmonds Black history. Similar in spirit to Monticellos heart-wrenching permanent exhibition, The Life of Sally Hemings about the enslaved woman who, according to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, was mother to six children by Jefferson Hidden in Plain Site: Richmond uses inventive interactive visuals and sound effects to take the viewer to places where the brutal slave trade was conducted, and places destroyed by urban renewal that in earlier decades were central to the citys Black culture. The presentation is beautiful, powerful, unshrinking and educational. There was a gap in terms of the history, of the voices that have been erased and the stories that we were traditionally told, said Dontrese Brown, Hidden in Plain Site founder and CEO. We felt like that if we can tell those stories then that would maybe close the gap. The project has received a $25,000 joint donation from the Carilion Clinic, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the Fralin Biomedical Institute at VTC. We strongly believe that its important for health care providers to know the community in which they work, said Associate Dean David Trinkle. We are going to require that this website be visited by all incoming students to make sure they understand the racial history of the Roanoke Valley. All over the country, urban renewal and gentrification purged Black communities to make way for commercial development, with Roanokes own history an egregious example. The symbolism of staging the Hidden in Plain Site announcement at the Berglund Center might not have been readily apparent to those who arent aware that the site was once home to a residential Black neighborhood thrumming with life. Berglund Center will be one of the landmarks highlighted in the Hidden in Plain Site tour of Roanoke. The others are Old Lick Cemetery, an African-American cemetery dug up to make way for Interstate 581; Burrell Memorial Hospital, for 50 years the only hospital in Roanoke that treated Black patients; Henry Street, once a thriving Black business district; and Dreamland, a swimming pool and dance hall that stood where Washington Park lies now. The tour will also tell the unusual and disquieting story of Roanoke-born Lacks, whose cell samples were instrumental in enabling decades of major medical breakthroughs. This documentary will not only be educational and insightful, but it will be very instrumental in healing a broken community, White-Boyd said. In the process of uncovering and discussing the painful legacy of urban renewal, the project will help in healing past wounds and moving into the future with greater mutual understanding. You cant heal or move forward until you at least acknowledge that there were some pretty dreadful things that happened in this community. Roanoke has taken steps already toward that acknowledgement. Still, its long overdue. 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. DARLINGTON, S.C. State Rep. Robert Williams announced his reelection bid for the South Carolina House of Representatives District 62 Monday surrounded by friends, family, colleagues, and community members. State Rep. Robert Williams announced his reelection bid for the South Carolina House of Representatives District 62 Monday surrounded by friends, family, colleagues, and community members. Williams said his legacy speaks for him. He said he has served his constituents faithfully for 16 years and has proven he is willing to serve. I have done several things to secure my spot as a South Carolina House representative, Williams said. I have voted on major legislation for the people of South Carolina. We have put over $600 million in road infrastructure. We have created broadband laws to make sure rural areas in South Carolina have access to the internet. We have done things to boost teacher salaries and state employee salaries. Those are some things I have done to secure this position. Williams, a Democrat, said he has experience over his opponent. My opponent does not have the experience, Williams said. Certainly since I am there, I understand how things operate. I offer a little more knowledge than my opponent. My opponent has never had any statewide experience in terms of making decisions. I feel that what I have to offer is much more than my opponent who would be practically new to the position. Bryson Caldwell, a Hartsville city councilman and Democrat, will be challenging Williams in the June 14 primary. The general election will be held November 8. If reelected, Williams said he will continue to work hard and fight for the residents of South Carolina. He vowed to keep the oath he made over 16 years ago to his constituents. I will continue to work hard as I have done in the past as a commitment I made when I first got the position, Williams said. My commitment was to work hard, show integrity and to serve the people that elected me. This is the citizens seat and I represent the people. Roger Gore, a community member, said he supports Williams because he has represented them well in the past. Gore said Rep. Williams has a heart for the people and looks forward to campaigning for him. With anyone else we are taking a chance, Gore said. We know what we are going to get with him. We know that he is faithful to the people of South Carolina and that is something you dont find in politicians nowadays. He is always available and he gets done what needs to be done in the community and that is the main reason why I support him. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Purchases of new private home in Singapore rose to 654 units in March. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Edgar Su) By Faris Mokhtar (Bloomberg) Singapore home sales rebounded last month, signalling that demand is holding up even as the city-state seeks to cool a residential property boom. Purchases of new private apartments climbed to 654 units in March, Urban Redevelopment Authority figures showed Monday. Thats about 21% higher than the 542 units sold in the previous month. The figures suggest there is still appetite for homes in the city-state, especially among dwellers looking to upgrade from public to private units, after sales were subdued in the last couple of months. Authorities introduced cooling measures in December to address a lack of affordability along with the risk that households may struggle to pay their mortgages at higher rates. READ MORE: Home-Buying Frenzy Is Waning in Asias Most Expensive Cities Singapore Home Price Growth Slows as Curbs Take Effect Concerns over rising interest rates may push buyers to the market, said Christine Sun, senior vice president of research and analytics at OrangeTee & Tie. Singapores central bank last week further tightened its monetary settings as it seeks to fight cost pressures that threaten the recovery from the pandemic. Some on-the-fence buyers plan to lock in home loans before they climb higher as a steep hike in borrowing rates may eventually price some upgraders out of the market, Sun said. Home price growth slowed last quarter, suggesting the market was cooling on the back of the curbs, which came after a surge in prices last year. 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Parishioners worship during Easter services on April 17, 2022, at Calahan Funeral Home in Englewood, a temporary home for Antioch Missionary Baptist Church two days after their historic building burned in a fire. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) The congregation gathered for Easter Sunday at a neighborhood funeral home. Some have been members of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church for more than 30 years. Others were inspired to join for the first time. All came to hear the message of resurrection. We are Antioch strong this morning, lead Pastor Gerald M. Dew said to more than 200 congregants at Calahan Funeral Home in Englewood, after a fire on Good Friday tore through their church. Advertisement It was accidentally set ablaze by workers using a propane torch, Chicago Fire Department officials said. No injuries were reported, but the roof caved in and the building, at 6248 S. Stewart Ave., was significantly damaged. Dew began his sermon by acknowledging the devastation felt on Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Advertisement Pastor Gerald Dew speaks to the congregation during Easter services on April 17, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) It was a dark Friday, it was a devastating Friday, hearts were broken on that Friday, tears were flowing on that Friday, and hopes were damaged on that Friday, Dew said. These are the emotions that we are so familiar with because we just experienced an awful Friday. We like Jesus are faced with stones, Dew said. But Easter and resurrection transcends the resurrection of Jesus and points to the obvious opportunity and possibility of our resurrection. Anthony Nichols, 63, has been going to Antioch Missionary Baptist Church every Sunday for the past three years. The pastor is a great pastor, a great teacher, a great leader, and what happened on Good Friday is not going to destroy the faith of Gods children, Nichols said. On Good Friday the church burned down, but we still rise. Antioch has a special place in Nichols heart because it is where he met his wife, Lorea Lewis 56 , who has been a member of Antioch for more than 25 years. When I first came to Antioch, I was part of another church, but then I met my wife and started going (to Antioch) every Sunday, he said. The couple met in February 2019 and within six months of dating, Nichols proposed to Lewis in the church. Nichols said he finds comfort that he can still feel the spiritual guidance of the church community although the church family cannot meet at the physical location. Advertisement Parishioners worship during Easter services on April 17, 2022, at Calahan Funeral Home in Englewood, a temporary home for Antioch Missionary Baptist Church two days after their historic building burned in a fire. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) My hope is that we can rebuild, Nichols said. God knows when youre trying to do the right thing, and Antioch teaches us to keep striving to be the best. Erston Harris , 58, said he joined the church as a member in 2012 but has been involved with the Antioch community for more than 30 years through family celebrations and mentorship programs. This is a tight-knit family, Harris said. We have to do the work of the Lord no matter what we do through the ups and the downs. Yvonne Reese, 68, said she had often passed by Antioch when going for a stroll to the store but had not attended a service there until Sunday. When I heard there was a fire, I ran down there but was told that we couldnt go near it, Reese said. " I came here today to support and will make sure to visit. Shirley Calahan, one of the owners of the funeral home where the Easter service was held, is not a member of Antioch but is one of the churchs biggest supporters. Advertisement Parishioners worship during Easter services on April 17, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) They are our neighbors in the community as well as our partners so we found it to be the right thing to do especially on this Resurrection Sunday, she said. Calahan said she hopes the funeral home and Antioch can continue their relationship to the next level. Were not sure what that next level looks like but whatever they need us to be or do, well be there to support, Calahan said. The sun will shine again in the light of the Antioch Church family, and they shall rise again. The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from a Black Texas death row inmate who says he was denied his constitutional right to an impartial jury. (Photo: via Associated Press) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from a Black Texas death row inmate who says he was denied his constitutional right to an impartial jury. (Photo: via Associated Press) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal by a Black inmate who was sentenced to death with the help of a Texas juror who was accused of making racially biased remarks during the jury selection. The justices ruled 6-3, tossing the appeal by Kristopher Love, who argued that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals improperly refused to consider his claim of racial bias and that he was ultimately denied his constitutional right to an impartial jury. When racial bias infects a jury in a capital case, it deprives a defendant of his right to an impartial tribunal in a life-or-death context, and it poisons public confidence in the judicial process, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the courts dissenting opinion. She was joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan. Kristopher Love, seen after his 2015 arrest, had appealed his death sentence citing racial bias among a member of his jury. (Photo: via Associated Press) Kristopher Love, seen after his 2015 arrest, had appealed his death sentence citing racial bias among a member of his jury. (Photo: via Associated Press) Love, 38, had filed an appeal after a then-prospective juror stated during the jury selection that people of non-white races are statistically more violent than white people, according to his petition. Loves defense team requested that this individual be removed from jury consideration but the court argued that the defense had already used up two extra peremptory strikes, which is when a potential juror is excused without a need for reason or explanation. The defense requested an extra peremptory strike but the request was denied, with the court stating that any error committed during the jury selection was harmless. That decision was plainly erroneous, retorted Sotomayor. An already-expended peremptory strike is no cure for the seating of an allegedly biased juror. The state court thus deprived Love of any meaningful review of his federal constitutional claim. Story continues The jury went on to sentence Love to death for a 2015 murder-for-hire plot that left a Dallas dentist dead. This followed the jury unanimously concluding that there was a sufficient probability that Love would commit future violent crimes and that life in prison would not suffice. The task of reviewing the record to determine whether a juror was fair and impartial is challenging, but it must be undertaken, especially when a persons life is on the line.Justice Sonia Sotomayor Sotomayor said she would have vacated the lower courts judgment and ordered Loves racial bias claim to receive proper consideration. The task of reviewing the record to determine whether a juror was fair and impartial is challenging, but it must be undertaken, especially when a persons life is on the line, she said. I would ensure that Loves claim is heard by the Court of Criminal Appeals, rather than leave these questions unanswered. I respectfully dissent. Loves attorney, John Tatum, expressed disappointment to Courthouse News. Obviously, I agree with the dissent that our legal system needs to cleanse itself of racial bias in jury selection and stop improperly using harmless error rules to block the application of laws we already have to protect the accused citizen from any racial bias in the application of criminal justice in this country, he said in an email to the news outlet. Tatum did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment. Love was sentenced in 2018 for the shooting death of pediatric dentist Dr. Kendra Hatcher on Sept. 2, 2015. In this case, Love had been a gun for hire, paid by Brenda Delgado to kill Hatcher after Hatcher started a new relationship with Delgados ex-boyfriend, the court heard. Delgado was sentenced in 2019 to life in prison without parole for her role in the scheme. This followed her fleeing to Mexico while out on bail and Mexico stipulating that she wouldnt face the death penalty as part of her extradition agreement, according to Oxygen. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. 3.9%2736 21490 2.9915.2% 59 228010% 22 55 2530 2407 The past three years of Jennifer Robinson's life have been among the most stressful she's experienced, but the 30-year-old Lincoln woman has had no choice but to remain calm. Crying, coughing and straining are among the triggers that her son must avoid, so Jennifer has tried to serve as a soothing presence for Nathaniel since he was diagnosed with a rare condition. Moyamoya disease is a vascular disorder that can go from undetectable to life-altering in a matter of days, as it did for then-2-year-old Nathaniel in 2019. The family moved to Beatrice from Lincoln on Feb. 17 of that year, and had been in town for less than six hours before making its first trip to the emergency room. A doctor diagnosed Nathaniel with the flu. But the next morning, Nathaniel couldn't walk. So Jennifer rushed her son back to the hospital in Beatrice before he was taken by helicopter to Omaha. Jennifer, and her husband, Dalton, made the trip by car. "We were about 45 minutes behind him," Jennifer said. "And the very first thing the doctor said is, 'You need to sit down. This is very serious.'" Nathaniel had suffered a massive stroke that permanently damaged the left side of his brain. The sudden episode was brought on by moyamoya. Nathanial spent 45 days at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha and another month and a half at a rehabilitation facility before he could undergo extracranial bypass surgery, which restores blood flow to the brain surgery Jennifer was, at first, opposed to. "We had to do a family vote, because I was against the surgery after doing research, because it's not always 100% effective," she said. Dalton, though, was adamant that their son get the surgery, and Nathaniel underwent the procedure June 18, 2019. "And he's been thriving ever since," Jennifer said. The effects of Nathaniel's initial stroke are lifelong. His movement is forever limited by the attack on the left side of his brain. At 6 years old, he's not yet been to school, and he likely never will attend in a normal setting, Jennifer said. The stress of a classroom could trigger another episode. But Nathaniel is alive and doing relatively well. And the surgery has so far helped prevent further strokes or seizures. Now, the success of that surgery is being tested again. In June 2021, Dalton, an employee at Toppers Pizza in Lincoln, suffered a small stroke, and immediately the family suspected moyamoya. Experts say if you have a family member with the disease, your risk of having the condition is 30 to 40 times higher. "(Dalton's) was way more than advanced than our son's," Jennifer said this week. "The chances of making it that far, that advanced, is very rare." Dalton underwent brain surgery Wednesday, less than a year after his diagnosis at age 27 and three years since his son's major stroke ushered the unpredictable realities of moyamoya into the Robinsons' lives. In the hours after the procedure, Jennifer said Dalton's condition had already improved. But the reality of the family's situation an overstretched mother and an incapacitated father hung over Jennifer on Friday, even as she savored the success of Dalton's surgery. "There's still risk that it won't work," she said Friday, echoing the concerns she first had in 2019 as the family weighed the cost and potential reward of Nathaniel's surgery. "It's not always 100% effective. It's all up to his brain." This time around, Jennifer does not have Dalton to lean on. In his stead, she's turned to her mother, family members and Dalton's employer, Toppers, where management all the way up to the company's CEO have offered financial assistance and shared a GoFundMe page. The company first stepped in amid Nathaniel's battle with moyamoya in 2019, providing the Robinsons with meals and, at times housing, as their youngest son was treated in Omaha, said Jon Crowe, the franchisee who operates three Toppers locations in Nebraska. Crowe, who initially only knew the Robinsons through Jennifer's mother, a Toppers employee, grew closer with the family then. In 2020, Dalton took a job with Toppers in Lincoln. When he was diagnosed with moyamoya the next year, and as surgery loomed, the company looked for ways to help again, Crowe said. "But I was fearful that it just wasn't gonna quite be enough," he said. So Crowe flagged the company's CEO, Scott Gittrich, and asked for permission to share Dalton's GoFundMe page to franchisees and employees company-wide, Crowe said. Gittrich and his wife, Robin, donated $2,500 to the account, which had amassed $5,400 by Friday afternoon. Much of the funding has come from Toppers branches across the region. For the Robinsons, the company's generosity has served as a reason to celebrate amid an otherwise uncertain time. Jennifer will take any chance she can get to rejoice. She has to. "I find reasons to celebrate," she said, "because I always have that fear that this could be my last day with my husband or my son." Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SAC CITY, Iowa -- A months-long investigation into a string of rural Sac County burglaries has led to the arrests of two Lake View, Iowa, men. The Sac County Sheriff's Office on Friday arrested John Bogue and Nick Bogue and charged them with burglarizing the properties from Dec. 1 and March 4 and setting a fire that destroyed a house and two outbuildings in February. Authorities executing search warrants at properties owned by the two men found stolen property, including copper wiring and tubing that had been stolen and was apparently being broken down at John Bogue's home. Nick Bogue is accused of setting a Feb. 15 fire at 2673 Perkins Ave. in which an abandoned house and two outbuildings were destroyed. Officers had seized Bogue's phone and found video of the fires and also determined that John Bogue was present when the video was taken, according to a Sac County Sheriff's Office news release. When officers served a search warrant at Nick Bogue's home on March 10, they found methamphetamine that Bogue had attempted to flush down the toilet when law enforcement arrived. Nick Bogue, 41, was booked into the Sac County Jail on the following charges: three counts of second-degree arson and single counts of first-degree criminal mischief, third-degree theft and possession of a controlled substance. John Bogue, 34, was booked on two counts of third-degree burglary, three counts of second-degree arson and single counts of ongoing criminal conduct and first-degree criminal mischief. John Bogue's bond was set at $80,000, and Nick Bogue's bond is $43,000. The sheriff's office previously arrested Kennedie Ford, 26, of Lake City, Iowa, for her involvement in at least three of the burglaries after finding items reported stolen at her home. She has pleaded not guilty in Sac County District Court to three counts of third-degree burglary and single counts of first-degree theft, second-degree theft, ongoing criminal conduct and first-degree criminal mischief. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. According to court documents, Mefferd fired several shots from a 9mm handgun at Darin Fritz during the March 20 fight in a home in the 600 block of Sixth Street in Battle Creek. The two men were fighting when the woman pulled Fritz off of Mefferd, who then produced a handgun and fired at least one shot into an upstairs wall. The fight resumed, and Fritz was struck once in the lower right leg with a bullet. Mefferd fired at least four more times into the floor around Fritz and hit him in the head with the gun, court documents said. SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man found in possession of methamphetamine was sentenced Friday to more than seven years in federal prison. Donovan Lang, 27, pleaded guilty in November in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 90 months in prison. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lang was a passenger in a vehicle on Aug. 15, when police found about 100 grams of meth wrapped in two or three purple latex gloves beneath his seat. Other matching gloves and a short knife were found in Lang's pockets. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Zelenskyy: Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has begun LVIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale ground offensive to take control of Ukraine's east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles (480 kilometers) long, Ukrainian officials said in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war. The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a video address. He said a "significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. The Donbas is Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia. In recent weeks, the Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after its attempt to storm Kyiv failed. After withdrawing from the capital, Russia began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for an all-out offensive. No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight, Zelenskyy vowed. "We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day. Live Updates | Russians fight in streets of Ukrainian town KVIV, Ukraine A Ukrainian military official said street battles have begun and evacuation is impossible in the town of Kreminna. That's one of only two spots where the Ukrainians said the Russians managed to break through on Monday along a front stretching for hundreds of miles. Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said the town came under heavy artillery overnight, setting seven residential buildings on fire, and that the Olympus sports complex where the nation's Olympic team trains was targeted. Haidai later said on Ukrainian TV that Russians took control of the city after leveling everything to the ground, so his guys retreated to regroup and keep on fighting. It simply makes no sense to stand in one place, to die for everyone, without causing significant damage to the enemy, he said. KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: Florida judge voids US mask mandate for planes, other travel ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) A federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit Monday, and airlines and airports swiftly began repealing their requirements that passengers wear face coverings. The judge's decision freed airlines, airports and mass transit systems to make their own decisions about mask requirements, resulting in a mix of responses. The major airlines switched to a mask optional policy, with some eliciting cheers from passengers when the changes were announced over loudspeakers. The Transportation Security Administration said Monday night that it would it will no longer enforce the mask requirement, and airports in Houston and Dallas almost immediately did away with their mandates after the TSA announcement. Los Angeles International Airport, the world's fifth-largest by passenger volume, also dropped its mandate but the Centers for Disease Control continued to recommend masking on transportation and I think that's good advice," LAX spokesman Heath Montgomery said. Sleepy passengers on a Delta Airlines flight between Atlanta and Barcelona, Spain, cheered and applauded when a flight attendant announced the news mid-flight over the ocean. Second arrest made in South Carolina mall shooting COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Authorities on Monday announced the arrest of a second man in connection with Saturday's shootout inside a busy shopping mall in South Carolina's capital, one of two mass shootings that rocked the state over the Easter holiday weekend. Marquise Love Robinson, 20, was taken into custody overnight and authorities are also seeking a third suspect, Amari Sincere-Jamal Smith, Columbia Police Chief W.H. Skip Holbrook said during a news conference. Both men face charges of attempted murder and nine counts of aggravated assault and battery. Nine people were shot and another six injured in the rush to exit Columbiana Centre in Columbia, authorities said, with no fatalities reported. Holbrook said one person remained in the intensive care unit Monday. Police said they did not believe the shooting was a random attack and that the three identified suspects knew each other. Holbrook said the men brought guns into the mall, with police seizing two handguns believed to be used in the shootout. Emotions took over, you had firearms that were introduced into the dispute, gunfire was exchanged and innocent people got injured in the crossfire, Holbrook said. Migrant crossings spike as US plans to lift curb on asylum WASHINGTON (AP) Migrants attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at the highest level in two decades as the U.S. prepares for even larger numbers with the expected lifting of a pandemic-era order that turned away asylum seekers. Immigration authorities stopped migrants 221,303 times along the Southwest border in March, a 33% increase from a month earlier, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data released Monday. The new figures were disclosed as the Biden administration comes under increasing pressure over the looming expiration of a public health order that enabled U.S. authorities to turn back most migrants, including people seeking asylum from persecution. The number of migrant encounters has gone up nearly every month since President Joe Biden took office, becoming fodder for political opponents who point to the increase as evidence that this administration is weaker on border security than its predecessor. A backlog of people waiting outside the country to seek asylum, as well as dire economic and political conditions in much of Latin America and the Caribbean, is partially responsible for the increase in migrants. Administration critics blame Biden, arguing his administration's moves to roll back Trump-era policies has encouraged people to come. Patrick Lyoya shooting raises issue of officer name release Patrick Lyoyas father says he and his family have a right to know the name of the white officer who fatally shot the 26-year-old Black man. But the police chief in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says he will only do so if the officer is charged in the April 4 shooting that followed a brief foot chase and a struggle over the officer's Taser. Eric Winstrom's department is among those across the U.S. that have faced scrutiny for withholding identities of officers in cases where Black people were wounded or killed during interactions with police. Some have said its to protect the officers from retribution. Others, like Grand Rapids, point to policies that prohibit the release of an officers name before charges are filed. Im asking for the law to release his face, his image and his identification because I would love to know the person who has killed my son. I have the right, Peter Lyoya said through a translator during an emotional news conference after video of the shooting of his son was released last week. Andrew Shannon, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Peninsula Chapter and vice president for the SCLC Virginia State Unit, said police departments should treat officers who are under investigation like they would anyone else. Judge rules Amazon must reinstate fired warehouse worker A judge has ruled Amazon must reinstate a former warehouse employee who was fired in the early days of the pandemic, saying the company unlawfully terminated the worker who led a protest calling for Amazon to do more to protect employees against COVID-19. The dispute involving Gerald Bryson, who worked at an Amazon warehouse in the New York City borough of Staten Island, has stretched on since June 2020, when Bryson filed an unfair labor practice complaint with The National Labor Relations Board, claiming Amazon retaliated against him. Later that year, the NLRB said it found merit in Brysons complaint that Amazon illegally fired him for workplace organizing. Amazon didnt accept the findings, and the federal board filed a formal complaint against the company, triggering a lengthy administrative court process. On Monday, administrative law judge Benjamin Green said Amazon must offer Bryson his job back, as well as lost wages and benefits resulting from his discriminatory discharge." Amazon did not immediately reply to a request for comment sent. Gaza militants fire rocket into Israel as tensions soar JERUSALEM (AP) Palestinian militants fired a rocket into southern Israel for the first time in months on Monday, in another escalation after clashes at a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, a series of deadly attacks inside Israel and military raids across the occupied West Bank. Israel said it intercepted the rocket, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Israel holds Gaza's militant Hamas rulers responsible for all such projectiles and usually launches airstrikes in their wake. It was the first such rocket fire since New Year's Eve. Early Tuesday, Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of airstrikes in southern Gaza Strip, targeting a weapons manufacturing site" for Hamas, the Israeli military said. There were no reports of injuries. Hours earlier, the leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group, which boasts an arsenal of rockets, had issued a brief, cryptic warning, condemning Israeli violations in Jerusalem. Ziad al-Nakhala, who is based outside the Palestinian territories, said threats to tighten an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza imposed after Hamas seized power 15 years ago cant silence us from whats happening in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. EXPLAINER: What does Infowars bankruptcy filing mean? AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Alex Jones' company Infowars has filed for bankruptcy protection after the conspiracy theorist lost defamation lawsuits over his comments that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a hoax. Jones filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas and told his listeners Monday he was totally maxed out financially. He urged his audience to contribute money or buy products off his Infowars website. Attorneys for Sandy Hook families have accused Jones of trying to hide millions of dollars in assets as juries later this year are set to determine how much he should pay in damages. Here's what to know: WHAT DOES ALEX JONES CLAIM? Shareholders await Musk's next move in Twitter takeover bid DETROIT (AP) Twitter has dropped a major roadblock in front of Elon Musks effort to take over the company, leaving investors to wonder about the mercurial Tesla CEOs next move. The social media company has adopted a poison pill defense that makes it difficult for Musk or any other investor to buy Twitter without the board of directors approval. Musk, who currently owns about 9% of the company, last week disclosed an offer of about $43 billion, or $54.20 per share. Twitters next likely move is to formally reject Musks offer, although it could negotiate. Musk has a number of options which also include talks with the board, sweetening his offer, or even triggering the poison pill, which experts say would be disastrous for the company. In a regulatory filing on Monday, Twitters board said it approved the defensive move to protect the company from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics. The board is leaving open the possibility of negotiating with Musk or another suitor. The filing says the shareholder rights agreement should not interfere with any merger or offer approved by the board. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Five people, including two on-duty Chicago police officers, were hurt during a three-vehicle crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway in the Bridgeport neighborhood early Monday, according to an Illinois State Police spokeswoman. Troopers were called to the area of Interstate 94 and West 31st Street around 3:45 a.m. after receiving information about a three-vehicle crash, one of which was a Chicago Police Department squad car, Trooper Jayme Bufford said in an email. Advertisement According to preliminary information, a vehicle coming up behind the squad car rear-ended it, leaving its driver and two on-duty police officers in the squad car suffering from injuries not considered life-threatening. A third vehicle with two occupants also was involved, but both people in the third vehicle also suffered injuries not considered life-threatening. Advertisement The first vehicle, a 2014 Black GMC Acadia, was driven by a man who was identified as 36-year-old Dwayne S. Harvey from Gary, IN, according to Bufford. Harvey, who was the sole occupant in his vehicle was cited for driving under the influence, along with other infractions, authorities said.. Harvey struck the second vehicle, a 2017 White Ford Explorer, causing the squad car to hit the third vehicle, a 2008 Silver Jeep Compass, which struck a concrete wall. LVIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale ground offensive to take control of Ukraine's east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles (480 kilometers) long, Ukrainian officials said in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war. The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a video address. He said a "significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. The Donbas is Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia. In recent weeks, the Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after its attempt to storm Kyiv failed. After withdrawing from the capital, Russia began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for an all-out offensive. No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight, Zelenskyy vowed. "We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day. The offensive got underway after Russia bombarded the western city of Lviv and a multitude of other targets across Ukraine in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the countrys defenses. The Ukraine military's general staff said Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces were increasing assaults in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions both of which are part of the Donbas as well as in the area of Zaporizhzhia. This morning, almost along the whole front line of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, the occupiers attempted to break through our defenses," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraines national security council, was quoted as telling Ukrainian media. Fortunately, our military is holding out. They passed through only two cities. This is Kreminna and another small town." He added: "We are not giving up any of our territories. A Ukrainian military official said street battles had begun in Kreminna and that evacuation was impossible. Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said heavy artillery fire set seven residential buildings on fire and targeted the sports complex where the nations Olympic team trains. Haidai later told Ukrainian television that Russians took control of the city after leveling everything to the ground, so his forces retreated to regroup and keep on fighting. Meanwhile, in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard that was holding out against Russian forces, said in a video message that Russia had begun dropping bunker-buster bombs on the Azovstal steel plant where the regiment was holed up. The sprawling plant contains a warren of tunnels where both fighters and civilians are sheltering. It is believed to be the last major pocket of resistance in the shattered city. At least seven people were reported killed in missile strikes on Lviv, a city close to the Polish border that has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. To the Kremlins increasing anger, Lviv has also become a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons. The attack on Lviv hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto shop, according to the region's governor, Maksym Kozytskyy. He said the wounded included a child. A Lviv hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled the fighting in other parts of the country was also badly damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. The city has seen its population swell with elderly people, mothers and children trying to escape the war. The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv, said Lyudmila Turchak, who fled with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe. Lviv, the biggest city and a major transportation hub in western Ukraine, is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Poland, a NATO member. Russia has strongly complained about the increasing flow of Western weapons to Ukraine and warned that such aid could have consequences. On Russian state media, some anchors have charged that the supplies amount to direct Western engagement in the fight against Russia. A powerful explosion also rocked Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to an air base, according to residents. It was not immediately clear what was struck. Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, was hit by shelling that killed at least three people, according to Associated Press journalists on the scene. One of the dead was a woman who appeared to be going out to collect water in the rain. She was found with a water canister and an umbrella by her side. Military analysts say Russia was increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railroads and other infrastructure ahead of its assault on the Donbas. Moscow said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the past day, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. It also reported that its artillery hit an additional 315 Ukrainian targets and that warplanes conducted 108 strikes on troops and military equipment. The claims could not be independently verified. Gen. Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News that Russia was waging a softening-up campaign ahead of the Donbas offensive. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessments of the war, said there are now 76 Russian combat units, known as battalion tactical groups, in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. That could translate to around 50,000 to 60,000 troops, based on what the Pentagon said at the start of the war was the typical unit strength of 700 to 800 soldiers, but the numbers are difficult to pinpoint at this stage in the fighting. The official also said that four U.S. cargo flights arrived in Europe on Sunday with an initial delivery of weapons and other materials for Ukraine as part of a $800 million package announced by Washington last week. And training of Ukrainian personnel on U.S. 155 mm howitzers is set to begin in the next several days. The capture of Mariupol, where Ukraine estimates 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, seized from Ukraine from 2014. The U.S. defense official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas. Associated Press journalists Nico Maounis and Philip Crowther in Lviv, Ukraine, Adam Schreck in Vasylkiv, Ukraine, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report, as did other AP staff members around the world. Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 HELSINKI (AP) Swedish police said Monday that the riots that have shaken several cities and towns in the Nordic country are extremely serious crimes against society and suspect some protesters are linked to criminal gangs that intentionally target police. Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has seen unrest, scuffles, arson and violence since Thursday that has left some police officers and protesters injured. It was triggered by Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludans meetings and planned Quran burnings across the country. We suspect that those involved (in the riots) have links to criminal gangs, National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg told a news conference on Monday, adding some of those criminal individuals are known to police. I have been in touch with the public prosecutor to prosecute these individuals. Swedens National Police Commander Jonas Hysing said Monday that 26 police and 14 individuals protesters or other people have been injured in the riots and 20 police vehicles destroyed or damaged. The latest riots broke out Sunday night in Malmo, Swedens third-largest city, as an angry crowd of mainly young people set fire to car tires, debris and garbage cans in the Rosengard district. Protesters threw stones and police responded by firing tear gas into the crowd. A school and several cars were set on fire, but the situation calmed down early Monday. A total of 11 people were detained and three people arrested in Malmo. No serious injuries were reported. Since Thursday, in addition to Malmo, riots, unrest and violent clashes have been reported in Stockholm, the central city of Orebro, the eastern cities of Linkoping and Norrkoping and southern town of Landskrona. Police have been forced to use weapons in self-defense, Hysing said. Three people were hurt in Norrkoping on Sunday as they were hit by ricochets as police fired warning shots into a crowd of protesters. There is a lot to suggest that the police were targeted, Hysing said, adding that some protesters were suspected of attempted murder, aggravated assault and violence against an official. Both Thornberg and Hysing stressed that the main target for the rioters was Swedish police and society, not Paludan seen by many Swedes merely as an agent provocateur and his Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, which runs on an anti-immigrant, anti-Islam agenda. Thornberg, Swedens supreme police chief, said criminal individuals who took advantage of the situation with Paludans Swedish Easter tour and joined the riots, were the main suspects for the violent flare-ups of violence. The unrest escalated quickly after Paludans first demonstrations, which were met by counter-protesters in many places last week. We must put an end to this early. What we see here is a very serious crime, Thornberg said, referring to the riots. Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said Monday that he continues to have great confidence in the Swedish police despite the unrest over the weekend and pledged more resources to law enforcement. When you end up in these critical and aggressive situations, theres nothing else police officers can do but to put up a hard fight, Johansson told Swedish news outlets. We cannot accept that perpetrators commit this type of violence. Iraqs Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Swedens charge daffaires over Paludans planned Quran burnings, reportedly saying that such activity could seriously endanger Swedens relations with the Muslim world. In Iran, dozens of students gathered Monday at Swedens embassy to protest Paludans planned Quran burnings. Chanting Insulters of Quran must be condemned! they also repeated traditional slogans such as Death to America!" and Death to Israel! Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this article. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Patrick Lyoyas father says he and his family have a right to know the name of the white officer who fatally shot the 26-year-old Black man. But the police chief in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says he will only do so if the officer is charged in the April 4 shooting that followed a brief foot chase and a struggle over the officer's Taser. Eric Winstrom's department is among those across the U.S. that have faced scrutiny for withholding identities of officers in cases where Black people were wounded or killed during interactions with police. Some have said its to protect the officers from retribution. Others, like Grand Rapids, point to policies that prohibit the release of an officers name before charges are filed. Im asking for the law to release his face, his image and his identification because I would love to know the person who has killed my son. I have the right, Peter Lyoya said through a translator during an emotional news conference after video of the shooting of his son was released last week. Andrew Shannon, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Peninsula Chapter and vice president for the SCLC Virginia State Unit, said police departments should treat officers who are under investigation like they would anyone else. They always report who the suspect is and they report who the victim is, except in cases of rape, Shannon told The Associated Press. There should be no special treatment when law enforcement are involved in these types of matters. They should want to demonstrate transparency and openness so everyone can be fully apprised of the process. Lyoya was facedown on the ground when an officer shot him in the back of the head while straddling Lyoya. The officer had stopped Lyoya for driving with a license plate that didnt belong to the vehicle. The funeral for Lyoya, a native of Congo, is scheduled Friday in Grand Rapids, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. The Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled to deliver the eulogy. While Winstrom said he could not release the officer's name, he did release videos of the shooting, citing a need for transparency. The officer could be heard repeatedly ordering Lyoya to let go of his Taser, at one point demanding: Drop the Taser! Ben Crump, an attorney for Lyoyas family, planned to release results of an independent autopsy on Tuesday. Michigan State Police are investigating. The prosecutor who will determine whether the officer will face any charges has said not to expect a quick decision. A Grand Rapids police spokeswoman said Monday in an email that a person's name, age, other basic information and the charges against him can be released following an arrest or issuance of an arrest warrant. Not releasing the officers name is consistent with the procedure, Jennifer Kalczuk wrote. Such policies vary from city to city. Chicago, for example, changed how it handles such cases after Black teenager Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by a white police officer in October 2014. In that case, it was prosecutors who released Officer Jason Van Dyke's name 13 months later, when he was charged with murder and video for the shooting was also released. On Monday, Federal authorities said they will not criminally charge Van Dyke. In response to criticism of how the McDonald shooting was handled, the city made changes. While police still will not release an officer's name unless he's charged, the agency that reviews those shootings does so regardless. City policy also requires that video be released within 60 days. Last year, within a month of two separate fatal shootings by police, including of a 13-year-old boy, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released officers' names. Prosecutors have said the officers won't face charges. Ephraim Eaddy, spokesman for the agency, said it has concluded that officers names cannot be held back because they are public servants. If the release of the names of the Chicago officers involved in the two 2021 shootings seemed to come quickly, the name of the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer who shot Jacob Blake several times in 2020 was made public in lightning speed. Three days after that shooting, the Wisconsin Department of Justice issued a news release that included Officer Rusten Sheskey's name. The decision came after the Kenosha Police Department handed the investigation over to the states Justice Department for complete transparency, said Kenosha police Lt. Joseph Nosalik. Nosalik said he agreed with the decision. Had the department refused to release the name, Nosalik said he would have called to ask why. The public has a right to know ... and unless theres a logical reason like it might put the officers safety and his family in jeopardy, I dont see a reason why the name cant be released, he said. In fact, he said, the Kenosha police moved to extricate" Sheskey's family from their home after learning that they might be in danger, and suggested the same concern might be part of the reason why authorities in Grand Rapids have not released the officers name. Crump, the Lyoyas' attorney, said having the officer's name would allow the family to find out more about him. We want to know his history, Crump said last week. I can guarantee you, theyre going to do everything in their power to try to learn the history of Patrick to assassinate his character." Find the APs full coverage of the fatal police shooting of Patrick Lyoya: https://apnews.com/hub/patrick-lyoya Williams reported from West Bloomfield, Michigan. Babwin reported from Chicago. Williams is a member of AP's Race and Ethnicity team. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Charles Herbster received blunt condemnation from many Nebraska political leaders last week after reports that he allegedly groped multiple women, something the candidate vehemently denies. But with Herbster showing no signs of leaving the governors race and the state GOP saying it will stay out of the primary, it appears voters will ultimately determine the gravity of the claims. The Nebraska Examiner reported allegations from eight women who said Herbster, a Republican megadonor and CEO of Conklin Co. and other businesses, touched them inappropriately. Among the accusers: State Sen. Julie Slama, who has confirmed the Examiners reporting that Herbster reached up her skirt without her consent and touched her inappropriately at a political event in 2019. The Examiner did not name the other seven accusers and the Omaha World-Herald did not independently corroborate those accounts. Herbster has denied the allegations, threatened legal action, and called the story a dirty political trick being carried out by one of his chief competitors in the race, Jim Pillen, and Pillens most notable backer, Gov. Pete Ricketts. The campaign did not release any additional information Friday, but Herbster took to social media and, for at least the second time, drew parallels between his situation and that of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and former President Donald Trump. Condemnation of Herbster came quickly from many powerful figures across Nebraskas political spectrum, including from his competitors in the governors race, every female state legislator, former Gov. Kay Orr, Ricketts and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert. Like Ricketts, Slama and Orr have endorsed Pillen, while Stothert has endorsed state Sen. Brett Lindstrom. Nebraska GOP Chairman Dan Welch called the allegations serious in a statement Friday. Without casting judgment in this matter, the NEGOP condemns all forms of sexual assault and believes any allegation must be investigated appropriately, Welch said. Per the NEGOP Constitution, the party remains neutral in the governors primary. Republican voters will examine these allegations as they weigh all the candidates in the race as the May 10th primary approaches. But the party is poised to support Herbster, if he does win. The NEGOP will support our nominees for the general election, Welch said. Herbster, a Falls City businessman, and Pillen, a Columbus hog producer, were seen as early front-runners for the GOP nomination, each touting big war chests and prominent endorsements. Trump is Herbsters most prominent endorser. That support has largely defined Herbsters campaign since he received it. But perception of the primary has gradually shifted among some observers and insiders, who now see a three-way race between Herbster, Pillen and Lindstrom. Polling from two campaigns in mid-March showed Herbster with a lead over Pillen, whose lead over Lindstrom appeared to be narrowing the percentage of undecided voters and the margin of error in those polls suggested an open race. Scandal is never a good thing for a candidate, but its particularly damaging when its late-breaking, like this one, said Dona-Gene Barton, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln political science professor who has researched the lifespan of political scandals. The effects of scandals tend to fade pretty rapidly, she said, but it still takes time. Counties were able to start mailing early voting ballots for Nebraskas primary earlier this month. In-person early voting started Monday, and election day is May 10. Some voters have already mailed in their ballots. As of Friday, the Douglas County Election Commission had accepted 15,170 completed ballots, according to spokesperson Valerie Stoj. That's out of a total of 357,561 voters who were registered in the county. No political scientist or observer who spoke to the World-Herald on Friday said its a sure thing that the allegations reported last week will take Herbster out of the running, but many left that door open. We got our October surprise, political consultant and lobbyist Perre Neilan said. This widens the path for Lindstrom and Pillen. The allegations against Herbster are serious, said Paul Landow, retired political science professor and former executive director of the state Democratic Party. This is a very big, serious deal, he said. And its gonna be difficult for him to overcome it. It doesnt take a lot of voters to change what appears to be a close race, said John Hibbing, a UNL political science professor. Barton said in general elections, where people have stronger attachments based on partisanship, they may be more likely to discount the information though, in a primary, voters may have already formed attachments to the candidates. Certain voters could treat the allegations differently. Im sure that people who are strong Trump supporters, especially given Trumps history with regard to women, will not be turned off by this, Hibbing said. But its not at all clear that (Herbster) can win the primary with just those individuals. Political consultant Chris Peterson said in a text message that he doesnt think it will change Herbster voters minds, and it could even harden their support. There are still tens of thousands of persuadable voters up for grabs enough to decide the election, he said. If those voters havent sided with Herbster before now, after hes spent almost $10 million, the sexual assault allegations probably solidify their view of him. This doesnt mean Herbster cant still win, but, unless he effectively portrays himself as the victim, his path may have narrowed. That has to make Pillen and Lindstrom feel better about their positions, Hibbing said, and maybe even the leading Democrat, state Sen. Carol Blood. Especially if the Republicans should go ahead and nominate Herbster, he said. I think that would open up opportunities for the Democrats, which rarely happens in a statewide race in Nebraska. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 On Monday, the Supreme Court turned away an appeal from a Black man named Kristopher Love, whose death sentence was tainted by a jurors racism. By a 63 vote, the conservative majority refused to enforce precedents protecting capital defendants from racial bias, saving itself the trouble of formally overruling them. Once again, the Supreme Court exercised its power to change the law by doing nothing, furthering its quest to subvert the normal operation of law and speed up executions in America. Advertisement Racism pervades every aspect of the death penalty, but its not often as obvious as it was at Loves 2018 trial. Loves attorneys asked prospective jurors whether they believe that some races tend to be more violent than others in an attempt to smoke out illicit bias. One juror, Zachary Niesmanwho is whiteanswered yes, elaborating: Statistics show more violent crimes are committed by certain races. I believe in statistics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. During voir dire, Niesman doubled down on his beliefs. He told Loves defense attorneys as well as the state prosecutors that he belived the non-white races to be the more violent races. He claimed that news reports and criminology classes bore this out, but added that his views were based on statistics, not personal feelings towards one race or another. Niesman then insisted that he would be a fair and impartial juror with no bias against Love on account of his race. Advertisement Advertisement In Texas, defendants become eligible for capital punishment only after a jury has concluded that theyre likely to commit criminal acts of violence in the future. Niesmans belief that Love was a member of the more violent races therefore posed an obvious danger: As a juror, he might take Loves race into account when gauging his violent propensities, infecting the death sentence with an odious racial stereotype. Loves attorney moved to strike Niesman from the jury for causebecause of his biasbut the trial judge denied the challenge without explanation. The defense attorney then sought to use a peremptory challenge, which allows the exclusion of a prospective juror without any specific reason. But he had already used up his allotted peremptory challenges, as well as two extras that the trial judge had granted. The judge seated Niesman on the jury, which found Love guilty and likely to commit violent crime in the future. This finding rendered him eligible for the death penalty, which the judge imposed. Advertisement Advertisement On appeal, Love argued that his sentence violated the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury because one juror was racially biased. The all-Republican Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled against him in a baffling decision. Writing for the court, Justice Mary Lou Keel reasoned that even if the trial judge should have struck Niesman for cause, his failure to do so was harmless. Why? The judge had already given Love two extra peremptory challenges. And despite the fact that his lawyer had used both additional challenges before questioning Niesman, their existence somehow rectified any potential error. Advertisement Advertisement To ensure that Donald Trump could execute as many people as possible, the conservative majority ignored or flouted federal law. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed out on Monday, this decision is nonsensical from top to bottom. An already-expended peremptory strike, she wrote with palpable frustration, is no cure for the seating of an allegedly biased juror. The Texas courts deprived Love of any meaningful review of his federal constitutional claim by deploying a non sequitur. Yet only Sotomayor, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, voted to force the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reexamine Loves case and rule on his constitutional objections. The Republican-appointed justices let the injustice stand. Advertisement Advertisement In doing so, they blessed the lower courts defiance of precedent stretching back decades that prohibits jury bias by safeguarding a defendants ability to question and strike a biased juror. This constitutional right applies with special force against racial bias, which the Supreme Court has identified as a uniquely odious threat to the administration of justice. Nowhere is this threat to justice more pronounced than in capital trials, when the defendants life is on the line. As a result, the seating of a racist juror in a capital trial can never be harmless, as the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals suggested; instead, it renders any judgment constitutionally unsound. Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court has reaffirmed that no amount of racism in the jury box is ever acceptable in a criminal trial as recently as 2017s Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado. Like Niesman, the biased juror in Pena-Rodriguez believed that racial minorities were more prone to violence. Like Niesman, the jurors bias may well have played a role in his decision to convict the defendant, who was Latino. But the Supreme Court looked very different in 2017; back then, a five-justice majority embraced its duty to enforce the Constitutions guarantee against state-sponsored racial discrimination in the jury system. Advertisement Advertisement To do so, the court created an exception to state laws that prohibit a verdict from being questioned on the basis of comments made during deliberation. When a juror comes forward with evidence of racism in deliberations, the court held, a states interest in the finality of verdicts must yield to the constitutional bar against racial animus in the justice system. Under precedents like Pena-Rodriguez, Loves appeal should have presented an easy case. At a minimum, Sotomayor wrote, the lower court should have meaningfully reviewed Loves allegations of racial bias rather than shrugging it off. But the Supreme Court has shifted far to the right over the last five years. It is apparent that six justices do not much care for precedents protecting criminal defendants from racist jurors, particularly in capital cases. After all, these same justices paved the way for the Trump administrations eleventh hour execution spree. Advertisement Advertisement To ensure that Donald Trump could execute as many people as possible before Joe Biden entered office, the conservative majority ignored or flouted federal law, often breaking the courts own rules in the process. They are certain that death row lawyers are using guerrilla tactics to delay executions and are increasingly willing to rewrite law on the fly in a bid to thwart them. What is the easiest way to rewrite the law? Simply stop enforcing it. Thats what the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals did in swatting down Loves claim, and its what SCOTUS did on Monday by blessing the lower courts defiance of precedent. Overturning past rulings requires reasoning and fortitude. Its much easier to let precedent die without saying a word. For the vast majority of Americans, the IRS already knows what we owe in taxes. Instead of telling us, though, the IRS tasks us with filling out a slew of complicated forms and doing a bunch of arithmetic, which drives many people to tax-prep services. For years, ProPublica reporter Justin Elliot has been investigating the No. 1 tax prep software in the country: Intuits TurboTax. What he found is that while TurboTax advertised its filing services as free, millions of customers were in fact lured into paying for its products when they didnt have to. At the end of March, in part because of Justins work, the Federal Trade Commission sued Intuit. It filed an administrative complaint investigating TurboTaxs advertising, and it asked a judge for an injunction to stop TurboTaxs ads. On Sundays episode of What Next: TBD, I spoke with Justin Elliot about how Intuit built its TurboTax empire and muscled out what could have been an easy and truly free way to file your taxes online. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Lizzie OLeary: What kind of company is Intuit? What are its priorities? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justin Elliot: Intuit is a Silicon Valley company. They have two main businesses: one is Turbo Tax, and the other is accounting software called QuickBooks. People who have been doing their taxes for a while may recall that TurboTax was big even going back to the 90s, but back then it wasnt a website. It was an actual box that you would buy with CDs in it with this tax prep software that youd put on your desktop computer. Really the key moment that ushered in the contemporary paradigm of all of this came in the early 2000s. What happened? In the early 2000s, the George W. Bush administration decided to take a hard look at how tax prep worked. The Bush administration was looking at doing what a lot of other developed countries ended up doing, which is having the IRS create essentially its own version of TurboTax: tax prep software that you could get online, from the government, for free, that would be easier than filling out an actual paper tax return. And at that point, because TurboTax was already a very large and profitable line of business for Intuit, and there were other competitors in the industry whose profits were also threatened by this, the tax prep industry, led by Intuit, mobilized to stop the Bush administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because it was just such a threat to their bottom line? Exactly. In simplistic, competitive terms, if youre making a bundle of money on a product, you dont want the government to create a free version of that product because your business is going to be crushed. To keep the IRS from moving in on its business, Intuit amped up its lobbying machine. One line of argument was that the IRS shouldnt be in the business of being both the tax collector and the tax preparer, and Intuit seemed to offer a compromise. Advertisement Advertisement The industry led by Intuit, made a counteroffer to the Bush administration: a public-private partnership that became known as the free file program. At the heart of it was a simple quid pro quo: The IRS promised the industry that We, the government, will not create our own product. Therefore, the government is not going to get involved in competing in your market. But in exchange, you, the industry, have to create free versions of your software like Turbo Tax. And that has to be made available to a large number of Americans. It ended up being actually the majority of Americans that were eligible for what became known as the free file software offers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the next 20 years, Intuit tried to ensure that as few people as possible used the truly free version of its product. That might sound surprising given the marketing, which basically just repeats the word free so much so that it doesnt even feel like a word anymore. But you found in your reporting that when people went online to try to find the actual free version, it wasnt always possible. Whats going on there? Quite early on what happened was a highly confusing ecosystem sprung up in which there were multiple versions of tax prep software, including TurboTax, that had the word free next to them, but they were not the same. If you happened to start on the wrong free version, you might end up having to pay, even though you actually were eligible to get the software for free if you had started on the right version. For years and years, the majority of Americans, if they had found the correct IRS website, they could have actually filed using Turbo Tax or another competitors product for free. But instead, millions and millions of people used the commercial free versions, such as Turbo Tax free edition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How many millions of people? Its a great question. A Treasury inspector general tried to answer that question a couple years ago, after some of our reporting. The number they came up with for tax year 2019, was that roughly 14 million taxpayers paid for tax prep, even though they were actually eligible to get identical tax prep software for free, if they had just started from the right website. We did some back of the envelope math on that, based on the pricing, and its basically a billion dollars of extra revenue for the industry in just a single year. And this went on for like 20 years. So were talking about real, real money here. Advertisement You discovered in your reporting that TurboTax used code and web design to push people into its paid products. Often, nudging consumers was as simple as a font choice or color on the website, making the paid option slightly more prominent so you would be more likely to click on it. Turbo Tax also capitalized on how much Americans loathe doing our taxes and fear getting in trouble with the IRS. Over the years, Ive talked to a lot of engineers and designers at Intuit, and theres this marketing concept that they invoke internally called FUD, which stands for fear, uncertainty, and doubt. This is used in other marketing contexts, not just tax prep, but I think its particularly salient in tax prep because so many people are nervous about getting it wrong. The stakes of getting it wrong are very real. And so the company is betting that the fear, uncertainty and doubt of users is going to outweigh any annoyance they might have of having to pay 75 or a hundred bucks for something they thought they were going to get for free. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were other things that Intuit did that I think crossed a line, and they actually stopped doing them after we wrote about them. A few years ago, when TurboTax was maintaining these two different editions that both had the word free in them (but only one of them was truly free), they actually added code to the backend of the website of the truly free edition that told search engines like Google not to include that website in Google results. So if you went to Google or another search engine and you put in TurboTax free you literally would never see the truly free edition because this code had been added to the HTML of the truly free version. Advertisement If youre someone who is listening to this and saying, Wait a minute, Ive used TurboTax in the past and I saw those ads and I went on the website. Is there anything these people should know or think about now? Theres a couple things. One is that a bunch of state attorneys general have been investigating Intuit for a while now on, on these issues. The other interesting thing thats going on that came out of our coverage is theres actually a bunch of private lawsuits that have been filed. And theres a law firm out in Chicago called Keller Lenkner that is pursuing kind of a novel legal strategy in which theyve filed tens of thousands of arbitration claims against Intuit for people who were in this situation where they paid for TurboTax, in some cases for years, even though they were eligible to get basically the identical product for free. Advertisement Advertisement The FTCs administrative complaint against Intuit will likely take some time, as the agency investigates whether Intuits ads were deceptive and broke the law. As for the injunction request, thats set to be heard in U.S. district court in Washington next week. We should note that Intuit voluntarily pulled its free, free, free TV ads on March 24. Advertisement Intuit has said theyre going to fight the FTC on this. A lot of the effects of this FTC action, to the extent there are effects, will depend on the outcome. If the FTC gets a judge to agree, to issue an order, making TurboTax stop these ads that the FTC says are deceptive. If theres some kind of settlement. What kind of costs, if any, are imposed on the company. You have to imagine that other companies in this space watch these sorts of things to figure out where the lines are. Advertisement I was wondering what the next steps might actually be, because right now were in this little window, pre-tax time, where theyre not supposed to run these ads. Is there another shoe that could potentially drop? Or is this a long process that gets played out in Washington? Advertisement Advertisement I dont think theres another shoe thats going to drop before Tax Day this year because these things do tend to be drawn out. But there is another major front here and thats the legislative front. Theres been proposals in Congress on and off for years, from people like Elizabeth Warren, to appropriate money to the for the IRS to do what it was thinking about doing back in the George W. Bush administration 20 years ago, which is to join many other developed wealthy countries in having an online filing process thats free and offered by the government to all of us as citizens. I dont think any of thats going to pass anytime soon, the way Congress looks right now, but its out there. Advertisement That brings me back to this line in one of your stories that has really stuck with me: Intuit recognized that its success depended on two parallel missions: stoking innovation in Silicon Valley while stifling it in Washington. It doesnt sound like a company that has spent a lot of money and time on lobbying is just going to roll over and say, OK, its 20 years later, IRS, you create your own program for this. Advertisement Advertisement Absolutely. And Intuits share price has soared over the last four or five years. It turns out its a really good business to be in if you just can put up a website and collect 75 bucks each from millions or tens of millions of people. The costs are really low at that kind of scale. Its an incredibly profitable company; the shareholders have really been enriched in recent years. If any legislation or administrative action by the executive branch has any chance of getting the government to do more in this area, youre absolutely going to see a lobbying fight. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Emeric Thokoly, an earl who was exiled after a failed rebellion in the 17th century, was born at Kezmarok Castle. A new bronze statue of the Kezmarok-born earl Emeric Thokoly is unveiled in Kezmarok on March 28, 2022. (Source: Mesto Kezmarok/Facebook) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Emeric Thokoly sits proudly on his horse outside Kezmarok Castle, eastern Slovakia. He won't be going anywhere, though. A new bronze statue of the Kezmarok-born earl, made by Hungarian sculptor Lajos Gyori and funded by Hungary, was officially unveiled on March 28. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement As the leader of anti-Habsburg uprisings, he fought for freedom of religion, Kezmarok Museum Director Erika Cintulova said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Historians characterise him as a man who managed to save the Lutheran Church in the most difficult times of its history, she added. For instance, Protestants could build schools and articular churches following the initial success of the rebellions against the then ruling Habsburg monarchy, who were Catholic, in 1681. Listen to the Spectacular Slovakia podcast: Listen to the Spectacular Slovakia podcast: What do Slovakia and Scandinavia have in common? Read more Two years later, Thokoly was exiled to the Ottoman Empire, todays Turkey, after one of his last rebellions against the Habsburg monarch Leopold I was crushed near Vienna. He died in the Turkish city of Izmit. Born and buried in Kezmarok His remains were moved to Kezmarok from Turkey in 1906 and today are buried in the New Evangelical Church in the Slovak town. The former earl was born at Kezmarok Castle in 1657. His family owned the castle in the 16th and 17th centuries and rebuilt it into a luxurious aristocratic residence. Emeric and his father were contradictory personalities. There were constant disagreements between local people and the owners of the castle, but the castle thrived during their time, Cintulova said. From next spring, more people will strip down and rest up in eastern Slovakia Read more The story of the aristocratic family is told in a special display in one of the castle's towers. Unfazed by U.S. sanctions and smear campaign, Xinjiang farmers more enthusiastic about cotton farming 08:03, April 18, 2022 By Sun Zhennan, Gao Han, Zhao Ge ( Xinhua * In defiance of economic bullying and vehement defamation by the United States against Xinjiang cotton, farmers there continue cultivating this crop and sowing the seeds for better lives across the region. * There will be 37.57 million mu of cotton plantation areas in Xinjiang in 2022, increasing 2 percent compared to 2021. * Cotton sowing is nearly 100 percent mechanized in Xinjiang. In terms of harvesting, machines accounted for over 80 percent of all the work in the region in 2021. Aerial photo taken on April 16, 2022 shows a tractor working in a cotton field in Daquan of Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) URUMQI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The rumbling of tractors busy in the field on both sides of the Tianshan Mountains signals that cotton sowing is in full swing in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China. Jumay Hasan, of Uygur ethnicity, has planted cotton in Shaya County, Aksu Prefecture, for eight years. This year he plans to expand his plantation by 10 mu, meaning he will plant 130 mu (about 8.7 hectares) of cotton. "I earned 2,000 yuan (about 314 U.S. dollars) in profit from each mu last year," he said. "If things go well, I can get at least 20,000 yuan more this year." Jumay Hasan is just one of the countless farmers in the region who, in defiance of economic bullying and vehement defamation by the United States against Xinjiang cotton, continue cultivating this crop and sowing the seeds for better lives across the region. Tractors plow in a cotton field in Shiqiao Township of Usu City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 31, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) UNFAZED AND CONFIDENT Despite U.S. sanctions on Xinjiang's cotton, Jumay Hasan is confident, and for a good reason. Shaya's high-quality cotton has an excellent reputation, earning it the accolade of the "hometown of cotton in China's Tarim Basin." Jumay Hasan's buoyancy on the crop is not isolated. Another Uygur farmer, Imin Anayet, who is also from Shaya, makes 2.5 million yuan a year from planting cotton. He also runs a farmers' cooperative, with 10,000 mu of contracted land, providing jobs for over 230 local farmers. According to estimates from the China Cotton Association, there will be 37.57 million mu of cotton plantation areas in Xinjiang in 2022, increasing 2 percent compared to 2021. Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that cotton output in Xinjiang topped 5.1 million tonnes last year, accounting for 89.5 percent of the country's total cotton output. Moreover, the region has ranked first in China for more than 20 years in total cotton output, per-unit yield, planting area, and commodity allocation. "Xinjiang has unique natural conditions, abundant sunshine, and a long cotton growth cycle. It is not only the largest high-quality cotton production base in China but also globally significant," said Peng Changming, vice president of Xinjiang Cotton Association. An autopilot tractor works in a cotton field in Sangongdian Village of Ulan Usu Township in Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) ALL MACHINES, NO FORCED LABOR Regarding the groundless accusations from the United States, such as "forced labor," Jumay Hasan said, "How could it be possible? From plowing to harrowing, sowing to harvesting, it is nearly all done by machines." This year, he completed all his field work of sowing within five days, an impossible achievement had these tasks been completed manually. Abdugani Abdukeyum, a Uygur farmer in Bachu County, Kashgar Prefecture, said, "We use a seeding machine guided by the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System to sow, which works precisely and efficiently." According to a report released by the Institute for Communication and Borderland Governance of Jinan University last year, cotton sowing is nearly 100 percent mechanized in Xinjiang. Moreover, in terms of harvesting, machines accounted for over 80 percent of all the work in the region in 2021, said the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Xinjiang. Muhtar Rohman, a Uygur agricultural machinery operator in Shaya, has witnessed the cotton industry's transformation from manual to mechanical firsthand. "I watched my parents toil on the field when I was young, and I remember wishing 'if only I had a machine to help them'," he said. In April 2021, he finally made his dream come true. Using the new cotton-picking machine, he helps farmers with their harvesting and now earns more than 100,000 yuan a year. Photo taken on April 16, 2022 shows a navigational autopilot equipment in a cotton field in Daquan of Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) COTTON BRINGS HAPPINESS The high mechanization rate has been propelled by the acceleration of large-scale cotton production regionally, which in turn has been driven by the expansion of farmers' cooperatives. By the end of 2019, Xinjiang was home to 26,424 farmers' cooperatives. According to the region's department of agriculture and rural affairs, on average, 2,000 new cooperatives were established every year from 2010 to 2019. Yelikat Kalimukan, a Kazak cotton farmer in Shiqiao Township, Usu City, said that the cooperative in his town helped him cut costs. "Our cooperative provides free high-quality seeds and affordable agricultural materials, helping us save around 80 to 100 yuan on each mu. This helps increase earnings for us small households," Yelikat Kalimukan said. Since joining a cooperative in 2020, Jumay Hasan says the technical expertise and mechanical services have paid off in dividends. "Last year, the yield per mu of our cooperative was 410 kilograms, and I earned 240,000 yuan totally," Jumay Hasan said. "Cotton brings us fortune and happiness!" (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke and his attorney Daniel Herbert leave the courtroom after Van Dyke's sentencing hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Federal prosecutors will not bring a case against the former Chicago cop who killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, U.S. Attorney John Lauschs office announced Monday. Jason Van Dyke has already been tried and convicted in Cook County court for McDonalds death, and federal law sets an extraordinarily high bar to prove criminal civil-rights violations in such a case more stringent than the state charges on which Mr. Van Dyke was convicted, according to a statement from Lauschs office. Advertisement Federal prosecutors would need to prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Van Dyke willfully deprived Mr. McDonald of a constitutional right, the statement read. To do that, prosecutors would have to prove not only that Mr. Van Dyke acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids, but also that his actions were not the result of mistake, fear, negligence, or bad judgment. The decision not to bring federal charges was made in consultation with McDonalds family, according to the statement. Advertisement It is rare for federal authorities to announce that they have declined to charge someone. But in the wake of Van Dykes release from prison after a relatively short sentence, high-profile figures such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the head of the NAACP had called on the Department of Justice to consider bringing a case that could put him back behind bars. Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated battery by a Cook County jury in 2018; he spent a little more than three years behind bars for McDonalds death before his release in February. The 2014 shooting, captured on police video, sent shock waves from neighborhood streets to the mayors office at City Hall when footage was released more than a year later. Van Dyke withdrew his appeal of the Cook County conviction in fall 2020, so authorities decision not to charge on the federal level likely marks the end of his legal journey. The investigation into Van Dykes conduct was launched as a joint probe between state and federal authorities in April 2015. Then-Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarezs office charged Van Dyke with first-degree murder in state court in November of that year, while the federal investigation remained ongoing. Federal prosecutors could not simply charge Van Dyke with murder again, the statement from federal prosecutors noted. Rather, they would have to prove that he willfully violated McDonalds constitutional rights. Lauschs office stated Monday that if Van Dyke were convicted on federal charges, the federal judge would have to consider that Van Dyke had already served a prison sentence, and that he can no longer serve as a law enforcement officer. Given these factors, there is a significant prospect that a second prosecution would diminish the important results already achieved, the statement read. Van Dykes release from prison in February after less than four years in custody prompted many calls for federal prosecutors to charge him with civil-rights violations, or at least provide some closure regarding the federal probe that was launched after McDonalds shooting. Advertisement On Twitter, the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression said it would continue to apply pressure on John Lausch, the DOJ, and all the powers that be, until Jason Van Dyke is indicted. (Van Dyke) walking free sends a message to all those who struggle against police violence that this system is not concerned with true justice, the group wrote. The week of Van Dykes release, protesters including Jackson as well as McDonalds grandmother, Tracie Hunter, crowded near Federal Plaza downtown in a demonstration calling for Van Dyke to face federal charges. Several people who protested inside the courthouse were taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor civil contempt for violating the chief judges order governing demonstrations at Dirksen. Protesters call for federal civil rights charges during a rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago after former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was released from prison on Feb. 3, 2022. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) However, McDonalds great-uncle, the Rev. Marvin Hunter, said that while he believes Van Dykes sentence was legally improper, most of the family does not support the effort to bring Van Dyke up on new charges. My hope is that Jason Van Dyke went to jail and was rehabilitated, he told the Tribune in an interview earlier this year. I hope he becomes a better man. If he gets 1,000 more years its not going to bring Laquan back, so we would be better served as a country and as a people if he became better. Our family, were not victims, and were not going to live our life as victims. We want to be better and not bitter. Advertisement The president of the national chapter of the NAACP sent a letter in February to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland saying the lack of resolution in the federal case, coupled with Van Dykes pending release, was clearly alarming to the Black community. We trust that you find the matters alarming as well and join with us in our call for closure of that federal grand jury investigation, wrote NAACP President Derrick Johnson. He also asked for Garlands commitment in moving forward with appropriate and applicable federal charges based on the evidence. Hours later, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth penned a letter of their own noting that the state conviction does not preclude the filing of federal charges, citing the recent cases against ex-Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged in both jurisdictions with the May 2020 murder of George Floyd. We urge the Justice Department to carefully and expeditiously complete its investigation, the senators letter concluded. Some of the calls for Van Dyke to be charged again came in reaction to his release after a relatively lenient sentence. Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan gave him 81 months in prison, but inmates can earn day-for-day credit for good behavior on many felony convictions, including second-degree murder, meaning Van Dyke only had to serve about half his sentence. Gaughan chose to sentence Van Dyke on the second-degree murder conviction not the aggravated battery counts meaning Van Dyke faced a lower sentencing range. Advertisement An effort by Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon and Attorney General Kwame Raoul to have the states highest court reconsider the sentence was ultimately unsuccessful. The states highest court declined to hear the petition by a 4-2 vote. The two dissenting judges both noted that Gaughan made his ruling relying on a dissenting opinion that stated the exact opposite of the majority, and the majority opinion is the law of the land. McDonalds killing, like many prior shootings by Chicago police, barely made news when it happened. But when gruesome dashcam video of the shooting was ordered released more than a year later, it sparked a firestorm of protests, prompted the firing of police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, and allegations of a City Hall cover-up by Mayor Rahm Emanuels administration. Van Dyke became the first Chicago police officer to be charged with murder for an on-duty shooting in half a century, and the fallout continued. A team of special prosecutors led by then-Kane County States Attorney Joseph McMahon was appointed to handle the Van Dyke case. And then-States Attorney Anita Alvarez lost her primary bid to Kim Foxx, who ran on a platform heavily criticizing Alvarezs handling of the McDonald shooting. mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com pfry@chicagotribune.com Advertisement jmeisner@chicagotribune.com The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a St. Louis-based natural gas companys appeal of a lower courts decision that could close a pipeline that runs through parts of Illinois and Missouri. The court rejected Spire Inc.s appeal without comment. Spire President Scott Smith pledged to continue fighting to keep the 65-mile (105-kilometer) pipeline up and running. Advertisement The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted approval for the pipeline in 2018 and it became fully operational in 2019. The Spire STL Pipeline connects with another pipeline in western Illinois and carries natural gas to the St. Louis region, where Spire serves around 650,000 customers. The Environmental Defense Fund sued in 2020, raising concerns that the pipeline was approved without adequate review. In June, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that FERC had not adequately demonstrated a need for the project, vacating approval of the pipeline. Advertisement EDF attorney Erin Murphy said in a statement Monday that the lower court ruling found serious flaws in FERCs approval, including failing to assess the harms to ratepayers and landowners. As the case played out in court, FERC last year issued a temporary certificate allowing the pipeline to remain operational. The temporary order continues to stand while the agency considers Spires appeal to FERC seeking new approval of the pipeline. We are confident that when people have an opportunity to review the proven benefits of the STL Pipeline, they will agree that there is a critical need to keep this infrastructure fully operational to ensure continued access to reliable, affordable energy for families and businesses in the greater St. Louis region, Smith said in a statement. U.S. Homeland Security and Virginia Trucking Association are partnering with Virginia State Police to conduct Operation Safe Passage, a high-visibility, human trafficking prevention and public outreach initiative April 18-20. Motor Carrier Safety Troopers will be positioned this week at various truck stops, motor carrier service centers and rest areas across the Commonwealth to engage with drivers and to distribute educational materials to raise awareness about human trafficking, according to a release from VSP spokeswoman Corrine Geller. I am extremely pleased to see the Virginia State Police taking an aggressive and active stance towards addressing what has become a global pandemic, said said Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Bob Mosier in a statement. Virginia has no tolerance for the exploitation of any human being, and is committed to apprehending, prosecuting and bringing to justice anyone associated with this crime. With tens of thousands of commercial trucks and buses traveling through and across Virginia on any given day, this statewide initiative has extensive, life-saving potential, added Col. Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent. Commercial drivers can be our added eyes and ears when it comes to identifying the common indicators of human trafficking victims and perpetrators, he said. This campaign is about putting an end to a very serious crime that intentionally preys on vulnerable adult and juvenile populations. Homeland Security arrested 2,360 individuals nationwide in connection with human trafficking in FY21. From those cases, more than 720 trafficking victims were identified. According to Polaris, there were 179 reported cases of trafficking and 77 traffickers identified in Virginia in 2019, the release stated. HSI Washington, D.C. stands firmly behind our partners at the Virginia State Police as we engage in Operation Safe Passage, said Special Agent in Charge Ray Villanueva. Truck drivers are uniquely positioned to recognize potential victims of this crime and properly alert law enforcement when they witness suspicious activity, said Dale Bennett, President and CEO of the Virginia Trucking Association. They are family men and women, whose own children could be targeted for trafficking, so theyre able to talk to their peers and spread the message about human trafficking awareness. The trucking industry has a duty to help solve this problem, and we are committed to saving lives and protecting the communities we serve, he said. Anyone who suspects human trafficking is encouraged to report it by dialing #77 on a cell phone to reach the nearest VSP Emergency Dispatch Center or to call 911. Red-light cameras at Illinois 83 and 22nd Street which is in Oakbrook Terrace and Oak Brook in 2017. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune) A longtime police officer-turned-mayor has become the latest suburban politician to be indicted on charges he accepted cash to allow red-light cameras into his town. Two years after resigning from office amid revelations of the federal investigation, Anthony Tony Ragucci was charged with wire and tax fraud in a case made public Monday. Prosecutors accused Ragucci of accepting thousand of dollars after the state in 2017 let his suburb, Oakbrook Terrace, put red-light cameras at a busy, but arguably safe corner outside a west suburban mall. Advertisement Former Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci (City of Oakbrook Terrace) According to federal prosecutors, the year before the cameras became operational, Ragucci was paid off as part of a scheme in which the red-light camera firm paid a 14% commission on revenue generated on the cameras to another firm it had hired as a sales consultant to get village business. That consulting firms officials then paid a portion of the commission to Ragucci, first $3,500 a month, then an amount based on how much cash the cameras generated, prosecutors alleged. The then-mayor also directly accepted $12,500 cash from an official of the red-light camera firm as contracts were renewed, unaware that the official was secretly working with federal investigators on a wide-ranging corruption probe, prosecutors alleged. Advertisement Defendants who are charged by information rather than grand jury indictment typically intend to plead guilty. Ragucci could not immediately be reached for comment. The alleged payments were being made at a time the Tribune was investigating how Ragucci and red-light camera firm SafeSpeed were able to get cameras installed at the busy but relatively safe intersection of Illinois 83 at 22nd Street, a corner shared by Oakbrook Terrace and neighbor Oak Brook. Red-light cameras at the intersection of Illinois 83 and 22nd Street in 2017. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) Oak Brook officials fought the cameras, saying the corner didnt need them, and the Illinois Department of Transportation had the final call because the cameras would be put on a state route. IDOT had previously deemed the corner too safe for cameras, then there were even fewer crashes, yet somehow IDOT reversed course to allow the cameras. That reversal came after the then-powerful Senate Transportation Committee, Martin Sandoval, intervened on SafeSpeeds behalf, as did another state senator, Tom Cullerton. The Tribune has previously reported that, before dying of COVID-19 in 2020, Sandoval admitted to accepted bribes from the SafeSpeed official, Omar Maani, who at the time was secretly working with federal investigators. Cullerton later admitted to taking part in a ghost payroll scheme and awaits sentencing. Ragucci had been a police officer in Oakbrook Terrace for 25 years before being elected mayor in 2009 and reelected twice, as he touted in an online biography that his quarter century with a badge prepped him for life as an Illinois mayor: There are few experiences better than law enforcement for learning about politics, the issues, the local businesses and what needs to be done. The charges against Ragucci came the same month that federal prosecutors pushed for a two-year sentence for former Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta, who admitted to taking a cash-stuffed envelope from Maani in exchange for Prestas support of lucrative SafeSpeed cameras there. SafeSpeed and its CEO, Nikki Zollar, have denied any wrongdoing, saying that any bribes offered by Maani occurred without the companys knowledge. Advertisement Court records did not list an attorney for Ragucci. A lawyer who had been representing him told the Tribune he no longer did. jmahr@chicagotribune.com Local dancers are ready to throw off their facemasks and throw down on the dance floor. Now that Covid restrictions have been scaled back, ballroom dancing has returned to Wytheville. And in the coming weeks, dancers will have several opportunities to swing, waltz and sashay. First, theres the April 22 Djoukil jazz and swing fundraiser for the Wytheville Department of Museums. Then, on June 25, Wythevilles Ballroom Dance returns after a two-year break at the Heritage Preservation Center. And at Formato Fine Arts on Main Street, you can take ballroom/swing classes every Wednesday from longtime dance teacher Nellie Groseclose. Groseclose first took lessons 28 years ago in Florida. Since then, the retired nurse has danced in Bristol, Roanoke and even overseas. Shes danced the Argentine Tango in Argentina. For 25 years, she has taught in the area, including Wytheville and Marion. Groseclose started a Wytheville chapter of the American Ballroom Dancers Association that was active until about six years ago. She said there are two types of ballroom dancing. The kind you see on television on Dancing with the Stars is more international and more competitive. Groseclose teaches a more social style of dancing. What I teach, you can dance anywhere, you can go to California or anywhere where anyone teaches ballroom dance and its the same steps, she said. At Formato Fine Arts, she teaches every Wednesday at 6 p.m. and concentrates on one dance per month. This month, its East Coast Swing. Its been my passion for the past 25 years to learn as much as I could and pass it onto other people, she said. Plus, I enjoy dancing. Id rather do it than anything. Jessica Thomas of Wytheville is taking lessons at the art gallery. I love to dance, she said. I love music; I like moving. I like to dance in general and in my bedroom when no one is looking. I love to watch swing dancing, but dont know much about it. Im excited to learn. Groseclose lives in Marion, where she also teaches small groups and private lessons in her home. She said its gratifying to see beginning dancers learn steps to a dance. Dancing is hard. Its like learning a foreign language, but one you get into it, it gets better. Its good to see how good they feel about themselves as they learn, she said. Its great to see how people feel about themselves. To be able to go out every weekend and go out dancing is a great thing. Wytheville resident Pam Umberger agrees. She took lessons from Groseclose two decades ago and is still dancing. She hosts the monthly ballroom dances at the Preservation Center. I had a couple of friends who did ballroom dancing, and I always wanted to dance more, she said. Nellie was offering dance lessons through the rec center. I signed up for beginning ballroom dance lessons. That was 20 years ago. Since I was a little kid, I just love dancing. Umbergers favorite dance is West Coast Swing because of its many variations. I also like the Samba; I like the way the movement feels, she said. At local dances, attendees dont have to worry if they dont have a partner because everybody dances with everybody, Umberger said. Especially the Wytheville dance. Its a very single-friendly dance. Umbergers first exposure to ballroom dancing came when she was in middle school and took lessons from Mary Walters, who taught ballroom dancing in the area for nearly 40 years. Walters, her daughter and granddaughter have played a prominent role in teaching all types of ballroom dancing over the years. Walters first took dance lessons at Jefferson High School in Roanoke. It was just a six-week course, but it ignited in her a passion to learn more and share her knowledge with others. After graduation, Walters taught dance at Powells Studio in Roanoke and eventually married and moved to Wytheville. More than 65 years ago, around 1955, she began to teach ballroom dancing to high school children in the basement of her home on North Sixth Street. I always said that more people had fun in our basement than any other place in Wytheville, said Walters daughter Naomi King, who grew up to also teach ballroom dancing, as did her daughter, Teresa Campbell. I have met so many people who say she (Walters) taught them to dance in her basement, Campbell said. King estimated that over the years there were maybe one or two people her mother couldnt teach to dance. But they all had fun, she said. The majority of people who learned to dance then learned from my mom, King said, adding that her mother taught throughout the region until April 1991. She died less than six months later in September 1991. She always said it (dancing) was the best medicine, King said, adding that she loved teaching her own classes. Her favorite dance is the waltz because of its grace and elegance. To go dancing on Friday night was a great way to relieve stress and play on the weekend, she said. King said she likes to start out teaching students either the foxtrot or East Coast Swing because they are danced to music in 4/4 time. Most music is in 4/4 time so you can do the foxtrot to it; its a versatile dance. If you learn those two dances, you can dance to 85 percent of music, she said. Waltz with its 3/4 time is a little harder to learn. Campbell grew up watching her mother teach and attending the Friday night dances that were held at places like the George Wythe Hotel (now the Bolling Wilson Hotel) ballroom. She followed in the fancy footsteps of her grandmother and mother and taught classes, too. I think its almost a form of communication, Campbell said. You have to communicate with your partner and listen. Its a challenge to dance with different people, to lead and to follow. King said dancing is a fun and creative way to exercise. The mother/daughter duo said they are considering teaching again, now that Covid restrictions are lessening and people are ready to have some fun. According to King, its usually the females you talk their husbands, boyfriends and friend into taking lessons, but after a few lessons, its the men who want to keep learning more. They are the ones who bring their wives back, she said. Here is some information on upcoming dances and classes: The April 22 Djoukil concert is a fundraiser for the Town of Wytheville Department of Museums (heritage and music education help with supplies for educational programming and Junior Appalachian Musicians program) and the Wythe County Historical Society and its campaign to renovate the former Spiller Elementary School. The WCHS plans to renovate the historic facility to provide educational and cultural opportunities for Wythe County residents. To reserve tickets for a night of jazz and swing with Djoukil from Lyon, France, call 276-223-3330. The concert is Friday, April 22, at 7 p.m. in the Wytheville Meeting Center Ballroom. Tickets are $50 and include hors d'oeurves, desserts and drinks. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase. Ballroom dancing returns to the Wytheville Preservation Center on Saturday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. The center is located at 110 W. Spiller St. Music by Craig & Tammy Collins. A singles-friendly dance. Facemasks are optional. For information, call Pam Umberger at 276-228-5817. Nellie Groseclose teaches ballroom dancing at Formato Fine Arts, 100 W. Main St., on Wednesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. Cost is $10 per person per lesson. For information, visit Formato Fine Arts on Facebook or online at www.formatoart.com. To reach reporter Millie Rothrock, call 276-228-6611, ext. 573, or email mrothrock@wythenews.com. Twitter Inc. adopted a measure that would shield it from hostile acquisition bids, taking steps to thwart billionaire Elon Musks unwelcome offer. Twitter Inc. adopted a measure that would shield it from hostile acquisition bids, taking steps to thwart billionaire Elon Musks unwelcome offer to take the company private and attempt to make it a bastion of free speech. The board set up a shareholder rights plan, exercisable if a party acquires 15% of the stock without prior approval, lasting for one year only. The plan seeks to ensure that anyone taking control of the social media company through open market accumulation pays all shareholders an appropriate control premium, according to a statement Friday. Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here. Also read: Twitter enacted the plan to buy time, according to a person familiar with the matter. The board, which met Thursday to review the bid, wants to be able to analyze and negotiate any deal, and may still accept it. The Tesla Inc. chief executive officer on Thursday offered $54.20 a share in cash for Twitter, valuing the company at $43 billion. Musk, who said it was his best and final offer, had already accrued a stake of more than 9% in Twitter since earlier this year. In addition to Musks offer, Twitter has been fielding takeover interest from other parties, including technology-focused private equity firm Thoma Bravo, Bloomberg reported earlier Friday. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are advising Twitter. A poison pill defense strategy allows existing shareholders the right to purchase additional shares at a discount, effectively diluting the ownership interest of the hostile party. Poison pills are common among companies under fire from activist investors or in hostile takeover situations. Under Twitters plan, each right will entitle its holder to purchase, at the then-current exercise price, additional shares of common stock having a then-current market value of twice the exercise price of the right. Musk didnt address the issue of the poison pill on Friday, but thanked the 73% of people in an online Twitter poll who showed their support for his takeover plan, and mulled that removing the character limit on tweets was long overdue. Love It Included in Musks securities filing disclosing the bid Thursday morning was a script of text he sent to the company. In it he said, its a high price and your shareholders will love it. At least one prominent investor, though, said the offer was too low and the market reaction appeared to agree. Saudi Arabias Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said the deal doesnt come close to the intrinsic value of the popular social media platform. Speaking later Thursday at a TED conference, Musk said he wasnt sure he will actually be able to acquire it. He added that his intent was to also retain as many shareholders as is allowed by the law, rather than keeping sole ownership of the company himself. Twitter shares dropped 1.7% in New York on Thursday, reflecting the markets view that the deal is likely to be rejected or to fall through. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported the San Francisco-based company was considering a poison pill defense. Plan B Musk first disclosed his Twitter stake on April 4, making him the largest individual investor. At the TED conference, he indicated that he has a Plan B if Twitters board rejects his offer. He declined to elaborate. But in his filing earlier in the day, he said he would rethink his investment if the bid failed. If the deal doesnt work, given that I dont have confidence in management nor do I believe I can drive the necessary change in the public market, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder, said Musk. Twitter, unlike Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc., and other tech giants, doesnt have founders with majority voting control. That makes the company particularly vulnerable to activist investors and takeover interest. While its unclear what founder and board member Jack Dorsey thinks of Musks deal, he at least shares the opinion that Twitter might be better off private. As a public company, twitter has always been for sale. Dorsey tweeted. Thats the real issue. Allo Technology Sdn Bhd, an ICT service provider based in Cyberjaya and fully-owned by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has recently been awarded with the Broadband Telecom Company of the Year - Malaysia Award. The award was announced at the virtually held 2022 Asian Telecom Awards last month. As reported by national news agency Bernama, the award was in recognition for Allos responsive efforts in bridging the digital divide in Malaysia. Currently, Allo has provided fibre-optic passes to more than 180,000 home in Melaka, Perak, Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor. In case you're not familiar with the company, Allo provides a high-speed broadband service that supports the National Digital Network (Jendela) initiative by the federal government. The company bridges the digital and is targeting to have 7.5 million fibre-optic premise passes by year-end. Besides that, Allo is also providing broadband connectivity at an affordable rate by leveraging on TNBs fibre optic network in Peninsular Malaysia. Hence, it has helped to unlock opportunities for the underserved in suburban and rural communities. Speaking of which, Allo is working closely with multiple Retail Service Providers (RSPs) to provide High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) at a faster rate and better pricing in underserved areas. So far, it has formed strategic collaborations with Maxis, Astro, Digi, Celcom, U Mobile, Freshtel, and Redtone. What do you guys think of Allos achievements? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for the latest tech news in Malaysia and beyond! Credit: CC0 Public Domain Imagine a future in which lonely people can interact with social bots, based on artificial intelligence (AI), to get the conversations and connection they crave. While it sounds intriguing, a small preliminary study suggests people may not be comfortable with AI companions that look and talk too much like real humans. "We think it may seem a little too creepy to have these embodied robots that act and look almost human," said Kelly Merrill Jr., lead author of the study and a doctoral student in communication at The Ohio State University. "People seemed to be more comfortable with AI companions that were voice-based, more like smartphones and smart speakers like Alexa or Siri." Merrill conducted the study with Jihyun Kim of the University of Central Florida and Chad Collins of St. Johns River State College. Their results were published recently in the journal Communication Research Reports. The researchers were interested in learning more about the role that the social presence and warmth of AI companions have on people's views of them. The study involved 106 college students who participated online. The students were only told the study was aimed at understanding their perceptions about technology. They watched a 5-minute clip that the researchers edited from an episode of the television show Black Mirror. While the focus of the actual episode ("Be Right Back") was somewhat different, the edited clip was designed to show a lonely woman, named Martha, talking to an AI companion named Ash. Some participants watched a clip in which Martha interacted with Ash only by voice. Others watched a clip in which Ash was represented as a realistic-looking robot that talked and interacted with Martha. After watching the clip, participants were asked whether they thought an AI companion like Ash would be useful to lonely people, and whether they would recommend Ash to lonely people. Participants rated Ash on social presence, which is how much he seemed like he was really with them. Ash was also rated on warmth, which was defined as the feeling of friendliness and intimacy. One hypothesis could be that people would like an AI companion that scored high on social presence, and that acted more like a human would, Merrill said. But in this study, that was only the case for the version of Ash that appeared just through voice. Participants who saw this version were more likely to recommend Ash as a companion if they rated it higher on social presence. But those who viewed Ash as an actual human-looking robot were not more likely to recommend Ash if they thought he had more social presence. The study didn't ask participants why, but the researchers believe it had to do with what scientists call the "uncanny valley." "People become uneasy when they see robots that come close to seeming human, but are slightly off," Merrill said. "In the clips, the actor playing the robot version of Ash did a good job of seeming slightly mechanistic and not quite human. It creeps people out, and that may be why more social presence in the embodied Ash didn't make people more likely to recommend the bot for lonely people." The study found that participants' views of how warm Ash seemedhis friendliness and intimacyhad no effect on whether they would recommend him to lonely people. That was true regardless of whether they viewed the robot version of Ash, or the voice version. "It may be that people think an AI companion for lonely people would be good for casual conversation, but should not be a replacement for a more intimate and deep friendship," Merrill said. Merrill noted that this was a preliminary investigation and much more work needs to be done on the interaction of social presence, warmth and AI companions. But this work suggests people right now prefer the familiar. "We already talk to disembodied AI through our smartphones and smart speakers, so we are used to that and comfortable with those kinds of interactions," he said. Explore further Could a virtual companion soothe social anxiety? More information: Kelly Merrill et al, AI companions for lonely individuals and the role of social presence, Communication Research Reports (2022). Kelly Merrill et al, AI companions for lonely individuals and the role of social presence,(2022). DOI: 10.1080/08824096.2022.2045929 Hypersonic missiles can change course to avoid detection and anti-missile defenses. Credit: U.S. Air Force Russia used a hypersonic missile against a Ukrainian arms depot in the western part of the country on March 18, 2022. That might sound scary, but the technology the Russians used is not particularly advanced. However, next-generation hypersonic missiles that Russia, China and the U.S. are developing do pose a significant threat to national and global security. I am an aerospace engineer who studies space and defense systems, including hypersonic systems. These new systems pose an important challenge due to their maneuverability all along their trajectory. Because their flight paths can change as they travel, these missiles must be tracked throughout their flight. A second important challenge stems from the fact that they operate in a different region of the atmosphere from other existing threats. The new hypersonic weapons fly much higher than slower subsonic missiles but much lower than intercontinental ballistic missiles. The U.S. and its allies do not have good tracking coverage for this in-between region, nor does Russia or China. Destabilizing effect Russia has claimed that some of its hypersonic weapons can carry a nuclear warhead. This statement alone is a cause for concern whether or not it is true. If Russia ever operates this system against an enemy, that country would have to decide the probability of the weapon being conventional or nuclear. In the case of the U.S., if the determination were made that the weapon was nuclear, then there is a very high likelihood that the U.S. would consider this a first strike attack and respond by unloading its nuclear weapons on Russia. The hypersonic speed of these weapons increases the precariousness of the situation because the time for any last-minute diplomatic resolution would be severely reduced. It is the destabilizing influence that modern hypersonic missiles represent that is perhaps the greatest risk they pose. I believe the U.S. and its allies should rapidly field their own hypersonic weapons to bring other nations such as Russia and China to the negotiating table to develop a diplomatic approach to managing these weapons. How hypersonic missiles threaten to upend the relative stability of the current era of nuclear weapons. What is hypersonic? Describing a vehicle as hypersonic means that it flies much faster than the speed of sound, which is 761 miles per hour (1,225 kilometers per hour) at sea level and 663 mph (1,067 kph) at 35,000 feet (10,668 meters) where passenger jets fly. Passenger jets travel at just under 600 mph (966 kph), whereas hypersonic systems operate at speeds of 3,500 mph (5,633 kph)about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) per secondand higher. Hypersonic systems have been in use for decades. When John Glenn came back to Earth in 1962 from the first U.S. crewed flight around the Earth, his capsule entered the atmosphere at hypersonic speed. All of the intercontinental ballistic missiles in the world's nuclear arsenals are hypersonic, reaching about 15,000 mph (24,140 kph), or about 4 miles (6.4 km) per second at their maximum velocity. ICBMs are launched on large rockets and then fly on a predictable trajectory that takes them out of the atmosphere into space and then back into the atmosphere again. The new generation of hypersonic missiles fly very fast, but not as fast as ICBMs. They are launched on smaller rockets that keep them within the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Hypersonic missiles are not as fast as intercontinental ballistic missiles but are able to vary their trajectories. Credit: U.S. Government Accounting Office Three types of hypersonic missiles There are three different types of non-ICBM hypersonic weapons: aero-ballistic, glide vehicles and cruise missiles. A hypersonic aero-ballistic system is dropped from an aircraft, accelerated to hypersonic speed using a rocket and then follows a ballistic, meaning unpowered, trajectory. The system Russian forces used to attack Ukraine, the Kinzhal, is an aero-ballistic missile. The technology has been around since about 1980. A hypersonic glide vehicle is boosted on a rocket to high altitude and then glides to its target, maneuvering along the way. Examples of hypersonic glide vehicles include China's Dongfeng-17, Russia's Avangard and the U.S. Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike system. U.S. officials have expressed concern that China's hypersonic glide vehicle technology is further advanced than the U.S. system. A hypersonic cruise missile is boosted by a rocket to hypersonic speed and then uses an air-breathing engine called a scramjet to sustain that speed. Because they ingest air into their engines, hypersonic cruise missiles require smaller launch rockets than hypersonic glide vehicles, which means they can cost less and be launched from more places. Hypersonic cruise missiles are under development by China and the U.S. The U.S. reportedly conducted a test flight of a scramjet hypersonic missile in March 2020. Credit: The Conversation Difficult to defend against The primary reason nations are developing these next-generation hypersonic weapons is how difficult they are to defend against due to their speed, maneuverability and flight path. The U.S. is starting to develop a layered approach to defending against hypersonic weapons that includes a constellation of sensors in space and close cooperation with key allies. This approach is likely to be very expensive and take many years to implement. With all of this activity on hypersonic weapons and defending against them, it is important to assess the threat they pose to national security. Hypersonic missiles with conventional, non-nuclear warheads are primarily useful against high-value targets, such as an aircraft carrier. Being able to take out such a target could have a significant impact on the outcome of a major conflict. However, hypersonic missiles are expensive and therefore not likely to be produced in large quantities. As seen in the recent use by Russia, hypersonic weapons are not necessarily a silver bullet that ends a conflict. Explore further Hypersonic missiles are fuelling fears of a new superpower arms race This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A phase map of an agglomerated particle in a common lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery electrode shows the charge distribution as it goes from 4% to 86%. FP refers to iron phosphate. Rice University scientists found that the FP phase spreads nonuniformly on an aggregate surface upon charging, rather than the expected even spread of lithium over the surface. The scale bar is 10 microns. Credit: Mesoscale Materials Science Group/Rice University If you could shrink enough for a fantastic voyage across a lithium battery electrode, you'd see the level of charge at every scale is highly uneven. This is not good for the battery's health. Rice University researchers who recognize the problem worked with the Department of Energy to view in great detail how the various particles in an electrode interact with lithium during use. Specifically, the Rice lab of materials scientist Ming Tang analyzed nano- and micro-scale interactions within lithium iron phosphate cathodes through modeling and imaging offered by the transmission X-ray microscopy capabilities at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. Their paper in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Energy Letters supports theories Tang and his colleagues formed several years ago that foresaw how lithium travels in the dynamic environment inside a typical commercial cathode. Being able to watch sealed cathodes charge and discharge at Brookhaven offered absolute proof. "Batteries have a lot of particle aggregates that soak up and give up lithium, and we wanted to know what happens on their surfaces, how uniform the reaction is," said Tang, an associate professor of materials science and nanoengineering. "In general, we always want a more uniform reaction so we can charge the battery faster." A study by Rice University materials scientists suggests that lithium batteries would benefit from more porous secondary (agglomerated) particles with better-aligned crystallites that don't limit lithium distribution. The scientists studied 3D transmission X-ray images of cycled battery electrodes to analyze the phase change between lithium iron phosphate (blue) and iron phosphate (red) on the surface of particle agglomerates that make up the electrodes. Credit: Mesoscale Materials Science Group/Rice University In images taken at Brookhaven's powerful X-ray synchrotron, the researchers saw that some regions inside the cathode were better at absorption than others. The ability to look at single or aggregated particles in 3D showed that rather than reacting over their entire surfaces, lithium favored particular regions over others. "This is very different from conventional wisdom," Tang said. "The most interesting observation is that these reaction regions are shaped like one-dimensional filaments lying across the surface of these aggregated particles. It was kind of weird, but it matched what we saw in our models." Tang said the lithium filaments looked something like thick nanotubes and were several hundred nanometers wide and several microns long. Animated GIFs of a phase-mapped secondary (aggregated) particle in a lithium iron phosphate cathode. Credit: Mesoscale Materials Science Group/Rice University He said stress between misaligned crystallites in the particle agglomerates prevents lithium from being uniformly inserted into or extracted from the aggregate surface because that will generate too large an energy penalty. Instead, lithium is forced to flow into or out of the aggregates at "hot spots" that develop the filament shape. What does this mean for battery performance? "This is a bad thing," Tang said. "Because the lithium can't go into the cathode uniformly, it slows down the intercalation mechanics. "What our study offers is some potential ways to help make lithium insertion or extraction more uniform on these aggregates or individual particles," he said. "Introducing some porosity in the particle agglomerates might sacrifice some energy density, but at the same time would allow lithium to go in more uniformly. That could allow you to get more energy at a given charge/discharge rate. Animated GIF of a phase-mapped secondary (aggregated) particle in a lithium iron phosphate cathode. Credit: Mesoscale Materials Science Group/Rice University "Another thought is if we can somehow align the orientation of these small particles so their maximum expansion is perpendicular to each other, they'll better accommodate lithium intercalation," he said. That would be a challenge for battery manufacturers, he admitted. "We don't have enough experience in synthesis to know how to make that happen," Tang said. "What we're providing is bait. Let's see if somebody bites." Rice graduate alumni Fan Wang and Kaiqi Yang are co-lead authors of the paper. Co-authors are Mingyuan Ge, Jiajun Wang, Jun Wang, Xianghi Xiao and Wah-Keat Lee, all of Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York; and Linsen Li of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Explore further Not so fast: Some batteries can be pushed too far More information: Fan Wang et al, Reaction Heterogeneity in LiFePO4 Agglomerates and the Role of Intercalation-Induced Stress, ACS Energy Letters (2022). Fan Wang et al, Reaction Heterogeneity in LiFePO4 Agglomerates and the Role of Intercalation-Induced Stress,(2022). DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.2c00226 Kai Xiang et al, Mesoscopic Phase Transition Kinetics in Secondary Particles of Electrode-Active Materials in Lithium-Ion Batteries, Chemistry of Materials (2018). DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b05407 Journal information: ACS Energy Letters , Chemistry of Materials Customers peruse the record bins at Purple Dog Records in downtown Naperville for Record Store Day in 2021. The annual celebration of the independently owned record shop will be held April 23 this year. (Purple Dog Records) The first time Erin Gavins store, Purple Dog Records, participated in Record Store Day, she wasnt sure what to expect. Advertisement It was 2015, and she had just opened her Naperville store in 2014. We didnt know what to expect from it, just because it was such a new idea, she said. It ended up being the best sales day. Advertisement It was just kind of overwhelmingly great because we had all these people in our little store that were wanting these Record Store Day releases, said Gavin, owner and business operations manager at Purple Dog. We were just kind of blown away by how big this event really is. Record Store Day is an annual celebration of the independently owned, brick and mortar record shop. Conceived 15 years ago by those in the industry as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1,400 independently owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally, according to the official Record Store Day website, recordstoreday.com. It was thought of as a way to get people to come back to records stores, said Gavin, who will open her store two hours early for Record Store Day this year. It was around that time when vinyl was still just sort of coming back and record stores were unfortunately becoming less and less. And so it was a bit of a way to celebrate the independent store. And it just grew and grew. Held every April, (with the exception of the last two years that saw plans modified in response to the pandemic) this years celebration will be held April 23. To mark the occasion, each year sees a number of special releases from artists, many of which are only available at the independent record stores. It could be previously unreleased material, remastered albums or a special/limited edition. Thats the really cool about Record Store Day is that we get to have it first, before any big box store we only get them first for this day and then they get released elsewhere, Gavin said. Sometimes maybe not ever. Its pretty cool to have that. I just feel it really helps out indie stores. In order to participate, shops have to sign the Record Store Day pledge, she said. It promises they will not accept any preorders from customers, theres no holding back product, you dont buy to sell on eBay and you dont price gouge, Gavin said. I think for the most part its been a helpful tool. Advertisement While stores can place an order for a particular release, there is no guarantee how many if any at all that store will receive. You dont always get everything you order, Gavin said. In past years shes handed out a list of Record Store Day releases Purple Dog did get to those waiting in line for the store to open. Its like giving them a menu, she said. That way if customers are looking for a particular release, they know if the shop received it or not. To make it fair for all of the customers, Gavin limits purchases of Record Store Day titles to one copy per person. Advertisement And unfortunately youre going to find people who will buy this product and try to flip it on eBay almost immediately, Gavin said. (But) I have had several times where Ive given a record to somebody and they were just so happy to get it. Gavin said she tends to order what she knows will sell to her customer base. This year shes been fielding a lot of inquiries about a special Record Store Day version of the new Red Hot Chili Peppers double album. The special version includes two LPs pressed on silver vinyl, an exclusive poster and the sleeve printed on silver board. We try to get as many of the releases as we can. Sometimes it is difficult, but its pretty cool, Gavin said. Its a really nice day for people to come out and just experience independently-owned shops. The following stores are participating in Record Store Day 2022, many of which have special hours for the day. Check with your local store for its opening/closing times. Antioch Reef Records, 775 Main St. Call 224-788-5066, reefrecordsllc.com. Barrington Scratched Vinyl (formerly Rainbow Records), 119 Barrington Commons Court. Call 847-304-0721, scratchedvinylbarrington.com. Advertisement Batavia Kiss The Sky Records, 180 First St. Call 630-406-0086, kissthesky.net. Des Plaines Algonquin Records, 532 E. Algonquin Road. Call 847-827-0673, algonquinrecords.com. Downers Grove Windy City Records, 5224 Main St. Call 630-534-2794, windycityrecords.org. Elgin Rediscover Records, 9 S. Spring St. Call 847-961-8445, rediscoverrecords.com. Evanston Squeezebox Books & Music, 743 Main St. Call 847-943-9309, squeezeboxbooks.com. Vintage Vinyl, 925 Davis St. Call 847-328-2899, vvmo.com. Advertisement Flossmoor Conservatory Vintage and Vinyl, 1042 Sterling Ave. Call 708-960-0231, conservatoryvintageandvinyl.com. Forest Park The Old School Records, 7446 W. Madison St. 708-366-7588, theoldschoolrecords.com. Joliet Audiophils Records, 17 E. Van Buren St. Call 815-319-2143, audiophilsrecords.com. J&B Music, 3512 Caton Farm Road. Call 815-212-2979, jandbmusic.com. Lakemoor Reef Records, 821 IL Route 20. Call 815-271-5463, reefrecordsllc.com. McHenry Siren Records, 3902 Main St. Call 815-347-8363, sirenrecordsmchenry.com. Advertisement Vinyl Frontier Records, 4720 W. Elm St. Call 815-363-8230, facebook.com/VinylFrontierRecords. Naperville Purple Dog Records, 231 S. Washington St. #105. Call 773-682-7725, purpledogrecordsonline.com. Norridge Rolling Stones Music, 7300 W. Irving Park Road, Norridge. Call 708-456-0861, rollingstonesmusic.com. Oak Park Oak Park Records, 179 S. Oak Park Ave. Call 708-524-2880, facebook.com/179Rockshop. Vals Halla Records, 239 Harrison St. Call 708-524-1004, valshallarecords.com. Plainfield Black Dog Vinyl Cafe, 16108 S. Route 59. Call 815-733-6032, blackdogvinylcafe.com/. Advertisement Left Round Records, 24404 W. Lockport St. Call 815-556-8109, leftroundrecords.com. Wheaton Mile Long Records, 350 W. Front St. Call 630-474-4954, milelongrecords.com. Wilmette Hip Cat Records, 3540 Lake Ave. Call 847-920-0066, facebook.com and search Hip Cat Records. Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. Students at Creek View Elementary School were treated to a surprise guest earlier this month when Miss Texas 2021 Mallory Fuller stopped by the College Station school to encourage the students to ask for help when they need it to help them achieve their goals. With the help of Henry, the title elephant of Fullers first childrens book, Henrys Happy Heart, she walked the students through the physical, academic and emotional struggles Henry encounters, helping them determine what they would do to overcome those obstacles. The program focused on lessons about the importance of relationships and finding the people who can help them with their struggles, including a nurse if they were sick, a teacher if they needed help with their homework and the school counselor if their heart was blue like Henrys. The five phrases she imparted to the students were: help is available; everybody has bad days; never give up; relationships matter and you can do it. With a volunteer for each letter spelling H-E-N-R-Y, Fuller told the students that Olivia Rich, the third grader selected to represent the Y, could achieve her dreams if she remembers to have good friends, that everyone has bad days, to never give up and to ask for help if she needs it. Rich said the advice will be helpful as she strives to reach her goal of becoming an artist. Creek View Principal Mike McEver said the message meshes well with what campus officials tell the students and with the culture they try to create at the school about the importance of relationships, achieving goals and recognizing that it is OK to not be perfect. I think life brings challenges, and that if we just give up at the first time we face an obstacle, then really we're selling ourselves short, he said. And the kids need to know that it's not expected of them to get it on their first try and that were here as a school, as a community, to really come alongside them and help them reach whatever they want to achieve. Fuller also played her fiddle, telling the students she did not sound great when she started learning how to play the instrument, but she practiced and continued playing and got better. McEver said he hopes that and the fact that it took Fuller 10 years to achieve her dream of being Miss Texas resonated with the students. They hear this same message from their parents, their teachers, from their counselor, from us as administrators, they hear this message, but having a special guest kind of come in and tie it to a special event really allows them to remember this for a long time, he said. As Miss Texas, Fuller said, her full-time job is traveling throughout the state to speak to students and community members about her platform of suicide prevention. The reason for Henrys Happy Heart is to teach children how to ask for help with their emotions, just as they would if they were feeling sick or needed help on a homework assignment. Its really mental health in a kid-friendly way, she said. I hope that the kids here at Creek View were able to kind of take away the fact that there is no problem that is too big to be worked through, and that there are people who want to help, people who care about them. In addition to the students at Creek View, the 2020 Texas A&M graduate took her program to Cypress Grove Intermediate School. Suicide prevention is an important cause to Fuller, she said, and is her social impact initiative as Miss Texas. I actually lost a friend to suicide when I was in high school, and it was something that was so shocking because I am from a smaller town I'm from Fairfield, Texas and we never talked about suicide, she said. We didnt talk about mental health. We didnt talk about any of those things, so it was so shocking because we didnt know what to look for before it happened. We didnt know any of the warning signs. It was that loss of her friend in 2013 that led her to partner with his family and The Jason Foundation to help pass the Jason Flatt Act in Texas, which requires teachers to receive training in suicide prevention annually instead of just once. She hopes every time she talks to someone about her platform that she can help somebody who might be struggling or knows someone who is. Fuller ended her presentation by asking the students if they will ask for help if they need it, which the students responded with a resounding yes She said she hopes the presentation plants a seed in the students minds that they can carry forward with them that there are people to turn to for help. Over the years, Fuller said, she has heard from teachers who said the program led to important conversations between them and their students. It's really important to me that I am able to talk about it in a way that appeals to kindergartners, but I can also talk to seniors in high school about it, she said. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe A Chicago man was sentenced Thursday to over a century in prison after he was convicted last month of killing a 14-year-old girl and leaving her body in a dirty and trashed Gary alley. Despite a tough life, Takaylah Tribitt, of Chicago, was a survivor, prosecutors said previously. Nicknamed Ladybug, she was a sweet little girl, her aunt, Monique Tribitt, said last month. Advertisement Deonlashawn Simmons, 36, was charged in November 2020 with her Sept. 16, 2019 death, five days after they met at a Chicago birthday party. She was found in Gary not far from where his family lived, court documents stated. A judge sentenced him Thursday to 105 years in Tribitts death. He received 65 years on a murder charge and 20 years each on separate habitual offender and firearms enhancements. Advertisement Simmons maintained his innocence and said he would appeal. It wasnt just a fight gone wrong, it was a child, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Doug Shaw said Thursday. Her death was an execution, he said, noting she was shot once in the front of the head as her hands were bound behind her back. At trial, lawyers said Tribitt was a runaway at times who bounced from place to place. That was irrelevant to how she died, Shaw said. A Lake County forensic pathologist estimated the girl died a couple days before she was found, her hands bound under a jacket and face down, court records show. She had been sexually assaulted, he said. There were no signs of a struggle or strangulation, he concluded. I forgive you, but Im not going to forgive what you did, her mother, Laura Tribitt, told Simmons. You took a child away from us. She was a baby. Advertisement Shaw asked for the maximum 105 years because thats all the law allows us, he told Judge Natalie Bokota. The circumstances surrounding Tribitts death were some of the cruelest he had seen, he said. Tribitt was a defenseless child, Shaw said. At trial, prosecutors said Tribitt was at a birthday party on Sept. 8, 2019, in Chicago where a woman arranged for Simmons to take the girl home. Police were called at 9:10 a.m. Sept. 16, 2019, to the alley near Pennsylvania Street and 20th Avenue in Gary after a NIPSCO worker found her body while tagging poles, charges state. When interviewed by detectives, Simmons said he knew Tribitt and had a big brother relationship with her. He said he gave her rides, bought her pizza and McDonalds and paid for her hair and nails, charges allege. He denied he had a sexual relationship with her and said he didnt know how old she was, but knew she was young, court documents state. Advertisement Simmons said he couldnt explain how she was found near his relatives house in Gary. He said he hadnt been to Indiana since he had a falling out with his father in December 2017. Detectives countered that his phone was also near Cline Avenue and Interstate 80/94 on Sept. 14, about 2.5 miles from where the girl was found, according to court records. Later, he told investigators he had been in Fort Wayne, before saying he was in the area soliciting a sex worker at a Gary truck stop. At trial, prosecutors said the story was a lie. Shaw said Thursday Simmons had a history of abusing women, noting a presentence report concluded he had 25 children and only knew the names of nine. Defense lawyer Michael Campbell said Tribitts death didnt have signs of torture, mutilation or strangulation like other cases with the worst offenders. Tribitts death, while deeply tragic, was not different from any other homicide, he said. Advertisement Simmons criminal history was not as completely violent as prosecutors made it out to be, Campbell said. He asked for a 56-year sentence with five years served on probation. Simmons offered his condolences to the teens family and told Bokota he would appeal. She ordered a public defender to be appointed. With Tribitts hands bound and another cord found around her neck, she was trussed like an animal, the judge told him. She was discarded like garbage, Bokota said, with her voice breaking slightly. As his sentence was read, Tribitts family started clapping loudly. Advertisement No. No. No, Bokota said, cutting them off, asking them to maintain the courts decorum. A Mount Vernon woman was found dead Wednesday as authorities responded to a vehicle fire in Washington County. Genevieve Barciszewski, 75, was pronounced dead at 2:21 p.m. on Wednesday in St. Michael Cemetery near Radom, according to the Washington County coroner. The Washington County Sheriffs Office was investigating a vehicle fire that had been called in by a neighbor at 1:19 p.m., police said. The Ashley Fire Department responded to and handled the vehicle fire. At the time Barciszewskis body was found, her identity was unknown. Through dental records, her identity was discovered. An autopsy was conducted in OFallon on Thursday, however, the cause of death is pending awaiting the results of further tests. The sheriffs office received assistance in the investigation from the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigations Unit, the Illinois State Fire Marshals Office and the Washington County Coroner. The investigation is in its preliminary stages and is ongoing. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Festival will showcase the unique sound of our heritage. Recognizing the rising popularity of traditional music, which has been winning a growing fan base among Chinese audiences, especially young people, the National Center for the Performing Arts has launched a festival, Spring of Traditional Chinese Music. The opening concert, held on April 8, saw a performance by the China National Traditional Orchestra led by three conductors, Liu Sha, Lyu Jia and Li Xincao. "For the first time, we performed with conductors who have never performed with traditional Chinese musicians," says Zhao Cong, president of China National Traditional Orchestra, who is also a veteran pipa player. "When we discussed that idea with the NCPA, we were all very excited." Liu is the principal conductor of the orchestra. Lyu is the artistic director of the NCPA Orchestra and Li is the principal conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra as well as the orchestra's president. Each of the conductors chose music pieces they would like to perform. A piece from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), titled The General's Order, was conducted by Liu, Cloudy Mountains and Glimpses of Geese, a contemporary piece written by Wang Danhong was conducted by Lyu, and The Silk Road, also a contemporary work, composed by Jiang Ying was conducted by Li. "The sounds of traditional Chinese musical instruments are very different from Western musical instruments, which were totally new to me. The music pieces are also new to me. The whole process of doing rehearsals was very challenging, and a very interesting experience that I never had before," says Lyu, a classically trained musician, who has been leading the NCPA Orchestra for 10 years. "Those musicians are very sensitive to the sounds of their musical instruments and they helped me understand the music works as well as their musical instruments." Like their names suggest, traditional Chinese music works are very poetic, conjuring up pictures such as mountains and clouds, Lyu says. It took him weeks to study the background information of each music work he was going to perform with the orchestra. Besides Cloudy Mountains and Glimpses of Geese, he also performed the second movement of Ode to the Sun composed by Wang and Moonlight over the Autumn River composed by Hao Weiya, both contemporary pieces. "I felt like being introduced into a new world of music, which is totally different from the world I have been living in for decades. All of those musical instruments, like percussions, pipa and erhu, are very versatile," says Lyu. Like Lyu, Li is also a classically trained musician and he felt nervous before doing rehearsals with the orchestra. "The difference between playing music works of traditional Chinese music and Western classical music is like reading sentences with two different tones," says Li. "It's also like communicating with two people with different personalities. But music is all about emotions and expression, which is mutual." Li also performed composer Zhao Jiping's music piece Guo Feng with the orchestra during the concert. Li mentions that conductor Liu was very supportive throughout the rehearsals. They were both trained by Chinese conductor Xu Xin. Back in 1994, Liu, then a middle school student living in Jinan, Shandong province, read an article about Li, who won the first prize at a national conducting competition, from a music magazine. At that time, Liu, who was introduced to music by his father, a flutist and composer of Shandong Liuzi Opera Troupe, dreamed of becoming a conductor. "That article inspired me to pursue my dream as a conductor and also introduced me to conductor Xu Xin," recalls Liu, who wrote a letter to Xu, expressing his wish to be a conductor. To his surprise, Xu replied and invited him to Beijing to meet him at the Central Conservatory of Music, where Xu worked. In 1997, Liu was enrolled to study conducting at the school and joined the China National Traditional Orchestra in 2002. "I also like Western music, and to explore the musical language and compositional techniques the composers used. But traditional Chinese music offers a bigger world to me. As a conductor, I could have much more, like using 'mother tongue'," says Liu. From April 8 to 28, the festival will also have 10 concerts featuring Chinese traditional music orchestras, including the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra, the Beijing Chinese Orchestra, the Traditional Chamber Orchestra of the Central Conservatory of Music Concert and the National Traditional Orchestra Academia China. Conductors including Hong Yongyan and Chen Bing will be featured. During the festival's closing ceremony, which will be held on April 28, the audience will enjoy a concert Night of Pipa. The China National Traditional Orchestra will perform with famous pipa soloists, including Wu Yuxia, Zhao Cong, and Yang Jing, under the baton of conductor Liu. According to Wang Luli, deputy director of the NCPA's Program Management Department, the idea of launching the Spring of Traditional Chinese Music came from the NCPA's popular event the China Orchestra Festival, which has been held twice a year since 2008 and aims to showcase and promote symphony orchestras and Chinese music. Wang says that the Spring of Traditional Chinese Music will also be held twice a year and will invite more conductors of symphony orchestras to work with traditional Chinese music orchestras. "Nowadays, young people are drawn to traditional Chinese music thanks to the social media platforms, where many talented musicians showcase their traditional Chinese musical instruments. We've seen the trend and want to show them more about traditional Chinese music," says Zhao Cong, who is keen on promoting traditional Chinese music with creative approaches, such as livestreaming. "Though the musical instruments we play with are from ancient China, the sounds we make could be very pioneering, which deserve to be enjoyed by more people." A man incarcerated at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution died on Sunday, the state Department of Corrections confirmed. Daniel Lee Harris was 57 when he died in the Torrington prison, according to the department. Harris was serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree felony murder and attempted sexual assault in 1995 in Weston County. He had attempted to assault a woman in a pickup, and when she said no, he hit her, pushed her out of the vehicle and drove away, court documents show. She died of hypothermia. He was born in South Dakota. Harris' is the fourth death in Wyoming prisons this year, and the third at WMCI in the same time period. The department conducts autopsies on those who die while in its care, but does not release cause of death and other health information to the public. Follow city and crime reporter Ellen Gerst on Twitter at @ellengerst. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. One person died and two were injured when a car rolled along U.S. Highway 30 near Kemmerer early Sunday morning, the Wyoming Highway Patrol reported. The car's driver, 20-year-old Braxton Gusman of Wisconsin, died after being thrown from the vehicle. The crash occurred about 5:20 a.m. Sunday while Gusman was driving a Chrysler 200 east on U.S. 30. The car crossed into the westbound lane and onto the shoulder, where it struck a post. Gusman turned back to the right, then overcorrected to the left, and the car drove off the road. It skidded before rolling two times. Gusman and a passenger in the front seat were both ejected during the crash, but the passenger survived. The highway patrol report a third person was also injured. The highway patrol suspects driver fatigue may have contributed to the crash. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 AS INFLATION rates climb throughout the Caribbean, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Cleviston Haynes is cautious about wage adjustments to match it. A wage adjustment to match inflation is really not the first best option for us, Haynes said at an inflation discussion hosted by the Central Bank of Barbados on Thursday night. Two police officers were among four people injured after a gunman opened fire at a bar in Cunupia early yesterday morning. The officers had responded to a report of a large gathering at the bar and minutes later a man fired at the officers and patrons. The shooter ran off and escaped. The incident occurred at around 4.40 a.m., at Big Timerz Bar, on the Southern Main Road. You are here: Business China's service outsourcing industry posted a steady expansion during the January-March period, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed. Chinese firms inked service outsourcing contracts worth about 488.1 billion yuan (about 75 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months, up 10.3 percent year on year. The executed contract value came in at 318.5 billion yuan during the period, with a year-on-year increase of 17.2 percent. Outsourcing refers to hiring an outside party to perform services or make goods typically undertaken by in-house employees. Of the total, offshore service outsourcing contract value rose 4.6 percent from a year ago to 264.8 billion yuan. Service outsourcing with members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership saw quicker growth, with the executed contract value rising 3.2 percent from a year earlier to 38.2 billion yuan in the January-March period. Within days of being appointed Minister of Public Utilities in August 2020, Marvin Gonzales declared the transformation of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to be his number one priority. In the 21 months since then, Minister Gonzales has gone through two acting CEOs, an executive director and is now on a third acting CEO at WASA. In an environment of turbulence, successive deadlines for implementing WASAs long-promised plan transformation has been missed. The second phase of the Kremlins so-called special operation will happen in Russian territory. The common Russians must accept one sad, and maybe terrifying fact: the war in Ukraine will not leave anyone untouched. These are not predictions, but a dry analysis of the tactics and psychology of the bunker-based government of the country, reports TSN. The second phase of the Kremlins so-called special operation will happen in Russian territory. Explosions and fires in the Russian Belgorod are only the beginning. The most important thing to realise is that Russians will be bombarding other Russians. One of the many pieces of evidence is a video of a missile launched from Russian territory recovered from a cars video recorder. But the Russian television viewers are unable to work out who is truly attacking them. The Skabeevs and Solovyevs of the media have forced the old mantra about the Ukrainians being at fault into their heads long ago, and it is difficult to change their minds. From the science-fiction scenarios of plague-carrying pigeons raised in made-up laboratories which are supposed to reach mother-russia any day now, to mortar mine, everything can be blamed on Ukrainians. It is sufficient only to remember the evacuation of all the schools in Belgorod under the premise of explosives in the buildings. And we have all seen a Ukrainian provocation, where a missile was launched with zero remorse at a train station in Kramatorsk full of women and children. The fact that the act was planned in advance was revealed by one of Kremlins Telegram channels, which recommended avoiding going to the train station before the attack. Then, a happy post about a successful strike against a target in Kramotorsk gave away the Russians once more. Only when Moscow realised that the bloody slaughter was being seen across the entire world did they change tact and claim that: the Ukrainians are bombarding themselves. But the marking on the missile fragments is identical to the marking on other missiles used by the Russians to bombard Ukrainian towns. So it is unsurprising that the Russian headquarters began a new information special operation. Its logic can break the mind of any healthy human being, but to the Russians, everything makes sense: the Russians came to liberate us, but we bastards decided to attack them for it. This nonsense is now being spouted as justification of the war by Putins propogandists. Hence, they have to torch cities, murder innocent civilians in their tens of thousands and hence the coffins of their soldiers. No-one outside of Russia believes this insane string of words, but for the Kremlin, the internal consumer is much more important. It needs to be fed by the hour with something new to increase the degree of hate towards Ukraine, truth or logic be damned. At the beginning, Putin justified his genocide of Ukrainians by the simple desire to prevent Ukraines joining NATO. Missile bases in Kharkhiv were used to scare the Russians. They said 700 kilometres is only five minutes away from Moscow. And no-one was worried by Latvia, which has long been a NATO member state, and which is much closer to Moscow in terms of Missile flight time. And in fact there is a NATO base there, based on an old soviet aerodrome. But what should terrify the Russians and what actually puts their homes under threat is the way Putin made his political career. Any maniac is given away by their tell-tales. Putin got himself into the Kremlin by means of a war which he began himself. Let us remind ourselves how before the second Chechnya war, houses all across Russia were blown up. Then too he began a special military operation against terrorism. This terrorism was truly special, as sometimes the Russian government announced news of explosions even before the explosions occurred. Decades have passed, but the Kremlin decided to avoid re-inventing the wheel. At least today, terrorism in Russia will give Putin new justification for his war in Ukraine, mass war crimes, the destruction of Russias own economy and the conscription of fresh cannon fodder. Otherwise, Russia would not be able to announce mass conscription. Despite the fact that the zombie-nation was able to replace the heads of the population with the television, the heavy losses of the Russian army is a pain which is difficult to cover up with words. So the Kremlin needs a new pain, and they are preparing their explosives. Read also: Before Charles Mingus soared as one of the most innovative and celebrated jazz musicians of the 20th century, he was getting his start in life right here in Southern Arizona. Mingus was born at Camp Little in April 1922, in Nogales, Arizona. His father, Charles Mingus Sr., was a staff sergeant and a Buffalo Soldier stationed there as part of the U.S. Army 10th Cavalry. Mingus was still quite young when his family moved from Nogales to Watts, California, where he would grow up, absorbing the musical influences of Duke Ellington on the radio and congregational songs from his local church, according to the website charlesmingus.com. His Southern Arizona origins had little impact on the musician he would one day become, but his name lives on in the state. And with the 100th anniversary of his birth this Friday, April 22, jazz fans across the region are ready to party. On Thursday, April 21, The Century Room at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress, will host a Mingus Celebration concert, featuring the Tucson Jazz Institute. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18-$23. Friday, April 22, Mingus Dynasty, a rotating band of elite jazz players, some of whom performed with Mingus back in the day, will play the venue. The group will be joined by alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, who worked with Mingus on-and-off from 1960-74. Set times are at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. The festivities will culminate with the Charles Mingus Centennial Jazz Festival, an all-day, free musical event to be held at the First Bank Yuma Nogales Business Center, 825 N. Grand Ave., in Nogales, on Saturday, April 23. The fest, running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will feature local and touring groups, including the Nogales High School Alumni Band and the Alan Lewine Xtet. Mingus Dynasty will headline starting at 3:30 p.m. The Mingus Dynasty swing through Arizona, which actually starts Thursday, April 21, with a performance at The Nash in Phoenix, was arranged and sponsored by Alan Hershowitz, husband of Yvonne Ervin, a tireless promoter of jazz music in Southern Arizona until her untimely death from complications after surgery in 2018. Ervin, who served as the founding director of the Tucson Jazz Society and launched the Tucson Jazz Festival, had long worked to raise the profile of Nogales as Mingus birthplace. She held the first Mingus festival in Nogales, a jazz event that straddled both sides of the border, in 1993, and had advocated for years toward the creation of a Mingus Memorial Park, an effort she saw come to fruition in 2017. The folks in Nogales asked me to help out with this years festival, Hershowitz said. They were going to do their usual mix of high school bands and things like that. I asked myself what Yvonne would have done. She would have put together a tour with some major people who we knew and had worked with before. Hershowitz reached out to his connections with Mingus Dynasty and to McPherson They were happy to participate. For the performers, Hershowitz said, it is about knowing (Charles Mingus and his) music so well, and coming to celebrate his centennial in Arizona, in the city where he was born. In addition to the music, the festival will include the dedication of a memorial wall to Mingus that will also pay homage to Nogales Black history, within Mingus Memorial Park, 10 W. Western Ave. The memorial wall features a likeness of Mingus on granite by Nogales artist Faith Posey, and mosaic works by artist David Fernandez and students from Nogales High School. Plaques lining the wall are dedicated to the citys Black community, past and present; the Buffalo Soldiers stationed in Nogales in the early 1900s; the citys segregated grammar school, the Frank A. Reed School, which closed its doors in 1952; Major George W. Biggs, a Nogales native and Tuskegee Airman, who died in 2020. The wall also has a plaque dedicated to Ervin. Sharon Urman, president of Santa Cruz Advocates for the Arts, the group that spearheaded the memorial efforts, said the project has been years in the making. It evolved from being a memorial dedicated just to Charles Mingus, to honoring the African American historical presence in the area, Urman said. It is more than just a passion project. It is about community pride. For more information on all of the Mingus centennial events, visit mingusamongus.com Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Chancellor, Richard Stuart Richard Stuart Chancellor, born on February 4, 1938 passed away peacefully on May 3, 2022 at 84 years of age. Stuart as the youngest of a large family with four brothers and a sister grew up in Midland, Texas. He spent his high school years at Culver .... Read more Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LVIV, Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian troops in southern Ukraine have been carrying out torture and kidnappings, and he called on the world Sunday to respond. Torture chambers are built there, Zelenskyy said in an evening address to the nation. They abduct representatives of local governments and anyone deemed visible to local communities. Zelenskyy said humanitarian aid has been stolen, creating famine. In occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, he said, the Russians are creating separatist states and introducing Russian currency, the ruble. Intensified Russian shelling of Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv, has killed 18 people and wounded 106 in the last four days alone, Zelenskyy said. This is nothing but deliberate terror. Mortars, artillery against ordinary residential neighborhoods, against ordinary civilians, he said. He said a planned Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine will begin in the near future. Zelensky again called for increased sanctions against Russia, including its entire banking sector and oil industry. Everyone in Europe and America already sees Russia openly using energy to destabilize Western societies, Zelenskyy said. All of this requires greater speed from Western countries in preparing a new, powerful package of sanctions. KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: Russia strikes Ukraine's big cities, bears down on Mariupol Elderly mother feels lost, seeks son's body in Ukrainian town of Bucha Prince Harry pays tribute to Ukrainian competitors as he opens the Invictus Games We pray for you: Ukrainian Jews mark Passover, if they can Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: WASHINGTON -- Ukraines foreign minister is describing the situation in Mariupol as dire and heartbreaking and says Russias continued attacks there could be a red line that ends all efforts to reach peace through negotiation. Dmytro Kuleba tells CBS Face the Nation that the remaining Ukrainian military personnel and civilians in the port city are basically encircled by Russian forces. He says the Ukrainians continue their struggle but that the city effectively doesnt exist anymore because of massive destruction. Kuleba says his country has been keeping up expert level talks with Russia in recent weeks in hopes of reaching a political solution for peace. But citing the significance of Mariupol, he echoed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in saying the elimination of Ukrainian forces there could be a red line that stops peace efforts. WASHINGTON President Joe Biden says hes praying on Easter for those living in the dark shadow of war, persecution and poverty. Biden released an Easter message Sunday in which he says hes also praying for peace, freedom and basic dignity and respect for all of Gods children. Biden didnt say which war he had in mind, but the president has been deeply involved in trying to force an end to Russias invasion of Ukraine. The American president says hes grateful that the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed many people around the world to celebrate by attending religious services and in-person family gatherings. He also acknowledges that the holiest day on the Christian calendar falls on heavy hearts for those who have lost loved ones and those among us living in the dark shadow of war, persecution and poverty. KYIV, Ukraine A regional official in eastern Ukraine says at least two people have been killed by Russian shelling. The Luhansk regions governor, Serhiy Gaidai, said that at least four others were wounded Sunday when Russia forces fired at residential buildings in the town of Zolote. Zolote is located near the front line in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland called Donbas, where the Russian forces are preparing for a massive offensive. WASHINGTON Ukraines prime minister says the besieged city of Mariupol hasn't yet fallen to Russia and the Ukrainian forces there will fight to the end. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal appealed during a Sunday appearance on an American television broadcast for help for the approximately 100,000 Ukrainians who remain trapped in the eastern city without food, water, heat and electricity. He says some regions of Mariupol remain under Ukrainian control, and that Russia doesn't have full dominance over the city. Mariupol appeared on the brink of falling to Russian forces Sunday after seven weeks under siege. The Russian military gave a deadline for surrender to a few thousand Ukrainian fighters who were providing the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol, but the Ukrainians didn't submit. Shmyhal told ABC News This Week that Ukrainian forces are still fighting, including in the Donbas region, but we do not have intention to surrender. The prime minister says Ukraine is prepared to end the war through diplomacy, if possible. Shmyhal says surrender isnt an option, adding that we will not leave our country, our families, our lands, so we will fight absolutely to the end, to the win, in this war. KYIV, Ukraine A Ukrainian health official says that at least five people have been killed in the Russian shelling of Kharkiv. Maksym Haustov, the head of the Kharkiv regional administrations health department, said that another 13 residents were wounded by Sundays shelling of Ukraines second-largest city. Rescuers have been working to help survivors after the shelling that hit residential and administrative buildings and caused fires. Officials said the center of Kharkiv came under shelling by multiple rocket launchers. KHARKIV, Ukraine Multiple rockets struck the center of the eastern city of Kharkiv on Sunday, according to AP journalists in the city. The barrage slammed into apartment buildings and left broken glass, debris and part of at least one rocket scattered on the street. Several apartments caught fire, with firefighters and residents scrambling to douse the flames. At least two bodies were seen, and four other people were injured, though the scale of the attack suggested the casualty toll could rise further. MOSCOW The Russian military has warned that Ukrainian troops refusing to surrender in the besieged port of Mariupol will be destroyed. The Russian Defense Ministry gave the Ukrainians at Mariupols giant Azovstal steel mill until 1 p.m. Sunday (1000 GMT) to surrender, saying that those who put down their weapons will be guaranteed to keep their lives. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that the Ukrainian military command had banned its troops from surrendering. He said the Russian military received the information from intercepted communications. Konashenkov warned that all those who will continue resistance will be destroyed. He claimed that along with Ukrainian troops, there are about 400 foreign mercenaries encircled at Azovstal, most of them from European countries and Canada, communicating in six languages, according to intercepts. Konashenkovs claim couldnt be independently verified. VATICAN CITY In an Easter Sunday message aimed at the world but heavily focused on Ukraine, Pope Francis raised two worries the risk of nuclear warfare and that other armed conflicts on the globe will go unnoticed. In a speech from the balcony of St. Peters Basilica, the pope quoted a declaration from scientists in the 1950s in which they posed the question: Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war? The pope has repeatedly made anguished pleas for a cease-fire and negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. In his Easter message, Francis lamented that so many of our brothers and sisters have had to lock themselves away in order to be safe from bombing. He expressed hope that the war in Europe will also make us more concerned about other situations of conflict, suffering and sorrow in situations that we cannot overlook and do not want to forget. Among the places he cited were Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. He singled out Yemen, suffering from a conflict forgotten by all, with continuous victims. MILAN Italian Premier Mario Draghi is calling Ukraines resistance to Russias invasion heroic, depriving Russia of what it expected to be a rapid victory and setting the stage for a prolonged war. Draghi told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published Sunday that what awaits us is a war of resistance, prolonged violence with destruction that will continue. There is no sign that the Ukraine population can accept a Russian occupation. Draghi noted that Italy remained close to the Ukrainian people, with the reopening of its embassy in Kyiv. The ambassador returned to the capital on Friday, and the embassy is expected to be fully operational on Monday. Draghi, who spoke to Putin before the war broke out and again at the end of March, said he has come to believe that speaking with the Russian leader is just a waste of time. Draghi said: I have the impression that the horror of the war, with its carnage, with what they have done to children and women, is completely independent of the words and the phone calls. KYIV, Ukraine Ukraines deputy defense minister says that the key port of Mariupol is holding despite the continuing Russian attacks. Hanna Malyar said Sunday that the defenders of the key Sea of Azov port have tied up significant Russian forces besieging the city. She described Mariupol as a shield defending Ukraine that prevents the Russian troops encircling the city from advancing to other areas of the country. Malyar said that the Russians have continued to hit Mariupol with air raids and were possibly preparing an amphibious landing to beef up their forces in the city. LONDON In his Easter sermon, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has called for Russia to declare a cease-fire and withdraw in Ukraine. The leader of the Anglican church said Easter is a time for peace and not blood and iron. Noting that in the Eastern Orthodox church followed by many in Russia and Ukraine Sunday marks the start of Holy Week the week leading to Easter he said let this be a time for Russian cease-fire, withdrawal and a commitment to talks. Welby said God hears the cry of the mothers in Ukraine, he sees the fear of boys too young to become soldiers, and he knows the vulnerability of the orphans and refugees. MOSCOW The Russian military has told Ukrainian troops in the besieged port of Mariupol that if they lay down their weapons they will be guaranteed to keep their lives. The Russian Defense Ministry made the announcement early Sunday. Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev said that the Ukrainians encircled at the giant Azovstal steel factory were given until 1 p.m. (1000 GMT) to surrender. It was the latest such offer to the Ukrainian defenders of the key Sea of Azov port during a siege that has lasted for more than 1 months. Capturing Mariupol is a key strategic goal for Russia, allowing it to secure a land corridor to Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. The fall of Mariupol would also free the Russian forces involved in the siege for a planned offensive in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland called Donbas. The giant Azovstal steel mill that covers an area of more than 11 square kilometers (over 4.2 square miles) is the last major section of Mariupol still under Ukrainian control. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Saturday that about 2,500 Ukrainian troops remain at Azovstal, a claim that couldnt be independently verified. The Ukrainian officials didnt mention any numbers for the city defenders. MOSCOW The Russian military says it has struck a military plant on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital with missiles. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Sunday the military has used precision-guided air-launched missiles to attack the ammunition plant in Brovary outside Kyiv overnight. He said that other Russian air raids also destroyed Ukrainian air defense radars near Sievierodonetsk in the east and several ammunition depots elsewhere. The strikes were the latest in a series of Russian attacks on Ukraines weapons factories, air defense assets and other facilities as Moscow prepares for a massive offensive in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland called Donbas. SOFIA, Bulgaria Bulgaria has banned Russian-flagged ships from entering its Black Sea ports as part of expanded EU sanctions, the countrys Maritime Administration announced on its website on Sunday. All vessels registered under Russian flag, as well as all vessels that have switched their Russian flag, or flag or maritime register registration to any other state whatsoever after Feb. 24, are forbidden access to Bulgarian maritime and river ports, the authority said. Exceptions will be made only for ships in distress or seeking humanitarian assistance, or ships transporting energy products, food and pharmaceuticals to EU countries. KHARKIV, Ukraine Russias bombardment of cities around Ukraine on Saturday included an explosion in Kharkiv that destroyed a community kitchen. Associated Press journalists at the scene recorded the immediate aftermath of the apparent missile attack. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said three people were killed and 34 wounded by missile strikes Saturday in that city alone. The kitchen was set up by World Central Kitchen, which is run by celebrity chef Jose Andres to establish feeding systems in disaster and war zones. Andres tweeted that the non-governmental organizations staff members were shaken but safe. The organization says it has now reached 30 cities across the country, providing nearly 300,000 meals a day. Andres said the attack in Kharkiv shows that to give food in the middle of a senseless war is an act of courage, resilience and resistance and that his groups chefs will keep cooking for Ukraine. KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke Saturday with the leaders of Britain and Sweden about how best to help those defending Mariupol and the tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside the besieged city. Mariupols fate can be decided either through battle or diplomacy, he said. Either our partners give Ukraine all of the necessary heavy weapons, the planes, and without exaggeration immediately, so we can reduce the pressure of the occupiers on Mariupol and break the blockade, he said in his nightly video address to the nation. Or we do so through negotiations, in which the role of our partners should be decisive. NEW YORK A Russian general whose troops have been besieging the Ukrainian port of Mariupol was buried on Saturday in St. Petersburg after dying in battle, the governor said. Maj. Gen. Vladimir Frolov was deputy commander of the 8th Army, which Russian media identified as being among the forces battering Mariupol for weeks. Gov. Alexander Beglov released a statement saying Frolov died a heroic death in battle without saying where or when he was killed. Photographs on Russian news websites showed his grave at a St. Petersburg cemetery piled high with red and white flowers. Ukraine has claimed that several Russian generals and dozens of other high-ranking officers have been killed during the war. WASHINGTON Austrias chancellor said after meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow this past week that the Russian president is in his own war logic when it comes to Ukraine. Karl Nehammer told NBC in an interview that he thinks Putin believes he is winning the war. Nehammer was the first European leader to meet Putin in Moscow since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24. He said we have to look in his eyes and we have to confront him with that, what we see in Ukraine. Before arriving in Moscow last Monday, Nehammer had visited Bucha, Ukraine, the town outside of Kyiv where graphic evidence of killings and torture has emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces. Nehammer told Meet the Press that he confronted Putin with what he had seen in Bucha, and it was not a friendly conversation. He said Putin said he will cooperate with an international investigation, on one hand, and on the other hand, he told me that he doesnt trust the Western world. So this will be the problem now in the future. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Ten people were shot at a teen spring break party in Dallas and several others were injured as they tried to escape the chaos. One of the injured, an 18-year-old man, later died of his injuries. The gunfire happened at The Space Dallas event venue. Joe Morgan, who was working crowd control, told reporters that he heard gunshots being fired from outside the venue and later saw people with gunshot wounds to the chest, arms and legs. PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) The former long-serving head of Montenegro's top court has been arrested for allegedly helping cover up her son's drug-smuggling operation, local media in the Balkan country reported on Monday. Vesna Medenica, who was the head of Montenegro's Supreme Court for 17 years, was arrested late on Sunday at the airport in the capital, Podgorica, according to state TVCG television. The report said Medenica's son, Milos, has been accused of cigarette and drug smuggling after Europol the European Union's law enforcement agency sent transcripts implicating him and also his mother. TVCG says both Vesna and Milos Medenica have denied the allegations published earlier in the local media. Montenegrin police are yet to issue an official statement. Montenegro has been told it must deal with widespread crime and corruption in order to move closer to desired EU membership. The small nation of some 620,000 people joined NATO in 2017 and is now seeking to become an EU member state. The Vijesti daily reported that in February, Europol delivered transcripts of encrypted phone conversations during which Milos Medenica planned drug transfer from Colombia and said his mother would protect him and his partners in the deal. Medenica headed Montenegro's Supreme Court until 2020. Montenegro is currently in a power vacuum after its pro-Serbian government fell in a no-confidence vote in February and a new one has not been formed yet. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Tom Gilbert Chief Photographer I joined the Tulsa World in 1988 after graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma. I lived in Saudi Arabia before graduating from Broken Arrow High School. I'm married to Karen Gilbert and have three grown children. Phone: 918-581-8349 Follow Tom Gilbert 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 Marshall Brewing Co.'s proximity to the railroad prompted the idea for its newest beer, Slow Train IPA. Marshall's marketing director, Wes Alexander, tells us about Slow Train, which is What the Ale's beer of the week. "This is the first addition to our full-time lineup here at Marshall Brewing Co. since we introduced This Land Lager in 2018, and we are pretty excited to have an IPA," Alexander said. "This is a modern IPA." Marshall Brewing, 1742 E. Sixth St., is a traditional brewery brewing traditional ales and lagers. Slow Train IPA is moving toward a more modern realm. They have been experimenting with other beers in the taproom, their Oatmeal IPA and Tulsa 16 IPA, along with Green Country IPA, Ticker IPA and, more recently, El Gallo Macho. "These are all techniques, ingredients and styles that we've been working on, practicing the styles and flavor profiles that have been trending. We're really excited because we think all of that work is culminated in what we think is the future, Slow Train IPA," he said. "It's very bright," Alexander said. "It's citrusy, it's aromatic. Ours is 7% ABV and 25 IBUs (International Bitterness Units). So very, very low on hop bitterness. What really defines the character of this beer are the hops: cascade, citra and cashmere. "We primarily employ those hops through the dry hopping process, which creates this huge explosion of aroma. So that's really the first thing that you notice once you pop the top on a can or receive a glass of Slow Train IPA." Marshall blends five malts and oats for its grain build with Slow Train IPA. "It has a nice, almost sticky-sweet flavor profile to go along with the citrusy notes. And then it really has this unctuous rich but soft multi-flavor, really round in the mouth and really a fun IPA," he said. The trains cruise by Marshall Brewing's taproom blow their whistles four or five times a day. Now they have a beer to toast when that train blares its horn. The beer is available now at Marshall's taproom, but the official debut will be at this year's Tulsa Mayfest on May 6-8. Marshall will also be pouring the new IPA at Hospice of Green Country's Oysters and Ales on May 5. Tickets are available https://tinyurl.com/yann9wsh Past Beers of the Week: Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A leading Chinese economist proposed establishing a China-model-based structural monetary policy that is in line with the country's carbon peak and neutrality goals to help secure the country's competitive edge in a low-carbon world. Zhu Min, chair of the National Institute of Financial Research at Tsinghua University, called on the central bank to step up structural tools in conventional macroeconomic policies so as to address the mismatch of the market, facilitate low-carbon transformation and maximize social utility. Speaking via video link at the 2022 Tsinghua PBCSF Global Finance Forum on Saturday, Zhu said China would need a brand-new financial model to achieve net-zero emissions. This brings about tremendous challenges as well as opportunities, he said. "Carbon neutrality is a paradigm shift, which indicates a change of people's way of working and living since the industrial revolution." According to Zhu, finance will play a crucial role in this regard. To achieve carbon neutrality, large-scale and long-term financing support will be needed. As all sectors of society begin to cut emissions, the valuation of high-carbon and low-carbon financial assets will be reshuffled. Efforts should also be made to forestall and defuse potential financial risks. In addition, Zhu urged that more financial support should be given to sci-tech innovation, especially in electrification, renewable energy, energy storage, electricity distribution network, and 5G technologies. "Sci-tech innovation is the basis of carbon neutrality," Zhu noted. In September 2020, China announced that it aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Since then, authorities and industries have scaled up their green efforts. For example, by the end of 2020, green loans and green bonds in China totaled $1.8 trillion and $125 billion, respectively, ranking as the world's largest and second-largest. Furthermore, the country's balance of green loans reached 11.6 trillion yuan, making China the world's largest green-finance market. The outstanding green credit of 21 major banks in China reached 15.1 trillion yuan at the end of 2021, accounting for 10.6% of their total lending. Carbon neutrality has fundamentally recreated China's economic growth model, Zhu said. "As the country's economy shifts from a high- to low-carbon paradigm, the upcoming energy revolution and economic innovation will reshape its entire manufacturing industry." WASHINGTON (AP) Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancee of former President Donald Trump's eldest son, met with the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection Monday more than a month after she abruptly ended a voluntary interview with lawmakers according to a person familiar with the matter. Guilfoyle, 53, arrived Monday morning at the federal office building on Capitol Hill where the committee has been conducting its virtual and in-person interviews to sit down with lawmakers, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss private testimony. The committee investigating the attack had requested testimony and records from Guilfoyle, who spoke at the rally Trump held on the White House Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, before the riot at the Capitol aimed at overturning Trump's election loss. Lawmakers say that Guilfoyle, who was a chair of the Trump Victory Committee, the fundraising arm of his campaign, also raised funds for the rally and was in direct contact with its key participants and organizers. Members of the nine-member panel issued a subpoena to Guilfoyle last month after she cut the voluntary interview short over her objection to the presence of lawmakers. The committee's decision to subpoena her was unusual, as lawmakers have tried to bring in most members of Trump's family on a voluntary basis. Joe Tacopina, an attorney representing Guilfoyle, did not respond to a request for comment Monday but has previously stated that his client "has done nothing wrong," and will testify truthfully to any question. The committee has said it has received a number of the documents it initially requested from Guilfoyle but is now looking to learn more about her meetings with the former president and members of his family in the Oval Office the morning of the attack. "Ms. Guilfoyle met with Donald Trump inside the White House, spoke at the rally that took place before the riot on January 6th, and apparently played a key role organizing and raising funds for that event," Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee's Democratic chairman, said in a March 3 statement. Guilfoyle's appearance is the latest in a series of sit-down interviews the committee has conducted with those in Trump's inner circle in the past few weeks. On Tuesday, Stephen Miller, who served as a top aide to Trump, was questioned virtually for eight hours. The former president's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, have also spoken to the committee in the past month, providing hours of testimony that members have cited as helpful to their probe. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. A Vinita police officer and a Craig County sheriffs deputy fatally shot a man who reportedly threatened officers with a bow and arrow on Monday morning near Vinita. Before 7 a.m. Monday, Vinita police and Craig County Sheriffs deputies responded to a call that reported a large chunk of concrete on the railroad tracks near 4400 Road, just outside of Vinita, according to an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation news release. Authorities found tracks leading from the railroad tracks to a residence on the 27000 block of South 4400 Road. They heard the suspect identified as Guy Walker making loud noises and going in and out of his house, according to OSBI. When law enforcement approached him, Walker reportedly pulled out a bow and arrow. The officers asked him to put down the weapon, but Walker refused and waved the bow and arrow in a threatening manner. Thats when the Craig County sheriffs deputy and the Vinita police officer shot Walker, killing him, the release states. No other injuries were reported, according to the release. A fourth abortion bill is likely this week to be signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, who promised to make Oklahoma "the most pro-life state." Other relevant statutes go back as far as 1910. OKLAHOMA CITY Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday announced a mega legislation economic incentive package to lure a large manufacturer to Oklahoma. Stitt, who announced the effort during a Capitol news conference, was short on specifics, such as the estimated cost and company name, but said it was a huge Fortune 500 company. Stitt wants to expand Quality Jobs to 7.5 percent from 5 percent. It is typically a cap of 5 percent of payroll a company can receive for up to 10 years as an incentive to move into the state or to grow, said Brent Kisling, Oklahoma Department of Commerce executive director. Stitt also wants to expand the investment tax credit program to 3 percent from 2 percent. This is based on 2 percent of your capital expenditure you would make whenever you are building your facility, putting in private property or something like that, Kisling said. He is increasing that from 2 percent to 3 percent. The 2 percent is claimed against corporate liability on corporate income taxes. The governor is proposing a refund on that of 85 percent over the next five years, Kisling said. The tax credit program that is on the books now, the investment tax credit, if you build a $50 million facility and you qualify for that, you get a 2 percent tax credit for five years, Stitt said. And that is a direct credit off your adjusted gross income. Oklahoma is reportedly a site under consideration for a Panasonic electric battery factory in the MidAmerica Industrial Park near Pryor. We have an opportunity to land one of the largest factories in the entire country, just a humongous, humongous factory with billions and billions of dollars worth of investment, thousands of thousands of jobs, Stitt said. He said the state is targeting electric auto manufacturing. Canoo, an electric vehicle start-up, announced last year plans to build a factory at the park. Stitt said the incentive he proposed would apply to other projects with companies with thousands of jobs and billions in investments. If we can land some of these major, major companies and these major manufacturing facilities, it will have a generational impact on the state of Oklahoma, Stitt said. He said offering the package is possible because the state has been fiscally conservative and has the largest savings account in Oklahomas history. I am asking the legislature to put this package together, put this mega legislation package together, Stitt said. I am asking them with some of our savings to go ahead and fund this program for the mega legislation. This is our moment, right now. Stitt said he asking the legislation be done this week. It is our understanding the company needs to make a decision fairly quickly, Stitt said. Some other states have already passed some different legislation, so I am asking for this to be passed this week so we can put our best foot forward. Two legislative panels on Monday passed an incentive package for large companies, House Bill 4455, that did not contain the specific details outlined by Stitt. To qualify, a company would have to meet capital investment and job creation thresholds. In a statement after Stitts news conference, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said cities around the world seeing the greatest advancement in growth and improved quality of life are those focused on regional growth. As we seek to make Tulsa a globally competitive, world-class city, we strongly support transformational opportunities like this to expand northeast Oklahomas economy, he said. I want to thank Governor Stitt for his leadership in pursuing this, and hope Oklahoma legislators will join him in a chance to grow the wealth of our state. In Tulsa, we will continue working regionally to make this a win-win for enhanced quality of life and increased economic opportunity. World staff writers Kevin Canfield and Randy Krehbiel contributed to this story. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued a warning against the consumption of the XZL Milk Fruit Jelly School Bag, a candy product imported from the UK, due to concerns over choking risk. The warning came after similar alerts from the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and the Food Standards Agency of the UK. The product in question is packed in 600-gram bags and and its best before dates are September 1 and September 30, 2022. Interdragon International Trading Co. Ltd and Asia Oriental Market Ltd, its manufacturer and distributor, have also recalled XZL Milk Fruit Jelly School Bag in the UK because the product contains Carrageenan, Sodium Alginate and Konjac that are not permitted as ingredients in jelly candy making. Those gelling agents can impose a choking hazard due to the final product's consistency, solubility, shape, size and the manner of consumption. Each cube of jelly can be taken out of a cup or a capsule by taking off the cover and sucking strongly, so it may become stuck in the airway of an eater, the ministry explained. In the UK, notices have been displayed at all retail stores where the candy is available, explaining to customers why the product is being recalled and advising them what to do if they have bought it. Particularly, customers who have made a purchase are required to not eat the jelly, but return it to the stores for a full reimbursement. The Vietnamese trade ministry said that it is also reviewing scientifically the relationship between chemical and physical characteristics of the product, as well as different regulations between Vietnam and other countries regarding the issue before taking further actions. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Many kindergartens in Hanoi welcomed over 80 percent of students back on April 13 after a long shutdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The happiness of going back to school, however, is contrasted by the concern over a severe shortage of teachers, babysitters and security guards at preschools. Many teachers took on a better gig Quynh Nga, owner of a kindergarten in Thanh Xuan District, said that only one third of its old teachers returned to work on the reopening day. Many teachers have taken another job. Despite non-professional jobs, they have stable income and are not worried about being unemployed due to the pandemic, Nga shared, adding that as the date of the reopening was unknown, the kindergarten failed to check whether its old teachers wanted to return to work or employ new staff. As such, the citys decision to reopen kindergartens after the recent Hung Kings Commemoration Day holiday, which fell on April 10, perplexed many kindergartens. In many online kindergarten groups, private kindergarten owners frequently voiced their concerns over a serious shortage of teachers and workers. On April 13, the number of children returning to kindergartens accounted for some 62 percent of the total and would continue to rise in the following days, according to Truong Thu Ha, deputy head of the education and training division of Hoang Mai District. However, only 63.2 percent of kindergarten teachers registered to return to work on the day, said Ha. The number of teachers is just sufficient, but if the number of kindergarteners going back goes up, there will be a shortage of teachers for sure, said Ha. Similarly, according to the education and training division in Ba Dinh District, on April 13, nearly 80 percent of children in the district returned to kindergartens. If all school-age children had gone back to in-person classes, we would have faced a shortage of 215 teachers, said the head of the division. Meanwhile, statistics from the Hoan Kiem District education authorities indicated that some 30 to 40 percent of kindergarten teachers were considering quitting jobs. The principal of a kindergarten in the district said that some teachers had gotten another job and refused to return, while many others had taken a temporary job such as babysitting kids at home. These teachers might return to the kindergarten for work only after their current contracts expire. It will be hard to deal with the shortage of teachers as monthly salary levels are low at VND4-6 million (US$175-261). Besides, they spend 10 to 12 hours working and suffer much pressure. Meanwhile, if diseases break out, they are the first to be affected and become unemployed. Those who return to work at kindergartens certainly either love teaching or have yet to land a good job, said a manager of the Ong Viet kindergarten system in Hanoi City. Giving priority to children at disbanded kindergartens Le Duc Thuan, head of the Ba Dinh District education and training bureau, said that the district had seen five kindergartens and four classes at private ones disband after the pandemic. The students at these facilities will be transferred to others, putting further pressure on the teacher shortage. Another district, Nam Tu Liem, has seen some 10 classes dissolved, said Nguyen Thi Huong, head of the education and training division of the district. Children at disbanded kindergartens will be prioritized for moving to public facilities, said Huong, adding that parents can select to send their children to another private kindergarten. Statistics from education and training divisions showed that the number of kindergarteners back to in-person classes in each district accounted for 60 to 87 percent of the total, while the number of children aged five returning to kindergartens represented over 90 percent. Some children have failed to get back to kindergartens as their old schools were closed. Also, many parents remained hesitant to send their kids back to school due to the pandemic. I am sending my kid to a group of about five to seven children. The group has been maintained during the closure of kindergartens. One of the parents lent premises, while we hired two kindergarten teachers to teach and take care of the group. Everything is running smoothly, so I have yet to allow my kid to get back to school, shared by a parent in My Dinh, Nam Tu Liem District. Speaking at a working session at some kindergartens, Tran Thiet Cuong, director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, said that local education and training divisions were told to review the shortage of teachers facing public kindergartens. The department will report the results to the Hanoi government so the city can map out a plan for teacher recruitment. Job transaction sessions for preschool teachers Despite the relative stability of teachers at public preschools, many student-intensive schools are still facing a serious lack of teachers. therefore, Bac Tu Liem District is planning to team up with some units to hold job transaction sessions for preschool teachers in an effort to help schools fix a teacher shortage in the near future. Special welcome to kindergarteners On the day of reopening kindergartens, Hanoi witnessed preschools give various welcome ways with an aim to create a pleasant and friendly atmosphere for children. The Hoa Mi Kindergarten in Ba Dinh District asked its teachers and employees to dress as cartoon characters. Children could see and shake hands with numerous cartoon characters at the school gate, the school yard and the corridors leading to their classrooms. Meanwhile, at the Viet Trieu Kindergarten, female teachers were wearing colorful clothes and crowns as princesses with school welcome signs in hands to greet students and instruct them how to disinfect their hands. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Rescuers searched for dozens of people still missing in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province on Sunday after heavy rains in recent days triggered floods and mudslides that have killed more than 440 people. The floods have left thousands homeless, knocked out power and water services and disrupted operations at one of Africa's busiest ports, Durban. A provincial economic official estimated the overall infrastructure damage at more than 10 billion rand ($684.6 million). The province's premier, Sihle Zikalala, said the death toll had risen to 443, with a further 63 people unaccounted for. A search and rescue team use a dog to search for bodies in Dassenhoek near Durban, South Africa, April 17, 2022. Photo: Reuters In some of the worst-affected areas, residents said they were terrified by the thought of more rain, which was forecast to fall on Sunday. Some faced an agonising wait for news of missing loved ones. "We haven't lost hope. Although we are constantly worried as (the) days continue," Sbongile Mjoka, a resident of Sunshine village in the eThekwini municipality whose 8-year-old nephew has been missing for days. "We are traumatised by the sight of rain," Mjoka, 47, told Reuters, adding that her home had been badly damaged. A search and rescue team use a dog to search for bodies in Dassenhoek near Durban, South Africa, April 17, 2022. Photo: Reuters In a nearby semi-rural area, three members of the Sibiya family were killed when the walls of the room where they slept collapsed and 4-year-old Bongeka Sibiya is still missing. "Everything is a harsh reminder of what we lost, and not being able to find (Bongeka) is devastating because we can't grieve or heal. At this stage we are left feeling empty," Lethiwe Sibiya, 33, told Reuters. President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said late on Saturday he had delayed a working visit to Saudi Arabia to focus on the disaster. Ramaphosa will meet cabinet ministers to assess the response to the crisis. A general view of a mudslide which destroyed several houses during flooding in Mzinyathi near Durban, South Africa, April 17, 2022. Photo: Reuters KZN Premier Zikalala told a televised briefing that the floods were among the worst in his province's recorded history. "We need to summon our collective courage and turn this devastation into an opportunity to rebuild our province," he said. "The people of KwaZulu-Natal will rise from this mayhem." A view shows the remains of a building, which was destroyed during flooding leaving several people dead, at the KwaNdengezi Station, near Durban, South Africa, April 16, 2022. Photo: Reuters People find their late relative's church uniform in the rubble of a building, which was destroyed during flooding leaving several people dead, at the KwaNdengezi Station, near Durban, South Africa, April 16, 2022. Photo: Reuters The crews of China's Shenzhou-14 and Shenzhou-15 missions have been selected, and are carrying out relevant training and mission preparations, according to a press conference on Sunday. Both crews will stay in orbit for six months, and they will for the first time rotate in orbit to realize the uninterrupted manned residence, Huang Weifen, chief designer of the China manned space program's astronaut system, said at the press conference. The two crews, totaling six astronauts, will live together in orbit for five to 10 days. The Shenzhou-14 crew will cooperate with ground control to complete the assembly and construction of the space station, and gradually develop it from a single-module space station into a three-module combination. Huang said the Shenzhou-14 crew will enter the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules. They will also cooperate with ground control to carry out tests on the two-module complex, the three-module complex, the station's large and small mechanical arms, and the exit function of the airlock cabin in the lab modules, she said. They will use the airlock cabin to carry out extravehicular activities for the first time. Huang said the Shenzhou-15 crew will carry out several extravehicular activities; assemble, test and debug the payloads inside modules; and control the mechanical arms to install extravehicular payloads. They will also operate, manage and maintain the largest complex composed of three modules and three spacecraft. The two crews will undertake science popularization and other public activities, in-orbit scientific research experiments and engineering technology tests, and will collect flight mission data. They will also carry out in-orbit health monitoring, protective exercises, in-orbit training and drills, station platform inspections and tests, equipment maintenance, and station and material management, Huang said. STOCKHOLM -- Three people in the Swedish city of Norrkoping needed medical attention after being hit by police bullets during clashes between police and protesters following Quran burnings that caused riots in several Swedish towns over the Easter weekend. In some places counter-protesters attacked police ahead of planned right-wing extremist demonstrations. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has condemned the violence. "Three people seem to have been hit by ricochets and are now being cared for in hospital. All three injured are arrested on suspicion of crime," police said in an online statement, adding none of the injuries were life-threatening. Police said the situation in Norrkoping was calm on Sunday evening. People burn branches to block a road during a riot ahead of a demonstration planned by Danish anti-Muslim politician Rasmus Paludan and his Stram Kurs party, which was to include a burning of the Muslim holy book Koran, in Navestad, Norrkoping, Sweden April 17, 2022, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 17, 2022. Ulf Wigh/Wighsnews/Handout via Reuters Police and protesters have been engaged in serious clashes during the past days where several police have been injured and multiple vehicles have been torched. The violence began on Thursday after a demonstration organised by Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish far-right political party Hard Line. Paludan, who had permission for a series of demonstrations across Sweden during the Easter weekend, is known for Quran burnings. People walk during a riot ahead of a demonstration planned by Danish anti-Muslim politician Rasmus Paludan and his Stram Kurs party, which was to include a burning of the Muslim holy book Koran, in Navestad, Norrkoping, Sweden April 17, 2022, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 17, 2022. Ulf Wigh/Wighsnews/Handout via Reuters Smoke billows from a burning car during a riot ahead of a demonstration planned by Danish anti-Muslim politician Rasmus Paludan and his Stram Kurs party, which was to include a burning of the Muslim holy book Koran, in Navestad, Norrkoping, Sweden April 17, 2022, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 17, 2022. Ulf Wigh/Wighsnews/Handout via Reuters Read what is in the news today: COVID-19 Updates -- Vietnam reported 14,660 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the lowest number of daily infections in two months, according to the Ministry of Health. -- Children aged 5-11 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City got their first COVID-19 vaccine shot on Saturday and Sunday. Society -- Vietnamese carrier Pacific Airlines had to dispatch an empty plane from Ho Chi Minh City to Cam Ranh Airport in south-central Khanh Hoa Province to transport passengers, who had waited for three hours, from there to the southern metropolis late Sunday night as technicians were replacing the original aircrafts spare parts. -- A fire burned down a two-story wedding studio in Phu Nhuan District at around 7:00 pm on Sunday while another conflagration broke out at a 1,000-square-meter warehouse next to the dormitory of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education on in District 11 and spread to the dorm at around 1:00 am on Monday. Both of the incidents caused no casualties. -- A commune-level deputy chairman in northern Hai Duong Province has been in critical condition due to traumatic brain injury after a group of gangsters attacked him while he was inspecting an illegal building project last Friday. Business -- The Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued a warning to consumers against using the XZL Milk Fruit Jelly School Bags candy products due to a risk of shortness of breath. Lifestyle -- Many churches and missionaries in Ho Chi Minh City held masses with the participation of a large number of foreigners living and working in the southern metropolis to celebrate Easter on Sunday. Sports -- Chelsea reached their third straight FA Cup final with a hard-earned 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to set up a showdown with quadruple-chasing Liverpool, Reuters reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The vice-chairman of a commune-level administration in Hai Duong Province, northern Vietnam suffered a serious brain injury after being attacked by thugs while performing his duty last week. Nguyen Xuan Thang, chairman of the Peoples Committee in An Thuong Commune, Hai Duong City, confirmed on Sunday that one of his deputies and some officials had been brutally assaulted by a group of thugs. On Friday, Ngan Giang HD Petroleum Company hired Nam Anh Transport Company to carry out the ground leveling process at its land plot in An Thuong Commune. As the location is located next to another land lot preserved for agricultural production that was not clearly marked, local authorities ordered the suspension of the ground leveling to make sure the activity did not affect the agricultural land. Although Ngan Giang HD Company agreed to follow the request, employees of Nam Anh Company continued to gather materials to prepare for the work. Chairman Thang and some officials decided to establish a checkpoint at the scene to ensure that their order was complied with. At 8:00 pm the same day, Nguyen Van Hanh, vice-chairman of the commune Peoples Committee, and Nguyen Tuan Anh, an official at the administration, took over the job. After chairman Thang left the site, Nam Anh Company resumed the ground leveling. Hanh and Anh tried to stop the work but ended up being attacked by a group of thugs. Vice-chairman Hanh suffered a traumatic brain injury and was unconscious following the assault. He was admitted to a local hospital and later transferred to an infirmary in Hanoi for surgery. Anh suffered injuries to his head and chest and is being monitored at home. The municipal Department of Public Security arrested several suspects to facilitate their investigation, according to chairman Thang. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A fire burned down a two-story wedding studio in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday night while another conflagration broke out at a 1,000-square-meter warehouse next to the dormitory of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education in District 11 and spread to the dorm early Monday morning. Both of the incidents caused no casualties. The fire ignited the wedding studio on Ho Van Hue Street in Phu Nhuan District at around 7:00 pm on Sunday. Staff members immediately alerted each other and escaped the two-story building before the blaze grew and quickly engulfed the facility. As local efforts to put out the fire with fire extinguishers failed, firefighters arrived at the scene and doused it. Properties inside the studio were completely destroyed while the wall of the adjacent house was also damaged by smoke and fire. The scene of a fire at a wedding studio on Ho Van Hue Street in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, April 17, 2022. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre Meanwhile, many students staying at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education on Lac Long Quan Street in District 11 were forced to evacuate as another fire broke out at a warehouse next door at 1:00 am on Monday. The fire spread to the dorm shortly after. Smoke rises from a fire at a warehouse next to the dormitory of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education on Lac Long Quan Street in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City, April 17, 2022. Video: Van Anh /Handout via Tuoi Tre It took 129 firefighters and 29 specialized vehicles more than two hours to completely extinguish the blaze. The 1,000-square-meter warehouse was totally destroyed. Functional forces are calculating the damage and investigating the cause of the incident. Smoke rises from a fire at a warehouse on Lac Long Quan Street in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City, April 17, 2022. Photo: Handout via Tuoi Tre Smoke rises from a fire at a warehouse on Lac Long Quan Street in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City, April 17, 2022. Photo: Handout via Tuoi Tre A fire truck is pictured at a warehouse on Lac Long Quan Street in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City, April 17, 2022. Photo: Handout via Tuoi Tre Firefighters try to douse a fire at a warehouse on Lac Long Quan Street in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City, April 17, 2022. Photo: Handout via Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A man was stabbed to death at his home in Ho Chi Minh City by another man who is believed to be his acquaintance on Sunday. Police in District 12 confirmed on Monday morning they were investigating the murder that took place at a house in Tan Thoi Hiep Ward. The victim was a 27-year-old man named V., who lived at the residence. Preliminary information showed that an unidentified man, around his 20s, rode a motorbike to V.s home on Sunday afternoon. He entered the house for a brief moment before leaving. V.s mother ran out of the house shortly after as she called for help. Nearby neighbors rushed into the residence and found V. on the floor with a stab wound. He was suffering from severe bleeding. The man was rushed to the hospital but eventually succumbed to his injury. Some eyewitnesses recalled seeing blood on the clothes of the suspect. After being notified, police in District 12 have initiated an investigation, examined the scene, and started a manhunt for the suspect. A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper stated that the suspect seemed to be an acquaintance of the victim. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnamese carrier Pacific Airlines had to dispatch an empty plane from Ho Chi Minh City to Cam Ranh Airport in south-central Khanh Hoa Province to transport passengers, who had waited for hours, late Sunday night as technicians were replacing the original aircrafts spare parts. Flight BL6201 operated by Pacific Airlines was scheduled to depart at 7:15 pm on Sunday, according to a representative of the airline. However, the flight operator consecutively announced its delay until 9:00 pm and later an unspecified time, without informing passengers about the reason, one traveler named Huynh Minh Nhat told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Its almost midnight and the airline merely announced another delay without specifying the reason and new departure time while were already so hungry and thirsty, said Nhat. It was not until 10:00 pm that the carrier provided us with meal vouchers. The Pacific Airlines representative later told Tuoi Tre that the airplane originally employed for flight BL6201 needed to have its spare parts replaced, leading to the delay. Passengers wait as their Pacific Airlines flight to Ho Chi Minh City is delayed at Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, April 17, 2022. Photo: Minh Nhat / Tuoi Tre After assessing the situation, the airline sent another plane carrying spare parts and engineers from Ho Chi Minh City to Cam Ranh. This aid plane departed Ho Chi Minh City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 11:15 pm. After arriving at Cam Ranh Airport, the plane prepared for the transportation of flight BL6201s passengers to Ho Chi Minh City. Its new scheduled takeoff time was 1:00 am Monday. Meanwhile, the original aircraft stayed at Cam Ranh and had engineers replace its spare parts. Pacific Airlines sincerely apologizes to all affected passengers for this unexpected incident and hopes that passengers will sympathize with us, the representative said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Documentary special Palazzo di Cozzo, which profiles cult Italian-Australian businessman, Franco Cozzo, screens on ABC TV Plus next week. Cozzo built a furniture empire in Melbourne becoming famous and beloved for his distinct television commercials in which he would star in Northa Melbourne anda Footisgray. The Australian Dream. Italian Style. At just twenty-one years old, Franco Cozzo travels alone on the wave of post-war migration from Ramacca, Sicily, to Melbourne. He arrives on Australia Day, 1956. A classic migrant story, Franco has no money to his name, just a suitcase in hand, packed by a mother who has farewelled her one surviving child. The young Italian begins work as a door-to-door salesman in a rapidly expanding suburbia. It is a difficult reality, characterised by hard work and isolation. Keen to avoid a racist slur and door-in-the-face, Franco learns to target homes with lemon trees in the front yard to increase his chance of a sympathetic welcome; he has quickly become a savvy businessman. In two years, he will have opened his first furniture store and his wares are in vogue, elaborate neo-baroque and rococo pieces imported from Italy. But Franco wants to put his name in lights. Francos arrival in 1956 was auspicious, as it marked the year Australia introduced the great new mass medium: television. His trajectory was already tied up with the progress of the nation. By 1967 Franco funds and produces Carosello Australias very first non-English language television show that features fellow migrants crooning Italian pop-songs in their mother tongue. From here, it will be only a few years until he broadcasts the first iteration of the format that will truly make his name: the television advertisement. Megalo megalo megaloSe migliore mobile volete comprare, Franco Cozzo e dove andareBuy from Franco Cozzo! Franco speaks direct to camera, arms outstretched, as he rises from a studded chaise lounge. The tri-lingual catchphrase repeated in Greek, Italian and English becomes a refrain stuck in the head of generations of Melbournians and turns Franco Cozzo into a household name, and a very rich man. Mediterranean customers flock to Francos stores and the press begin to realise they have an entertainer on their hands. In many ways, Franco has made a caricature of himself. His mispronunciation of the English suburb names remains part of the popular vernacular to this day. These pop-culture references signal the evolution of the Mediterranean migrant in Australias collective psyche, from the butt-of-the-joke to the joker, from the cultural marker to the cultural producer. But Franco Cozzos name endures for another reason: an illicit myth. Francos first-born and only son, is convicted of selling drugs from the furniture store in the early nineties. Rumours abound and soon all of Melbourne has an opinion. Francos response: People are jealous. 2018: Franco is eighty-two years old and still works six days a week. He still sells the same furniture as when he opened his doors sixty years ago. And he is still beloved by Melbourne. Nobody seems to mind the rumours, in fact, they lap them up. Passers-by come into his stores for a photo or stop him on the street. But customers are dwindling. When someone with an eye for the elaborate furniture does enter, they are no longer Greek or Italian. They are the more recent migrants: African, Chinese, Arabic. They share a taste, but not a language, and Franco struggles to do business with those outside his community. Franco decided to put his iconic Footscray store on the market, but it is not so easy to let go. As he confronts the reality of his own mortality, hes not so sure about leaving his work and the public eye. A salesman and performer to the end, will Franco really be able to move on? Production credits: A Film Camp production, for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with the ABC. Financed with support from Film Victoria. Theatrical Distribution by Sharmill Films. Written and directed by Madeleine Martiniello. Produced by Philippa Campey and Samantha Dinning. ABC Executive Producer Kalita Corrigan. 8:30pm Wednesday April 27 ABC TV Plus. Ukrainian folk-rap band Kalush Orchestra have been granted special permission by the countrys government to go on tour across Europe, in preparation for Eurovision. The band, which filmed their postcard in Israel and appeared at Israel Calling, will now perform live in Turn. The six-man band were initially runners-up to represent their country, when national selection took place in January. However, the original winner Alina Pash had previously visited Russian-controlled Crimea in 2015, and Ukraines national broadcaster, the national selection committee and Pash collectively decided she should not take part. Kalush Orchestra will go instead to this years Contest. The group were told just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Psiuk told the Times, The dates were very close so I had mixed feelings, but I am happy I can help my country with my music it is the biggest way I can be useful right now. People cannot think a lot about music now as there are much more important things to worry about how to survive, how to find food for your family. The band is now the favourite to win in May. The bands dancer will not be going to Turin next month, having joined the Kyiv defence forces. Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra couldn't film its Eurovision postcard in Ukraine, so they're filming it now at the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem after JAFI helped them travel here for "Israel Calling."@wiwibloggs @eurovisionwld pic.twitter.com/0vctBF46u5 Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) April 5, 2022 Source: Deadline Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has announced the unanimous support of the Italian parliament for the supply of weapons to Ukraine and the prospects of strengthening sanctions on Russia. "The decision to send weapons was taken in parliament almost unanimously ... Sanctions are necessary to weaken the aggressor, but they cannot stop the troops in the short term. For that we need to help the Ukrainians directly, what we are doing. Not to do so would be tantamount to telling them to surrender, accept slavery and submission - this goes against our European values of solidarity. Instead, we want to let Ukrainians defend themselves," Draghi told Italy's Corriere della Sera. The Italian prime minister called the Ukrainian resistance heroic and noted that "there is no sign that the Ukrainian people will put up with the Russian occupation." At the same time, he noted that the position of all NATO allies is still to avoid direct European involvement in the war. According to Draghi, he communicated with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and when urged to discuss peace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he was told that "the time for that has not come yet. And after the murders in Bucha in Kyiv region, the Italian prime minister came to the conclusion that dialogue with the Russian head of state was useless. "I'm beginning to think that those who say: you have no use talking to them, you're only wasting time," he said. The Prime Minister of Italy noted that the European Commission and all allies are convinced that the sanctions against Russia are effective. "Europe buys more than half of Russia's gas exports. The European Union's market power over Moscow is a weapon to be used... Europe continues to finance Russia by buying oil and gas, including at a price that has nothing to do with production costs. Imposing a ceiling on the price of Russian gas, as proposed by Italy, is a way to strengthen sanctions while minimizing the costs to us who impose them," he said. "We no longer want to depend on Russian gas, because economic dependence should not become political subordination. For this we need to diversify energy sources and find new suppliers ... Diversification is possible and feasible in a relatively short time, faster than we anticipated just a month ago," Draghi added. The Wentian and Mengtian lab modules will be sent into space this year, and will become the central working area for astronauts in orbit after China's space station construction is completed, according to a press conference on Sunday. The Wentian lab module will be launched in July and Mengtian in October, Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Agency, said at the press conference. Yang Hong, the chief designer of the space station system of the China Manned Space Program at the China Academy of Space Technology, said that both modules are equipped with experiment cabinets and an installation platform for extravehicular payloads. In the two lab modules, astronauts will be able to research space science, space materials, space medicine and space exploration. The Wentian lab module is equipped with the same astronaut living facilities as the Tianhe core module, including three sleeping areas, a toilet and a kitchen. Wentian and Tianhe can support six astronauts living in space during the rotations of two spacecraft crews. A small mechanical arm is installed on the Wentian lab module. It can be used alone or work with the larger robotic arm on the Tianhe core module to assist astronauts in extravehicular activities. An airlock cabin in the Wentian lab module will serve as the main exit-entry point for extravehicular activities once the construction is completed. The node cabin in Tianhe will then serve as a backup. To ensure the reliability of the space station, Wentian will act as a backup for the management and control of the space station complex if there is an issue with the core module. In the Mengtian lab module, a cargo airlock cabin and a deployed extravehicular platform will serve future extravehicular research projects. The science equipment that needs to be installed outside will first be sent to the space station by cargo craft, then transferred outside through the cargo airlock cabin, and then installed on the extravehicular platform by mechanical arms or astronauts. Yang said the Wentian lab module has completed integrated assembly and testing in Tianjin and is ready for launch. The Mengtian lab module has completed part of its integrated assembly and testing, and is currently undergoing further testing as planned. Zhong Hong'en, deputy chief designer of the China Manned Space Program's space utilization system, said that the container-free experiment cabinet and high-quality microgravity experiment cabinet in the Tianhe core module have achieved world-leading conditions to carry out frontier research. In addition to these cabinets, the space station will have another 12 experiment cabinets installed, said Zhong, who is also a researcher at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Every cabinet serves as a miniature space lab. Three large payload hanging points and two experimental exposure platforms will also be deployed, along with the Xuntian space telescope, which will fly in the same orbit as the space station. Zhong said that the research facilities aboard China's space station will help researchers make breakthroughs in fundamental and cutting-edge scientific issues and promote China's space science research and applications to reach a new level. Hao Chun noted at the press conference that crewed spaceflights, which can promote economic and social development, are closely related to the national economy and the people's livelihoods. Hao said that the Beijing Winter Olympics adopted many aerospace technology achievements, from its opening and closing ceremonies to athlete training equipment. Since China launched its crewed space program 30 years ago, more than 4,000 technological achievements have been widely used in various industries of the national economy, driving technological innovation and industrial upgrading, Hao said. He said that more space technology progress will be transferred to civil fields to improve the lives of the people, such as using crystalized protein in space to develop new drugs that fight osteoporosis and muscle atrophy. In the future, China's space station will carry out scientific experiments and technology verification related to the life sciences, material science, microgravity fluid physics, aerospace technology and aerospace medicine, Hao said. "We believe that more space technologies will serve social and economic development and people's livelihoods," he said. The ruling Guinean military junta's determination to increase revenues from its bauxite and iron ore resources could hit China's efforts to make inroads into the West African nation. Despite assurances that the military would respect "existing regulations, contracts and investments" after Alpha Conde was removed as president in a coup in September, Guinea has been exerting more pressure on foreign mining firms. Most recently, it ordered foreign companies to construct local bauxite refineries and in March suspended operations at Simandou, the country's largest iron ore deposit. Chinese companies have vast investments in Guinea, which is the world's second largest producer of bauxite, a mineral used to make aluminium. About half of China's bauxite imports are from Guinea. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Simandou is one of the world's largest undeveloped iron ore deposits, and China sees the site as a source to help reduce its reliance on supplies from Australia. The Simandou project is Guinea's largest iron ore deposit. Photo: Rio Tinto alt=The Simandou project is Guinea's largest iron ore deposit. Photo: Rio Tinto> But Guinea's military rulers have toughened their stance towards multinationals, saying they want the country to earn more from its mineral resources. Last week, the junta ordered mining companies to present proposals and a timetable for the construction of refineries to convert bauxite into alumina within Guinea by the end of May. "Despite the mining boom in the bauxite sector, we have to admit that the expected revenues are below expectations, and you and we cannot continue this game of fools that perpetuates great inequality in our relations," junta leader Mamady Doumbouya said in a meeting with stakeholders in Conakry. Story continues Without providing specifics, Doumbouya warned that "penalties" would follow if the mining companies failed to meet the deadline. Bauxite miners have reportedly committed to developing refineries in the country, but not much has progressed. Anthony Everiss, a senior aluminium analyst at the commodities consultancy CRU Group, said Guinean leaders had been seeking ways to turn the nation's mineral wealth into a means of economic development. He said the junta's move comes at a time when Guinea's bauxite shipments to China are at an all-time high, surpassing six million tonnes in a single month for the first time. However, there currently was just one alumina refinery in operation, and it was built several decades ago, Everiss said. The announcement "is the first time Guinea's junta has shown its hand and is the strongest sign of intent yet that [it] is determined to pursue its policy of resource nationalism", Everiss said. "Guinea is now much more aware of the value of their resources" and has better control of the mining industry and exports, he said. CRU does not expect a greenfield alumina refinery to be built in Guinea before 2026. Technical limitations and higher capital costs in Guinea versus China may lead to disappointment in the government's expectations, it said. Map: SCMP alt=Map: SCMP> The consultancy estimates that six companies have planned 11 million tonnes per year of alumina refining capacity in Guinea. But unlike the significant progress in bauxite mining, movement on alumina refineries has been slow. Only the project by Societe Miniere de Boke (SMB) has made some progress; all others are in early stages. Chinese firms including Chalco Guinea, Jinjiang Group Guinea, TBEA Guinea, Henan International Guinea and Zibo Rundi Guinea are in the early investment stage. However, analysts say it is unclear if this would have an immediate impact. "Presentation of plans would not automatically translate to aluminium production," said W. Gyude Moore, a senior policy fellow with the Centre for Global Development and a former Liberian public works minister. He said most African governments harboured ambitions of moving up the value chain of their mineral exports, so the junta's announcement "is not surprising". Bauxite is not the only resource for which Guinea wants more royalties. The junta said that work at the Simandou iron ore project, where operations were suspended last month, had not progressed and that it was not clear how the mine contributed to national interests. The project has been hit by delays because of years of ownership disputes and slow progress on the 650km (400-mile) railway needed to transport the ore to Guinean ports. Simandou is divided into four blocks with an estimated 2 billion tonnes in commercial-scale, high-grade reserves. Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tinto owns 45 per cent of Blocks 3 and 4; Aluminum Corp of China, or Chinalco, holds 40 per cent; and Guinea's government has the remaining 15 per cent. Blocks 1 and 2 were awarded in 2019 to SMB, a consortium formed by Singaporean shipowner Winning Shipping, Chinese aluminium producer Shandong Weiqiao, the Yantai Port Group and the Guinean transport and logistics company United Mining Supply. Australia supplies about 60 per cent of China's iron ore imports, but ties between the two countries have been strained since Canberra called for an international investigation into the origin of the coronavirus and banned China's Huawei Technologies from its 5G network. Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tinto owns a large stake in the Simandou iron ore project. Photo: Reuters alt=Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tinto owns a large stake in the Simandou iron ore project. Photo: Reuters> That dependence has been driven home in recent weeks with sanctions on Russia driving up the price of commodities, including Australian iron ore. Lauren A. Johnston, a visiting senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide, said the Guinean leaders were "simply taking advantage of contemporary global tensions and supply chain fears to get a better deal for Guinea". "Remember that countries like Morocco are gaining aspects of supply chain production that is moving from Ukraine. I guess Guineans also want to join the upgrade opportunism, as much as nationalism strictly. I think they are just thinking it's a good time to go for a marginally better deal for them," Johnston said. She said Chinese companies had always been relatively happy to move in the direction of local industrialisation. "This may be less true in terms of minerals processing - they have such scale at home it would be hard to compete," Johnston said. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Fans wait in front of O2 Academy in Glasgow ahead Louis Tomlinson's show tonight DEDICATED fans of singer Louis Tomlinson have travelled halfway across the world to see him play in Glasgow tonight. Some supporters have flown in from as far away as Australia, while others have missed family births just to get a glimpse of the star. Dozens of fans, equipped with blankets, hot water bottles and sleeping bags, camped out overnight in front of the O2 Academy in the city's Gorbals, where the singer is due to kick off his world tour tonight at 7pm. The former One Direction member has gained even more fame as a soloist with songs like Miss You and Always You. Some superfans went the extra mile to see their favourite artist. Glasgow Times: Louis Tomlinson's show starts at 7pm tonight Louis Tomlinson's show starts at 7pm tonight Glasgow Times: Queue in front of the O2 Academy ahead Louis Tomlinson's gig Queue in front of the O2 Academy ahead Louis Tomlinson's gig Glasgow Times: Some fans were waiting for 15 hours for the show to start Some fans were waiting for 15 hours for the show to start READ MORE: Glasgows Pollokshaws arcade street art project sparks plans for mural trail Kayo Juanaga, 24, travelled all the way from Tokyo to see the singer and has been camping out since 11am yesterday. She is following Louis around on tour, going to Manchester after tonight and then to London and Doncaster. Glasgow Times: Joao Valle age 20, left and Kayo Juanaga age 24 Joao Valle age 20, left and Kayo Juanaga age 24 Glasgow Times: Kayo Juanaga if fourth in the queue Kayo Juanaga if fourth in the queue Music-obsessed Georgia Paterson, 26, and Maree Muscara, 24, have flown 27 hours to be here, from Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Maree is celebrating her birthday today and is happy to be spending it with the new friends she made in the line. Georgia said: "It's been freezing here, but fun. When we arrived, someone said 'do you want to sit down on our blanket?' And we said yes. "We heard that Glasgow crowds are good and Louis is just the best. "His shows are very intimate." Glasgow Times: Georgia Paterson age 26 from Sydney, left and Maree Muscara age 24 from Melbourne Georgia Paterson age 26 from Sydney, left and Maree Muscara age 24 from Melbourne READ MORE: Glasgow's Overdrive smashing stereotypes about boys in dance Others made similar sacrifices, like Joao Valle, 20, from Manchester, who has also been camping out since Sunday afternoon and is holding his girlfriend's place, who is staying at a hotel nearby. Story continues They travelled five hours for the gig, which will be his first time seeing the singer live. Charli Burns, 17, and Petra Hanusova, 20, met today and have been keeping themselves busy by listening to music and making bracelets for each other. Glasgow Times: Fans brought camping chair and blankets against the cold Fans brought camping chair and blankets against the cold Glasgow Times: Charli Burns age 17 holding her phone, ready to go 'blue for Lou' Charli Burns age 17 holding her phone, ready to go 'blue for Lou' They say the fan community is united and comes together to support each other and organise events. A special event 'Blue for Lou', organised by fans, encourages them to stick a blue piece of paper on their phone light and create a 'blue ocean' in the venues. It's a lovely sentiment that has been successful before. Alicia Hewitt, 18, Keira Campbell, 22, and Tess Couper, 20, came to the venue together at 3.30am this morning. When asked what the most difficult part of the process was, Keira said: "The rain was a bit of a downer." Tess added: "For me, getting out of bed. When I woke up, I was considering not even coming." But they say the 15-and-a-half-hour wait will be worth it to see their favourite artist. Alicia, who met the singer in person before, said: "It was nerve-wrecking. "He is so chill and down to earth, very kind and normal. "He would be great to go for a drink with." Glasgow Times: from left- Tess Couper age 20, Alicia Hewitt age 18 and Keira Campbell age 22 from left- Tess Couper age 20, Alicia Hewitt age 18 and Keira Campbell age 22 Glasgow Times: Fans holding up their signs, ready to go Fans holding up their signs, ready to go Allegra Santoro, 20, from Italy, learned how to crochet in the queue. She said: "It's not that difficult. I thought it would be worse. "I have just been watching YouTube videos." She met Valeria Sanchez, 19, who is from Peru but studies in the city, early this morning in front of the venue. They struggled with the cold weather and became great friends, bonding over their love for Louis, who they both adore since his One Direction days. Glasgow Times: Allegra Santoro age 20, left and Valeria Sanchez age 19 Allegra Santoro age 20, left and Valeria Sanchez age 19 Nahir Blacio, 17, travelled from Spain and missed the birth of her first nephew to attend the show. Camping since 8pm last night, she earned the number one spot for general admission, in a system made up by fans to keep track of the queue. Glasgow Times: Nahir Blacio age 17 Nahir Blacio age 17 She said: "I saw him live before in 2019, at a festival in Madrid. "I am most excited to hear the song Defenseless, which he first played at that festival, it was incredible and beautiful." China donates COVID-19 medical aid to Arab League Xinhua) 08:27, April 18, 2022 CAIRO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China has donated a batch of medical aid to the Cairo-headquartered Arab League (AL) to support its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a joint statement released by the Chinese embassy in Egypt and the AL's secretariat on Sunday. The medical supplies, delivered to the AL general secretariat on Thursday, included face masks and other medical equipment. Liao Liqiang, Chinese ambassador to Egypt and representative to the League of Arab States, said China values its deep friendship with the Arab states, and is ready to strengthen cooperation with the AL in various fields and make joint preparations for the first China-Arab Summit, according to the statement. China supports the AL to play a greater role in promoting regional peace and stability, and is ready to work with Arab countries to build a China-Arab community of shared future, Liao said. For his part, AL Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki praised China for supporting the AL in the fight against the COVID-19 by sending medical supplies and vaccines. Member states of the AL are keen to strengthen their cooperation with China in various fields, including the Belt and Road Initiative, Zaki said, referring to the China-proposed global initiative with a vision to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes by land and sea. Member states of AL appreciate China's diplomatic efforts to find peaceful solutions to regional crises and safeguard both international and regional peace and stability, he added. The first China-Arab Summit to be held later this year will promote the development of the strategic partnerships between Arab states and China and serve the common interests of both sides, according to Zaki. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) The 2022 Paulson Prizes for Sustainability are now accepting applications until June 30, announced the Paulson Institute, in partnership with China's Tsinghua University on April 15. "The climate and biodiversity crises are two of the biggest challenges of our generation. The Paulson Prize for Sustainability is all about discovering the ideas and innovations that will make a difference in mitigating their impact," said Henry M. Paulson, Jr., founder and chairman of the Paulson Institute. "By shining a light on the most innovative and transformative green projects coming out of China, the Paulson Prize seeks to inspire the spread of sustainable solutions that can make our world more resilient and environmentally sustainable," he stressed. In 2013, the Paulson Institute launched the Prize to annually award projects in China that present innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions to address the twin emergencies of climate change and biodiversity loss. The main objective of the Prize is to lead the global sustainability transformation by inspiring new thinking and shining a light on projects that offer the most potential to meet these challenges, both in China and around the world. In its ninth year, the Paulson Prize awards one project in each of two categories: Green Innovation and Nature Stewardship. The Nature Stewardship award is given to projects centered around conservation and biodiversity protection. This category recognizes innovative and scalable projects that preserve and protect the natural environment, including restoring natural ecosystems in China, such as wetlands, forests, oceans, rivers, grasslands, and deserts. The Green Innovation category, as in years past, focuses on the built environment, including energy conservation, comprehensive utilization of resources, the circular economy, pollution prevention and control, and climate resilience. Yu Jiang, chief representative of the China Office & Managing Director for the Paulson Institute in Beijing, said in his speech addressing the launch ceremony that as the world's second-largest economy and one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, China advocates a green, low-carbon and ecologically-first development path. Therefore, its innovative solutions can serve as a reference for promoting the agenda for sustainable development. "We look forward to more enterprises, institutions, social groups, and non-governmental organizations actively participating in the application this year to promote the Chinese solutions to the world," Yu said. "We are at a pivotal time in the transition to a low carbon economy, where the capital, technology, and policy all must align to enable growth in green initiatives and industries at a significant pace and scale," said Tracy R. Wolstencroft, jury co-chair in Green Innovation, senior advisor to TPG Rise Climate, and former president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, "The Paulson Prize represents a unique opportunity for both public and private sector leaders in green innovation to receive international recognition, but also raise their profile with potential new partners, new investors, customers, and policymakers." "China has innovative models and practices in ecosystem restoration and protection. Through the Paulson Prize, we hope to bring these innovations to the rest of the world," said Ma Keping, Paulson Prize jury committee co-chair, chairman of IUCN Asia Regional Members Committee, and deputy director-general for the Biodiversity Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. More information is available via the link: https://www.paulsoninstitute.org/key-initiatives/prize/ PHILADELPHIA The frustration jumped off the Instagram page: "I have never ever seen this many people trying to dump their dogs," posted Jessica Mellen-Graaf of the Philly Bully Team dog rescue. Already swamped, her rescue team had received 20 requests in 48 hours from owners who wanted to give up their dogs. "We knew this could happen," she said. "I just don't think we thought it was going to be this bad." In the early months of COVID-19, the near-emptying of the nation's animal shelters was one of the few bright spots in a dark time. ASPCA data suggest over 23 million American households acquired a pet during the pandemic. But as pandemic restrictions receded, many are returning to the workplace or finding COVID has otherwise altered their circumstances. Animal advocates are now scrambling to find volunteers to foster homeless dogs. Fewer people want to adopt. And organizations say they're inundated with requests from owners to unload dogs they no longer want or feel able to keep. "It's hard right now," said Marta Gambone of Phoenix Animal Rescue in Chester Springs, Pa. Pet rescues and shelters help people giving up pets due to hardship, but Gambone and fellow advocates say a lot of the surrenders they're seeing now are a different story. They are dogs like Nate, a playful, one-year-old German shepherd turned over to Phoenix recently by his family. "He is smart as a whip, he's a great dog, but they surrendered him because they don't have time for him," Gambone said. "He's absolutely a COVID dog that somebody bought, and now that the people are going to work, they don't want to deal with him anymore." Many of these "COVID dogs" are big breeds a pet population that has become a challenge for animal shelters and rescues nationwide to foster or find homes, especially now. "People get a puppy because it's cute, but that puppy grows into a 100-pound Mastiff or Boerboel," Gambone said. "We've seen a lot of dogs that are not the right match being returned because they're getting a lot bigger and they're getting destructive at home because they're not getting the exercise they need." Angelica Giunta, president of Philly Rescue Angels, recently helped an owner who said he couldn't keep his young husky mix. "My life circumstances changed," said the husky's owner, a Philadelphia professional who didn't want to be named. Giunta found a husky rescue willing to help find a new home for that dog. No such luck for a young father-son shepherd pair another owner no longer wanted. "The rescues are so full. I hate asking other rescues. I know how they feel," Giunta said. "I'm at capacity right now." Especially upsetting to Mellen-Graaf of Philly Bully Team and fellow pet advocates is that many of these surrenders stem from lack of training a fixable problem that some groups will even help with. "A lot of what we're seeing is people struggling with their dogs having separation anxiety which totally makes sense," said Mellen-Graaf. "When they got these dogs, they were home all the time. They never taught the dogs to be alone, and they never bothered to crate train them. Now people are leaving their houses more often, and they're seeing this anxiety they unknowingly caused." During COVID, many new owners couldn't get a trainer, couldn't afford one or didn't know how to do it themselves. A lot of these pets ended up with behavior problems. Freddie Mercury, a young brown pit bull mix with pretty chestnut eyes and big, stick-up ears, was adopted from the Philly Bully Team as a happy, friendly puppy. But he was returned as a severely under-socialized young dog. The rescue paid for a board and train program for Freddie. "He had to relearn structure and boundaries all those things he wasn't taught as a puppy when he adopted," Mellen-Graaf said. "He's looking for a home now," she added. "He's a good boy." As tough as things are for private shelters and rescues, the situation ratchets up a whole other level at Philly ACCT, Philadelphia's open intake shelter where the mission is to take all dogs brought in, and where owner surrenders are way up. "It's just a game of musical chairs every day, and unfortunately the cost sometimes is these animals' lives," said Sarah Barnett, ACCT's acting co-executive director. "We're having to timestamp (schedule for euthanasia) dogs that I never imagined we would need to because these were dogs we thought would leave thought would get adopted." Open intake shelters around the country are over capacity, said the director. ACCT recently had more than 120 dogs in space meant for 70. Lengths of stay are way up, but there aren't enough foster homes or space in rescues and private shelters to give more ACCT dogs more time to find a home. ACCT tries to prevent surrender by helping owners keep their pets offering to pay for veterinary care or training classes, for example but lately, many seem less receptive. "People really have reached their breaking point," Barnett said. "There are different issues that are just making people hit their brink and not be open to help or assistance in the way they used to be." Meanwhile, ACCT has struggled with budget cuts as service demands have risen. "That's why everybody is reaching out to the public whether it's fostering, adopting or volunteering," Barnett said. "Anything." ACCT, for example, often waives adoption fees. Many shelters and rescues also offer help with veterinary care, training or other needs. Maddie Bernstein, PSPCA's Philly manager of life saving, says they've been getting at least 10 surrender requests a day instead of the typical one to three, she said. Cats are still finding homes, said Bernstein, echoing other shelter operators. It's dogs, and their higher care commitments, that are having a harder time. Normally, this would still be the slow season for animal surrenders. Summer, with vacations and other plans, is usually when foster homes and adopters get scarce. But now it's busy everywhere, said Mellen-Graaf of Philly Bully Team. "I just had one of our shelter partners in South Carolina text me: "Can you please take a litter of puppies? Please, please, please,'" she said. "I have nowhere to put them. But if they're going to be euthanized, I have to take them. I can't say no. They're puppies." What to do? "I'll find somewhere for them to go," she said. She just didn't know where. WATERLOO A Waterloo man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened to shoot up a house on Sunday. Authorities were called to a disturbance at the home at 413 Oliver St. around 3:30 p.m. Sunday as people were arriving for a family gathering for Easter. Witnesses said two people began arguing with residents at the home. A man threatened to shoot up the Oliver Street home and told a woman walking to the house that he was going to cut her natural gas line and set her house on fire, according to court records. Police arrested Terrence Fitzpatrick Hackett, 44, for first-degree harassment and threat of arson. Bond was set at $7,000. Kamay Julia Kelly, 23, was arrested for second-degree harassment. She was later released from jail. Court records state Kelly and a resident at the Oliver Street home have had ongoing problems. Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO Indiana-based telecommunications company MetroNet has announced plans to bring gigabit-speed, 100% fiber optic service directly to homes and businesses in Waterloo. Metronet is the sixth-largest fiber-optic provider in the United States, offering service in eight states. The company operates or is in the process of building fiber networks in nearly two dozen Iowa cities, including Ames, Bettendorf, Davenport and Ankeny. According to a company press release, the two-year construction project will begin this summer, with the first customers receiving service before the end of 2022. Metronet is thrilled to soon deliver a future-proof internet infrastructure to Waterloo residents and businesses, said John Cinelli, Metronet CEO, in the press release. The company is capable of providing multi-gigabit speeds, including 5GB, in the very near future. When pre-construction activities begin, Waterloo residents will see Metronet trucks throughout the area. Residents will be notified by mail about construction in their neighborhood 30 days prior to starting. Additional messaging, such as yard signs, will also be provided about when construction is beginning in a neighborhood. According to the companys website, in Iowa MetroNet offers packages starting at $49.95 a month for 100 mbps, $59.95 for 200 mbps, $69.95 for 500 mbps and $89.95 for 1 gigabit. The 200 mbps and 500 mbps plans paired with whole home WiFi for 24 months are priced at $54.95/month or $64.95/month depending on the plan. Under some promotions the 1 gig package is $59.95/month for the first six months before increasing to $69.95/month for 12 months and then the regular price of $89.95/month afterward. Craig Zimmerman, market manager for MetroNet, said Waterloo is an excellent opportunity for us. Weve been extremely excited about working with the city and providing a choice for residents and businesses there. Zimmerman said while the exact price of the fiber build out in Waterloo isnt known yet, the Des Moines project cost around $70 million. The city of Waterloo has explored the creation of a municipal telecom utility for years. Voters in 2005 approved such a utility, but the effort stagnated. But it has recently sparked to life again. In November, the City Council unanimously approved a $2.5 million contract with Magellan Advisors to design and engineer a network of 309 miles of fiber-optic cable throughout the city. It will be paid for with American Rescue Plan funding. The design will provide a cost estimate for actually building the system. The city likely would then ask voters to approve a bond issue to help pay for construction, expected to cost tens of millions of dollars. Dubbed the fiber for the home plan, the design will allow businesses and homes connect to a municipal utility instead of Mediacom or CenturyLink. Noel Anderson, community planning and development director for Waterloo, said the work MetroNet is doing would essentially be competition for the city, but the city welcomes competition if it means expanding options for Waterloo residents and businesses. I think MetroNet would be a competitor if the citys not partnering with them, which the citys moving ahead with their own [plan], Anderson said. But I think more fiber options for the citizens and businesses of Waterloo will help the overall goal of providing a fiber city. Expansion of broadband access is mapped out in the citys 8 Big Ideas in 8 Years plan to further modernize and increase opportunities for Waterloo. The eighth point of this plan, Community of Opportunity, specifically highlights the importance of better Internet access. Meanwhile, Zimmerman says his company is ready for the competition. All the residents and all the businesses are going to have a choice, theyre going to have an option, and were hoping that all of them will recognize us as a great competitor, a great alternative, Zimmerman said. Were hoping to prove that we can provide better service and support, offer better speeds and therefore be a better value for the residents and the businesses of Waterloo. MetroNet will be hiring local sales and customer service professionals along with service technicians to support the Waterloo area. Those interested in joining the MetroNet team can visit MetronetInc.com/careers to search available positions and to submit applications. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO Changing regulatory requirements along with staffing and marketplace challenges are causing Rosewood Estate to close. Amity Fellowserve-Iowa Inc., the nonprofit entity that has owned and operated the independent living facility since it opened in 1995, announced Monday that the closing will happen by this summer. The 70-apartment facility is open to people 55 and older. Currently, 48 people occupy 34 apartments in Rosewood Estate, located at 1117 Maxhelen Blvd. The building includes single- and double-occupancy apartments. It was a really difficult decision that the board of directors took really seriously, said Mike Young, the nonprofits attorney. Rosewood Estate has had the same operations since it opened 27 years ago, but regulations from the state of Iowa have changed, especially in the last few years. Those changes required a lot of expense, and when the pandemic hit those factors made it financially unsustainable. A news release cited COVID-19 for the staffing complications and marketplace challenges that led to the boards decision, among other factors. Before the pandemic occupancy was closer to 90% (of capacity), said Young. The challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic was that it was difficult on the residents and the staff to navigate because it lasted longer than anyone anticipated. Regarding regulatory changes, the news release added that the costs of proposed mandates from the State of Iowa were becoming overly burdensome. Rosewood Estate has a unique structure, said Young. It is an independent facility where residents contract their own health care. The state of Iowa (has) approved that relationship since 1995 but recently indicated that it would have to operate more as an assisted living facility, which entails many more costs. When you factored in the pandemic and the change in the state regulations that is why the board felt this was the only choice, he noted. The news release said the leadership of Rosewood Estate is committed to ensuring that all residents as well as the 37 employees and contracted staff members are provided with alternative arrangements in an orderly and timely manner, with careful consideration given to the well-being of all stakeholders. The organization is working with the nearby Friendship Village Retirement Community, which currently provides management services at the facility, to accomplish this. Fortunately, Friendship Village is able to provide placement for all of the residents and all of the employees if they so choose, said Young. We realize not everyone will transfer over, but were grateful to offer that option to everyone because we hope that makes the move less disruptive. Services will continue at Rosewood Estate until alternative placements with Friendship Village or elsewhere can be identified for all residents, which is anticipated to be completed within 90 days. Rosewood Estate staff, as well as social workers from Friendship Village and UnityPoint HealthAllen Hospital, are assisting residents and their families as they examine the available options. What will happen to the building once operations cease has yet to be determined. The decision on the buiding will be made at a later time, said Young. Right now, the focus is assisting the residents and the staff who are impacted. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO --The Waterloo Noon Kiwanis will meet Tuesday at the Elks Lodge for a noon luncheon. Whitney Jensen, Winnebago Council development director, will provide updates on Scouting camps. The Waterloo Noon Kiwanis are celebrating 100+ years of service to the Waterloo Community . Service-minded individuals may attend meetings. Call Larry Cain at 319-231-9871 for the meeting RSVP. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Chinese lawmakers are considering a draft law revision to provide tougher rules against trafficking women. The draft revision to the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women was submitted on Monday to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for a second reading. The draft proposes a "mandatory reporting and screening mechanism" to swiftly identify and handle crimes against women. Marriage registration organs, local governments, women's associations, and hotels shall report to the police if they suspect women are being trafficked or abducted, says the draft. Those who fail to perform the mandatory duties will be punished. Hotels that fail to report such law violations or crimes may have their business licenses revoked or fined up to 50,000 yuan (about 7,845 U.S. dollars). The draft revision underwent a first reading in December, after which the legislature posted the draft online to solicit public comments. Over 420,000 comments were submitted, a sign that the legislation has garnered wide public attention. Many comments called for prompt measures to identify and prevent law violations or crimes that infringe upon the rights and interests of women, including trafficking, according to Zang Tiewei, a spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee. The Ministry of Public Security in March kicked off a special operation that will run through year-end to crack down on the abduction and trafficking of women and children. A government work report made public during this year's "two sessions" in March also vowed to "crack down hard" on the trafficking and buying of women and children. Lawmakers will deliberate the draft revision in group discussions during the NPC Standing Committee session, which will be convened until Wednesday. What sort of nation is so sick in its soul and its soul so debilitated that it is to the point of permitting a degenerate US administration to carry the world to the edge of atomic holocaust? A country that fails to address it? Fail to question why we support radical groups all over the world? Fail to see the damage we do as a country to the world? Fail to care at all about anything? Fails to see how we involve religion as a tool of said degeneracy? The latest holiness of decisions, as we even involved the Pope, is significant in that virtually no one questions anything. The Pope is not capable to question, for he is corrupted deeply and answers to his handlers. Are we all corrupted so deeply that we only answer to our handlers also? A majority rule government, all hail a voter based system, a culminated lie which has carried us to the edge of nuclear and society breakdown. It has carried us to the edge of the abyss. It has carried us to the edge of the Armageddon and it is within view As we go down for the last time, why must we embrace the Jewish entertainer named Zelensky, he who was made president of Ukraine, who clearly hates the Ukrainian public of its citizens, who is the epitome of the west, whom has turned into a contemptible USA/EU public legend, and a gay sex poster boy image for the USA/EU as well It matters not to this western society that truth has been flowing and truth has been squelched by itself and that truth is showing the Ukrainians killing their own for years and years. And you fly the murderers flag, along side our own murdering flag and embrace the killers desires and send more weapons to the killers, to kill more citizens of its country and then look around and have the gall to say that Russia is killing these people.we have the gall to point at Russia and say that Russia is evil! Yet Russia is the only one trying to stop the world from becoming a devoid and soulless place of penitence for the wicked upon earth. As moths flitting from flame to flame in the dark, should we not embrace the light of good and turn from the light of evil? Such melancholy individuals we Americans are WtR By Russian_Village A survivor of six heart attacks and a brain tumor, a grumpy bear of a man, whom has declared Russia as his new and wonderful home. His wife is a true Russian Sweet Pea of a girl and she puts up with this bear of a guy and keeps him in line. Thank God for my Sweet Pea and Russia. Shout-out to the person who named the new Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy exhibition at the Legion of Honor. It's the clearest way to sum up the premier Chinese designer's work. Of course, "mind-blowing, heart-thumping, meticulously crafted, East-meets-West wearable art," works, too. Just opened and on view through September 5th, the show dazzles from top to bottom, gravity-defying headpieces to fanciful footwear and everything exquisite in between. Essentially, it's a celebration of the renowned couturier's remarkable work over the past 20 years. You'll find more than 80 pieces from Guo Pei's collections, which have graced runways around the globe, from Beijing to Paris. Plus, many of the designs have never been publicly displayed before. (We love a first to see moment.) The fashion designer is best known for lavish embroidery that draws on artistic Chinese traditions, unconventional design techniques, and exquisite craftsmanship. Her couture fantasy fuses the influences of Chinas imperial past with the grandeur of European court life, architecture, export art, and floral and botanical motifs. Themes that show up often in her magical designs include rebirth, Chinese legends, and religion. Installation of 'Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy' at the Legion of Honor. (Gary Sexton; courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco) "In my life, there are two types of designsthe first type is very realistic and wearable. The other type of design is for me. These things are closer to art. My designs tend to be wild and whimsical, and I try a lot of new things. I am using clothes to tell a story, so its very similar to a play," Guo Pei explains. While the designer was looking forward to attending the museum's opening events, Covid restrictions in China made it impossible for her to travel. Still, she's thrilled that her first comprehensive exhibition has finally arrived. "As a creator and artist, there is no greater honor or privilege than to share my creativity with a wider audience. I am therefore honored and humbled that the prestigious Legion of Honor Museum is presenting a retrospective of my work. In doing so, I hope that it brings greater awareness and understanding of my lifes passion, and conveys Chinese culture, traditions and shows the new face of contemporary China," she says. So exactly who is Guo Pei and what's her story? Here's a condensed primer. The 55-year-old Beijing nativecrazy-famous in her home countryhas been dressing A-listers of all types for years. She came of age during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and graduated at the top of her class with a fashion-design degree from the Beijing Second Light Industry School in 1986. Guo Pei, Legend of the Dragon, Autumn/Winter 2012, Silk; embroidered with metallic threads, sequins, embellished with Swarovski crystals, rhinestones, metal wire. (Copyright Guo Pei / Asian Couture Federation. Photograph by Lian Xu; courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco) After a decade working for major manufacturers, she set up her own atelier, Rose Studio. Today, it employs more than 500 skilled artisans who produce her elaborate creations. Some take, literally, thousands of hours and years to complete. In 2015, Pei became only the second native Chinese member of the prestigious Chambre Syndicate de la Haute Coutureallowing for her Paris haute-couture debut in 2016. Her Courtyard Collection won rave reviews and there have been many accolades since (i.e. making Time mag's 100 Most Influential People and Business of Fashion's BoF 500 lists). Undoubtedly, though, there is one moment that launched Guo Pei into another stratosphere of fame. It had a little something to do with a pop star named Rihanna and the Met Gala in 2015. When the "Diamonds" chanteuse stepped out in a GP-designed canary-yellow cape gown with detailed floral embroidery and a pooling train, it was instantly iconic. The memes flowed on social media. And turns out, having one's dress compared to omelets and other food items increases your street cred and recognition with Western audiences. Installation of 'Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy' at the Legion of Honor. (Gary Sexton; courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco) While visitors won't get to see the dramatic RiRi gown, they're in for another surprise: the exhibit's unconventional format. Sure, there's a dedicated area on the museum's lower level where a cluster of small galleries display Pei's luxurious works. They're arranged by theme not chronologically, on the chicest mannequins we've seen. But these beauties are just the amuse-bouche. The scrumptious main course takes place upstairs in the permanent galleries. Guo Pei's showstoppers are placed en scene, next to paintings, antiquities, and decorative arts from various periodsMedieval Renaissance and Mannerist Art to 19th century European Art to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. These cleverly curated juxtapositions are truly delightful and thought-provokingand that's the point. "Displayed in a neoclassical architectural context at the Legion of Honor, amidst our collection of European art, Peis designs encourage our visitors to consider the rich historical ties between China and the West," says Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Bottom line: There's much to see hereall fabulous, especially for fashion lovers. But even if you don't read one placard or listen to the excellent audio tour, Guo Pei's work is a feast for the eyes, heart, and mind. As long as you bring those along, you'll leave richer for the experience. // Legion of Honor, 100 34th Ave. (Sea Cliff); advance tickets are recommended, tickets.famsf.org. Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg 13+ / Alamy Stock Photo En espanol Consumers deceived by a sprawling online scam promising easy access to government services like drivers license renewals and housing vouchers are in line for relief with the help of a federal lawsuit that secured more than $102 million in refunds for victims. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the launch this month of a process to reach people who did business with On Point Global, the umbrella entity for a network of Miami-based companies that operated more than 200 websites offering supposed shortcuts to government benefits and services. Stretto, the company handling the refund process, is contacting people misled by the multiyear scheme, which targeted consumers nationwide. If you made a payment or provided personal data such as your age, income, gender, or credit or debit card number to an On Point Global site, you have until July 17 to file a claim. Search ads led to phony sites The sites, with names like DMV.com, floridadriverslicense.org and my-food-stamps.org, used search engine advertising to target people looking for information about drivers license and vehicle registration renewals in their state, hunting and fishing licenses, and eligibility for federal aid such as Section 8 housing vouchers and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, according to the FTC, which filed suit against the operators in late 2019. But most cybercriminals arent tech geniuses like Jonathan was; theyre good at basic skills and willing to learn. Kim, for example, was a middle-aged bookseller from Denver who must have read too many crime thrillers and how-to computer manuals. Relying solely on what he learned from books, he became a successful cybercriminal until the law caught up with him. He spent four years in federal prison. Thomas had retired from a career as a mortgage officer before he decided there was easier money to be had from stealing over the web. He, too, ended up in prison. David was a career criminal check-kiting was his bread and butter until he discovered it was easier to steal as a cybercrook. Albert was a kid from Miami with computer skills who became very rich before he was caught and given a 20-year prison sentence. Ray was a retired Army officer who didnt begin his cybercrime career until he was 64. Shawn was an aspiring actor who was a natural at identity theft. These are just some of the people I know who got caught. Most high-tech scammers dont. But what we can learn from them is that there is no single profile of a cybercriminal other than they are motivated by what they believe will be easy money. What you can also take away from their stories is that the tech tools of criminality are relatively easy to find, buy and use. Order some computers and headsets, get top-grade internet service, buy and install the right software, teach your workers to use it and other online tools, and your boiler room can be up and running quickly. The dark web This underground part of the internet began as a project developed by the U.S. Navy to allow intelligence operatives to communicate with each other anonymously. Over time, the Navy made its Tor browser open source, meaning anyone could use the dark web, including you and me and for free. That has proven to be a jackpot for criminals. Because of its ability to keep users anonymous, tech specialists train scam artists how to use it to communicate, share information, buy stolen goods and services, and plot criminal activities. Telegram Thats the name of a secure, encrypted, private messaging app owned by Pavel Durov, a Russian billionaire. Telegram is notoriously unfriendly to law enforcement, and so it has become the new favorite meeting place of online crooks and scammers. MYKULYCHI, Ukraine On a quiet street lined with walnut trees was a cemetery with four bodies that hadnt yet found a home. All were victims of Russian soldiers in this village outside Ukraines capital, Kyiv. Their temporary caskets were together in a grave. Volunteers dug them up one by one on Sunday two weeks after the soldiers disappeared. This spring is a grim season of planting and replanting in towns and villages around Kyiv. Bodies given hurried graves amid the Russian occupation are now being retrieved for investigations into possible war crimes. More than 900 civilian victims have been found so far. All four bodies here were killed on the same street, on the same day. Thats according to the local man who provided their caskets. He bent and kissed the cemeterys wrought-iron crosses as he walked to the makeshift grave. The volunteers tried digging with shovels, then gave up and called an excavator. As they waited, they recounted their work secretly burying bodies during the monthlong Russian occupation, then retrieving them. One young man recalled being discovered by soldiers who pointed guns at him and told him Dont look up as he dug a grave. The excavator arrived, rumbling past the cemeterys wooden outhouse. Soon there was the smell of fresh earth, and the murmur, There they are. A woman appeared, crying. Ira Slepchenko was the wife of one man buried here. No one told her he was being dug up now. The wife of another victim arrived. Valya Naumenko peered into the grave, then hugged Ira. Dont collapse, she said. I need you to be OK. The two couples lived next to each other. On the final day before the Russians left the village, soldiers knocked at one home. Valyas husband, Pavlo Ivanyuk, opened the door. The soldiers took him to the garage and shot him in the head, apparently without any explanation. Then the soldiers shouted, Is anyone else here? Iras husband, Sasha Nedolezhko, heard the gunshot. But he thought the soldiers would search the homes if no one answered. He opened the door and the soldiers shot him too. The mens caskets were lifted out with the others, then pried open. The four bodies, wrapped in blankets, were placed in body bags. The lace-edged white lining of each casket was stained red where the head had been. Ira watched from afar, smoking, but stood by the empty caskets as the others left. All this land is in blood, and it will take years to recover, she said. She had known her husband was here. Nine days after his temporary burial, she came to the cemetery scattered with picnic tables, following the local custom of spending time with the dead. She brought coffee and cookies. I want this war to end as soon as possible, she said. The other bodies were a teacher and a local man who lived alone. No one came for them on Sunday. In the house next to the cemetery, 66-year-old Valya Voronets cooked homegrown potatoes in a wood-warmed room, still getting by without water, electricity or gas. A small radio played, but not for long because the news gets too depressing. A plate of freshly cut radishes rested near the window. A Russian soldier once came running and pointed his gun at her husband after spotting him climbing onto the roof to get a cellphone signal. Are you going to kill an old man? 65-year-old Myhailo Scherbakov replied. Not all the Russians were like that. Voronets said she cried together with another soldier, barely 21. Youre too young, she told him. Another soldier told her they didnt want to fight. Still, she feared them all. But she offered them milk from her only cow. I felt sorry for them in these conditions, she said. And if youre nice to them, maybe they wont kill you. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine SEOUL, South Korea North Korea has test-fired a new type of tactical guided weapon designed to boost its nuclear fighting capability, state media reported Sunday, a day before its chief rivals the United States and South Korea begin annual drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal. The 13th weapons test this year came amid concerns that North Korea may soon conduct an even larger provocation. That may include a nuclear test in an effort to expand the countrys arsenal and increase pressure on Washington and Seoul while denuclearization talks remain stalled. The official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong Un observed what it called the weapons successful launch. It released a photo showing a beaming Kim clapping his hands with military officers. KCNA said the weapon tested has great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the front-line long-range artillery units, enhancing the efficiency in the operation of (North Koreas) tactical nukes and diversification of their firepower missions. KCNA didnt elaborate, but its use of the words tactical nukes suggested the weapon is likely capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that could hit strategic targets in South Korea, including U.S. military installations. The KCNA dispatch didnt say when and where the launch occurred. North Korea is trying to deploy not only long-range nuclear missiles aimed at American cities but also tactical nuclear weapons to threaten Seoul and U.S. bases in Asia, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. Pyongyangs purposes likely exceed deterrence and regime survival. Like Russia employs the fear it could use tactical nukes, North Korea may want such weapons for political coercion, battlefield escalation and limiting the willingness of other countries to intervene in a conflict, he said. Some observers said the weapon showed in North Korean photos suggested it might be a smaller, lighter version of its nuclear-capable KN-23 missile that has a highly maneuverable flight aimed at defeating missile defense systems. Others said it could be a new missile that combines the technical characteristics of the KN-23 and another short-range ballistic missile called the KN-24. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it had detected two launches from the Norths eastern coastal town of Hamhung early Saturday evening. It said the missiles flew about 110 kilometers (68 miles) at an altitude of 25 kilometers (16 miles) and a maximum speed of Mach 4. South Koreas presidential office said officials have met twice this weekend to discuss the North Korean military activities. South Koreas military said later Sunday that its nine-day springtime drills with the United States will start on Monday. It said the allies decided to hold computer-simulated command post exercises that dont involve field training after reviewing factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and the allies combined defense readiness. The exercises could further intensify animosities on the Korean Peninsula because North Korea has previously responded with its own weapons tests and fiery rhetoric. North Korea has started this year with a slew of weapons tests, including its first flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. homeland since 2017. South Korea recently said it has detected signs that North Korea is rebuilding tunnels at a nuclear testing ground it partially dismantled weeks before it entered now-dormant nuclear talks with the United States in 2018. A possible nuclear test by North Korea would involve a tactical nuclear warhead, said analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea. He predicted that North Korea would push to mount a tactical nuclear warhead on the weapon tested this weekend and deploy such nuclear missiles near the border with South Korea. North Korea has a domestic imperative to make and perfect weapons ordered by Kim Jong Un last year regardless of what the U.S. does or doesnt do. The test also tells his people that their country is strong despite their apparent economic difficulties, said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at Washingtons Center for a New American Security. One reason for the political timing could be to protest anticipated U.S.-South Korea military drills. On Friday, Kim attended a massive civilian parade in Pyongyang that marked the milestone 110th birthday of his state-founding grandfather, Kim Il Sung. It appeared the country passed its most important national holiday without a highly anticipated military parade to showcase its new weapons systems. Kim may still hold a military parade on the April 25 founding anniversary of North Koreas army. But if that anniversary goes without a military parade again, some experts say that might mean Kim doesnt have new powerful missiles to display and that his next provocative step will likely be a nuclear test. ___ Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report. JERUSALEM Israeli police on Sunday entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalems Old City to secure the way for Jewish visitors to the flashpoint holy site, fueling clashes that left 17 Palestinians wounded, according to Palestinian medical workers. The unrest happened just two days after clashes with Palestinians at the same site. Violence in Jerusalem between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators a year ago escalated into an 11-day Gaza war. The hilltop compound housing the mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam, while it is the holiest place for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. The competing claims to the site have sparked numerous rounds of violence. This year the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Christian holy week culminating in Easter Sunday and the week-long Jewish Passover are all occurring at the same time, with tens of thousands of visitors flocking to the city after coronavirus restrictions have been mostly lifted. Israeli police accused Palestinians of defiling and desecrating a holy site, while Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to divide the sensitive holy site. What happened in Al-Aqsa Mosque is a dangerous escalation, the repercussions of which are to be borne by the Israeli government alone, said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Police said they entered the compound to facilitate the routine visit of Jews to the holy site. They said Palestinians had stockpiled stones and set up barriers in anticipation of violence. Amateur videos circulating on social media appeared to show police officers using batons to subdue arrested Palestinians and clear people from the esplanade, drawing accusations they were using excessive force. In one video, an officer clubbed an apparently unarmed man as he stood next to a child. Omer Barlev, the Israeli minister in charge of the police, said it was important to ensure freedom of worship but we will not compromise when violence and terror take place. The police cleared Palestinians out of the sprawling esplanade outside the mosque itself early Sunday, while dozens of Palestinians remained inside the building chanting God is Greatest. Video released by police showed small groups of youths throwing stones, as well as fireworks being fired from inside the mosque. Palestinians reported brief clashes with Israeli police just outside the mosque compound, while police said Palestinians had thrown stones at buses outside the Old City. Paramedics said five people riding in buses received treatment for minor injuries in the attacks. Police released a video showing a crowd of youths pelting a passing bus with stones just outside the Old City. Another video from the police, taken inside one of the buses, showed Jewish families sitting on the floor of the vehicle as it continued on its way. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett ordered additional security on public buses going to the Old City after a situation assessment with top defense officials. We are working to calm things down on the one hand and are taking vigorous action against violent individuals on the other, he said. The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said 17 Palestinians were wounded, including five people who were hospitalized. Israeli police reported nine arrests. By midday, witnesses said police had moved out of the compound. Jordan, which serves as custodian of the holy site, issued a statement condemning Israels actions, saying they undermine all efforts made to maintain the comprehensive calm and prevent the escalation of violence that threatens security and peace. Under longtime understandings, Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount but are barred from praying there. For decades, Jews avoided worship there for religious reasons. Israeli authorities say they are committed to maintaining the status quo, but in recent years large groups of nationalist and religious Jews have regularly visited the site with police escorts, something the Palestinians view as a provocation. The number of visitors often rises during religious holidays. Palestinian officials said nearly 550 Jewish visitors entered the compound, compared to just a few dozen on most days. Such practices have fueled concerns among Palestinians that Israel is plotting to take over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound or partition it. Israel strongly denies such claims, saying it is committed to protecting freedom of worship for all. Clashes erupted at the site before dawn on Friday after police said Palestinians had hurled stones toward the Western Wall, an adjacent Jewish holy site. Police entered in force and clashed with dozens of Palestinians shortly after dawn prayers. Israel captured east Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, along with the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 war. The Palestinians want a future state in all three territories. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and is building and expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank. Hamas controls Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group seized power there in 2007. A radical Jewish group recently called on people to bring animals to the site in order to sacrifice them for Passover, offering cash rewards for those who succeeded or even tried. Israeli police work to prevent such activities, but the call was widely circulated by Palestinians on social media, along with calls for Muslims to prevent any sacrifices from taking place. Israeli police accused Palestinians of spreading disinformation on social media, heightening the tensions. SANTA FE A Republican lawmaker is telling New Mexico school districts to defy state education rules and ignore newly overhauled K-12 social studies standards enacted by the states education department, calling them racially divisive. The standards were the first complete overhaul of history, geography, economics and social studies since 2001. In addition to race, they added sections, including LGBTQ history, the 9/11 attacks and personal finance. Some other states, however, have restricted the teaching of race in moves that New Mexico Republicans have cheered. They see the issue as a potent one in this years gubernatorial race. As local school officials, you are morally obligated to reject these standards and to proceed serving your community as the autonomous school official you were elected to serve as, wrote State House Minority Whip Rod Montoya, in the letter, shared last week by Republican officials. The letter marks an escalation in the politics of education in New Mexico because it urges school boards to ignore state rules codified by the Legislature and enforced by the education department. By law, the Public Education Department sets education standards. School districts are funded by the Legislature with the expectation that they follow them. Following a rulemaking process with public input, the education department increased the focus on Native American history, and required students to learn more about the role of privilege and race in public life. Education officials say the implementation of new standards in fall of 2023 will increase inclusivity in the classroom and prepare students to live in an increasingly multicultural society. About half of New Mexico is Hispanic and around 10% of residents are Native American. Its unclear what all-out defiance against the social studies standards Montoya is calling for would look like. School districts are free to choose their textbooks and the overall content of their lessons. For example, the standards require students to evaluate the role of race and racism in the acts of land redistribution during European and U.S. conquests of the Southwest. But school districts decide how students learn those concepts. Montoya, who is Hispanic, didnt elaborate in the letter and has not responded to a request for comment. Its also unclear how the state would respond if school leaders found a way to reject the standards outright. In a statement, education department spokeswoman Judy Robinson said that public schools are charged with implementing the standards through specific, locally designed curriculum, but declined to comment on what would happen if they didnt do that. School board leaders are elected locally but can be fired by the Public Education Department. It removed one school board last August after it voted to make masks and social distancing optional, directly contradicting Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams health order at the time. It removed another board over alleged violations of ethics and transparency laws. The ongoing battle over a proposed crematorium that has some neighbors fuming in the North Valley isnt dead yet, but it also doesnt seem to be getting anywhere. Since January, neighbors near the proposed site at 116 Mountain Park Place NW have voiced their opposition to the crematorium, arguing that while the street itself is zoned as light industrial, its surrounded by residential areas filled with living, breathing folks. Its also less than a half-mile west of Balloon Fiesta Park. Upset neighbors say they were blindsided by the plans and dont deserve to be assailed with toxic, smelly emissions from burning bodies that they fear could be worse than what wafts out from the animal crematorium a few doors down from the proposed site. But crematorium owner Michael Monach said his crematory is state of the art, efficient, safe and wont produce putrid, poisonous gases and hes got the documents and research to prove it. Bernalillo County officials say Monach has diligently followed the process to get his crematorium up, running and burning. But thus far, the cumbersome machinations of local government seem only to work to silence and aggravate both sides. The latest incident occurred April 12 at what was supposed to be an in-person Bernalillo County Commission meeting. Neighbors say they had planned to show up in force to support their appeal of the county Planning Commissions decision in March to approve a special use permit for the crematorium. We had a lot of people lined up, experts, photos, graphs, studies, said Pat Hauser, a member of the nearby Maria Diers Neighborhood Association. People took time off from work to be there. But hours before the meeting was to begin, they were informed it would instead be held online via Zoom because of an unexplained, last-minute COVID-19 concern. What a joke, neighbor Paul Searcy remarked. To understand the frustration, a little history. Monach said he had searched for a year for a properly zoned property for a crematorium and mortuary before finding the Mountain Park Place site, a shuttered plumbing business off Second and Alameda NW, in October. In November, he submitted his application to the Planning Commission for a special use permit and followed the notification process of nearby neighbors and businesses. Monachs application was scheduled to go before the Planning Commission on Jan. 5, but a ransomware attack that infected the Bernalillo County computer systems shut down the meeting before his request could be heard. That was fortuitous, at least as far as neighbors were concerned, because many of them say they never got wind of the proposed crematorium in time. Monachs application hearing was rescheduled for Feb. 2, but neighbors complained they were still only learning about the crematorium and wanted more time to respond. Planning commissioners agreed, deferring action on the application until its next meeting March 2. But at that next meeting, neighbors and Monach were not given the chance to speak. Under the procedures of the commission, discussion was already closed. My thought was that the applicant would have an opportunity to reach out to the neighbors, which obviously he has done, Commissioner Joelle Hertel, who had made the motion to defer action from the February meeting, told her fellow commissioners. So my thoughts now are that we go to a vote. And that was that. The commission unanimously approved Monachs special use permit. Neighbors seethed, disagreeing that Monach had reached out to them. But Monach said he had tried to reach out, sending out 25 letters by certified mail. He received only one response. Im happy to educate the public and answer questions, but its like Im the black plague, he said. They dont want to talk to me. Neighbors appealed the permit decision, presenting 13 points against the crematorium, at least half alleging mishandling or misrepresentation by the Planning Commission and staff. That appeal was heard April 12 before the Bernalillo County Commission. The last-minute switch to Zoom impeded many neighbors and experts from attending. The commissioners themselves thwarted the rest of them. Commissioner Walt Benson, whose district includes the proposed crematorium site, asked that the matter be remanded back to the Planning Commission, this time allowing neighbors to comment. But the commission took no comments from the neighbors that day, the only discussion on the matter coming from a few of the commissioners, their comments arguably sympathetic to Monach. Benson and Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada bemoaned how long it took for loved ones to be cremated because of the backlog of bodies at operating crematories. Its kind of an emergency thing going on here, Quezada said. Commission Chairwoman Adriann Barboa remarked that she has lived next door to a crematorium all her life and has never noted bad effects. Barboas house, which she proudly touts as the same home she grew up in, is a half-mile south of Affordable Cremation and Burial, one of 30 crematories across New Mexico. Bensons motion to remand passed unanimously. Within minutes, the meeting was over. So its back to the Planning Commission on May 4. It feels like there is no value in taking this back before that board, Hauser said. Once theyve pulled the trigger they cant pull it back. I find this all so discouraging. Still, Hauser said he and others plan to strengthen their resolve to oppose the crematorium with the extra time theyve been given. Should that commission stick with its approval, the earliest an appeal can be heard is June. Should the appeal be denied, neighbors are discussing whether to take the matter to court. Should that happen, Monach said he intends to countersue. For seven months Ive been stuck in nowheresland, Monach said. I understand the neighbors concerns, but at the end of the day it boils down to their opinion and I dont agree with it. If only those opinions could be better shared. I obtained a copy of the neighbors 13-point appeal. Its a worthwhile read, too long to print in this column. My copy also includes Monachs written responses to each point. They, too, are worth reading. Imagine if this process allowed for such a give-and-take rather than two-minute morsels of public comments and five-minute rebuttals if either side gets even that. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com. KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian fighters holed up in a steel plant in the last known pocket of resistance inside the shattered city of Mariupol ignored a surrender-or-die ultimatum from the Russians on Sunday and held out against the capture of the strategically vital port. The fall of Mariupol, the site of a merciless, 7-week-old siege that has reduced much of the city to a smoking ruin, would be Moscows biggest victory of the war yet and free up troops to take part in a potentially climactic battle for control of Ukraines industrial east. As its missiles and rockets slammed into other parts of the country, Russia estimated 2,500 Ukrainian troops and about 400 foreign mercenaries were dug in at the hulking Azovstal steel mill, which covers more than 4 square miles and is laced with tunnels. Moscow gave the defenders a midday deadline to surrender, saying those who laid down their arms were guaranteed to keep their lives. The Ukrainians rejected it, just as they did with previous ultimatums. We will fight absolutely to the end, to the win, in this war, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal vowed on ABCs This Week. He said Ukraine is prepared to end the war through diplomacy if possible, but we do not have intention to surrender. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent Easter greetings via Twitter, saying: The Lords Resurrection is a testimony to the victory of life over death, good over evil. If Mariupol falls, Russian forces there are expected to join an all-out offensive in the coming days for control of the Donbas, the eastern industrial region the Kremlin is bent on capturing after failing in its bid to take Kyiv, Ukraines capital. The relentless bombardment and street fighting in Mariupol have killed at least 21,000 people, by the Ukrainians estimate. A maternity hospital was hit by a lethal Russian airstrike in the opening weeks of the war, and about 300 people were reported killed in the bombing of a theater where civilians were taking shelter. An estimated 100,000 remained in the city out of a prewar population of 450,000, trapped without food, water, heat or electricity in a siege that has made Mariupol the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war. All those who will continue resistance will be destroyed, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministrys spokesman, said in announcing the latest ultimatum. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar described Mariupol as a shield defending Ukraine as Russian troops prepare for battle in the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists already control some territory. Russian forces, meanwhile, carried out aerial attacks near Kyiv and elsewhere in an apparent effort to weaken Ukraines military capacity ahead of the anticipated assault. After the humiliating sinking of the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet last week in what the Ukrainians boasted was a missile attack, the Kremlin had vowed to step up strikes on the capital. Russia said Sunday that it had attacked an ammunition plant near Kyiv overnight with precision-guided missiles, the third such strike in as many days. Explosions were also reported overnight in Kramatorsk, the eastern city where rockets earlier this month killed at least 57 people at a train station crowded with civilians trying to evacuate ahead of the Russian offensive. A regional official in eastern Ukraine said at least two people were killed when Russian forces fired at residential buildings in the town of Zolote, near the front line in the Donbas. At least five people were killed by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, on Sunday, regional officials said. The barrage slammed into apartment buildings and left the streets scattered with broken glass and other debris, including part of at least one rocket. Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov, in an impassioned address marking Orthodox Palm Sunday, lashed out at Russian forces for not letting up the bombing campaign on such a sacred day. Russia also said that its forces shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets in the Kharkiv region and destroyed two Ukrainian command posts and a radar system for S-300 surface-to-air missiles in the city of Avdiivka, north of Donetsk city. Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm the claimed losses. Malyar, the Ukrainian deputy defense minister, said the Russians continued to hit Mariupol with airstrikes and could be getting ready for an amphibious landing to reinforce their ground troops. Capturing the southern city on the Sea of Azov would allow Russia to fully secure a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and deprive Ukraine of a major port and its prized industrial assets. The looming offensive in the east, if successful, would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a vital piece of the country and a badly needed victory he could sell to the Russian people amid the wars mounting casualties and the economic hardship caused by the Wests sanctions. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who met with Putin in Moscow this week the first European leader to do so since the invasion Feb. 24 said the Russian president is in his own war logic on Ukraine. In an interview on NBCs Meet the Press, Nehammer said he thinks Putin believes he is winning the war, and we have to look in his eyes and we have to confront him with that, what we see in Ukraine. Without explicitly mentioning Putins decision to invade, Pope Francis made an anguished Easter Sunday plea for peace in Ukraine, decrying this cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged. LVIV, Ukraine Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale ground offensive to take control of Ukraines east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles (480 kilometers) long, Ukrainian officials said in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war. The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a video address. He said a significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. The Donbas is Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia. In recent weeks, the Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after its attempt to storm Kyiv failed. After withdrawing from the capital, Russia began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for an all-out offensive. No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight, Zelenskyy vowed. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day. The offensive got underway after Russia bombarded the western city of Lviv and a multitude of other targets across Ukraine in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the countrys defenses. The Ukraine militarys general staff said Russian President Vladimir Putins forces were increasing assaults in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions both of which are part of the Donbas as well as in the area of Zaporizhzhia. This morning, almost along the whole front line of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, the occupiers attempted to break through our defenses, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraines national security council, was quoted as telling Ukrainian media. Fortunately, our military is holding out. They passed through only two cities. This is Kreminna and another small town. He added: We are not giving up any of our territories. A Ukrainian military official said street battles had begun in Kreminna and that evacuation was impossible. Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said heavy artillery fire set seven residential buildings on fire and targeted the sports complex where the nations Olympic team trains. Haidai later told Ukrainian television that Russians took control of the city after leveling everything to the ground, so his forces retreated to regroup and keep on fighting. Meanwhile, in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard that was holding out against Russian forces, said in a video message that Russia had begun dropping bunker-buster bombs on the Azovstal steel plant where the regiment was holed up. The sprawling plant contains a warren of tunnels where both fighters and civilians are sheltering. It is believed to be the last major pocket of resistance in the shattered city. At least seven people were reported killed in missile strikes on Lviv, a city close to the Polish border that has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. To the Kremlins increasing anger, Lviv has also become a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons. The attack on Lviv hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto shop, according to the regions governor, Maksym Kozytskyy. He said the wounded included a child. A Lviv hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled the fighting in other parts of the country was also badly damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. The city has seen its population swell with elderly people, mothers and children trying to escape the war. The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv, said Lyudmila Turchak, who fled with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe. Lviv, the biggest city and a major transportation hub in western Ukraine, is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Poland, a NATO member. Russia has strongly complained about the increasing flow of Western weapons to Ukraine and warned that such aid could have consequences. On Russian state media, some anchors have charged that the supplies amount to direct Western engagement in the fight against Russia. A powerful explosion also rocked Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to an air base, according to residents. It was not immediately clear what was struck. Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, was hit by shelling that killed at least three people, according to Associated Press journalists on the scene. One of the dead was a woman who appeared to be going out to collect water in the rain. She was found with a water canister and an umbrella by her side. Military analysts say Russia was increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railroads and other infrastructure ahead of its assault on the Donbas. Moscow said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the past day, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. It also reported that its artillery hit an additional 315 Ukrainian targets and that warplanes conducted 108 strikes on troops and military equipment. The claims could not be independently verified. Gen. Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News that Russia was waging a softening-up campaign ahead of the Donbas offensive. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagons assessments of the war, said there are now 76 Russian combat units, known as battalion tactical groups, in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. That could translate to around 50,000 to 60,000 troops, based on what the Pentagon said at the start of the war was the typical unit strength of 700 to 800 soldiers, but the numbers are difficult to pinpoint at this stage in the fighting. The official also said that four U.S. cargo flights arrived in Europe on Sunday with an initial delivery of weapons and other materials for Ukraine as part of a $800 million package announced by Washington last week. And training of Ukrainian personnel on U.S. 155 mm howitzers is set to begin in the next several days. The capture of Mariupol, where Ukraine estimates 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, seized from Ukraine from 2014. The U.S. defense official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas. ___ Associated Press journalists Nico Maounis and Philip Crowther in Lviv, Ukraine, Adam Schreck in Vasylkiv, Ukraine, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report, as did other AP staff members around the world. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine AUSTIN, Texas Alex Jones company Infowars has filed for bankruptcy protection after the conspiracy theorist lost defamation lawsuits over his comments that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a hoax. Jones filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas and told his listeners Monday he was totally maxed out financially. He urged his audience to contribute money or buy products off his Infowars website. Attorneys for Sandy Hook families have accused Jones of trying to hide millions of dollars in assets as juries later this year are set to determine how much he should pay in damages. Heres what to know: WHAT DOES ALEX JONES CLAIM? Infowars told the bankruptcy court it had estimated assets of $50,000 or less and estimated liabilities of $1 million to $10 million. Creditors listed in the filing include relatives of some of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 school massacre in Connecticut. Two other companies with ties to Jones, Prison Planet TV and IW Health, also filed for bankruptcy. An attorney for InfoWars did not return messages seeking comment but Jones has addressed the bankruptcy in recent days on his show. He has been banned from major social media platforms for hate speech and abusive behavior. We have less than $3 million cash and we need that money to operate, Jones said. WHAT IS JONES FACING? Jury selection had been set to begin next week in Austin in a trial to determine how much Jones should pay the families of Sandy Hook victims. He faces similar trials in Connecticut later this year. The plaintiffs in those cases have said they were subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones followers because he promoted the hoax conspiracy that crisis actors faked the shooting in an effort by the federal government to take away guns and restrict firearms. Jones has since conceded that the shooting did happen. Alex Jones is just delaying the inevitable: a public trial in which he will be held accountable for his profit-driven campaign of lies against the Sandy Hook families who have brought this lawsuit, said Christopher Mattei, who represents the families in a Connecticut lawsuit against Jones. Neil Heslin, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, died in the Newtown school shooting, said he did not immediately know how the bankruptcy would affect his defamation lawsuit against Jones in Texas, It is what it is, Heslin said. Well see where it all goes. Hes tried everything to avoid everything. WHAT ARE JONES FINANCES? A separate lawsuit earlier this month accused Jones of hiding millions of dollars in assets. An attorney for Jones has called the allegation ridiculous. Last month, Jones was fined $75,000 for failing to appear for a deposition in a defamation case but a judge last week ordered the return of the money because Jones eventually showed up. The bankruptcy court filings claim that Jones has paid $10 million in legal fees. He claimed in court records last year that he had a negative net worth of $20 million, but attorneys for Sandy Hook families have painted a different financial picture. Court records show that Jones Infowars store, which sells nutritional supplements and survival gear, made more than $165 million between 2015 and 2018. Hes going to come under far more scrutiny under a bankruptcy court than in state court, said Sid Scheinberg, a bankruptcy attorney with Godwin Bowman in Dallas, which is not involved in the Jones case. WHAT EFFECT WILL THIS HAVE ON THE SANDY HOOK CASES? Filing for Chapter 11 puts civil litigation on hold while the business reorganizes its finances. It is not the first time a bankruptcy filing has affected a lawsuit filed by the Sandy Hook families. While suing gun maker Remington, which manufactured the AR-15-style rifle used in the school shooting, the company filed for bankruptcy twice. In the second case filed in 2020, Remingtons assets were eventually sold off to other companies. The 2020 bankruptcy delayed proceedings for a year in the Connecticut lawsuit, which sought damages against Remington for how it marketed its rifles. In February, the families of nine victims of the school shooting announced they had agreed to settle the case for $73 million. ___ Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. ANKARA, Turkey Turkey has launched a new ground and air cross-border offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, that has left at least 19 suspected Kurdish rebels dead and has wounded at least four Turkish soldiers, Turkeys defense minister said Monday. Turkish jets and artillery struck suspected targets of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and commando troops supported by helicopters and drones then crossed into the region by land or were airlifted by helicopters, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a video posted on the ministrys website. Akar said the jets successfully struck shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and headquarters belonging to the PKK. The group maintains bases in northern Iraq and has used the territory for attacks on Turkey. At least 19 militants were killed while four Turkish troops were wounded during the offensive, the ministry said. There was no immediate comment from the Kurdish militant group on the incursion and the defense ministry statement couldnt be verified independently. Turkey has conducted numerous cross-border aerial and ground operations against the PKK over the past decades. The latest offensive, named Operation Claw Lock, was centered in northern Iraqs Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan regions. There was no information on the number of troops and jets involved in the latest incursion. Our heroic commandoes and maroon berets supported by attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, armed unmanned aerial vehicles arrived on the scene by land and by air and captured the determined targets, Akar said in a second video. Many terrorists were neutralized. At this point we have reached, all planned targets have been captured, he said. The Defense Ministry said the new offensive was launched after it was determined that the militants were regrouping and preparing for a large-scale attack. The offensive was carried out in coordination with Turkeys friends and allies, the ministry added, but didnt elaborate. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region, which controls the areas that were attacked. The Turkish minister said the incursion was targeting terrorists and that maximum sensitivity was being shown to avoid damage to civilians and cultural and religious structures. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union, began an insurgency in Turkeys majority Kurdish southeast region in 1984. SEOUL, South Korea The U.S. special envoy for North Korea said Monday that Washington and Seoul agreed on the need for a strong response to North Koreas recent spate of missile tests, though they remain open to dialogue with the country. Sung Kim flew to South Korea on Monday for talks two days after North Korea conducted a new type of missile test in its 13th round of weapons firing this year. Experts say North Korea wants to advance its weapons arsenal and wrest concessions such as sanctions relief from its rivals. Weapons tested include nuclear-capable missiles able to target both the U.S. mainland and its allies such as South Korea and Japan. There are concerns that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test soon to intensify its pressure campaign. We agreed on the need for a strong response to the destabilizing behavior we have seen from North Korea, Kim told reporters after meeting with his South Korean counterpart. (We) also agreed on the need to maintain the strongest possible joint deterrent capability on the peninsula. South Korean nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk said he and Kim shared concerns that North Korea will likely continue to engage in acts that raise regional tensions. He urged North Korea to return to talks. Kim said the allies have not closed the door on diplomacy with North Korea and have no hostile intent toward the country. He repeated his earlier statement that the United States is ready to meet North Korea anywhere, without any conditions. North Korea has so far rejected Kims outreach, saying the United States must first drop its hostile policy before talks can resume. Some experts say North Korea wants the U.S. to relax sanctions or suspend its regular military drills with South Korea, which it views as an invasion rehearsal. Earlier Monday, the U.S. and South Korean militaries kicked off their springtime computer-simulated command post exercise. North Korea has previously responded to such drills with missile tests and warlike rhetoric. North Korea said Sunday it tested a new tactical guided weapon a day earlier which would boost its nuclear fighting capability. Some analysts said the weapon is likely a short-range ballistic missile to be mounted with a tactical nuclear warhead capable of targeting South Korea. Last month, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile potentially capable of reaching the U.S. homeland in its first long-range weapons test since November 2017. U.S.-led diplomacy meant to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for economic and political rewards remain largely stalemated since 2019. JERUSALEM Palestinian militants fired a rocket into southern Israel for the first time in months on Monday, in another escalation after clashes at a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, a series of deadly attacks inside Israel and military raids across the occupied West Bank. Israel said it intercepted the rocket, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Israel holds Gazas militant Hamas rulers responsible for all such projectiles and usually launches airstrikes in their wake. It was the first such rocket fire since New Years Eve. Early Tuesday, Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of airstrikes in southern Gaza Strip, targeting a weapons manufacturing site for Hamas, the Israeli military said. There were no reports of injuries. Hours earlier, the leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group, which boasts an arsenal of rockets, had issued a brief, cryptic warning, condemning Israeli violations in Jerusalem. Ziad al-Nakhala, who is based outside the Palestinian territories, said threats to tighten an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza imposed after Hamas seized power 15 years ago cant silence us from whats happening in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. However, no Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. Palestinians and Israeli police clashed over the weekend in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, which has long been an epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian violence. It is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because the mosque stands on a hilltop where the Jewish temples were located in antiquity. Protests and clashes there this time last year helped trigger an 11-day Gaza war. Police said they were responding to Palestinian stone-throwing and that they were committed to ensuring that Jews, Christians and Muslims whose major holidays are converging this year could celebrate them safely in the Holy Land. Palestinians view the presence of Israeli police at the site as a provocation and said they used excessive force. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday, ahead of the rocket fire, that Israel has been the target of a Hamas-led incitement campaign. The latest tensions come during the rare confluence of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover. Christians are also celebrating their holy week leading up to Easter. Tens of thousands of visitors have flocked to Jerusalems Old City home to major holy sites for all three faiths for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Jordan and Egypt, which made peace with Israel decades ago and coordinate with it on security matters, have condemned its actions at the mosque. Jordan which serves as custodian of the site summoned Israels charge daffaires on Monday in protest. Jordans King Abdullah II discussed the violence with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, agreeing on the need to stop all illegal and provocative Israeli measures there, according to a statement. Jordan planned to convene a meeting of other Arab states on the issue. Israel has been working to improve relations with Jordan over the past year and has recently normalized relations with other Arab states. But the latest tensions have brought renewed attention to the unresolved conflict with the Palestinians, which Israel has sought to sideline in recent years. The U.S. State Department urged all sides to exercise restraint, to avoid provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historic status quo at the holy site. Spokesman Ned Price said U.S. officials were in touch with counterparts across the region to try and calm tensions. U.N. Security Council scheduled a closed-door meeting on the tensions for Tuesday. In Israel, an Arab party that made history last year by joining the governing coalition suspended its participation on Sunday a largely symbolic act that nevertheless reflected the sensitivity of the holy site, which is at the emotional heart of the century-old conflict. Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem which includes the Old City in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and is building and expanding Jewish settlements across the West Bank, which it views as the biblical and historical heartland of the Jewish people. The last serious and substantive peace talks collapsed more than a decade ago. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to take over or partition the mosque compound. In recent weeks, calls by Jewish extremists to sacrifice animals there have circulated widely among Palestinians on social media, sparking calls to defend the mosque. Israeli authorities say they have no intention of changing the status quo, and police are enforcing a prohibition on animal sacrifices. Israel allows Jews to visit the site but not to pray there. In recent years large numbers of nationalist and religious Jews have regularly visited under police escort, angering the Palestinians and Jordan. Israel says police were forced to enter the compound early Friday after Palestinians stockpiled stones and hurled rocks at the gate through which Jewish visitors typically enter. That gate also leads to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. Recent weeks have seen a series of Palestinian attacks inside Israel that killed 14 people. Israel has launched near-daily arrest raids and other military operations in the occupied West Bank that it says are aimed at preventing more. The military said Monday it arrested 11 Palestinians in operations across the territory overnight. In a raid near the city of Jenin, the army said dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks and explosives toward troops. Soldiers responded with live ammunition toward the suspects who hurled explosive devices, the military said. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two men were hospitalized after being critically wounded. Two of the recent attackers came from in and around Jenin, which has long been a bastion of armed struggle against Israeli rule. At least 26 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press count. Many had carried out attacks or were involved in clashes, but an unarmed woman and a lawyer who appears to have been a bystander were also among those killed. ___ Associated Press writers Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, Omar Akour in Jordan, Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada; Matthew Lee in Washington and Jennifer Peltz at the United Nations contributed to this report. BEIRUT During a visit to Syria in 2017, Vladimir Putin lavished praise on a Syrian general whose division played an instrumental role in defeating insurgents in the countrys long-running civil war. The Russian president told him his cooperation with Russian troops will lead to great successes in the future. Now members of Brig. Gen. Suheil al-Hassans division are among hundreds of Russian-trained Syrian fighters who have reportedly signed up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, including Syrian soldiers, former rebels and experienced fighters who fought for years against the Islamic State group in Syrias desert. So far, only a small number appears to have arrived in Russia for military training ahead of deployment on the front lines. Although Kremlin officials boasted early in the war of more than 16,000 applications from the Middle East, U.S. officials and activists monitoring Syria say there have not yet been significant numbers of fighters from the region joining the war in Ukraine. Analysts, however, say this could change as Russia prepares for the next phase of the battle with a full-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine. They believe fighters from Syria are more likely to be deployed in coming weeks, especially after Putin named Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, who commanded the Russian military in Syria, as the new war commander in Ukraine. Though some question how effective Syrian fighters would be in Ukraine, they could be brought in if more forces are needed to besiege cities or to make up for rising casualties. Dvornikov is well acquainted with the multiple paramilitary forces in Syria trained by Russia while he oversaw the strategy of ruthlessly besieging and bombarding opposition-held cities in Syria into submission. Russia is preparing for a greater battle in Ukraine and Syrian fighters are likely to take part, said Ahmad Hamada, a Syrian army defector who is now a military analyst based in Turkey. Syria observers and activists say the Russians have been actively recruiting in Syria for the Ukraine war, particularly among Russian-trained combatants. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, reported that so far about 40,000 people have registered 22,000 with the Russian military and about 18,000 with the Russian private contractor Wagner Group. Around 700 members of al-Hassans 25th Special Missions Forces Division, known in Syria as the Tiger Force, left Syria over the past weeks to fight along Russian forces, Abdurrahman said. The numbers could not be independently confirmed. Pro-government activists posted videos over the past two weeks on social media showing members of the Tiger Force performing military drills including parachuting from helicopters. Russian officers appeared in one of the videos advising the paratroopers inside a helicopter as al-Hassan praised the young men by tapping on their heads. It was not immediately clear if the videos were new. Abdurrahman said there are also volunteers from the Russian-trained 5th Division; the Baath brigades, which is the armed wing of Assads ruling Baath party; and the Palestinian Quds Brigade, made up of Palestinian refugees in Syria. All have fought alongside the Russian military in Syrias war. The Russians are looking for experienced fighters. They dont want anyone who was not trained by the Russians, Abdurrahman said. The Tiger Force took credit for some of the biggest government victories in the 11-year conflict. It was involved in a monthslong Russian-backed campaign into the rebels last enclave, located in the northwest province of Idlib, which ended in March 2020 with government forces capturing a vital north-south highway though rebels remain in control of the enclave. Al-Hassan is one of Russias men and Russia will depend on him, said Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist who runs the DeirEzzor 24, a Syria war monitoring group. Hundreds of fighters from the 5th Division and the Quds Brigade have registered at Russias Hmeimeem base in western Syria, which is leading recruitment efforts, and are waiting for orders, he said. In late March, a Russian-trained force known as the ISIS Hunters militia, which fought for years against IS, posted an ad calling on men aged 23 to 49 to come forward for screening, saying those who pass the test and are found suitable will be called on later. So far, about 100 men have registered their names in the southern province of Sweida, according to Rayan Maarouf of Suwayda24, an activist collective that covers IS activities in the Syrian desert. He added that they were promised a monthly income of no less than $600, a huge sum of money amid widespread unemployment and the crash of the Syrian pound. Earlier this month, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. had indications that the Wagner Group is trying to recruit fighters, mostly from the Middle East, to deploy in eastern Ukraines Donbas region. But he said there has been no specific information on numbers recruited. We just arent there yet to see anything real demonstrable when it comes to reinforcement, he added. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in early March that so far there are only very small groups trying to make their way from Syria to Ukraine, calling it a very small trickle. Retired Lebanese army general Naji Malaeb, who follows the war in Syria closely, said there is no indication so far of Syrian fighters traveling to Russia, but this could change as the war drags on. This all depends on what the Russians plan to do in the near future, Malaeb said. Syrian and Palestinian officials in Syria have played down reports of fighters heading to Ukraine. The Syrian government is likely wary of having Syrian fighters flock to Ukraine, opening opportunities at the front lines that its many opponents could exploit. In a potentially worrying sign for the Syrian government, Russia has significantly scaled down its operations in Syria since the war in Ukraine started, with fewer airstrikes targeting IS or opposition positions in Idlib. Any change in the posture of Russian forces or pro-regime militias creates security gaps that anti-regime actors including Turkey, ISIS, al-Qaida and Syrian opposition groups can exploit, the ISW report said. Muhannad Haj Ali, a former legislator and a commander with the armed wing of Syrias ruling Baath party said no Syrians have gone to fight in Ukraine and that he didnt expect any to go. He said he was certain Russia will win in Ukraine without any need for Syrians help. The way the operations are going is clear indication that Ukraine will not be another Afghanistan, he said. MADRID The phones of dozens of pro-independence supporters in Spains northeastern Catalonia, including the regional chief and other elected officials, were hacked with controversial spyware available only to governments, a cybersecurity rights group said Monday. Citizen Lab, a research group affiliated with the University of Toronto, said a large-scale investigation it had conducted in collaboration with Catalan civil society groups found that at least 65 individuals were targeted or their devices infected with what it calls mercenary spyware sold by two Israeli companies, NSO Group and Candiru. NSO said the allegation could not be related to NSO products. Candiru couldnt be reached for comment by The Associated Press. Almost all of the incidents occurred between 2017 and 2020, when efforts to carve out an independent state in northeastern Spain led to the countrys deepest political crisis in decades. The former Catalan Cabinet that pushed ahead with an illegal referendum on independence was sacked. Most of its members were imprisoned or fled the country, including ex regional president Carles Puigdemont. NSOs Pegasus spyware has been used around the world to break into the phones and computers of human rights activists, journalists and even Catholic clergy. The firm has been subject to export limits by the U.S. federal government, which has accused NSO of conducting transnational repression. NSO has also been brought to court by major technology companies, including Apple and Meta, the owner of WhatsApp. Citizen Lab said its investigations into the use in Spain of Pegasus and spyware developed by Candiru another Israeli firm founded by former NSO employees started in late 2019 after a handful of cases targeting high-profile Catalan pro-independence individuals were revealed. Amnesty International said its technical experts had independently verified the attacks. The Toronto-based non-profit said it could not find conclusive evidence to attribute the hacking of Catalan phones to a specific entity. However, a range of circumstantial evidence points to a strong nexus with one or more entities within Spanish government, Citizen Lab said. Spains Interior Ministry said no ministry department, nor the National Police or the Civil Guard, have ever had any relation with NSO and have therefore never contracted any of its services. The ministrys statement said that, in Spain, all intervention of communications are conducted under judicial order and in full respect of legality. The prime ministers office didnt immediately respond to questions from AP. A spokeswoman with Ministry of Defense, which oversees Spains armed forces and intelligence services, declined to clarify if it had contracted NSO or Candiru software. The government of Spain always acts according to the law, said the spokeswoman, who wasnt authorized to be named in the media. Pegasus infiltrates phones to vacuum up personal and location data and also surreptitiously controls the smartphones microphones and cameras, turning them into real-time surveillance devices. NSO Groups stealthiest hacking software uses zero-click exploits to infect targeted mobile phones without any user interaction. NSO Group claimed it was being targeted by Citizen Lab and Amnesty International with inaccurate and unsubstantiated reports and false allegations that could not be related to NSO products for technological and contractual reasons. We have repeatedly cooperated with governmental investigations, where credible allegations merit, an NSO spokesperson said in a statement. Citizen Lab said signs of a zero-click exploit not previously identified were found in infected devices of Catalans at the end of 2019 and in early 2020 before Apple updated its mobile operating system to patch vulnerabilities. Among the targeted individuals were at least three European lawmakers representing Catalan separatist parties, members of two prominent pro-independence civil society groups, their lawyers and various elected officials The revelations come as European Union lawmakers on Tuesday are holding the first meeting of a committee looking into breaches of EU law associated with the use of hacker-for-hire spyware. Four former regional Catalan presidents, including Puigdemont and his successor Quim Torra while he was holding office, were also subject to direct or indirect spying, the researchers said. Current Catalan President Pere Aragones, whose phone was infected, according to Citizen Lab, while he served as Torras deputy from 2018 to 2020, said massive espionage against the Catalan independence movement is an unjustifiable disgrace, an attack on fundamental rights and democracy. Because the software can only be acquired by state entities, the Spanish government must offer an explanation, Aragones said in a series of tweets. No excuses are valid, he wrote. To spy on representatives of citizens, lawyers or civil rights activists is a red line. In a response to Amnesty Internationals formal request in 2020 for full disclosure on contracts with private digital surveillance companies, Spains Defense Ministry said that information is classified, the rights group said Monday. The Spanish government needs to come clean over whether or not it is a customer of NSO Group, said Likhita Banerji, an Amnesty International researcher. It must also conduct a thorough, independent investigation into the use of Pegasus spyware against the Catalans identified. In a separate report also released Monday, Citizen Lab said it had also found evidence in 2020 and 2021 that the British prime ministers office was infected with Pegasus spyware linked to the United Arab Emirates. It said it found suspected infections at Britains Foreign Office linked to the UAE, India, Cyprus, and Jordan. The group said it had informed the British government about the findings. Other countries where Citizen Lab and other public-interest researchers have confirmed Pegasus infections on political dissidents and journalists critical of governments include Poland, Mexico, El Salvador and Hungary. NSO Group claims it only sells Pegasus to government agencies to target criminals and terrorists, but hundreds of cases have been documented of its use against human rights and other activists, lawyers, reporters and their relatives. __ Frank Bajak in Boston and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report. PHOENIX A suspect in the shooting of a Phoenix police officer and the subject of a manhunt for more than three days has been arrested. Authorities say 35-year-old Nicholas Cowan was found Sunday at a rental property in Scottsdale after receiving a tip from the public. Police spent several hours negotiating with him to surrender. Cowan was taken into custody shortly before 8 p.m. Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Williams says Cowan still had gunshot wounds from Thursdays shootout with the injured officer. Once he gets treated for those, he will be booked on several charges. Investigators believe several people helped Cowan hide from authorities. They have arrested 33-year-old Nicole Montalbano for aiding and abetting him. It was not immediately known Monday if she had an attorney to speak on her behalf. Phoenix police officers were speaking with Cowans girlfriend at a gas station Thursday regarding her domestic violence call when he arrived in his car. An officer was approaching Cowan when he shot her from inside his vehicle, police said. Another officer returned fire as Cowan continued shooting before fleeing the scene. The wounded officer is continuing to recover in the hospital. Cowan became the subject of an intense search by police and FBI. A $35,000 reward was issued for any information leading to his arrest. Last week, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian condemned the U.S. State Department for its 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices which attacked China regarding its political system and human rights situation. Zhao stated that the U.S. government smears and denigrates China and consistently attacks other places around the world through such reports, in an "attempt to style itself as a judge and role model on human rights." Foreign policy "powered by" human rights Zhao's comments point to an important fact about how American foreign policy functions. The United States presents itself to its own public as a morally benevolent and superior country which acts as a force for good in the world. As a result, it disguises its foreign policy interests and goals in light of these moral inclinations, constantly seeking to frame a narrative of global struggle between "good and evil" or "democracy and authoritarianism" and claiming that freedom and liberty is under threat while ramping up mass hysteria. Taking hold in the mid-20th century with the Cold War, this narrative has long been consistent only the target has changed. In conjunction with this, especially since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the era of U.S. unipolar hegemony, the United States has in turn frequently used human rights discourse in order to advance its geopolitical goals. Enemies of the United States are accused of engaging in "human rights abuses" and through a network of sponsored think tanks, scholars and media contacts, the U.S. successfully generates public support through various policy options by inciting public outrage and negative will, creating a discourse of something needing to be done. This has been utilized to promote wars, regime change and sanctions over the years. Hypocrisy and double standards Saying that the U.S. uses human rights as a pretext to legitimate its foreign policy interests through the lens of moral exceptionalism, Zhao further pointed out that "domestic human rights protection is an empty promise the U.S. has never fulfilled." This is true both at home and abroad. If a country is an ally of the United States, then its human rights abuses are ignored and effort is made to minimize coverage. However, on the other hand, the U.S. itself is not "benevolent" at home. This includes sporadic and daily gun violence, such as the recent shooting in a New York subway station, how the weaponization of anti-China sentiment has led to a surge in Asian hate crimes which have claimed multiple lives, as well as violence and discrimination against other ethnic minorities, and the inhumane treatment of migrants at the Mexican border. In addition, America's wars around the world have also been extremely costly and devastating in terms of their impact on human life. Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to the wholesale killing of civilians, such as a drone strike during the withdrawal from Kabul which killed several children, as well as the later freezing of Afghanistan's national financial reserves which has also contributed to poverty, famine and a humanitarian crisis. All of these events are a reminder that the ideology of "freedom" in America's understanding of the term does not necessarily equate with "human rights." That's not to mention the fact that up to 1 million Americans have died from COVID-19. What is freedom worth if there is no guarantee of life or protection? Ultimately, the U.S. is using talk of human rights and its own mythology of exceptionalism as a cover for its agenda of seeking hegemony. Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/TomFowdy.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. ST. LOUIS When Hurricane Ida hit last summer, a storm surge overwhelmed a levee and gushed into Ted Falgouts coastal Louisiana home, destroying his furniture and the beloved framed photos of his twin sons kissing him on their first day of school, then again when they graduated high school. That water was probably 60% mud, said Falgout, whos hoping relief is on the way for his community in Larose, about 30 miles southwest of New Orleans. As climate change makes hurricanes stronger and wetter and increases storm surges, cities on the Louisiana coast and Mississippi River are hoping President Bidens $1.2 trillion infrastructure package will provide badly needed funding to fortify locks, levees and other flood protections. But community groups and advocates fear smaller cities will struggle to navigate the maze of government programs and miss out on the rare chance to protect against rising waters and heavy rains. I think the agencies are still figuring a lot of this out, said Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, which advocates for communities along the river. While many swaths of the country are at risk for flooding, the Louisiana coast has long been especially vulnerable and the Upper Mississippi is part of a region where flood severity is increasing faster than in any other area of the country. La Crosse, Wisconsin is among the cities trying to figure out how to benefit as infrastructure funds start rolling out. The citys levees were built after devastating flooding in 1965 and dont meet federal standards that would help lower insurance rates and make it easier for residents to fix up their homes without having to spend more to protect against floods, said Brad Woznak of SEH, a flood planning consultant for the city. Upgrading the levees would be so expensive its hard for the city to know how to get started, he said. But with this potential infrastructure bill funding, thats what I keep telling them dont rule anything out yet, Woznak said, noting that it could be a chance to pay for an initial evaluation for the project. Some advocates want agencies to make it easier for communities to learn about funding opportunities and ensure that simple applications from small towns will be able to compete against more sophisticated proposals from richer cities. They also want more clarity into how the Biden administration considers factors like economic and environmental inequality in its funding decisions. The Biden administration is asking states to make climate resilience a part of their long-term planning and encouraging projects that factor in flood risk. It tapped Mitch Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans, to help coordinate the laws implementation and outreach to communities There needs to be a concerted effort by the administration and federal government to engage states and localities now, said Forbes Tompkins, a flood policy expert at Pew Charitable Trusts. The Environmental Protection Agency also said it will offer assistance to disadvantaged areas and states have money to help small communities access funding for drinking and wastewater projects. Rural communities are also getting special guidance on tapping into the money. But further complicating the scramble for funding is debate about the best approaches for protecting against floods. In addition to protections like levees and floodgates, Congress directed the Army Corps to more seriously consider natural solutions like the restoration of wetlands. Wetlands help absorb water before it can reach communities while restoring wildlife habitat, recharging groundwater and providing more green space, noted Olivia Dorothy of the conservation group American Rivers. After flooding in 2019 breached a levee in northwest Missouri on the Missouri River, for example, the levee was moved back to create more than 1,000 acres of floodplain and added wetlands. Dorothy said more natural protections are especially needed along the Mississippi. In Louisiana, Larose is among the small communities that were lucky enough to benefit from early funding from the infrastructure law because of a long-running project in the broader area. In January, the Army Corps allocated $379 million to continue work on a series of locks, levees and other structures that will help protect 150,000 residents in coastal Louisiana. Once completed, local officials said the Morganza-to-the-Gulf project will likely shield Falgouts home from another storm like Ida. For now, Falgout and his wife are living in their boathouse while their home is repaired. The property had escaped flooding in the past but Falgout said the shrinking Louisiana coast is making it more vulnerable. It would be a shame to walk away, he said. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/environment Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Well, thats a buzzkill. The New Mexico 420 Fest recently went up in smoke when the Albuquerque Police Department denied the permits the group needed to host a cannabis-themed event on the streets of Downtown Albuquerque on Wednesday. A police spokeswoman said the department doesnt have the manpower to assist with shutting down Central Avenue for hours on a workday. Organizers for the festival said they have had to cancel the event this year because they are not permitted to block traffic off Central from Third to Seventh Street starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The event had been planned from 2 to 10 p.m., and vendors, bands, street food hawkers and artists were going to set up booths in the street. The events website described it as One day of Peace, Love, Music and Art. April 20 has long been an underground holiday of sorts. In fact, the term 420 pronounced four-twenty has become almost synonymous with marijuana in ganja lexicon. And organizers were hoping the event would hold added significance this year because earlier this month New Mexico became the 17th state in the country to legalize the sale of recreational cannabis. We didnt cancel it, APD canceled it, said Melissa Thompson, a spokeswoman for the festival. Thompson said that organizers are directing people who wanted to attend the festival to The Jam Spot, a private venue Downtown, where some of the cannabis-related vendors will set up booths. Thompson said organizers had expected to get the permits. They provided the Journal with documents showing at least one city department, Solid Waste, had green lit the event. She said organizers had been communicating with the city since June. The event has been held for several years before cannabis was legalized. But it was canceled the last two years because of the pandemic. The vendors werent going to sell marijuana, and people couldnt have used marijuana in public during the event, Thompson said. But Albuquerque polices refusal to shut down Central snuffed out the joint venture like it was, well, a joint. Thompson said the insurance package organizers obtained required that streets be blocked off for safety. This request was denied because the organizers wanted to shut down Central for most of the day in the middle of the work week, Rebecca Atkins, an Albuquerque police spokeswoman, said in an email. We have to shut down roads in the area at night because of traffic around the bars for public safety reasons. Shutting down Central on the same day would require more resources. WASHINGTON Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during this weeks big meetings of global economic leaders in Washington but shell be trying to avoid most contact with Russian officials who plan to attend some portions of the event virtually. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and how world powers should manage the spillover effects on economies, including food insecurity will take center stage at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. On Tuesday, Yellen will convene a panel of finance ministers, the international development banks and other institutions to talk about how they will use resources to address food insecurity. This years meetings run through Friday, and include a mix of virtual and in-person events. Russian finance officials are expected to attend several events virtually, according to a senior Treasury official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview plans for the meetings. Yellen will participate if a Russian minister is there for a session or two, but will not attend every session, the official said, adding that the presence of Russian officials should not stop the work the U.S. needs to do with members of the Group of 20 the worlds largest economies. There are some sessions the secretary will attend including the opening, which the Ukrainian finance minister also will attend. However, she wont be participating in a number of the G20 sessions if the Russians are participants. President Joe Biden has said Russia should be removed from the G20. Yellen is expected to use this weeks meetings to work with allies on efforts to increase economic pressure on Russia while mitigating spillover effects, to call for the implementation of a global minimum tax deal and to address food security issues. In addition, Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control this week is expected to issue clarifying language to make clear that trade in agricultural products is not barred under existing sanctions, in response to the food security crisis that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused. Roughly 155 million people in 55 countries faced acute hunger in 2020, an increase of 20 million people from the year before, according to the World Food Program. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo is also set to meet with Ukraines Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko this week. During a discussion Monday at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Adeyemo reiterated the U.S. position that China has a chance to pressure Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine and would thereby avoid subjecting itself to secondary sanctions. China has in the past, and we expect them to continue to follow, the sanctions regimes that have been introduced by us and the coalition of sanctioning countries, Adeyemo said. Chinas business with the rest of the world is greater than its business with Russia. The U.S. and its allies have used sanctions to weaponize the global economy against Russia over its war in Ukraine. There arent any countries yet subverting the sanctions, but there are fears among the allies that China, which has criticized the Western effort, could do so, Yellen said in a speech at the Atlantic Council last week. Also of concern is India, which has taken a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and recently made a major purchase of Russian oil, a source of tension as the U.S.. tries to cut off Moscows energy income. ___ Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. SACRAMENTO, Calif. A Northern California woman pleaded guilty Monday to faking her own kidnapping and lying to the FBI about it, leaving her motive unanswered in the carefully planned hoax that set off a massive three-week search before she resurfaced on Thanksgiving Day in 2016. Sherri Papini, 39, of Redding, offered no explanation for her elaborate hoax during the half-hour court hearing. I feel very sad, she said tearfully when Senior U.S. District Judge William Shubb asked her how she was feeling. Were you kidnapped? he asked her later in the hearing. No, Your Honor, she replied. Did you lie to government agents when you told them you were kidnapped? Shubb continued. Yes, Your Honor, she responded. Papini agreed to plead guilty in a deal with prosecutors reached last week and is scheduled to be sentenced July 11. Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence on the low end of the sentencing range, estimated to be between eight and 14 months in custody, down from the maximum 25 years for the two charges. She also agreed to pay restitution topping $300,000. That includes the cost of the search for her that covered several Western states, and the subsequent investigation into the two Hispanic women she said had kidnapped her at gunpoint. Papini was actually staying with a former boyfriend nearly 600 miles (966 kilometers) away in Southern Californias Orange County. Three weeks later, he dropped her off along Interstate 5 nearly 150 miles (240 kilometers) from her home. She had bindings on her body and self-inflicted injuries including a swollen nose and blurred brand on her right shoulder. She had other bruises and rashes on many parts of her body, ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, and burns on her left forearm. The married mother of two kept lying about it as recently as August 2020 when in fact there was no kidnapping, she admitted in her guilty plea. Papini has offered no rationale for why she did it. Her attorney, William Portanova, said last week that he doubts even she knows. He suggested a very complicated mental health situation, and said her long-delayed acceptance of responsibility and punishment is part of the healing process. Papini said Monday that she has been receiving psychiatric care for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder ever since her return more than $30,000 worth of treatment for which she billed a state victim compensation fund and which is now part of her restitution. Prosecutors say her faked kidnapping wasnt impulsive, and that she planned it for more than a year without her husband knowing. The former boyfriend told investigators they didnt have sex while she stayed with him. Papinis organization and planning would seem to make conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression an unlikely explanation, two mental health experts said independently. Both cautioned that they have not examined Papini and that many factors in the case remain unknown to the public. She may have expected that the kidnapping hoax would bring her fame and fortune, said Dr. Ian Lamoureux, a forensic psychiatrist and frequent expert witness who teaches at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic. And she did benefit financially: Aside from the victim compensation, she must repay nearly $128,000 in disability payments. Separately, a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $49,000 to help the family. As a possibly related factor, Lamoureux has researched the false hero or pathological hero phenomenon that takes advantage of societys treatment of victims as heroes. Those who fake their own victimization may be seeking recognition or popularity, and if mental illness is involved it may suggest a narcissistic or histrionic personality disorder. Another possible explanation is that she faked her kidnapping to avoid some other adverse consequence, he said, typically something like a divorce or being fired, though Papini was a stay-at-home mom. Lamoureux, who specializes in complicated criminal and civil cases, said manufacturing a crisis may be a way for those with fragile egos and poor coping skills to seek to prevent the bad outcome from happening. And there are such things as compulsive liars, as well as those who do not have a great distinction between fantasy and reality, sometimes because of an earlier trauma, said Dr. Ziv Cohen, founder and medical director of Principium Psychiatry in New York City. This case is unusual in that Papini had no clear motive and this is consciously creating some kind of false traumatic situation, said Cohen, who teaches at Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University. She harmed herself she wasnt actually abused by anyone. But for some pathological liars the motivation is simply in fooling others, he said, in this case perhaps her husband and investigators. These patients can sometimes remain quite mysterious and they often can deny their lies right until the end, Cohen said. They will persist and say in the face of all evidence that their version is true. Action taken by a passing truck driver helped defuse a struggle Saturday between a New Mexico State Police officer and an armed man on the shoulder of Interstate 40 in McKinley County. The officer fired at least one shot from his service weapon during the scuffle, injuring the man he found slumped over the wheel of a car beside I-40, State Police said in a written statement. The officer, who was not injured, was placed on standard administrative leave. The officer was dispatched about noon Saturday to check on a male driver slumped over the wheel of a brown BMW car. A scuffle ensued and the officer fired at least one shot, striking the man. A passing semi-truck driver stopped to assist and saw the man had a gun, police said. The truck driver threw the gun out of reach and helped the officer take the man into custody. The incident is under investigation by the State Police Investigations Bureau. The decision whether to file criminal charges will be made by the district attorneys office, police said. A Las Cruces police officer fatally shot a woman armed with a knife Saturday during an encounter at a Las Cruces residence, police said in a written statement. The shooting occurred after Las Cruces Police Department officers responded to a report about 6:30 p.m. Saturday that a woman armed with a knife was making threats to an occupant of a house in the 800 block of Fir Avenue. An officer encountered a woman who was armed with at least one knife, police said. The officer fired at least one round at the woman, who died at the scene. The shooting is under investigation by the Dona Ana County Officer-Involved Incident Task Force, composed of officers with the New Mexico State Police, the Dona Ana County Sheriffs office, the New Mexico State University Police Department, and Las Cruces police. You are here: World Flash UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday welcomed the creation of the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said his spokesman. Guterres congratulated IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and the Executive Board for approving the new RST effective May 1, said spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement. "The RST builds in a long-term perspective and will support developing countries and vulnerable middle-income countries in addressing issues such as climate change and the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, while also improving resilience to future shocks," the statement said. "A long-term perspective is needed if we are to address not only the current three-dimensional crises but retain hope of rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals," it added. Credenc.com, an education lending fintech platform as part of being the associate sponsor of Lucknow Super Giants today, launched its new ad campaign with the punchline Potential Hai Toh Possible Hai. The campaign aims to highlight Credenc.coms brand promise of believing in each individuals potential and encouraging them to fulfill their aspirations. The ad campaign airs during this years IPL commercial breaks on Disney+ Hotstar featuring three marquee Lucknow Super Giants' players- KL Rahul , Quinton De Kock and Manish Pandey. The players will be seen discussing the importance of identifying ones potential to grow by drawing a parallel between how Lucknow Super Giants based the decision of picking players for their team based on the players potential, Credenc.com also basis its decision to offer education loans to students based on their merit and potential. The underlying message showcased in the commercial is that all students with potential can benefit from Credenc.coms potential based education loan. Speaking about the brands first ad campaign with the debutant team Lucknow Super Giants , Mayank Batheja, Co-Founder of Credenc.com said, Believing in students potential has been at the heart of our brands core offering, which we have tried to reflect through our first ad film. The punchline Potential Hai Toh Possible Hai highlights Credenc.coms brand promise of ensuring aspirants with potential will not be starved for funds for their higher education goals. The campaign is an organic extension to our brand strategy, which is centered around Basing their loan decision on students potential and not their parental income. Avinash Kumar, Co-Founder of Credenc.com also added, The film is an expression of situations that many of us may have faced in our lives, when someone gave us a chance by simply believing in our potential thats it, and nothing else. This campaign gave us the opportunity to reinforce in our customers the belief that they can depend on themselves because Potential Hai Toh Possible Hai Credenc.com is among one of the key sponsors of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group owned Lucknow Super Giants team for IPL 2022, where the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will sport the brands logo on the jersey sleeves. Credenc.com is a startup at the confluence of education and finance technologies. The companys fundamental belief is to provide access to finance for education. The most sustainable way of encouraging people to enhance their skills is by investing in education and thereby increasing their employability. A global specialist in the electrical & digital building infrastructure, Legrand is a 6.0 billion group based in Limoges, France. The group has manufacturing facilities in 90 countries and its products are sold in over 180 countries. Globally, Legrand is a leader in wiring devices and cable management with a global market share of over 20% and 14%, respectively. With an employee base of over 1,000 in India, the company is fast emerging as a leader in its core business by extending products and services that suit every segment in the local market. Headquartered in Mumbai, Legrand operates across India through 26 offices, 600 stockists, 11,500 retail outlets with three state-of-the-art manufacturing units, seven training centres and two R&D centres. In conversation with Adgully, Sameer Saxena, Director Strategy Marketing, Legrand India, speaks about the companys journey in India and how digital is becoming important to connect with both the B2B and B2C customers and engage with them continuously. Good investment has been made by the company in CRM and digital tools to nurture and strengthen their relations with a diverse customer base. Over the last decade, Legrand has become a leading brand in FMEG. How has the brand journey been for the last 10 years and how did you navigate during the pandemic? For over two decades, Legrand has lit up Indian homes with a wide range of switches and home automation. We have connected millions and have made possibilities future ready. Our global experience enables us to electrify but also provide smart touch to your home and offices through IOT, Home Automation, Power, protection, cable management and digital infrastructure range of products. Globally, Legrand leads in switches and cable management with a global market share of over 20% and 14%, respectively. We hold leadership position in switches and MCBs in India. The company also holds a prominent spot in IOT, Home Automation, Door Phones, power- protection products, Lighting management sensors, Cable management systems and Digital Infrastructure. The company is afast-emerging leader in its core business by extending products and services that suit every segment in the local market. We navigated on parameters of Resolve, Resilience, Return, Reimagination & Reform during the pandemic. We prioritise the safety of our people along with a smooth business endurance. In the electrical switches category, the end customer trusts his electrician a lot. So, how do you educate your end customers to consider Legrand when it comes to electrical switches and products for home automation? Our consumer products IoT/ Connected switches, Home Automation, Door Phones, charging solutions require strong connect with customers. Legrands Digital marketing team plays a key role to connect with end consumer directly. We are making relentless efforts to educate our end customers through multiple platforms and performance. We are performing various marketing initiatives to attract potential customer and providing them virtual customer experience about our products and services. To maintain Legrands visibility, we engage into social media campaigns, digital marketing campaigns, advertising of products and services digitally. Also, PR tools play an important role in strategizing, enhancing to make any announcement/ initiative newsworthy for the media landscape. Modern trade models are spread across 25 locations in India through partnership models to make experience driven selling. We also provide experiential on-ground connect through our collaboration with UltraTech business solution stores to improve our reach to core target customers. What has been your overall marketing strategy for the India market for both the B2B and B2C customers? Any learnings you apply here from your global experience? At Legrand, we instill a digital approach to connect with our both B2B and B2C customers. We have invested in CRM and Digital tools to build and nurture relation with our diverse customer base. Marketing strategies for B2B customers largely focus on Knowledge series programs, webinars, e-mailer campaigns, B2B e-com portals, experience zones, and packaging partnership benefits on sustainability and tech features. While B2C is driven through end consumer connect channels, product/ brand advertising campaigns, lead generation, target-based marketing, B2C e-com, and on-ground showrooms. The electrical goods market has quite a few local brands in each region. So, how do you differentiate your products and position your brand? Legrand India as a brand is positioned with premium value proposition in market by its design and tech expertise. Disruptive technologies lead to transformational changes. In the current situation, everything is connected via Internet. The assimilation of interacted buildings is modifying the realityof how business operates. The IOT/ IIOT have a philosophical effect upon the future of business. Various businesses have investigated and estimated the impact of the IoT devices creating the opportunity as big as $397 billion by 2025. Innovative categories of services and products are being developed. In the current era of high-tech innovation, it is essential to maintain building efficiency and ensure uptime. We need to keep control on our buildings consumptions and how this will be beneficial to us. We are continuously upgrading and upcoming with innovations, there is no need to wait for a product to die out. India is a diverse market with growth coming from smaller towns. How have you penetrated the smaller towns and whats been your strategy for the smaller towns? Diversity is a conclusion of Indias past economic policies. A global specialist in the electrical & digital building infrastructure, Legrand has widespread presence across India, where it offers a wide range of products in the categories of Energy distribution, Wiring devices, Home Automation, and Industrial application products. Legrand India connects with small towns through trade programs, social media campaigns, on-ground activation events, and community connect initiatives. We aim to cater to employment opportunities for the electricians, local, regional, and national employers who are trained or freshers from the field of Electrical world. We have qualified over 7,500 electricians in the previous four years across 15 smart cities through our RPL program. We target to train 15,000 electricians by 2024. What has been your engagement strategy with your customers? How do you stay top of mind as a brand with your customers? As mentioned earlier, to stay on top of mind as a brand with our customers, we are further focusing on strengthening our Digital Business vertical. We are confident about driving digital-first approach in our industry. Industrys first digital approach will certainly be an additional contribution with our exclusive social media campaigns, digital marketing campaigns, advertising of products and services through digital mediums considering the current need of the hour. Additionally, PR tools play a vital role in strategising, enhancing, and making any initiative highly visible to our customers through media landscape. We engage with our customer and community as whole to Improving lives by transforming the spaces where people live, work and meet, with electrical and digital infrastructures and connected solutions that are simple, innovative and sustainable. The Melbourne-based premium fashion brand, Forever New is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Shivani Goel as Vice President, Marketing, starting April 2022. With a strong professional standing to back this leadership position, she would be spearheading brand communications across all channels, brand strategy, retail marketing & public relations with a focus on excellence in CRM, e-commerce dominance, influencer management, digital marketing, and the brand ambassador program. Pleased with this new induction, Mr. Dhruv Bogra, Country Head, Forever New, says, We are elated to have Shivani join our team at Forever New, and the experience and knowledge that she brings to the table is truly unparalleled. Influencers, as well as digital marketing, have become instrumental in the domain of marketing (more so, after the pandemic), and with Shivanis prior expertise in these fields, it would undoubtedly be an added bonus for the brand. With more than 18 years of exceptional prowess in the field of brand management, communication, and PR, Shivani was serving as lead - marketing communications & international expansion at cosmetics brand, Colorbar. She led brand campaigns, designed, and implemented curated concepts for brand launches, led the influencer marketing program, and partnered for brand expansion in international markets. Along with this, she has also steered the marketing forefront for organizations like Major Brands India Private Limited, whereupon she led marketing for a group of brands such as Mango, Aldo, La Senza, Nine West, etc., Koovs.com, and more. LEAD, Indias largest School EdTech company, has launched a new digital campaign that celebrates the contribution of teachers towards ensuring that every student achieves their true potential in life. Centered around the insight that teachers across India have to overcome myriad challenges that often go unnoticed, LEADs #OnlyTeachersCan campaign highlights the many ways that teachers put their students interests ahead of their own, to ensure the best quality education for every child. Conceptualised and produced by TBWA India, LEADs latest digital film Teacher Hona Asaan Nahi Hota is directed by Piplu Khan of Potlibaba Media House. Anupam Gurani, Chief Marketing Officer, LEAD, said, Each one of us carries what we have been taught in school throughout the rest of our lives. We use what we have learned during our early impressionable years to influence society and shape the future. LEADs #OnlyTeachersCan campaign is an ode to the 9.7 million teachers that are nurturing generations of learners across India. While the last two years have been especially difficult for teachers, LEAD has always stood by them and will continue to do so. Namrata Nandan, Executive Director, TBWAIndia, said, LEAD as a brand is committed to upgrade standards of education of India. LEAD understands that learning for children at schools is a fulfilling, immersive and result driven experience only with the constant, untiring efforts of the teachers. Through the last two years, teachers have learnt and upgraded themselves to ensure their students advance effectively despite the pandemic constraints. Acknowledging teachers for their excellence with this campaign #OnlyTeachersCan, LEAD continues to be a brand that stands for the noble and selfless efforts that teachers put in daily for the good of their students. Parixit Bhattacharya, Managing Partner, TBWAIndia, said, "They say teachers have a heart larger than the average human. We wanted to spotlight this truth by capturing the everyday struggles a teacher goes through to put extraordinary care into the lives of their students. Being an ally to teachers, LEAD artfully brings to life little moments of truth from the life of teachers across the length and breadth of the country." Piplu Khan, acclaimed director, said, I felt good about connecting the characters and showing how they go about their life every day. My job was to keep my craft balanced; in fact more than craft, it was about the soul, feelings & characters coming alive. I enjoyed making this film for TBWAIndia and LEAD, and feel that we succeeded in what we set out to do. A homage to teachers is needed at the moment and we should do everything we can to contributing to enhancing the teachers lives LEAD empowers more than 25000 teachers in over 4000 affordable private schools across India by providing tools and resources that make teaching simpler and more effective. LEADs teacher offerings and services include ready-made teaching and assessment materials, training and upskilling resources, and networking opportunities with peers across India. In August 2021, LEAD created another film with a spotlight on the challenges faced by school owners during the pandemic. The film underlined the valiant work of school owners who placed the academic future of our children above all else, ensuring uninterrupted learning as far as possible. School EdTech is a combination of educational best practices and technology-delivered solutions that enable quality learning in schools, and beyond. Macmerise, the go-to destination for celebrity & influencer merchandise brand, launches official Alan Walker merchandise in India at the Sunburn Festival 2022. Inspired by the Norwegian DJs popular Melting Rose Collection, fans across the country will enjoy a varied range of AW branded T-Shirts, Hoodies, and Masks available at the concert. Priced at INR 399/- onwards, the range will be available across Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Delhi from 14th to 17th of April 2022 respectively. Excited about the launch, Sahil Shah, the Founder and CEO of Macmerise Celfie Design Pvt Ltd shared, We at Macmerise have always believed in making our offerings unique and exclusive which resonates highly with the moods and sentiments of the youth. Social Media has brought the world closer than ever before If one can enjoy a concert happening in one corner of the world from the comfort of their home in real-time, then theres no way they cant also shop. Our objective has been to make the world of merchandising more accessible and far-reaching to people across the country. The launch of the Alan Walker collection is one such example, where fans can shop, sport, and revel in their favourite artists official merchandising without burning a hole in their pocket. The veteran actor and director also recalls her eventful journey with the play, 'Hai Mera Dil' which has been performed for over 43 years. 'Hai Mera Dil', the long-running adaptation of the Broadway play 'Send Me No Flowers' by Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore will now be screened at Zee Theatre. This play has been performed for over 43 years and gave Prithvi Theater its first housefull show way back in 1978. It became synonymous with film and stage stalwart Dinesh Thakur who acted in the play and also directed it till he passed away in 2012. His wife and creative partner Preeta Mathur Thakur believes, 'Hai Mera Dil', is the perfect tribute to the man who lived and breathed theatre. Since 2012, Preeta has not only managed Ank Theatre Group which Thakur established in 1976 but has also been performing 'Hai Mera Dil' regularly. She is thrilled that the teleplay version produced by Nine Rasa, will now reach even those who have not watched the staged version. Preeta began acting in 'Hai Mera Dil' in 1993 and recalls, "Dinesh ji told me I didn't have to act and just had to behave as my character Usha would in a situation. This is the exact advice I now give to other actors when I direct them. Once actors shed their own personas, the play becomes very relatable to the audience and they feel they are watching real people who are just like them rather than performers. We have been constantly updating the play and adding contemporary reference points and that is why it appeals to all kinds of people, be they mill workers, army jawans, or an urban, well-heeled audience." Expressing her happiness that contemporary theatre today features fewer foreign adaptations and more original writing and adds, "The audience also has a much shorter attention span now. They don't want too much exposition and the plays have to be crisp and not too long. They want to see fresh stories and that bodes well for theatre which has suffered so much isolation and trauma during the pandemic. I am happy that teleplays, despite being shot on camera, retain the energy of the original play and get the TV audience to experience the vibration of a stage performance." About her own journey with theatre, Preeta says, " I started doing theatre in 1987-88 first with the Indian People Theatre Association (IPTA) and then with Dinesh ji's 'Ank'. What has remained unchanged for me is the emphasis on rehearsal and training. For me, even today the most enjoyable part of the theatre is the rehearsals. They bring out the best in you in a very friendly and informal atmosphere. What has also remained unchanged is that you cannot make a full-time career out of the theatre and need a backup plan. Most of us had 9-5 jobs when we started and today people do many creative things to be able to support their passion for theatre." Apart from Preeta and Aman Gupta,'Hai Mera Dil' also stars Atul Mathur, Shankar Iyer, Gunjan Sinha, Saurabh Chauhan, Jai Prakash Jha and Payal Jaiswal. It will be screened on Tata Play Theatre. Flash Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Saturday called for efforts to break the stalemate in China-U.S. relations as the ice of a "new Cold War" is solidifying. Qin made the remarks when addressing the 25th Harvard College China Forum (HCCF) via video link. Noting that Harvard University has more than 1,000 Chinese students, the largest group in its international student community, he described this as a "vivid picture" in people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. However, Qin said, the bilateral ties are faced with a "serious and complex situation," with dark clouds of misunderstanding and miscalculation between the two countries gathering and the ice of a so-called "new Cold War" forming. Both sides should carry out more "extensive, in-depth, frank and open" exchanges and dialogues, he urged, so as to use the power of facts and truth to break the so-called "general common sense" solidified by misunderstanding and prejudice, the persistent "political correctness" and the current coldness in ties that does not serve the interests of either country and runs against the will of both peoples. Qin said he hoped the forum can put wisdom and ideas together and bring about more "brainstorms" to help disperse the dark clouds of misunderstanding and miscalculation between the world's two largest economies. "I hope every single participant of the forum can become an icebreaker," he said. The theme of the 25th HCCF was "Extraordinary Times." Nearly 600 Harvard students, faculty members, Chinese overseas students and members from the business communities of the two countries attended the event. Founded in 1997, the Harvard College China Forum is North America's largest and longest-running student-run symposium on U.S.-China relations. The annual forum takes place every April at Harvard University. February 12, 2018 During a speech marking the 39th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for a direct vote to end moments of political gridlock within the country, a controversial move that is certain to anger the countrys hard-liners. Citing a mostly unknown constitutional article, Rouhani said, If we have differences, we must refer to Article 59 of the constitution which says, in certain cases of passing laws or legislative acts on important social, cultural, economic or political issues, we must send it to a direct vote by the people. Rouhani continued, If we have differences on two issues, or the factions have differences, or they are fighting, bring the ballot box out and according to Article 59 of the constitution, whatever the people have decided, implement that. Our constitution has this capacity, and we must act within the capacity of our constitution. Rouhanis Twitter account also later tweeted this segment of the speech. Rouhani, who has been opposed by the countrys hard-liners and unelected officials since first taking office in 2013, has faced stiff resistance in introducing social and economic reforms, despite his re-election in 2017. His comments about a direct vote are an indirect criticism of the Guardian Council, a 12-member body that vets candidates who run in Irans elections and vets laws passed by Irans parliament. The supreme leader selects six members of the council. The other six are elected by parliament among nominees recommended by the head of the judiciary, who himself is appointed by the supreme leader. Unlike the hard-liners in unelected positions, Rouhani and other moderates and Reformists have relied on elections to stay in power. This is why in earlier parts of the speech, Rouhani asked the Guardian Council to make participation and running in elections easier. To protect the system and the revolution, we have no other path than the participation of the people. And if our revolution has remained, it is because of elections. He continued, We have to ease the path to elections for the people. Rouhani means the path to running as candidates, not necessarily voting, given that in Iran voting falls on a Friday, which is the equivalent of a Sunday in the United States. Rouhanis calls for a direct vote comes amid the news of arrests of a number of environmentalists in Iran, with one death so far while in custody. The family of Kavous Seyed Emami was notified Feb. 9 that the 63-year-old Iranian-Canadian professor died 16 days after his arrest. Tehrans prosecutor office told his family that he had hanged himself, which the family does not believe. Seyed Emami was the managing director of the Persian Heritage Wildlife Foundation and a professor of sociology at Imam Sadegh University. Caught up in the round of environmentalists is Kaveh Madani, the deputy head of Irans Environmental Department, who had returned in part in answer to Rouhanis calls for Iranian professionals to return to the country. After reports surfaced of his arrest, Madani posted a video on his Instagram page to say that he is free and well. Regarding the arrests, Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said Feb. 11 that he did not have precise information regarding the arrests, but added that some activists have questionable connections, meaning likely with foreign governments and that their cases are under review. Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" ** Edmund Burke** In anticipation of a possible U.S. Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and the state's radical attorney general, Democrat Dana Nessel, have launched a pre-emptive two-pronged attack on the existing state law that criminalizes most abortions. Last Thursday, Whitmer filed a lawsuit demanding judicial recognition of abortion as a protected right under the Michigan constitution. The same day, Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit to block enforcement of the 1931 law, naming Nessel, in her capacity as attorney general, as a defendant. In transparent coordination with Whitmer and Planned Parenthood, Nessel, the same day, announced in an "impromptu" press conference her refusal to defend against Planned Parenthood's lawsuit. In a move described as "highly unusual," she also said "she will not even set up a conflict wall in her office to defend the case, not unless or until she is ordered by a court." Highly unusual, but not for Dana Nessel, who navigates the intricacies of the law the way a power mower navigates a field of daisies. Her long, loud advocacy for unrestricted legal abortion, which includes her campaign promise not to prosecute abortionists under the 1931 law if Roe is overturned, means she's got a glaring conflict of interest. The law she refuses to defend reflects the will of the people of the State of Michigan, speaking through their elected representatives. She's bound by the ethics rules not to represent a client the state of Michigan if that representation is "materially limited ... by the lawyer's own interests." At the very least, another attorney in her office should be allowed to defend the state's interest, independently of Nessel. But since her office is already handling the Whitmer lawsuit on Nessel's behalf, it's unlikely there's an assistant A.G. who has the guts to go against her. This tag-team approach, an example of collusive litigation, has become a Democrat specialty. You see it when activists file a "friendly lawsuit" against a state (or the federal government) with a Democrat attorney general, who then either settles in the activists' favor or refuses to defend the lawsuit, handing the activists what they want by default. We saw this tactic when Democrats changed voting rules in North Carolina in 2020 to tip the election. The extralegal changes, first imposed on the pretext of a COVID emergency, were made permanent by "a legal settlement agreement entered into by Democrat N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein and the majority-Democrat State Board of Elections with plaintiffs represented by well-known Democrat lawyer Marc Elias" a virtual "'one-party deal that circumvented the legislature.'" Then, last November, we saw Joe Biden's Department of Justice colluding with the ACLU, quietly negotiating a favorable settlement of their lawsuit on behalf of illegal aliens separated from their children at the border. The settlement would have paid $450,000 per individual or nearly a million dollars for a two-person family. Biden denied the negotiation at first, then excused it with something about the aliens deserving compensation. Public outrage forced the administration to abandon the deal, but it was clear that "cahoots" was the operative word describing "the arrangement between the ACLU and Biden's DOJ." Nessel's been in her own cahoots with the ACLU before this. As part of a nationwide war on Christian adoption agencies, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit to force Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services to stop contracting with agencies that declined, on religious grounds, to place children with same-sex couples. Because of a Michigan statute passed in 2015 that expressly prohibits state and local departments from forcing faith-based agencies to provide services that conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs, Nessel's predecessor in office properly fought back against the ACLU. But as soon as she took office, Nessel, who can fairly be described as a bigot when it comes to religious believers, refused to defend the case and ordered the health department to settle. The resulting agreement handed the ACLU the mandatory contract language they wanted, forbidding religious agencies from turning away same-sex couples. Nessel promptly issued an order that all adoption agencies had to place children with same-sex couples, which forced the nonprofit Catholic Charities to discontinue its adoption services completely. Even the liberal news media criticized Nessel for abusing her office, ignoring or "undermining laws she doesn't like" despite that "she's the attorney general, not the Legislature." (In this case, Catholic Charities finally prevailed. This past January, the adoption agency's federal lawsuit was resolved with an agreement providing that Michigan cannot cancel contracts because an agency doesn't place children with same-sex couples. Nessel's anti-religious hostility, amply documented in her public statements, left the state's lawyers no choice but to concede that Catholic Charities would "likely prevail" on its Free Exercise claim.) Nessel is claiming that her refusal to defend the Michigan abortion law, or prosecute anyone who violates it, lies within her "prosecutorial discretion as to whether to file charges against someone." We've seen similar claims from "Trojan horse prosecutors" who won state and local elections thanks to millions poured into their campaigns by George Soros. But these claims about prosecutorial discretion are bunk. Last summer, Senator Tom Cotton wrote that refusing to charge criminals for entire categories of crimes "transform[s] prosecutorial discretion into prosecutorial nullification." The power "to emphasize or deemphasize the importance and severity of certain criminal prosecutions" doesn't give them the power of "unilateral fiat to abolish laws they don't like. The legislative branch is solely empowered to repeal laws, not prosecutors." The last time Michigan voters were allowed to express their will on abortion was in 1972 when a super-majority of 60% voted down a ballot proposal to legalize it. The following year, Roe undid that. But later that year, the Michigan Supreme Court issued an opinion on an abortion case, acknowledging Roe but declining to overturn the state's anti-abortion statute. According to the justices, "[t]he public policy of this state is to be found in the declarations and deeds of its people," and therefore, "[i]t is the public policy of the state to proscribe abortion." If Roe is overturned, abortion will again be proscribed in Michigan. Unfortunately, Whitmer and Planned Parenthood filed their lawsuits knowing the majority-Democrat Michigan Supreme Court won't hesitate to strike down the abortion statute. Aside from that, after 50 years and millions of abortions, it's hard to imagine that a majority of Michigan voters would still support pro-life legislation the way they did in 1972. Regardless, as a general principle, and as the Michigan Supreme Court said in 1973, public policy has to emerge from the "declarations and deeds of the people" working through a democratic process. But power-drunk officeholders like Whitmer and Nessel, if they're allowed to get away with it, will impose their own policy preferences on the entire state, consulting nothing more than their own partisan agenda. T.R. Clancy looks at the world from Dearborn, Michigan. You can email him at trclancy@yahoo.com. Image: Dana Nessel for Michigan Attorney General via YouTube. The Biden administration, like all political enterprises, loves to take credit but is loath to confess mistakes. Biden is currently looking for someone, anyone, to take the fall far escalating gasoline prices. A favorite scapegoat is the oil and gas industry. According to many Democrats, the industry is a blight on humanity that must be canceled. High oil prices fit the DNC playbook, so be prepared to view morose montages displaying diabolical men drilling dirty oil wells. In an odd turn of events, these diabolical oil executives are being scolded because they aren't drilling oil wells as quickly as President Biden would like. Some Democrats accuse executives in the oil industry of being unpatriotic in light of the Russo-Ukrainian war (read: Putin's price hike). Industry executives would respond more favorably to a coherent energy policy than harassment by politicians. Government policies related to the COVID pandemic reduced demand for oil, so the industry stopped drilling activities. As the pandemic abated, and the economy improved, the Biden administration took office intent on canceling the oil industry. As demand for oil increased, the industry wasn't inclined to invest in drilling. Oil companies enjoyed higher prices after a difficult year, while lenders and investors, burned by the 2020 bust, resisted financing new ventures. The industry was content to earn money on existing production and hesitant to invest capital in the unfriendly environment the Biden administration had created. The Biden administration only recently began permitting oil and gas leases. When asked if the Biden's people would support increased oil production, the White House response was that "there are 9,000 oil leases the oil industry isn't tapping into currently." The White House talking heads would have you believe that oil leases are like juice boxes. You just push a straw through a predesigned hole and suck the contents out. It's likely that geologic testing has been done on many of the leases and it's been determined there are no producible volumes of oil under them. Other leases are remote from existing wells, requiring many miles of new roads and other infrastructure before an exploratory well can be drilled. If an exploratory well produces adequate volumes, planning is completed, and money is raised to drill wells on adjoining sites, assuring that the new field is managed profitably. Most wells produce oil, natural gas, and water. The oil and water flow into tanks. Both can be moved by truck, the oil moved to market and the water properly disposed of. Natural gas can be moved only through a pipeline. Millions of dollars may be spent on drilling, geologic logs, completion (fracking), roads, casing, cement, tubing, sucker rods, wellheads, tanks, heater treaters, etc., but no product can be delivered because the gas can't be moved without a pipeline. In the past, gas was often flared so the oil could be produced and sold immediately. This is now illegal because natural gas is too valuable to flare. On his first day in office, President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline (KXL). Government officials and the media blithely state that the pipeline would not reduce gasoline prices because it doesn't add oil supply to global markets. Like most propaganda, there is some truth in these misleading statements, but the cancelation of the KXL created uncertainty and confusion in North American oil markets. Pipelines are the safest, most effective method of transporting oil and gas. Pipelines are the only secure method of transporting natural gas. There have been tragic accidents when oil is transported by rail. It costs $510 a barrel less to transport oil in a pipeline. The only good reason rail would be chosen to transport oil is because a pipeline doesn't exist. The KXL received a Presidential Permit in 2008. Refiners planned accordingly. Motiva, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Royal Dutch Shell, operates a large refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. In 2008, Motiva began a $10-billion expansion to refine the heavy crude the KXL would deliver. President Obama canceled the KXL in 2015 "because it would not serve the interest of the United States." In 2020, President Trump approved the pipeline, setting the stage for Biden to cancel it again. If the original plan to build the KXL in 2008 had been followed, Canadian heavy crude would be refined on the Gulf Coast today. Motiva's investment is an example of government policies that hamstring the oil and gas industry, causing the cost of gasoline and other refined products to rise. A business cannot effectively plan future investments in an environment so unpredictable. The Biden administration's understanding of the oil industry is limited to knowledge related to sliding a credit card into a gasoline pump. The government would like to tell the oil industry how to manage and operate its businesses. To some extent, they do with policies and regulations. If the industry followed the direction of the government, gasoline would be selling for $25/gallon instead of $5, if at all. The government has set a new trap for the industry and consumers. The Biden administration has established a Task Force with the European Union with goals to deliver 15 billion cubic meters (BCM) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe in 2022 and 50 BCM thereafter until 2030. They also committed to reducing the demand for natural gas. While Democrat senators harangue oil executives about "ripping off the American people," the Biden administration has launched a Task Force intent on delivering huge amounts of American LNG to Europe that can't be delivered without the support of the industry the senators are haranguing. To add injury to insult, the White House fact sheet states that the government is committed to reducing demand for the LNG production it would like the industry to ramp up to support. The fact sheet looks more like a script for a woke sitcom than the goals of two governments. If the E.U. accepts the offer, it will likely create problems for American consumers. There is no reason to believe the oil and gas industry is sitting on large volumes of natural gas it can quickly liquefy and transport to Europe. Natural gas prices are already rising. The commitment to deliver LNG to the E.U. will likely cause consumer prices to rise further. Biden has painted himself into a corner. During his presidential campaign, he said he would eliminate oil. He is working hard to fulfill his promise. Unfortunately for the president and the Democrat party, the interests and security of the American people are entwined with the industry. The country needs more oil and gas to balance supply/demand realities. The government must establish an energy policy that will transcend administrative changes at the White House and the factional objectives that accompany them. The interests and security of the American people don't change because a new president sits in the Oval Office. The government must establish a reasonable energy policy that provides energy security for the American people. Image: lalabell68 via Pixabay, Pixabay License. Bruce Willis. The very name conjures a smile as it brings up scenes like the "negotiation" in The Fifth Element. There should be a picture of Bruce Willis next to the word elan in the dictionary. Although Bruce could handle serious roles, as he did in The Sixth Sense, and villains like in The Jackal, it is the happy-go-lucky persona of John McClane, who pops up under various names in Bruce Willis films, that has been a delight to watch. You always knew what you were getting with a Bruce Willis movie when he played an action hero: a reliable dose of adrenaline punctuated by his incredulous expressions and witty banter. Bruce has been forced into retirement by a diagnosis of aphasia, a condition that affects one's ability to communicate. When caused by an injury, it can get better, but considering that Bruce has left acting, he probably has the progressive kind. It seems a particularly cruel stroke of fate that this man whose quick tongue has had us in stitches for decades is now struggling to communicate. It also seems a time when anyone who could do a kindness for Bruce should step up. The powers that be at Disney do not see it that way. Bruce Willis is not a member of the alphabet community, he's a white man, and he's a devoted father to his children. He just doesn't qualify for any concern from Disney, which is sad because Disney owns Moonlighting, an early Bruce Willis TV series in which he played a private detective. Image: Bruce Willis in 1985 (edited). YouTube screen grab. Everything we love about Bruce Willis is in Moonlighting. His co-star, Cybill Shepherd, held her own in their repartee, and their chemistry was reminiscent of the greatest screen pairings, like Rock Hudson and Doris Day, or Cary Grant and, well, anyone. Glenn Gordon Caron, the creator of Moonlighting, reached out to Disney to make the show available for streaming. The response? "Someone from the studio told him, 'Well, we don't see Disney+ that way' an apparent reference to the show's more PG-13 material not fitting with the family focus of the streamer's content at the time of launch." That was their excuse four years ago. Now it's that the show has so many songs, and there are licensing concerns. It would seem that Disney just doesn't want to spend the money to acquire the rights to the songs on Moonlighting. The company didn't mind spending the money for The Muppet Show, but, somehow, Moonlighting just doesn't seem that important. And that's a shame because, now that Bruce has been handed such a devastating diagnosis, it would be an act of pure charity, both to him and his loyal fans, to bring Moonlighting to streaming platforms so we can revisit just what it was that made Bruce so special, right from the very beginning. Pandra Selivanov is the author of The Pardon, a story of forgiveness based on the thief on the cross in the Bible. Conservative Marine Le Pen will face France's President Emmanuel Macron next Sunday in a runoff election for the presidency of France. Quite obviously, Le Pen's nationalism scares the transnationalists in Brussels and they have now retaliated. The U.K. Guardian reports: The European Union's anti-fraud body has accused Marine Le Pen and several of her party members including her father of embezzling about 620,000 while serving as members of the European parliament. France's investigative website Mediapart published a section of the new 116-report alleging that the MEPs misused EU funds for national party purposes. Le Pen in 2016 in the E.U. Parliament. Leaking this a week before the election qualifies as a dirty trick. Le Pen's Rassemblement National (National Rally) party spokesman complains: "Marine Le Pen contests this. She contests it without having had access to the details of the accusation. It's a manipulation; unfortunately, I'm not surprised," Bosselut told the French channel BFMTV. (snip) Bosselut said Le Pen had "not been summoned by any French judicial authority" and accused the European authorities of failing to send him or Le Pen the final report. The charges cannot be answered, and so hang there before the voters' eyes to drive away support for Le Pen. The example cited in the Guardian report is a conference charged to the E.U., on an E.U. topic, where party matters allegedly were also discussed. The E.U. has its own Deep State. Photo credit: European Union 2016 European Parliament, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The past week has seen three high-profile mass shootings that involved African-Americans. FBI statistics indicate that Blacks are disproportionately both perpetrators and victims of crimes across America. It doesn't have to be this way, but, just as America's Blacks were once victims of the Democrats' slavery and Jim Crow policies, they are currently the victims of Democrats' social and criminal justice policies. On April 12, 2022, Frank Robert James, a 62-year-old angry Black nationalist, fired 33 shots inside a crowded subway car. Thankfully, no one died, although 10 people received gunshot wounds, and 19 other people were injured in the panic. On April 16, 2022, a mass shooting took place at a mall in Columbia, South Carolina's state capital, leaving 14 people injured. It seems that the shooting was part of an ongoing dispute involving several shooters and some of the victims. The police have currently arrested Jewayne Price, a 22-year-old African-American man. For the time being, he's being charged only with unlawfully carrying a pistol, hence the low $25,000 bail and the ankle bracelet that allows him to go to work. On April 17, 2022, in the wee hours of Easter, at least nine people were shot at Cara's Lounge in Furman, South Carolina, a small town about 90 miles west of Charleston and 110 miles south of Columbia. Promotional material for an event that began the Saturday night before the shooting strongly indicates that this is a bar that African-Americans frequent, and it is a Black-owned venue. What's going on? First, although three incidents do not create data, these events are consistent with statistics for Black crime, especially Black-on-Black crime. As a recent American Thinker article noted, Blacks commit crimes at a rate nine to eleven times higher than the general population and are also victims of crime at a rate far disproportionate to their representation in the population. The FBI's crime statistics bear that out. In 2021, Blacks accounted for 273,595 offenders of violent crime and Whites for 270,229 offenders a tragedy, considering that non-Hispanic Whites are 57.8% of the population, whereas Blacks are only 12.1% of the population. You don't need to be a math genius to recognize a problem. Image: A Black-on-Black shooting at Houston's upscale Galleria mall. Twitter screen grab. The victims' race is equally problematic for Blacks, with Whites accounting for 367,792 victims and Blacks (again, 12.1% of the population) accounting for 245,706 victims. Worse, Blacks are preying on each other. Although it's certain that only a small percentage of Blacks are engaged in criminal activities the news stories routinely show that the bad guys have endless arrest records the American Black community still has a tragic problem, and I'm going to place the blame firmly where it belongs: on Democrats. As the Jim Crow Democrats' hold on Blacks slipped away in the 1960s, the LBJ/JFK/BLM Democrats' hold on Blacks mounted. Thomas Sowell explains that the Great Society and the end of Jim Crow did not raise Blacks out of poverty...because Blacks were already raising themselves out of poverty, with the rate falling from 87% in 1940 to 47% in 1960. "[M]ost black children [were] being raised in two-parent families in 1960," and the "murder rate among blacks in 1960 was one-half of what it became 20 years later[.]" What changed after 1960, just as Blacks were beginning to live the American dream? The Great Society. As John McWhorter explains in Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America, well-meaning White, Democrat college students fanned out to Black communities and essentially bullied Black families into taking welfare (the pitch was that Blacks were "owed" it), beginning the marginalization of Black men. In 2020, the Census revealed that "fewer than two-fifths of Black children were living with two married parents." Most lived with their mother, which is (sadly) an indicator of poverty, as well as increased crime among boys and promiscuity among girls. (A 2014 American Thinker article details more disheartening Black metrics, and my guess is that none has improved since then.) Democrats have also pushed on Blacks failing public schools without charter school alternatives; an end to discipline in schools for young Black students; defunded police, increasing Black crime victimization; a Soros-funded tolerance for criminal activity (the attitude on the left is that Blacks can't help themselves); and a hostility to faith that has affected Black church attendance, with COVID making it hard for the remaining faithful to attend church. Black leftists demand that Whites in government fix the problems in their community. In other words, they're demanding that the same people who destroyed their communities remediate them. That's just wrong. When there's a spiritual hole in a community, the solution must come from within. As Frederick Douglass wrote in 1857 when asked what should be done with Blacks when slavery ended, "Our answer is, do nothing with them; mind your business, and let them mind theirs. Your doing with them is their greatest misfortune. They have been undone by your doings, and all they now ask, and really have need of at your hands, is just to let them alone." What a pathetic article from USA Today! COVID vaccines are not meant to prevent all infections, experts say. Americans need to reset their expectations. Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY Sun, April 17, 2022, 4:30 AM Denny Mitchell couldn't believe he tested positive for the coronavirus in January. The 45-year-old from Houston never left the house without his mask, he avoided indoor dining at all costs, and most important, he was fully vaccinated. But he still got sick. "I was surprised because I was taking so many precautions," he said. It's no longer unusual to hear of someone getting COVID-19 even though they're fully vaccinated and boosted. Yet, many Americans are still shocked when it happens to them. It is essentially another attempt to blame the people instead of the government for their misperceptions. Could it be that Fauci, the CDC, and others told them that if they took the vaccines, wore masks, were socially distanced, and quarantined, they would be safe and that people who didn't take the vaccine wanted people to get sick and deserved to get fired? There are people who still believe that the disease resides on surfaces and that Plexiglas works to prevent it. Fauci & Co. even silenced people who blamed the Wuhan lab. The CDC and Fauci and others spread endless lies, yet they have never been silenced. Most of the media just repeated what they were told, with no questions asked. Anyone who dared question the vaccine, the lockdowns, the shutdowns of schools, the masks, the social distancing was silenced and called a conspiracy theorist. Two diversity advocates in the Scottsdale, Arizona school district were so eager to find racism lurking in a (highly successful) fundraiser that they accused a black D.J. hired for the event of wearing blackface. Evidently, the costume and/or hairstyle of the D.J. at the '70s-themed event triggered them somehow to accuse Koko Hunter, second from the right in the photo below, of the sin of racial impersonation of an African American via blackface: Twitter via the UKDM. According to the account in the U.K. Daily Mail, The two eager-to-be-offended diversicrats are Jill Lassen, co-chair of the Scottsdale Parent Council's diversity, equity and inclusion committee ...and... [Stuart] Rhoden ... an instructor at Arizona State University who also serves on the Scottsdale school district's Equity and Inclusion Committee. Photos via UKDM. Rhoden, who is black, questioned the PTA's acceptance of blackface, wherein a person, usually white, paints their skin to portray a black person. The practice has roots in early 19th century American theater and is now widely considered racist. In a Facebook post last week, he apologized to 'dude' for the mistake, only to then double-down and suggest that Hunter was wearing makeup to make himself look darker. 'Let me be clear, a Black man, apparently in Black face is an entirely different discussion than a White person. However I did not state that the person was White. 'It was assumed that was my intent, and perhaps it was, but nonetheless, looking on his FB page (photos below), it seems at the very least he is in darker make-up if not "Black face" or I am completely mistaken and it's the lighting of the patio,' Rhoden said. 'So here's what I want to say. I apologize to dude for the implication, but the sentiment still stands, Black face by anyone, in this day and age is problematic. I also apologize to folks who reposted and made other statements based on my assumption.' In my book, that's not a real apology. He doesn't know if makeup is used, but even if it were, so what? Lassen, who is white, had no choice but to go for utter self-debasement: It's a small but significant step forward in fighting the woke tyranny that has taken over so many campuses. A professor who stood up to a transgender bully and was punished by his public university, Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio, sued, with support from the great organization Alliance Defending Freedom. After his suit was dismissed over "lack of standing," he appealed, won the right to a trial, and then settled with the university for a sum sizable enough to change policy and warn other schools not to join the bullies. Ashe Schow has the story in the Daily Wire: Shawnee philosophy professor Nicholas Meriwether refused to address a male student who identifies as female by the student's preferred pronouns, instead referring to the student as "sir," saying that his evangelical Christian beliefs were behind his actions. "To accede to these demands would have required Dr. Meriwether to communicate views regarding gender identity that he does not hold, that he does not wish to communicate, and that would contradict (and force him to violate) his sincerely held Christian beliefs," Meriwether wrote in his lawsuit against the school after he was disciplined over the incident. The lawsuit also notes that Meriwether addresses students as "sir" or "Miss" to show respect[.]" If at first you don't succeed... In February 2020, a lower court dismissed Meriwether's lawsuit, writing "Plaintiff's refusal to address a student in class in accordance with the student's gender identity does not implicate broader societal concerns and the free speech clause of the First Amendment under the circumstances of this case." ...try, try again (at the appellate level): But in March 2021, an appeals court revived Meriwether's lawsuit and allowed it to continue. "A district court previously dismissed Meriwether's lawsuit for lack of standing. Friday's decision by a three-judge panel from the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals revives the lawsuit and sends it back to a lower court where Meriwether can make his argument that his First Amendment rights of free speech and religion and his 14th Amendment right to due process were violated," CNN reported at the time. Meriwether and SSU have now settled the matter. Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented Meriwether, released a statement saying that the university "agreed to pay $400,000 in damages and Meriwether's attorneys' fees. Additionally, considering the 6th Circuit's ruling, the university is rescinding the written warning it issued Meriwether in June 2018." Further, "the university has agreed that Meriwether has the right to choose when to use, or avoid using, titles or pronouns when referring to or addressing students. Significantly, the university agreed Meriwether will never be mandated to use pronouns, including if a student requests pronouns that conflict with his or her biological sex," ADF noted. Perhaps the university was aware that an Ohio jury was not too sympathetic to another woke institution of higher education, Oberlin College, awarding 30-some million dollars to an aggrieved plaintiff, and decided to cut its losses. Let's hope the precedent has a chilling effect on other colleges and universities inclined to woke bullying. Putin's plan A and seemingly only plan was to invade Ukraine in two to three days, kill Zelensky and replace him with a Russian puppet, and expect the Ukrainians to welcome his tanks and poorly trained troops with open arms. Well, plan A failed, and now, after 51 days of tactical blunders in Ukraine, he has been almost totally humiliated. The retreat from the Ukrainian capital city Kyiv's surroundings was the first humiliating acknowledgment that Putin would not take over all of Ukraine, nor was the prospect of "liberating" Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk going to be a guaranteed cakewalk, now part of plan B. The military was an embarrassment, losing many generals and commanders with a top-down command structure that made them vulnerable in the combat field to ambushes and targeted strikes by the Ukrainian low-level command structure and the help of antitank javelins and NLAW weapons. Melting snow and a muddy countryside were also weather factors that caused the Russians to form long convoys along paved winding roads, which made the convoys sitting ducks for ambushes and destruction. Another key factor in the war is bad Russian troop morale. Most Russian troops went in thinking it was a peacekeeping mission, and some even thought that they were on a training mission. The longer the war lasts, the worse will the Russian troop morale get, since most Russian troops don't want to be fighting Ukrainians, with whom many have relatives and acquaintances. Many Russian troops are poorly supplied with food and armaments due to supply logistic problems, since almost none, including the generals and commanders, felt that the war would last as long as it has. After you surround a city that doesn't give up, your only recourse is to destroy it with artillery and tanks, causing massive civilian casualties, or starving the population into submission. Mariupol is a perfect example of a destroyed city with starving and dead civilians, which can truly be called an act of genocide or a horrendous war crime. Humiliation is one thing, but the annihilation of innocent civilians has turned into revulsion by world opinion on the matter. Yes, finally the world came to realize that Putin was a war criminal preying on weak and defenseless civilians thanks to inept military tactics. Humiliation on land also occurred at sea, where the proud, state-of-the-art, flagship cruiser Moskva was sunk by two Ukrainian missiles. To try to escape this humiliation, the official version of Russian propaganda was that the cruiser, the captain, and some crewmembers were destroyed by a fire. Tactical nuclear weapons in theory are used to take out clusters of tanks or entire battalions and not to destroy innocent civilians in cities. If Putin uses nuclear weapons on cities, then he will be the pariah of not only the world but also the Russian people, who have many relatives and acquaintances in Ukraine. Nuclear blasts leave radiation, which poisons the land. Does Putin really want a second (after Chernobyl) radiation wasteland in Ukraine? According to Russian propaganda, plan B is to take control of Donetsk and Luhansk and make these Ukrainian regions into sovereign states of Russia. That's easier said than done if the Russians continue to use the same military tactics that failed so miserably in Ukraine so far. It took the Russians months to prepare for the Ukraine invasion, and it will also take months to prepare for an invasion into eastern Ukraine, which will also fail miserably, using the same old tactics and top-down military command structure. In the meantime, many Ukrainian and Russian people will be struggling to survive, and this is a great tragedy, which is inescapable. It is obvious that Putin bit off more of Ukraine than he can chew, but the real result is permanent, irreversible humiliation for the rest of Putin's life. What should the West do? Continue supplying arms and humanitarian and economic aid to Ukraine as long as the war lasts, and then arm Ukraine to the teeth when the war stops. Putin understands, fears, and respects only one thing, and that is the threat of superior military force or the threat of death or imprisonment by a tyrannical regime. It is possible that the war will end in a stalemate or never end, which all depends on how long both Russia and Ukraine can survive economically. Putin understands only one thing, and that is military victory, so arms shipments and humanitarian and economic aid to Ukraine should not stop if a permanent peace is to be expected sometime in the future. Putin deserves total military humiliation, which he just may get if the West continues helping Ukraine win. Photo credit: Vic B Pixabay license. In the winter of 1803, residents of Hammersmith, which at the time was a small village on the outskirts of London, was terrorized by a ghost. Most of who had seen the specter described it as a figure covered in a large white shroud. Others said it sometimes wore a calf skin wrapped around its body and had large glass-like eyes. The ghost instilled fear among the villagers because the specter was not a mere apparition but appeared to be full of malevolent intent. It attacked and harassed people, often grabbing them as they tried to run. A pregnant woman was reportedly seized by the ghost while walking near the churchyard, which frightened her so much that she died of shock a few days afterwards. A driver of a wagon, pulled by eight horses and carrying 16 people, was so shaken by its appearance that he fled on foot, leaving the horses, wagon, and passengers at the scene. Thomas Groom, a brewer's servant, gave a vivid account of his encounter with the ghost: I was going through the church yard between eight and nine o'clock, with my jacket under my arm, and my hands in my pocket, when some person came from behind a tomb-stone, which there are four square in the yard, behind me, and caught me fast by the throat with both hands, and held me fast; my fellow-servant, who was going on before, hearing me scuffling, asked what was the matter; then, whatever it was, gave me a twist round, and I saw nothing; I gave a bit of a push out with my fist, and felt something soft, like a great coat. The Hammersmith Ghost frightening a woman. It was speculated that the ghost was the spirit of a man who had committed suicide some months previously and was buried in a local churchyard against conventional wisdom that such individuals should not be interred in consecrated ground, for their souls would not be able to rest at peace. But at some point, the villagers figured that ghost was actually a person covered with a white sheet who was deliberately scaring people, and decided to apprehend him. Several villagers armed with pistols began to patrol the streets. On one occasion, a member of the patrol saw the ghost and gave it a chase at which the apparition threw off its shroud and escaped. The white cloth, which was later recovered, evidenced that the ghost was a mischievous mortal being. On the night of January 3, 1804, 29-year-old excise officer Francis Smith was on patrol armed with a shotgun. Just after 11:00 PM, while walking down Black Lion Lane, Smith saw a white figure moving. Although the night was not quite dark, the hedges lining the lane made it impossible to see more than four yards. Smith called out to the approaching figure asking it to identify itself, but when the figure did not respond, Smith fired his gun. The figure in white clothing was actually a bricklayer named Thomas Millwood who was heading home after a visit to his parents and sister. Millwood was dressed in the normal white clothing of his tradewhite linen trousers, a white flannel waistcoat, a white apron, and white shoes. There was so much whiteness in his outfit that Millwood was already mistaken for a ghost on two previous occasions, and Millwoods wife had advised him to put on a large coat when going out in public to avoid being mistaken for the ghost again. Smith, realizing that he had shot dead a man, turned himself in to the police. Later, before the Court at Old Bailey, Smith stated, I did not know what I did; I solemnly declare my innocence, and that I had no intention to take away the life of the unfortunate deceased, or any other man whatever. Smith confessed to shooting Millwood but he stated that he genuinely believed it to be the ghost, and pleaded not guilty. But the judge advised the jury that lack of malice was not sufficient enough to acquit someone from murder because a person cannot kill another in the name of rashness and be excused for such a blunder. During the case, the judge Lord Chief Baron Sir Archibald Macdonald was very clear about his views: However disgusted the jury might feel in their own minds with the abominable person guilty of the misdemeanor of terrifying the neighborhood, still the prisoner had no right to construe such misdemeanor into a capital offence, or to conclude that a man dressed in white was a ghost In this case there was a deliberate carrying of a loaded gun, which the prisoner concluded he was entitled to fire, but which he really was not; and he did fire it with a rashness which the law does not excuse. In all the circumstances of the case, no man is allowed to kill another rashly. The jury returned with a verdict of manslaughter, but the judge was not happy. He maintained that under no circumstances of the case that he could reduce the crime from murder to manslaughter, because neither Smith acted in self-defense nor shot Millwood by accident, and that Millwood had not committed any offence to justify being shot. The judge instructed the jury to go back and reconsider their verdict. This time the jury delivered a guilty verdict and Smith was initially condemned to death. Later, taking into consideration the immense public sympathy that Smith garnered, the Crown granted Smith a full pardon and reduced the sentence to one years imprisonment with hard labor. The huge publicity that the case generated persuaded the true culprit to come forward. An elderly shoemaker named John Graham admitted that he had been pretending to be a ghost by using a white sheet to frighten his apprentice, who had been scaring Graham's children with ghost stories. Graham surrendered to the magistrates, who was unsure of the legal position and granted him bail. There is no record of Graham ever being punished. Although Smith managed to escape the gallows, there was widespread dissent among the public on the outcome of the case and the glaring flaw that it exposed in the legal code. Most people were displeased at the lack of defense available to an individual acting in good faith and believing that an action, including violence, was necessary but having misunderstood the situation. Over time the curious case of the Hammersmith Ghost was forgotten but the questions it raised in law remained open and continued to haunt legal proceedings for decades to come. This issue was not settled until the case of Regina v Williams came before the Court of Appeal in 1983. The appellant, Gladstone Williams, saw a man dragging a youth violently along the street while the latter shouted for help. Mistakenly believing that an assault was taking place, Williams intervened and injured the supposed attacker, who was actually attempting to apprehend a suspected thief. Williams was subsequently convicted of assault, but he appealed and his conviction was overturned. In the hearing of the case, the judge finally clarified the law in a statement: In a case of self-defence, where self-defence or the prevention of crime is concerned, if the jury came to the conclusion that the defendant believed, or may have believed, that he was being attacked or that a crime was being committed, and that force was necessary to protect himself or to prevent the crime, then the prosecution have not proved their case. If however the defendants alleged belief was mistaken and if the mistake was an unreasonable one, that may be a peaceful reason for coming to the conclusion that the belief was not honestly held and should be rejected. Even if the jury come to the conclusion that the mistake was an unreasonable one, if the defendant may genuinely have been labouring under it, he is entitled to rely upon it. In simple words, a mistake is defense only when it is reasonable. An unreasonable mistake can never be a defense. In Outlines of Criminal Law, Courtney Stanhope Kenny, gives an example of unreasonable mistake involving homicide and the supernatural. In 1880, at Clonmel in Ireland, a woman had placed a naked child on a hot shovel in the honest belief that it was a deformed fairy sent as a substitute for the real child, who would be restored if the changeling were thus imperilled. She was rightfully convicted and sentenced. Similar examples of unreasonable mistake would be witch burning. Although the case was apparently put to rest, the legend of Hammersmith ghost continued to linger, with some locals believing that the ghost returns to Hammersmith churchyard every fifty years. The last sighting was made in July 1955. References: # The Case of a Ghost Haunted England for Over Two Hundred Years, Library of Congress # The Hammersmith Ghost and the Strange Death of Thomas Millwood, Crime Magazine # The case of the murdered ghost, BBC Twitter has unveiled a lot of new features over the past couple of months, but none of them garnered as much attention as the coveted edit tweet feature. Shortly after Elon Musk bought 9.2% of the company, Twitter announced that it had been working on the feature since last year. Now, a contributor for 9To5Google was able to enable the edit tweet button on the web client. The ability to edit tweets is one of the most sought-after features when it comes to Twitter. Other social media/video-sharing platforms allow you to edit your posts like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, etc. Even business apps like Slack let you edit your sent messages. Twitter has always been a rebel in that regard. However, that might end, as someone was able to enable the edit tweet button Right now, its going to be some time before most people will start editing their tweets. Twitter said that its going to be testing the feature with its Twitter Blue users sometime soon. This means that paid subscribers will be able to edit their tweets at first. Were sure that Twitter wont keep it for paid subscribers like TweetDeck. Advertisement While the company is getting the feature ready for primetime, a 9To5Google contributor was able to enable the edit tweet button. Dylan Roussel posted a tweet showing some screenshots of the Twitter web client with a tweet displayed. The tweet reading Testing Edit! has its overflow (three-dot) menu open. Close to the bottom of the menu, we see an Edit Tweet option. On the next image, we see that same tweet in the actual editing process with text added. Unfortunately, the next image shows an error message. As is often the case with features enabled early, they just dont work. Since the feature is still in testing and not meant for anyone outside of the circle, the functionality just wasnt added yet. Uh oh! @Twitter's edit button can already be enabled. It doesn't work yet, but I'll keep an eye on it! pic.twitter.com/7hyCAxsSym Advertisement Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) April 16, 2022 If youre interested in trying out this feature, its still going to be some time, but you can subscribe to Twitter Blue. Its $2.99/month, and youll have access to the edit tweet button along with other exclusives. Boris Johnson goes into a new week ready to defend his premiership again as he prepares to insist to MPs there are bigger issues to focus on than the partygate saga. Despite being fined by the Metropolitan Police for his birthday bash held in the Cabinet room in June 2020, while coronavirus restrictions were in place, the Prime Minister is expected to tell MPs on Tuesday that this should not be the focus of politicians. Mr Johnson is reported to be preparing to make a statement in the Commons once MPs return to Westminster following the Easter recess. A group of police officers walk through Downing Street (Stefan Rousseau/PA) But it comes after a thinly-veiled reference to standards in politics by one of the Church of Englands most senior clergymen, the Archbishop of York. Using his Easter sermon on Sunday, Stephen Cottrell urged Britons to ask what sort of country they wanted to live in. He said: Do we want to be known for the robustness of our democracy, where those in public life live to the highest standards, and where we can trust those who lead us to behave with integrity and honour? The Times reported that Mr Johnson was set to focus on Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis, and a trip to India which will focus on defence and trade. As well as addressing MPs in the Chamber, The Times reported Mr Johnson would speak to a meeting of the entire Conservative parliamentary party on Tuesday evening. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, is also expected to decide if to allow a vote on whether to refer Mr Johnson to the Privileges Committee which would decide whether he had misled the House over his partygate explanations. Minister for Brexit Opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg (James Manning/PA) Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg indicated the defence Mr Johnson may reach for on Sunday. Speaking to BBC Radio 4s The World This Weekend programme, he said: I think that when you hear what happened on the party for which he has been fined, many people would think that they were in accordance with the rules, when they were meeting people they were with every day, who happened to wish them a happy birthday, because that was the day it was. I think that was a perfectly rational thing to believe. Now the police have decided otherwise and the police have an authority. But he wasnt thinking something irrational or unreasonable, that that was within the rules. But Mr Johnson was also accused over the weekend of not only attending a leaving party for his former communications chief Lee Cain on November 13, 2020, but instigating the do. Downing Street declined to comment. On Sunday, crossbench peer and historian Peter Hennessey told BBC Radio 4s Broadcasting House programme that the country was in the most severe constitutional crisis involving a prime minister that I can remember, and it goes to the heart of the character of the Prime Minister. Reading from his diary entry from Tuesday, when Mr Johnson apologised after receiving his partygate fine, Lord Hennessey said the PM had shredded the ministerial code and was unworthy of the Queen, her Parliament, her people and her kingdom. Still reading from the entry, he added: I cannot remember a day where Ive been more fearful for the wellbeing of the constitution. However, Mr Rees-Mogg played down the constitutional significance of the ministerial code. Speaking on BBC Radio 4s The World This Weekend programme, he said: The ministerial code is not a legislative part of our constitution, it is a set of guidelines produced by the Prime Minister. He said that when Mr Johnson told MPs rules had been followed in No 10 during Covid restrictions: I think that the Prime Minister spoke to Parliament in good faith. Pupils researching topics for history projects online can be exposed to extremist content and Holocaust denial, teachers have warned. At the NASUWT teaching unions annual conference in Birmingham on Monday, member Rachel Minto said extreme far-right material could be accessed by pupils 24/7 with a few swipes of your phone. More worryingly, children can accidentally come across this material whilst innocently researching for school projects, she said. A Google search on the Holocaust can bring up information provided by a Holocaust denier as easily as legitimate or sound historical documentation, she told the conference. Ms Minto said research showed that childrens access to social media and smartphones means they are more at risk of being exposed to extremist material than ever before, with time spent online increasing exponentially during the pandemic. Gone are the days when far-right information and propaganda was confined to the back rooms of seedy pubs and clubs, she said. Ms Minto said she was increasingly alarmed and appalled by the gradual normalisation of far-right views. She added that a lack of challenge to these views by some politicians and the media is filtering into the psyche of our schools and into the homes of our pupils. This is intensified by the Governments continued attack on what they have termed the woke agenda and their reluctance to rally behind Black Lives Matter, she added. Teachers at the conference voted for the union to lobby governments to invest in new international education programmes to promote diversity, and to produce training for members to help them challenge far-right nationalism. NASUWT member Candida Mellow said she was appalled and sickened by the far right, and that as a teacher of French she was horrified that a cloaked neo-Nazi was standing for the French presidency. As a result of Brexit, we have lost a lot of our cross-border links and education programmes, and therefore the possibility of our young people to experience cultural differences, she said. We also need to actively educate our students about online infiltration of far-right messages. These insidious organisations use subtle tactics to indoctrinate very vulnerable children. Union member Nicholas Tones said that around seven years ago he had noticed that one of the accounts following his English departments Twitter account, belonging to a pupils parent, consisted only of retweets of far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson. He reported this as a concern under the Prevent strategy. From the feedback that I sought afterwards, it seems there was a considerable delay by both the designated officer and the local authority in processing this concern and acting upon it, because, to misquote the late, great Sir Alec Guinness, this is not the radicalisation were looking for. He said those running Prevent had evolved somewhat since then, but only in the context of an increasingly toxic and polarised political environment. Another NASUWT member, Judith Bruce-Golding, who is black, said she had grown up on an estate which was the home of the National Front, and she had seen her sisters return from a school disco with ripped clothes after being chased by racists. Member Judith Bruce-Golding, from Birmingham, spoke of the power that teachers have to build a sense of belonging for all those children who are different in their classrooms, addressing delegates about the anti-far right motion at our Annual Conference today.#teachers #Schools NASUWT (@NASUWT) April 18, 2022 My sister came home in a bra, because they had been chased it was a tough time. When we think about anti-far right initiatives, to me it goes back to what gives people the right to look at someone else and think that they can go into their boundaries, and it made me think about, What have you been taught?' She said this had made her realise how much power we have as teachers to include and build that sense of belonging for all of those children who are different in that space. She said the union needed to discuss what it meant to decolonise a curriculum and undermine the far-right initiatives that may be embedded in our curriculum. Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said the union was alarmed by the incidence of far-right extremism and hate crimes in the UK. Over the last decade, the Government has peddled a hostile environment agenda which has created the conditions for hatred to flourish, he added. Official numbers of reported hate crimes have risen to more than 124,000 a year across England and Wales. Nearly three-quarters of these hate crimes were racially motivated increasing by 12% in just a year. Dr Roach added that schools are not immune, as children and young people are often exposed to hate speech on social media and elsewhere. He said more needed to be done to address the problem of extremist views in schools. Concerted Government-level action is urgently needed to support schools in tackling the problem and to support pupils and teachers who have been targeted and victimised, he said. Anti-racism must be central to the curriculum and schools and colleges must also be supported and equipped to provide a curriculum that challenges all forms of bigotry, prejudice and hatred. Jennifer Grey talks about "schnozzageddon," getting the nose job that left her unrecognizable, as well as her lack of chemistry with Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze and the fatal car crash she and then-boyfriend Matthew Broderick were involved in, according to two new interviews promoting her memoir. The actress wrote in Out of the Corner, out May 3, that she and Swayze didn't have the best relationship off-camera. However, that "friction" fueled the film, which came out in 1987. "The same way Baby and Johnny were not supposed to be together they weren't ... a natural match, right? we weren't a natural match," Grey told People magazine. "And the fact that we needed to be a natural match created a tension. Because, no, normally when someone's not a natural [match] ... both people move on, but we were forced to be together. And our being forced to be together created a kind of a synergy, or like a friction." Jennifer Grey had on-screen chemistry with Dirty Dancing co-star Patrick Swayze, but they didn't have the best relationship off-camera. (Photo: Jim Smeal/WireImage) The 62-year-old continued, "I actually just had a thought about Patrick," who died from pancreatic cancer in 2009. "I feel like if I could say anything to him now I would say, 'I'm so sorry that I couldn't just appreciate and luxuriate in who you were, instead of me wishing you were more like what I wanted you to be.'" When it was noted that America loved Swayze and wished their on-screen love was real he wasn't her type, as a co-star or otherwise. "The weird thing was, it's like, 'What's wrong with me?'" she said of their lack of personal chemistry. "I mean, I was not lacking," at the time dating her Ferris Bueller's Day Off co-star Broderick. "And he was married. and very in love with his wife. Whatever he was doing, I was not... I was very busy with Matthew. What could be more different?" Grey also spoke about getting a nose job in the early 1990s after years of her mother, actress Jo Wilder, urging her to and at the advice of three surgeons. It was more aggressive than what Grey expected, she told the New York Times, leaving her nose "truncated" and "dwarfed." She then needed a second surgery to "fine-tune" her proboscis. It left her unrecognizable to people who had known her for years, and photographers who used to hound her didn't recognize her. She referred to it as "schnozzageddon" to the news outlet. "The first time I had gone out in public," Michael Douglas who she had known for years didn't recognize her, she told People. "And it became the thing, the idea of being completely invisible, from one day to the next. In the world's eyes, I was no longer me." In her book she wrote, "Overnight I lose my identity and my career." The kicker was that her whole life she was "completely anti-rhinoplasty" despite her mother encouraging her to go under the knife. "The weird thing was that thing that I resisted my whole life," she said, adding she "was so upset with my mother for always telling me I should do my nose." So when she did it, "I really thought it meant surrendering to the enemy camp. I just thought, 'I'm good enough. I shouldn't have to do this.' That's really what I felt. 'I'm beautiful enough.'" She said her mother loved her, despite her telling her to change her appearance. "She loves me, loved me, always has, and she was pragmatic because she was saying, guess what? It's too hard to cast you. Make it easier for them," Grey said. "And then I did and she was right. [The feedback she was getting no longer was]: 'You're not pretty.' She said her parents, dad Joel Grey, both underwent plastic surgery themselves. "When I was a kid, I was completely anti-rhinoplasty. I mean it was like my religion,' she said. "I loved that my parents did it. I understand it was the '50s. I understand they were assimilating. I understood that you had to change your name and you had to do certain things, and it was just normalized, right? You can't be gay. You can't be Jewish. You know, you can't look Jewish. You're just trying to fit into whatever is the groupthink." Grey also spoke about the car accident she and Broderick were in just before the Dirty Dancing premiere. He was behind the wheel of a car in Northern Ireland when he crossed into the wrong lane and collided head-on with a mother and daughter, both of whom were killed. He suffered serious injuries; Grey had spinal surgery 30 years later as a result of the crash. Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey at the 59th Annual Academy Awards. (Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) The idea that the most traumatic tragedy, the most impactful experience of my life, was sandwiched..." with Dirty Dancing coming out and the accolades that came with it. "They are inextricably linked. The pleasure of that moment, that surprise arrival, it never felt good. It never felt like what Id hoped my whole life it would feel like... We were so young. And theres not a week that goes by that I dont think about it. That I don't think about the families. That I don't think about Matthew. It's just in me. It's part of my topographical map, the landscape of my life." Grey who was divorced from Clark Gregg last year told People that anyone looking for any further gossip about the tragedies can keep looking. "There was some very, very heavy stuff that went down that changed my life forever and there was no one to blame," she said. "And many people might think that I'm here to tell some long-held secret. None of that, it's just we had an accident. It was a pure and simple accident that was tragic. And it had very serious traumatic lasting effects on, I'm sure, Matthew and the family of the other women and me." Whatever you've heard or read, no, Julia Roberts has not insured her dazzling smile the one that audiences got to see again and again in hit romantic comedies like Pretty Woman, My Best Friend's Wedding and Notting Hill. "I mean, if my smile was insured," Roberts told the New York Times Magazine for a story published Friday,"there would be someone at my house on a nightly basis saying, 'You need to floss longer.'" Audiences will get to see Roberts's famous expression again this fall, when she co-stars with her friend (and regular co-star) George Clooney in Ticket to Paradise, her return to the genre after a long absence. In fact, she hasn't appeared in anything for four years. "People sometimes misconstrue the amount of time that's gone by that I haven't done a romantic comedy as my not wanting to do one," she said. "If I had read something that I thought was that Notting Hill level of writing or My Best Friend's Wedding level of madcap fun, I would do it. They didn't exist until this movie that I just did that Ol Parker [writer/director of Mama Mia! Here We Go Again] wrote and directed." Julia Roberts stars alongside Cameron Diaz and Dermot Mulroney in the 1997 movie My Best Friend's Wedding. (Photo: Everett Collection) There's also the matter of her family, which she keeps private and which she doesn't like to leave for just any reason. Roberts married cinematographer Danny Moder in 2002, with whom she shares three teenagers. "Here's the thing: If I'd thought something was good enough, I would have done it. But I also had three kids in the last 18 years," Roberts told the magazine. "That raises the bar even more because then it's not only, Is this material good? It's also the math equation of my husband's work schedule and the kids' school schedule and summer vacation. It's not just, Oh, I think I want to do this. I have a sense of great pride in being home with my family and considering myself a homemaker. For so much of my children's younger life they would see their dad go off and I would work a little, but they almost didn't notice. It was like I was only gone when they were napping or something. But as they get older, and particularly with my daughter, I do have a sense of responsibility for showing my children that I can be creative and that it's meaningful to me so meaningful that for periods of time I will choose to focus on that almost more than my family, which has been hard for me to come to terms with." In fact, Roberts "almost didn't do" the 2013 movie August: Osage County, for which she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar, because she didn't want to leave her family. Moder convinced her. "They were going to start filming right as our youngest son was starting kindergarten, and I was like, How could I miss this? I remember talking to Danny about it, and he said: 'At some point you were going to have to leave us to work. Wouldn't you rather roll those dice in a situation like this, where you have a good understanding of what you're going to be doing and the people you're going to be working with?'" For that one, she was part of an all-star cast that included Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale and more. Clooney was a producer. "He was right to push me," Roberts said of Moder, "because if he said, 'I don't know,' I would have been like: 'I don't either! I'm not going!' That's the female plight. That feeling of leaving is hard." Friends Julia Roberts and George Clooney promote their movie Money Monster at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. (Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty Images) Roberts's latest projects, both the reunion with Clooney and Gaslit, a Starz series out April 24, in which she plays Martha Mitchell, an unlikely figure in bringing down the Nixon administration during the Watergate scandal, are allowing her to live her "acting dreams." Her friend Sean Penn she calls him "the greatest dramatic actor, I think, of my generation" plays her husband, Nixon attorney general John N. Mitchell. And, don't worry, Roberts said her rom-com skills, which, if you don't count her minors parts in the Garry Marshall-directed lovefests of the 2010s, came back to her for Paradise. "I love to laugh and be funny. You get into that mode of those endorphins going off when you're clever and people going, 'Oh!' Then that becomes this automatic thing where you're always thinking in terms of creating fun," she said. "It's a joy to play in that sandbox. It has been a long time." And she said that the famous grin and the boisterous laugh for which she's known is still genuine. "If something's funny, I'm going to laugh," she said. "If something's not funny, nothing's going to make me laugh. I would probably get a lot further in my career if I had more control over those things." The family of a former British Army soldier reportedly captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine have called on his captors to uphold his rights as he appeared on Russian television asking to be exchanged for a pro-Kremlin politician. In footage reportedly broadcast on the Rossiya 24 state channel on Monday, Shaun Pinner addresses the Prime Minister and appears to ask for himself and fellow British prisoner of war Aiden Aslin to be swapped for Viktor Medvedchuk, who has been held in Ukraine. Hi Mr Boris Johnson, says the 48-year-old former Royal Anglian soldier, who appears tired in the video. Shaun Pinner, who served in many tours including with the United Nations in Bosnia, has allegedly been captured by Russian forces (Family Handout/PA) I understand that Mr Medvedchuk has been detained and we look to exchange myself and Aiden Aslin for Mr Medvedchuk. Obviously Id really appreciate your help in this matter and pushing this agenda. He also says he has been treated well and fed, watered. In a separate clip, Mr Aslin, 28, is seen saying: If Boris Johnson really does care like he says he does about British citizens then he would help pressure (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky to do the right thing and return Viktor to his family and return us to our families. It is unclear if the men were speaking under duress. Mr Medvedchuk also reportedly asked to be exchanged in a video released by Ukraines intelligence service. Tobias Ellwood, Conservative chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, later said a prisoner exchange is possible. He told BBC Radio 4s PM programme it happens behind the scenes. Like I said, this is where the back channels come into place, he said. Its where the agencies do our work. We still have, despite Russia deciding to persona non grata many Government officials, there are still communications that take place. We still have an embassy operating. Thats where these discussions should take place, not in the open media. Earlier footage appeared to show Mr Pinner saying he was captured in Mariupol while fighting with the Ukrainian marines. He said he had been fighting in the besieged city for five to six weeks but was now in the breakaway region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. In a statement released by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Mr Pinners family explained how he became involved in the defence of Ukraine, which they said he considers his adopted country. The statement read: Shaun was a well-respected soldier within the British Army serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment for many years. He served in many tours including Northern Ireland and with the United Nations in Bosnia. (PA Graphics) In 2018 Shaun decided to relocate to Ukraine to use his previous experience and training within the Ukraine military. Shaun enjoyed the Ukrainian way of life and considered Ukraine as his adopted country over the last four years. During this time, he met his Ukrainian wife, who is very focused on the humanitarian needs of the country. He progressed into the Ukrainian Marines as a proud member of his unit. The statement continued: We would like to make it clear he is not a volunteer nor a mercenary, but officially serving with the Ukrainian Army in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. Our family is currently working with the Foreign Office along with the family of Aiden Aslin, who is also being held by the Russian Army to ensure their rights as prisoners of war are upheld according to the Geneva Convention. Under the convention, prisoners of war must be treated humanely and protected from humiliating or degrading treatment. His relatives described Mr Pinner as funny, much-loved, well-intentioned and said they hoped for a quick resolution to allow the captured men to return to their families. Our hearts go out to all those caught up in this horrific conflict, the statement concluded. The FCDO condemned the exploitation of prisoners of war for political purposes and called on the Kremlin to treat all prisoners of war humanely. The department has been in contact with the families of Mr Pinner and Mr Aslin to support them. We know that the Kremlin is preparing fresh lies to account for atrocities on civilians in Ukraine. These attempts to cover up horrific acts of violence will not deter investigators. The UK is offering funding, personnel and military expertise to hold perpetrators to account. pic.twitter.com/DlH4btTn2F Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) April 16, 2022 However, the UKs ability to obtain information and provide consular services on the ground is severely limited because of the conflict. In another video, Mr Pinner, who is originally from Bedfordshire, appeared to be questioned by a Russian journalist about how he was captured. He left a factory hideout in Mariupol at 4am on Tuesday, he said in the heavily-edited clip, adding there was not much time to think. The Russian reporter then appeared to tell Mr Pinner his Ukrainian commanders wanted him to be killed. Mr Pinner spoke of his fear of capture in January, telling the Mail on Sunday: I fear for my life. The Russians will treat us differently if we are captured because we are British. This is always on my mind, that I will be captured. Mr Aslin, originally from Nottinghamshire, had been defending Mariupol with his unit during heavy fighting in recent weeks before having to surrender after 48 days due to a lack of food and ammunition. The Telegraph reported Mr Aslin enlisted in the Ukrainian army in 2018 and that he had previously fought against the so-called Islamic State in Syria. DETROIT (AP) A group of Tesla shareholders suing CEO Elon Musk over some 2018 tweets about taking the company private is asking a federal judge to order Musk to stop commenting on the case. Lawyers for stockholders of the Austin, Texas-based company also say in court documents that the judge in the case has ruled that Musk's tweets about having funding secured to take Tesla private were false, and that his comments also violate a 2018 court settlement with U.S. securities regulators in which Musk and Tesla each agreed to pay $20 million fines. Musk, during an interview Thursday at the TED 2022 conference, said he had the funding to take Tesla private in 2018. He called the Securities and Exchange Commission a profane name and said he only settled because bankers told him they would stop providing capital if he didn't, and Tesla would go bankrupt. The interview and court action came just days after Musk, the world's richest person, made a controversial offer to take over Twitter and turn it into a private company with a $43 billion offer that equals $54.20 per share. Twitter's board on Friday adopted a poison pill strategy that would make it prohibitively expensive for Musk to buy the shares. In court documents filed Friday, lawyers for the Tesla shareholders alleged that Musk is trying to influence potential jurors in the lawsuit. They contend that Musk's 2018 tweets about having the money to take Tesla private at $420 per share were written to maniuplate the stock price, costing shareholders money. Now, lawyers say Musk is campaigning to influence possible jurors as the case gets closer to trial. Musk's comments risk confusing potential jurors with the false narrative that he did not knowingly make misrepresentations with his Aug. 7, 2018 tweets, the lawyers wrote. His present statements on that issue, an unsubtle attempt to absolve himself in the court of public opinion, will only have a predjudicial influence on a jury." The lawyers asked Judge Edward M. Chen in San Francisco to restrain Musk from making further public comments on the issue until after the trial. Chen gave Musk's lawyers until Wednesday to respond. Alex Spiro, a lawyer representing Musk, wrote in an email Sunday that the plaintiffs' lawyers are seeking a big payout. Nothing will ever change the truth, which is that Elon Musk was considering taking Tesla private and could have, he wrote. All that's left some half-decade later is random plaintiffs lawyers trying to make a buck and others trying to block that truth from coming to light, all to the detriment of free speech. But the shareholders' lawyers wrote that Chen already ruled that Musk's tweets were false and misleading, and that no reasonable juror could conclude otherwise. Judge Chen's order, issued April 1, was not in the public court file as of Sunday. Adam Apton, a lawyer for the shareholders, said it was sealed because it has evidence that Musk and Tesla say is confidential. It will stay sealed until the parties agree if anything should remain sealed, he wrote in an email. Our motion for TRO (temporary restraining order) accurately desribes the issues decided by the court, Apton wrote. After Musk's 2018 tweets, the SEC filed a complaint against him alleging securities law violations. Musk then agreed to the fine and signed the court agreement. Part of the agreement says that Musk will not take any action or make or permit to be made any public statement denying, directly or indirectly, any allegation in the complaint or creating the impression that the complaint is without factual basis. If Musk violates the agreement, the SEC may ask the court to scrap it and restore the securities fraud complaint, the agreement says. A message was left Sunday seeking comment from the SEC. Spiro, on behalf of Musk, already has asked a Manhattan federal court to throw out the agreement. He contends the SEC is using the pact and near limitless resources to chill Musks speech. Court documents filed by Spiro say Musk signed the agreement when Tesla was a less mature company and SEC action jeopardized its financing. The Commons Foreign Committee should consider expanding its inquiry into hostage taking to consider reports Ukrainians have been transported to Russia via filtration camps, its chairman has said. Tom Tugendhat acknowledged the committee began its investigation into state level hostage situations thinking of people like Nazanin (Zaghari-Ratcliffe), who recently returned to Britain after being detained in Iran for nearly six years. But sharing reports that over 674,000 Ukrainians have been moved to Russia since the war began, the Tory MP said: Reading this we should think about expanding our inquiry. The figure, which has been attributed to Russian officials, was tweeted by historian Dr Peter Caddick-Adams, who said: (Russia) claims that they were transported voluntarily. (Ukraine) says the process was involuntary, via filtration camps where documents were stolen, prior to forced removal to Russia. Mr Tugendhat quoted the tweet with the caption: We began an @CommonsForeign inquiry on hostage taking as foreign policy thinking of people like Nazanin (Zaghari-Ratcliffe). Reading this we should think about expanding our inquiry. We began an @CommonsForeign inquiry on hostage taking as foreign policy thinking of people like Nazanin Zaghari Radcliffe. Reading this we should think about expanding our inquiry. https://t.co/mJL3Z3gSgp https://t.co/opN4oJ8Yud Tom Tugendhat (@TomTugendhat) April 18, 2022 It comes after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss last month condemned the abduction and deportation of Ukrainians from the besieged city of Mariupol. A Ukrainian MP claimed at the time that her countrymen and women were being forced to relocate to distant parts of Russia to work in conditions akin to slave labour. The Foreign Secretary said she was appalled by the reports and vowed for Russian president Vladimir Putin to be held to account for his treatment of civilians during the invasion. Speaking to Times Radio, Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun said that, according to information being shared by the ports mayor, citizens were effectively being relocated by Moscow. From what we know from the city mayor and the city council, is they are taking Ukrainian citizens, she said. They are sending them through what are called the filtration camps and then they are being relocated to very distant parts of Russia, where they are being forced to sign papers (saying) that they will stay in that area for two or three years and they will work for free in those areas. A Georgia man accused of running a cult that views him as God was ordered held without bail Friday after being charged with rape and false imprisonment. Eligio Bishop, who also goes by Nature Boy, was arrested late Wednesday and charged with rape, false imprisonment and three counts of prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions, according to online jail records from the DeKalb County Police Department. After receiving a complaint on March 30, the special victims unit began an investigation into Bishop, a spokesperson told the Daily News Monday. The specifics of the complaint are unclear. Bishop allegedly runs a small cult sometimes called the Carbon Nation, which previously centered around sexual and naturalist themes, according to 11Alive. But recently, social media posts from Bishop have shifted to focus on him, referring to himself as Th3 3God. Eligio Bishop Eligio Bishop A video posted by apparent followers on Instagram includes a jail cell call from Bishop in which he said he was he was trying to help people and is simply misunderstood. They want to crucify me, they want me dead, theres hate that surrounds me, you can feel it, just like any other prophet only me, Im the return of the Christ, he said. Its unclear when Bishop arrived in Georgia, but he and about 15 followers were kicked out of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama in 2019 for endangering and threatening the national security of those three countries, the Costa Rica Star reported at the time. Bishop, who was described as a former model, stripper and sex worker, forced followers to surrender their money, credit cards and bank account information in order to join his cult, according to the Star. In 2020, Bishop and 20 others were arrested in Hawaii for violating COVID-19 quarantine protocols. An Atlanta-area neighbor described multiple instances of abuse at Bishops house. Carbon Nation is his cult. Hes been whooping girls, beating girls, fertilizing girls, getting girls ready for marriage, the anonymous woman told WSB-TV. Erikka Carroll, one of Bishops first followers who moved from New York to Honduras to be with him in 2006 but left a year later, told 11Alive that the abuse, both physical and emotional, dated back to her days as well, but that hes gotten worse over time. He constantly says the same things over and over and over. You cant watch any other teachers, you cant read any other books, he wants everything to just be him. If you read how to brainwash somebody thats basically how you do it, she said. He (now) has the women fighting each other, hes putting his hands on the men. He always said he wanted a lot of wives. He wanted ten wives. After leaving the cult, Carroll checked herself into the hospital to get my mind right, she told the outlet, then began proper therapy. Washingtons geopolitical appetite has been growing By Global Times editorial (Global Times) 08:27, April 18, 2022 Peace talks Illustration: Liu Rui/GT In recent days, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and State Department spokesperson Ned Price have expressed their views on when the Russia-Ukraine conflict might end. Sullivan said on Thursday that "fighting in Ukraine could go on for months or longer." Blinken and Price said that the clash could last through the end of 2022. There are indications showing that this is not so much a judgment by Washington as it is its real intent. This prediction is an extension of seven months from previous ones that generally argued that the conflict would end in May. After the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, almost all Washington's practices have been to push the war into a prolonged one, and all kinds of mobilization and "efforts" have been made to this end. This prediction of Washington's, in effect, is telling Ukraine to go ahead and "we support you." Ukraine has been extremely exploited as a pawn. As the Russia-Ukraine conflict has lasted for more than 50 days, it became increasingly clear that "rescuing Ukraine" was just a "theater effect" that the US wanted to create ostensibly. Manipulating the pace and taking advantage of the chaos has been Washington's real purpose. The Pentagon on Wednesday hosted leaders of the top eight US weapons manufacturers to discuss faster production of weapons. The stocks of these military-industrial companies appear to be on the verge of another surge. The US military-industrial complex is the most direct and biggest beneficiary of the prolongation of the war. In addition, triggering maximum consumption to Russia, using the "Russia threat theory" to draw Europe to its side, and manipulating NATO to a greater extent are the "geopolitical dividends" tainted with blood that the US expects to gain from this war. Therefore, although US President Joe Biden has repeatedly said a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is "World War III, something we must strive to prevent," the US' policies seem to have escalated the situation toward this direction. Shortly after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the two countries showed their attitude of wishing to reach a cease-fire through talks and they had engaged in several rounds of negotiations. During the fifth round, Russia and Ukraine got closer on their stances and released positive signals. However, Ukraine soon changed its attitude on core topics such as whether it will join NATO, and the talks fell into de facto deadlock. This may partly be due to Ukraine's negotiating tactics, but the root cause is known to all - as the things didn't go in line with Washington's script, the US stepped in to undermine the consensus and basis for negotiations. After the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, people feared the advent of a "new cold war." But the current situation is heading toward a more dangerous scenario than merely a "new cold war." Because during the Cold War era, the two camps had reached an agreement that security was mutual. The two sides refrained themselves and kept a long-term peace during their military and ideological standoff. The current US policy of "defeating Russia" has gone further than "suppression" - and of course, the peace of Ukraine is clearly not within Washington's priorities. The current US is as hegemonic and arrogant as it was shortly after the end of the Cold War when it was the only pole in the world. Washington's geopolitical appetite has been growing as the Russia-Ukraine conflict goes on. US media reported that the US and its allies have begun planning for a "far different world" in which they "actively seek to isolate and weaken" Russia. The "security anxiety" hyped by the US has made neutral European countries like Sweden and Finland seek to join NATO. It has also pushed Europe and Russia into a downward spiral in terms of confrontation on security. Nevertheless, whether or not the US' strategy will end up boomeranging as much as its "democracy promotion," Russia has warned of "unpredictable consequences" of the US intent to divide the world. More dangerously, Washington, which has tasted blood in the Ukraine crisis, has an urge to take this approach global. People see that Washington is trying to make the most of the Russia-Ukraine conflict by linking it to the Indo-Pacific situation. On one hand, the US is proactively making NATO look eastward. On the other hand, it is sparing no efforts to make waves in the Asia-Pacific. The US has invited, for the first time, Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers to NATO foreign ministers' meetings, tried to rope Japan into AUKUS and intensified its political manipulation on the Taiwan question. Indulging in extreme geopolitical games, Washington is increasingly becoming the origin of chaos and wars - this should be watched and guarded against by all. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) After months of warning all travelers to avoid a long list of countries because of "very high" COVID-19 levels, the CDC has removed all countries from its "Do Not Travel" list. The federal agency on Monday removed 89 countries from its "Do Not Travel" list. The highest Level 4 designation will now be reserved for "special circumstances" reflecting a dangerous spike in COVID-19 cases, a new variant or health care infrastructure collapse. While the Level 4 list had at one point included well over 100 destinations, now there are no Level 4 countries. Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 classifications continue to be based on a 28-day incidence or case counts. Countries with a "high level of COVID-19" are considered Level 3. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated are still advised to avoid travel to these destinations, but the warning does not apply to fully vaccinated visitors. Travelers with weakened immune systems are urged to check with doctors before visiting. CDC LEVEL 4 WARNINGS: Do people care? Passengers in the interior of an airport. The CDC classifies countries with "moderate" COVID-19 levels into Level 2 and "low" COVID-19 levels into Level 1. Travelers should make sure they are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before traveling to these destinations, according to the CDC. The agency said the new travel advisory system is meant to be "a more actionable alert" for travelers that helps them understand "when the highest level of concern is most urgent." The update comes less than a week after the CDC confirmed it would extend the federal mask mandate on airplanes and other public transportation through May 3. That decision, however, was challenged Monday when a federal judge in Florida voided the mandate. The State Department also said it would also adjust its travel advisories and will no longer automatically correlate its guidance with the CDC's travel health notice level. But if the CDC moves a destination to Level 4 because of COVID-19 risk, the State Department's travel advisory for that destination will also raise to Level 4. The update leaves about 10% of all travel advisories at Level 4. The State Department advises against travel for a number of risks, not just COVID-19. FEDERAL MASK MANDATE: Florida judge voids US mask mandate for planes, public transportation after CDC extension This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC removes 89 countries from 'Do Not Travel' list In response to the Department of Interior (DOI) announcement that it will begin issuing sale notices on Monday for new oil and gas leases, climate change activists and Indigenous advocacy groups are castigating President Biden for breaking a key campaign promise. Additional oil and gas drilling will damage local air and water in nearby communities and exacerbate climate change, a coalition of groups said in a statement Friday night following the DOI announcement. Candidate Biden promised to end new oil and gas leasing on public lands, but President Biden is prioritizing oil executive profits over future generations, said Nicole Ghio, senior fossil fuels program manager at Friends of the Earth. Right now, fossil fuel extraction on public lands and waters make up a quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions at a time scientists are saying we must move urgently to cut emissions by at least half, said Dan Ritzman, a director at the Sierra Club. Not only does it devastate our planet, its a handout to Big Oil at the expense of average Americans, who will bear the brunt of its societal, health and financial ramifications. President Biden speaking in Greensboro, N.C., on Thursday. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) With conservative climate models predicting that we have less than 30 years to radically change our relationship with oil and gas, the future rests in the United States hands, said Siqiniq Maupin, executive director of Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic, an Alaska native advocacy organization. We can no longer commodify our land and water. The lease sale follows an injunction issued by a federal judge in Louisiana, who ruled that Bidens Jan. 27, 2021, executive order pausing new federal oil and gas leasing violates laws governing federal land management. The DOI plans to auction off oil and gas leases on 145,000 acres of public lands in nine states across the West, the first such sale since Biden took office. The department is instituting new rules that will apply to this sale and to others, moving forward, that will increase environmental scrutiny and mitigation requirements and raise the below-market royalty rates that DOI has been charging. In November, the DOI issued a report finding that the prior federal fossil fuel leasing program did not get a fair return for taxpayers and didnt adequately consult surrounding communities. Some environmentalists criticized the report for failing to examine how federal fossil fuel leasing contributes to climate change, but the DOI pledged to factor greenhouse gas emissions into future decisions about where to drill. The lease sales will incorporate many of the recommendations in the Departments report, including ensuring Tribal consultation and broad community input, reliance of the best available science including analysis of [greenhouse gas] emissions, and a first-ever increase in the royalty rate for new competitive leases to 18.75 percent, to ensure fair return for the American taxpayer and on par with rates charged by states and private landowners, the department said in a statement. Pump jacks in Eddy County, N.M. (Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images) For too long, the federal oil and gas leasing programs have prioritized the wants of extractive industries above local communities, the natural environment, the impact on our air and water, the needs of Tribal Nations, and, moreover, other uses of our shared public lands, said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in the same DOI statement. Today, we begin to reset how and what we consider to be the highest and best use of Americans resources for the benefit of all current and future generations. An administration official defended the lease sale on a Monday morning background press call rehashing the Biden administrations environmental agenda in advance of Earth Day. This is the direct result of a court injunction, said the official in response to a question from a reporter about the forthcoming auction. The secretary of interior still has some remaining discretion, and she has used that discretion to reduce 80% of the areas to lease, to increase the stringency of environmental safeguards and to boost the return to taxpayers." During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden pledged to end federal fossil fuel leasing. No more drilling on federal lands, period. Period, period, period, he said while campaigning in New Hampshire in February 2020. But last Junes federal district court ruling in Louisiana, siding with Republican attorneys general from 13 states, overturned that order. In November, the DOI held the largest offshore oil drilling lease auction ever in the Gulf of Mexico. The Biden administration is appealing that decision, but climate activists argue that it could fight harder to stave off new lease sales while the appeal is pending. Drew Caputo, vice president for litigation at Earthjustice, told Yahoo News in November that the administration should have sought a stay from the appeals court of the district court order, requested an expedited ruling and withdrawn offshore areas from leasing under the presidents authority using the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Unused oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, La. (Lee Celano/Reuters) Environmental advocates also argued in a lawsuit that the offshore lease auctions environmental analysis had been done unlawfully. This January a federal judge agreed with them and voided those sales. Caputo speculated last year that the administration was intentionally not fighting the ruling with every means at its disposal because theyre, I think, thinking, Well, we need to give a little' on fossil fuel development in response to high gasoline prices. With prices at the pump surging even more since Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the White House is certainly doing everything within its power to ease fuel costs. The president has called on oil and gas producers to boost short-term supply by drilling on the 9,000 currently unused federal leases and asked Congress to pass a bill that would assess a fee on unused leases. (American Petroleum Institute president Mike Sommers countered in a statement that the percentage of producing leases is at a two-decade high.) In addition to releasing 180 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve over the next six months, Biden recently lifted a rule that bans gas stations from selling corn-based ethanol during the summer and directed subsidies toward making the biofuel more widely available. While Republicans and the fossil fuel industry have attacked the president over high gas prices, claiming that the absence of new leases is to blame, energy industry experts say that leases sold, or not sold, since Biden took office have no connection to current oil prices because it takes years for a lease to create production. The administration official on Mondays press call said, Leasing that will result in production five or 10 or 15 or 20 years from now is not [a response] to the market were seeing now. Instead, the White House is urging Congress to pass Bidens proposals for renewable energy production and electric vehicle deployment, which an outside analysis found will reduce U.S. demand for oil by the end of this decade more than twice as much as the amount of oil the United States imports from Russia. The 100-megawatt MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array in Dry Lake Valley, Nev. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) The American Petroleum Institute did not issue a statement about the new leases, nor did it respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News. Jeff Eshelman, the chief operating officer of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, told the New York Times that the administration is sending a mixed message. This administration has begged for more oil from foreign nations, blames American energy producers for price gouging and sitting on leases, Eshelman said. Now, on a late holiday announcement, under pressure, it announces a lease sale with major royalty increases that will add uncertainty to drilling plans for years. Global temperatures are on the rise and have been for decades. Step inside the data and see the magnitude of climate change. YEREVAN, APRIL18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today the United States Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer, the PMs Office said. During the meeting the Armenian PM highlighted the role of the United States as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country and welcomed the visit of Mr. Schofer, which, he said, will enable to discuss the situation in Nagorno Karabakh and the ongoing processes in this respect. The sides emphasized the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in the comprehensive settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The humanitarian problems, as well as the possibility of launching talks with Azerbaijan around a peace treaty were also touched upon. In this respect the Armenian PM highlighted the mediation role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and the Co-Chair countries. YEREVAN, 18 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 18 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.09 drams to 471.35 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.42 drams to 509.11 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.08 drams to 5.97 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.77 drams to 614.07 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 5.68 drams to 29751.59 drams. Silver price down by 0.08 drams to 388.78 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams. A special bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli asked the accused to surrender in a week's time New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday cancelled the bail granted by the Allahabad High Court to Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. A special bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli also asked the accused to surrender in a week's time. The top court on April 4 had reserved its order on a plea of farmers seeking cancellation of bail to Mishra. Earlier, the high court had granted bail to him. On October 3 last year, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area. Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV, in which Ashish Mishra was seated, according to the Uttar Pradesh Police FIR. Following the incident, the driver and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence that triggered outrage among opposition parties and farmer groups agitating over the Centre's now-repealed agricultural reform laws. Lviv and the rest of western Ukraine have been less affected by the fighting than other parts of the country A woman is taken to an ambulance after being injured in a Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) Kyiv: Multiple explosions believed to be caused by missiles struck the western Ukrainian city of Lviv early Monday as the country was bracing for an all-out Russian assault in the east. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to fight absolutely to the end in strategically vital Mariupol, meanwhile, where the ruined port city's last known pocket of resistance was holed up in a sprawling steel plant laced with tunnels. AP staff witnessed the explosions in Lviv, which has been less affected by the fighting than other parts of the country and was considered to be a relatively safe haven. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Facebook that five missiles struck the city and that emergency services were responding to the blasts. He said more details would follow. With missiles and rockets battering various parts of the country, Zelenskyy accused Russian soldiers of torture and kidnappings in areas they control. The fall of Mariupol, which has been reduced to rubble in a seven-week siege, would give Moscow its biggest victory of the war. But a few thousand fighters, by Russia's estimate, were holding on to the giant, 11-square-kilometer (4-square-mile) Azovstal steel mill. We will fight absolutely to the end, to the win, in this war, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal vowed Sunday on ABC's This Week. He said Ukraine is prepared to end the war through diplomacy if possible, but we do not have intention to surrender. Many Mariupol civilians, including children, are also sheltering at the Azovstal plant, Mikhail Vershinin, head of the city's patrol police, told Mariupol television. He said they are hiding from Russian shelling and from Russian soldiers. Capturing the city on the Sea of Azov would free Russian troops for a new offensive to take control of the Donbas region in Ukraine's industrial east. Russia also would fully secure a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, depriving Ukraine of a major port and prized industrial assets. Russia is bent on capturing the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists already control some territory, after its attempt to take the capital, Kyiv, failed. We are doing everything to ensure the defense of eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in his nightly address to the nation. As for besieged Mariupol, there appeared to be little hope of military rescue. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday that the remaining Ukrainian troops and civilians there are basically encircled. He said they continue their struggle, but that the city effectively doesn't exist anymore because of massive destruction. The relentless bombardment and street fighting in Mariupol have killed at least 21,000 people, by Ukrainian estimates. A maternity hospital was hit by a lethal Russian airstrike in the opening weeks of the war, and about 300 people were reported killed in the bombing of a theater where civilians had taken shelter. An estimated 100,000 people remained in the city out of a prewar population of 450,000, trapped without food, water, heat or electricity. Drone footage carried by the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti showed mile after mile of shattered buildings and, on the city's outskirts, the steel complex, from which rose towering plumes of smoke. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar described Mariupol as a shield defending Ukraine. Russian forces, meanwhile, carried out aerial attacks near Kyiv and elsewhere in an apparent effort to weaken Ukraine's military capacity ahead of the anticipated assault on the Donbas. After the humiliating sinking of the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet last week in what the Ukrainians boasted was a missile attack, the Kremlin had vowed to step up strikes on the capital. Russia said Sunday that it had attacked an ammunition plant near Kyiv overnight with precision-guided missiles, the third such strike in as many days. Explosions were also reported in Kramatorsk, the eastern city where rockets earlier this month killed at least 57 people at a train station crowded with civilians trying to evacuate ahead of the Russian offensive. At least five people were killed by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Sunday, regional officials said. The barrage slammed into apartment buildings. The streets were littered with broken glass and other debris. Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov, in an impassioned address marking Orthodox Palm Sunday, lashed out at Russian forces for not letting up the bombing campaign on such a sacred day. Zelenskyy called the bombing in Kharkiv nothing but deliberate terror. In his nightly address to the nation, Zelenskyy also appealed for a stronger response to what he said was the brutality of Russian troops in parts of southern Ukraine. Torture chambers are built there, he said. They abduct representatives of local governments and anyone deemed visible to local communities. He again urged the world to send more weapons and apply tougher sanctions against Moscow. Malyar, the Ukrainian deputy defense minister, said the Russians were pounding Mariupol with airstrikes and could be preparing for an amphibious landing to reinforce their ground troops. The looming offensive in the east, if successful, would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a badly needed victory to sell to the Russian people amid the war's mounting casualties and the economic hardship caused by Western sanctions. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who met with Putin in Moscow this past week the first European leader to do so since the invasion Feb. 24 said the Russian president is in his own war logic on Ukraine. In an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Nehammer said he thinks Putin believes he is winning the war, and we have to look in his eyes and we have to confront him with that, what we see in Ukraine.'' Zelenskyy also marked Easter on Sunday, saying on Twitter: The Lord's Resurrection is a testimony to the victory of life over death, good over evil. The Cabinet appointment came as the island-wide protests continued to force the resignation of the president and his family Protesters take part in a demonstration against the economic crisis at the entrance of the president's office in Colombo on April 17, 2022, demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the country's crippling economic crisis. (ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP) Colombo: Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa became the only member of the family to retain a Cabinet position in his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa's new Cabinet of 17 ministers appointed on Monday, as the island nation was facing the worst economic crisis. Earlier this month, Sri Lanka's entire Cabinet -- aside from President Gotabaya and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa -- resigned from their posts after thousands of people defied a countrywide state of emergency and curfew and joined street protests denouncing the government. The previous Cabinet had to make way for the president to form a unity cabinet with the Opposition members. The Opposition, however, declined the offer. Rajapaksa swore in a 17-member Cabinet on Monday in addition to the three ministers he had earlier appointed. That meant no place for the oldest member of the family Chamal Rajapaksa, Mahinda's son Namal Rajapaksa, both of whom were Cabinet ministers and the nephew Shasheendra who was a state minister. The Cabinet appointment came as the island-wide protests continued to force the resignation of the president and his family for mishandling the economy. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from the UK in 1948. The economic crisis also triggered a political turmoil in the island nation with citizens holding nationwide street protests for weeks over lengthy power cuts and shortage of fuel, food and other daily essentials and demanding the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. People continued to be in fuel and gas queues while the power cuts which were not imposed during the weekend on account of the traditional Sinhala and Tamil new year returned on Monday. The state power entity said there will be four and a half-hour power cuts on Monday. Adding to public woes is the Lanka Indian oil company (LIOC) announcement of further price hikes for petrol and diesel with effect from Sunday midnight. The LIOC raised fuel prices for the fourth time since February. A spokesman for the LIOC said the price hike was necessary due to the depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee. Sri Lanka rupees had fallen by over 60 per cent till March 7 when the flexible exchange rate was announced. The price of Octane 92 has been raised by over 10 per cent to a record high of 338 rupees per litre while diesel at 289 rupees per litre has seen a 35 per cent increase. by Gerolamo Fazzini The co-founder of Milans Catholic University of the Sacred Heart will be beatified on 30 April. She was very involved in evangelisation, especially in China, where she played a role in the founding of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an important female religious congregation that is still active. Milan (AsiaNews) - Armida Barelli (1892-1952) will be proclaimed Blessed in Milan on 30 April. A laywoman, she founded the Italian Catholic Womens Youth (GFIC)[*] and was co-founder of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (UCSC[]). An important but little-known aspect of her life was her ties with Catholics in China. An article published in the PIME magazine Mondo e Missione helps rediscover her, focusing on the help she gave, from Italy, to Bishop Eugenio Massi, OFM, in northern Shanxi, in founding the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a female religious congregation that is still among the largest in China. A small seed bore much fruit, particularly in the Diocese of Xi'an, from where the congregation sent nuns to many other parts of China. The missionary aspect in Armida Barellis life and work deserves the same attention as the other entities which she founded and led, said Mgr Claudio Giuliodori, UCSC general ecclesiastical assistant and former bishop of Macerata (2007-2014), Matteo Ricci's diocese. Born in Milan in 1882, Armida Barelli was sent to study in 1895 at the boarding school run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Cross in Menzingen, German-speaking Switzerland where she earned a diploma in education and German. In 1900, at 18, greeting her fellow graduates, she asked a thoughtful question: What will become of us in 10 years? For me, I shall either be Sister Elisabetta, missionary in China, or mother of twelve children. Providence had other plans in store for her. Yet the anecdote is important for it underscores an apostolic tension that flourish within a few years. The idea of China was already present in her youth, Bishop Giuliodori notes. When Benedict XV issued his apostolic letter Maximum Illud in 1919 to revive the missionary commitment of the universal Church, Barelli followed with a major initiative, namely the foundation of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Bishop Massis portrait of the first superior is interesting. She is a 28-year-old young saint, Filomena Wang, daughter of a rich Mandarin. She spoke French well, knew how to draw, play music, sew, weave, knit, and embroider. She is endowed with a true spirit of apostolate and sacrifice, and is providential for the foundation, management and life of the charity. She never worries about the congregations poverty; on the contrary, she encourages us by saying: Don't worry, monsignor, at least in the beginning sacrifices must be made. We are all happy with this poverty, and we want to profess it not only with the spirit but with the facts. The foundress was Chinese, Mary Wang Wenqing, to whom Bishop Massi and Father Ding Wutiao, a Spanish Franciscan, gave strong support, said Sister Judith Hu Xiaozhe, former superior general, speaking about the founding of her congregation. She too acknowledges a special relationship of friendship between the congregation, Barelli and UCSC. The Catholic University of the Sacred Heart has a long historical relationship with us, although it is a famous university while we only have a small institution. The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus also experienced the storm of the years of persecution after Maos seizure of power. From 1952 until 1980 the congregation was forcibly disbanded. Eleven nuns were arrested and jailed, others returned to their homes, some ended up doing hard labour, several were publicly tried and endured physical punishment, but they always remained faithful to God and the Church. When the situation began to gradually improve for the Church, the congregation re-emerged, and today the Sisters are involved in pastoral care, evangelisation, welfare and healthcare. Their presence is making its mark in the local Church and Chinese society. Due to new requests, in 2019 we renovated a small abandoned building at the Wen Qing Centre, turning it into an apostolate house, to commemorate the GFCI. We called it the Minda House, and in July 2021, we registered the Minda Social Work Service Centre in the Xincheng, a district in Xi'an. We named it in Armidas honour. [*] Gioventu femminile cattolica italiana. [] Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Turkeys Constitutional Court upheld two rulings by the European Court of Human Rights against the governments failure to respect certain rights. One father started the legal battle against the mandatory Islamic education course for his daughter. Turkeys right-wing and government officials slam the decision. Few expect the ruling to be implemented. Istanbul (AsiaNews) Turkeys Constitutional Court recently upheld two rulings by the European Court of Human Rights that criticised Turkey for imposing mandatory Islamic religious education on minors. For the country, this is a major if not an historic decision in terms of religious freedom, given past controversial cases and President Recep Tayyip Erdogans support for nationalism and Islam. The justices ruled that forcing children and teenagers to attend religious classes against the will of their parents is a clear violation of their rights. Still, few expect the government to accept the decision and adapt its policies to the courts ruling. The affair follows a long legal battle started more than a decade ago by Huseyin El, who fought to prevent his daughter, Nazli Sirin El, from attending Islamic classes. The school principal wanted the fourth grader to take the mandatory class because she was neither Christian and Jewish. Non-Muslims are exempt for from the exemption, but Nazlis family is Alevi, a branch of Islam whose members meet in places of assembly called cemevi rather than in mosques. We argued that forcing a parent to reveal or document his faith is also a violation of Constitutional Article 24, which says no one can be forced to reveal religious beliefs and convictions, Els family lawyer Esra Basbakkal told Al-Monitor. A lower court had ruled in favour of the student 13 years ago based on Turkish laws and international conventions, but the Ministry of Education appealed to the Council of State, which overturned the decision. Eventually, the case reached the Constitutional Court in 2014. Eight years later, Turkeys top court ruled that forcing pupils to attend mandatory religious class violates their human rights and their familys right to choose the educational path for their children. This is a delayed decision, but it is a step in the right direction, said Orhan Kemal Cengiz, a human rights lawyer familiar with El and two similar cases taken to the ECHR. Local courts often ignore the ECHR decisions, but they now have to heed the Constitutional Court's. Reactions to the courts decision are mixed. Among right-wing circles and within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the response has been negative; however, no senior government officials, including President Erdogan, have yet to make any comment. The courts decision was a scandal, this according to ultra-right-wing daily Yeni Akit. Branding religion lessons for the youth of these lands shaped by Islam as a human rights violation is nothing but treason. Our people would not allow such treachery, said AKP lawmaker Mehmet Akif Yilmaz, a member of the Turkish parliaments education commission. Religious education was optional until the military coup of 1980. The junta led by Kenan Evren changed that with the aim of controlling radical or fanatical ideas and enshrined it in the 1982 constitution. However, the classes offered ended up promoting Sunni Islam causing unease among secular students and parents, who demanded more history of religions and fewer Islamic teachings. The evolution of mandatory religion in schools is a sign of the gradual withering away of secular values in education, compared to earlier republican administrations. This trend accelerated when the AKP came to power in 2002 and reformed the school system in 2012 adding more optional courses on the Quran, the Life of the Prophet Mohammed and Basic religious knowledge. Son enough, in most schools, these courses became mandatory for lack of alternatives. For lawyer Basbakkal, the best thing would be to make them optional again but, given the current governments outlook, this seems very unlikely, however desirable it might be. In fact, last September the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) announced plans to introduce mandatory Quranic courses to pre-schoolers and implemented pilot courses in a number of cities. by Stefano Vecchia The apostolic vicar of Taytay and former auxiliary bishop of Manila, beloved by the downtrodden, spoke to AsiaNews about the situation in his country ahead of the 9 May election. Human rights are increasingly seen as a burden. Extrajudicial executions call for justice. He personally supports Leni Robredo. Speaking about the war in Europe he said: What the Russians are doing in Ukraine, China could do to us. Milan (AsiaNews) The Philippines will go to the polls in a few weeks, on 9 May, to elect President Rodrigo Dutertes successor, as well as many local officials. Bishop Broderick Pabillo, former auxiliary bishop and later apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Manila, has been one of the strongest and most courageous critics of many of Dutertes policies and of the limits of democracy and rights in his country. Since August 2021 he has served as the apostolic vicar of Taytay, on the island of Palawan. AsiaNews has spoken to him to take stock of the situation in the Philippines in light of this very delicate vote. The Philippines is approaching major elections, not least because they come at the end of a long pandemic that hit the archipelago hard. What can you tell us about this and what are the pandemics consequences for Filipinos? The pandemic has shown us how we are all connected to one another. No one is safe unless everyone is safe. In many places, especially the less accessible islands and mountain areas, the level of vaccination remains low; here it was not possible to reach the population and inform them adequately about the pandemic. During the pandemic we also heard of cases of corruption involving the Department of Health and Pharmally, a company defended by President Duterte. We dont have enough money to buy vaccines and protect our healthcare workers, yet corruption involves billions. Obviously, bad governance has been amplified by the pandemic. Inevitably, an election of this importance raises many issues and touches many problems by casting a new or different perspective on them. Other issues that have come to the fore during the election campaign include the obvious lies aimed at revising our past. Social media have played a major role, especially with regard to the Marcos dictatorship. Then we have extrajudicial killings in the name of the war on drugs and the labelling of all opponents and progressive groups as communists. In all these situations there is a lack of transparency and the culture of impunity is evident. No one is held responsible for the abuses committed. In addition to the pandemic, the May vote touches other issues such as the economy, democracy, and human rights. How do you see the situation and how will the elections affect the future? The economy is falling behind and the country is heavily indebted. Human rights abuses are increasingly seen as a burden on the progress of government projects, especially the rights of the poor, workers and indigenous peoples. Politics is undermined by pressure on the political opposition and progressive groups. The mechanisms for balancing powers are being dismantled. The Supreme Court has been tamed with the removal of its chief justice, while government representatives on the Control Commission and the Commission on Elections have links to Duterte, as well as the armed forces and the police. The Philippines needs leaders who dont owe anything to the outgoing president, who are independent and courageous in pointing at Duterte and acolytes for their abuses. Along with the industriousness and resilience of Filipinos, two things draw international attention to the Philippines. The first is the historical revisionism concerning the dictatorial rule of Ferdinand Marcos and the second is the recognition of the struggle for human rights and democracy by the population as evinced by the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Maria Ressa. How do you explain this apparent dualism and how do you see the role of the Catholic Church in what appears to be a permanent struggle for rights, peace and democracy? As a people, surely Filipinos are resilient, but there is a limit to their patience. The Duterte administration has exploited this patience. The growth in support for Leni Robredo (the only candidate today able to challenge Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, son of the former dictator) as shown by her large election rallies, indicates that people want a change of course, away from an administration that is based on lies, arrogance and intimidation. The Church is calling for the current administration to be held accountable. Its abuses should be investigated, that justice may be done, especially for the thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings. We are also facing rampant corruption, which is the cause of the countrys debts. And we need strong leadership to maintain our independence from China without falling into the hands of the Americans. What are the main issues that voters and candidates should have in mind and who among the candidates could best respond to the needs and expectations of the population? Human rights, care for the environment, the economy, abuses by the military, and dependence on China are some of the problems that should be prioritised. We should defend our territory from the Peoples Republic of China, especially in the Western Philippine Sea (which the Chinese call the South China Sea). We should also have programmes that can actually lift people out of poverty. Usually, choosing a candidate was the lesser evil, but not this time. Leni Robredo and her camp do not come from political dynasties, have not been touched by corruption and have a reputation for transparency and sincerity in their service to the poor and commitment to human rights. I really hope they win, despite not having the financial resources of other experienced politicians. How is the Catholic Church following the electoral process and how is it directing Catholics in relation to the May vote? As a Church we call for respect for the vote, and we explain that voting is one way to show love for the country and not to be misled by those who try to buy votes. We also ask people to be active and support good candidates in the election campaign. One last question: How does the Philippine population see the war in Ukraine and the suffering of so many in what is also a show of militarism and authoritarianism, contempt for rights and life? What the Russians are doing in Ukraine, China could do to us. If we let the Russians act with impunity, the Chinese will feel encouraged to do the same with us or Taiwan, so we join the condemnation of Russias invasion. Unfortunately, just as Putin controls what Russians think through control of mass media, so does Xi Jinping in China. That said, all Filipinos are directly affected by the economic consequences of rising commodity prices triggered by the war. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. While no one can deny that South Korean brands Hyundai and Kia are getting better with their designs, some pixel masters think they continue with their philosophy of styling for the sake of styling. Alas, at least Marouane Bemblis opinion was swayed by the new 2023 Palisade and its more geometric, architectural approach.As such, we are not at all surprised that so quickly after its official presentation at 2022 NYIAS there is at least one cool virtual transformation looking to take things to the next digital level. Thus, Russia-based pixel master Nikita Chuicko, better known as kelsonik on social media, quickly decided to give the upgraded 2023 Palisade his signature CGI treatment.Fans of his prior exploits already know that we are talking about the fake, imagined Shadow Line makeover that is usually bestowed on highly popular real-world entries into the automotive market. For anyone else, this is a dark chrome-delete style transformation that usually does not go unnoticed or travel alone. Instead, the author also thinks a lowered suspension along with a new set of aftermarket wheels might do equal wonders.And we tend to agree as the 2023 Hyundai Palisade along with the 2023 Kia Telluride and the recent Jeep Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L family were clearly among the SUV star attractions of the East Coast automotive show... and for plenty of good reason! However, there is just one final mention regarding this quick Palisade makeover: it would have been entirely suited if we were also told there were a few extra ponies under the (291-hp) 3.8-liter GDi hood, as well. AWD kW Before the grand unveiling, Toyotas luxury car brand has dropped another teaser pic that shows a two-tone example under the starry night sky. Truth be told, however, its not something that we havent seen before, as there are numerous images circulating online, including a few leaks that Lexus would likely want everyone to forget.The introduction of the RZ 450e isnt a surprise at all, as Lexus has been teasing it for a few months now. Its design and underpinnings wont be a surprise either, as it will look like a more expensive take on the bZ4X and Solterra, and will be built around the same e-TNGA architecture. Apart from the different front and rear ends, Lexus battery-electric crossover should set itself apart from its cousins by featuring extra gear, more safety systems, and perhaps additional soundproofing.It will also be more expensive, with the Toyota bZ4X starting at $42,000 for the XLE and $47,700 for the Limited trim level, excluding the $1,215 destination charge, and dealer fees. The all-wheel drive system is a $2,080 option here, adding a second electric motor that bumps the output from 201 to 214 hp, while also dropping the 0-60 mph (0-97 kph) sprint time from 7.1 to 6.5 seconds.The bZ4Xs EPA-estimated range is 252 miles (406 km) for the front-wheel drive models and 228 miles (367 km) for theversions. Recharging its battery at a 6.6connection takes around 9 hours, depending on the outside temperature. We dont know yet if the Lexus RZ 450e will have identical power levels, but it should offer similar performance and driving range. If youre passionate about aviation technology , you could enjoy a truly unique experience this summer, at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Hampshire, UK. During the event, which will take place in July, Boom is offering a bespoke experience where guests will find out more about the companys latest advancements, especially related to Overture.This is possible due to the recent launch of a multi-year partnership between Boom and American Express. To inaugurate this collaboration, American Express Platinum Card members will be able to purchase tickets for this bespoke event designed by Boom, centered around its flagship supersonic airliner.It will include exclusive access to the Boom Supersonic chalet, up-close views of all the aircraft on the airfield, and an immersive tour of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Operations Center that will feature U.S. military aircraft. Plus, it will provide access to a private tour and dinner reception hosted by the former chief pilot of British Airways Concorde fleet, Captain Mike Bannister, at Brooklands Museum.Most importantly, American Express Card Members are promised unique access to Overture once its launched. The first aircraft is set to roll out in 2025, conduct its first flight in 2026, and enter service by 2029. Overture will not only fly at supersonic speeds, but it will become the worlds first large commercial aircraft to be emissions-free from the beginning, as it will run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).American Express Ventures became an investor for Boom last year. United Airlines already purchased 15 Overture supersonic aircraft, and the company is also backed by the U.S. Air Force. For example, Porsche's Exclusive Manufaktur division is one of those services that may turn your dream car into a reality. As the company's representatives explain, ever since the early days of the firm, company cars were painted in a choice of a few shades of green. One customer who had an allocation for a 911 Speedster decided to select one of those shades.While the Porsche company cars were painted in shades like Olive green, Emerald green metallic, Oak green metallic, or Brewster green, the latter is the one that was preferred by Dr. Wolfgang Porsche.Not only that, but the shade was also appreciated by a 911 Speedster customer, who decided to have a green Porsche in the same shade as Dr. Porsche's 993 Turbo S.In case you were wondering, this particular shade has the code 22B, and its name is Brewster green. It is an understated shade that is rather rare in the Porsche range. Unlike more conventional choices, this one almost fades to black in certain lighting situations, which makes it a fascinating look.The same customer also owns a 991.2 generation 911 Turbo S, which was painted Brewster green, while a 911 GT3 Touring owned by the same unnamed customer has been taken a bit further, with green inside and out. The 911 GT3 Touring that the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur division customized for this client had green leather and green carpets, among other things.The 911 Speedster was personalized after the first two bespoke Porsche orders that this unnamed customer made. For the 911 Speedster commission, the customer traveled to Zuffenhausen for an in-person configuration process.After the customer analyzed all the options presented by the team, the decision was made to have a Brewster green exterior, as well as a Noto Green leather interior. The latter was an inspiration from a 911 GT3 Touring that was customized earlier for the same client. Unlike that one, everything was trimmed in leather.That means that the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur division went on to cover the seats, steering wheel, and door cards in leather. Normal stuff so far, right? Well, they went ahead and covered the sun visors, vent slats, edges of the floor mats, the fuse box cover, and even all the trim elements in Noto Green leather. Suddenly, this is no longer just a 911 Speedster.To top it all off, the wheels were painted to match the body, but have a contrasting pinstripe in Silver, while hiding yellow brake calipers. The result is stunning, but it is not for everyone, and the owner is well aware of this aspect. As a note, he cannot see himself ever parting with the vehicle, and that says it all. The E190-E2 is a medium-range jet that was first introduced in 2013 at the Paris Air Show but which started sporting the surprising TechShark livery in white and blue last year. Recently, it was admired on a three-day tour in Vietnam, where it showcased its performance and efficiency. Embraer sees Vietnam as an economic powerhouse and even released a White Paper on the potential of its future air connectivity. Embraer s E-jets had already accomplished a lot in Vietnam since 2020 when they started operating here. This includes the launch of the first direct connection between Hanoi and Con Dao, as well as the first jet service from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh to Dien Bien Phu. The E190-E2 is meant to support air connectivity in the country even more.Thanks to its short runway performance , it can operate in regional airports that were limited to larger aircraft until now. And thanks to its fuel efficiency, it can significantly lower costs.Described as an efficient alternative to larger aircraft, the E190-E2 is a single-aisle jet with up to 114 seats, featuring the manufacturers two-by-two seating. It boasts the latest technology, an upgraded version based on the first-generation E-jets.Powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW1900G GTF engines, it promises an impressive range of up to 2,850 nautical miles (3,279 miles/5,278 km) and a top speed of Mach 0.82 (629 mph/1,012 kph).This jet also claims to offer a higher level of passenger comfort and more room for luggage. Like all new-generation aircraft from the major players in this industry, it was designed for greater fuel efficiency and reduced noise. Until all-electric or hydrogen-electric aircraft will be able to conduct regular commercial operations, these upgraded models are as eco-friendly as possible with conventional propulsion systems. UPDATE (April 19) While the Mountain View-based search giant hasnt released an announcement in this regard, the Ukrainian military forces were among the first to notice the change and announce it publicly.The high-resolution satellite imagery now available on Google Maps allows pretty much anyone online to inspect Russias top-secret locations, including not only naval facilities but also military bases, flight-testing centers, intercontinental ballistic missile firing positions, and airbases close to key locations such as Kursk.Furthermore, the data reveals the aircraft carrier cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, as well as several ammunition storage bases near Murmansk.By default, Google (and other mapping service providers as well) is working with governments across the world to blur the location of secret sites, including military locations that cant be exposed on Google Maps, Google Earth , and other mapping platforms owned by the company.Google, however, has been among the largest tech giants to protest against the war in Ukraine. The company has blocked purchases on Google Play following the international sanctions against Russia.While Google Maps exposing the location of top-secret Russian military locations is big news for Internet users, the online debate right now comes down to whether such data can help the Ukrainian troops or not.The topic, however, is extremely complex, and any assumption would be pretty much just a guess. Some believe Ukraine is already in possession of such intel, either collected using its own systems or received from other states, while others remind us the country is currently focused on defending its borders, and the location of Russian bases doesnt help much anyway.In the meantime, Google has remained completely tight-lipped on the unblurred images available on Google Maps.: Google has offered a statement, explaining that it didn't make any changes regarding the blurred images in Russia. Beluga is the brainchild of Italian company EuroLink Systems, a technology solutions manufacturer that has been on the market for almost 30 years. The UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is the result of three years of research and testing and its a multi-mission-ready mini drone with AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities. With it being designed in Italy, it's no wonder it has an elegant look to it. It also features low noise propellers for silent operation, and comes with an IP67 rating, meaning it is waterproof, and dust and sand resistant.It is available in three versions, depending on the purpose it has to serve: a military version, a surveillance and rescue version, and a fast transportation one.Beluga is easy to use and deploy, with EuroLink claiming it only takes two minutes to get it ready for flight. When unfolded, the drone has a 98 cm (38.5) frame size, is 63 cm (24.8) long, and has a maximum height of 45 cm (17.7). It has a maximum take-off weight of 10 kg (22 lb).With a maximum payload of 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), Beluga can reach a top speed of 112 kph (70 mph). It is a high-endurance UAV capable of flying for one hour with the aforementioned payload. Built for a variety of working environments, the mini drone can operate at temperatures between -22 and +55 degrees Celsius (-7.6 to +131 Fahrenheit).EuroLink designed Beluga to be highly adaptable and configurable, so it can be set with a variety of sensors and gimbals. Depending on the configuration you choose and extra features you opt for, you can use the drone for anything from surveillance, search and rescue and military missions to precision agriculture, fire detection, 3D mapping, luxury yachting, and so much more.EuroLink plans to launch Beluga at this years AUVSI Xponential event in Orlando, Florida, which will take place between April 25 and April 28. While we have no pricing info for the versatile mini drone yet, visitors will be able to see the UAV in person at stand 2060. Those who cant attend the event can take a better look at it in the video below. The decision was made on a lawsuit Tesla investors have against Elon Musk seeking damages from his disastrous tweet. While the trial by jury is set to happen in May, this decision already shows Musk will have a hard time escaping a negative outcome.When he mentioned the price he was willing to pay for each share, it immediately struck some people as a bad joke. Musk frequently brings up the numbers 69 (a reference to the sexual position) and 420 (April 20, a celebration day for smoking cannabis) in his tweets. He priced the Tesla Short Shorts at $69,420 and also joked the Model S would cost $69,420 in October 2020.The problem is that joking about the stock market has massive implications, especially if you run a company you are tweeting about and have millions of followers on Twitter. People may take you seriously, and that can affect the stock price. On August 7, 2018, a Tesla share was worth $68.77 when the market opened and closed at $75.91. The perspective of selling it at $420 must have sounded extremely attractive.In a recent TED interview, Musk said he was serious about taking Tesla private and that he had the funds to do so. According to Reuters , Judge Edward Chen did not think that was the case, hence his ruling. The filing also stated that the court held that he recklessly made the statements with knowledge as to their falsity.Ironically, Musk also said that he was forced to settle with SEC because Tesla would go bankrupt immediately if he did not do so. That makes the funding secured claim even less credible. At the time, the Tesla CEO said Saudi Arabias PIF (Public Investment Fund) would provide the money for the operation, something sources close to the fund denied to Reuters Secretly making the 110V mobile connector a $400 option sparked a lot of Twitter outrage. Price hikes for new cars like the Model S Plaid have been understood and accepted by fans and customers, but eliminating this cable and the adaptors it came with from the standard package caused a lot of anger and dissatisfaction in the Tesla community. Elon Musk listened and confirmed the new price for the accessory will be $200.But the plot thickens. While almost everyone thought this product strategy change would apply only to new Tesla vehicle orders, it appears that Elon Musks company is taking the charger out from the package that was usually available for buyers up until now. Keep in mind that customers that are not next to a Supercharger or dont have a charger installed at home already wont be able to charge their EVs. It looks like Tesla pulled an Apple here, even though its hard to imagine what would a $200 option mean for the financial results of the carmaker at the end of the fiscal year.The Tesla Sales Advisor contacted by a person thats in line to have their car delivered to them also answered the following question So the answer is that I wont get the mobile connector even though it was supposed to be included when I placed the order? with As it appears thats correct.Teslas not stopping here. Model S and Model X customers from the UK and other markets cant lock in a certain price for the vehicle they want. The ordering process says, pricing and options will be finalized as delivery approaches. The American automaker considers the order as a pre-order for which the deposit can be refunded until the final price has been discussed and agreed upon by both parties.It looks like Tesla is facing some supply chain issues, and its profit margins projection might not look that good considering recent price hikes for raw materials and international transport of goods. Musk previously said his car company might be forced to enter the mining game for raw materials.Now it seems that GMs President Mark Reuss was right about Tesla being forced to raise prices to levels not liked by existing or potential customers. Its happening already, even though his comments were made in February this year.But theres still hope that there are some mobile connectors put aside for several customers that are scheduled for deliveries this month. The situation may vary across the board, so you should contact Tesla to figure this out. 6x6 Force Motorsport may be renowned for crazybuilds but they equally do not shy away from playing the customization game for affluent, big star clients. Sure, a first-ever menacing-looking, still-in-progress 2022 Toyota Tundra 6x6 may sound enticing for off-road enthusiasts but bear with us, as VIP rides can be equally attractive in their own distinctively elegant way.Especially when two of the most hyped ultra-luxury rides out there get wrapped and modified for a single client! Nick Rivera Caminero, better known professionally as Nicky Jam, is well known not only for his reggaeton wonders or Latin trap gems but also for his lavish lifestyle and propensity for owning the absolute best whips available at the moment.For example, not long ago, we could see him alongside his significant other ride away in a Maybach 62 S on the way to a private jet flight, but he also owns a newer Mercedes-Maybach S-Class limousine. Only that back when he treated us to a glimpse of the luxurious interior on the way to a Miami, Florida concert, he did not allow the exterior to shine equally glorious and outrageous.And he might have had a particularly good reason for that: the Maybach was not yet personalized according to all his wishes. Well, perhaps that is a thing of the past now that Force Motorsport has broken the cover with Nicky Jams two latest whips that were added to the modified collection. They both feature a contrasting yin and yang black-and-white style, though there is no chance to mistake one for the other.On the left side of the hero photo, we have a two-tone Maybach S 580 featuring a distinctive half-black/half-white treatment, smoked accents, and chrome-deleted accents. As far as we can tell, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan on the right features the same icy white wrap style as the Mercedes but ponders a subtler contrasting game with blacked-out trim and matching dark aftermarket wheels. The name says it all Cloud 9 was born to become the ultimate pleasure craft for blissful vacations in the most wonderful locations. From the start, it had everything it needed to be a total success built by a world-famous shipyard, with an exterior and interior created by acclaimed Italian designers, it featured the best of everything.The 201-foot (61.5 meters) superyacht was delivered to its first owner just last year. It was the first hull of Sanlorenzos 62Steel series. According to the Italian brand, the metal yachts in this range blend a classic design with technical innovations and an ingenious layout that would typically be found on much bigger models.The exterior created by Francesco Paszkowski and the interior envisioned by Margherita Casprini refined the idea of a metallic, masculine look. The owners suite stands out situated on its own deck, it unfolds over 2,314 square feet (215 square meters), offering stunning 180-degree views thanks to the full-height windows and island berth. In addition to his-and-her bathrooms, a private study, and a walk-in wardrobe, sliding glass doors lead to the owners private terrace with a swimming pool and a lounging area.Cloud 9 was allegedly built for the Syrian-born British businessman Ayman Asfari, who built his fortune through Petrofac, an oilfield services giant. According to Forbes, the billionaire enjoys spending a lot of time onboard his yacht on the French Riviera.But if he was indeed this superyachts initial owner, he seems to be ready for the next one. Burgess Yachts announced the sale of this almost-new vessel, with a last known asking price of 59 million ($63.6 million). Described as a Sanlorenzo repeat client, the mogul most likely has his eyes on a new model. In the world of the super-rich, luxury toys come and go with ease. Previewed by last years Concept XM , the 2023 BMW XM will be the brands first standalone M car since the iconic M1, so it has a lot of weight on its shoulders. As you can see for yourselves, it wont win any beauty contests, as it is far from being an attractive proposal in the super crossover segment.It has a front end similar to that of the facelifted X7 , with a split-light signatureg and big kidney grilles. The hood has a muscular shape, and so do the side skirts, and rear fenders. The sloping roofline ends with a small spoiler, and it has thin taillights, and stacked exhaust pipes, just like the show car.A clear indication that we are indeed looking at an electrified prototype is the yellow sticker applied to the rear windscreen. Speaking of it, it will pack a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine, backed up by an electric motor and a small battery pack. The combined output and torque should be rated at 750 hp and 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm), which will make it the most powerful BMW M model ever. With the battery fully charged, it might be able to travel for a maximum of 50 miles (80 km).As we already mentioned in the intro, the 2023 BMW XM is understood to be a few months away from being shown to the world. It will come to life at the companys Spartanburg facility, in South Carolina, and from there, it will be shipped to global markets. ICE If youre driving an internal combustion engine () vehicle, a hybrid (mHEV), or a plug-in hybrid ( PHEV ), then you surely noticed the fuel prices increasing a bit. It feels like its a trend that began in January 2022, and it doesnt plan on going out of fashion anytime soon. One can only hope theyll stop at some point and come back down.But mechanics are sounding the alarm. Theyve seen lots of cars recently that share a common problem - unwanted attention. This pricing situation, unfortunately, is prompting some people to steal gas. Theyre not siphoning it out like youd imagine them doing it. Thieves are smarter nowadays. They dont even try to force the filler cap. They drill into the gas tank!The video down below shows how you can wake up in the morning with no gasoline or diesel for your car. Through a tiny hole, they get every last bit of fuel.Its not something you want to experience. Replacing a fuel tank costs somewhere between $1,260 and $1,410 without taxes and fees, so its understandable why auto mechanics want you to park carefully overnight.Given the supply chain issues almost every industry is facing at the moment, youd also have to wait for a spare part. There are also instances when repairmen can just fill that hole, but this is just a temporary measure. You will eventually have to get a new gas tank.In light of recent events, some people are even prepared to leave their gas caps unlocked just to not be forced to replace their cars gas tanks.If your area is not well-lit or filled with surveillance cameras, then you should avoid filling up to the brim with fuel. Do it as a precautionary measure until things settle down in the price per gallon department. Put just enough to keep you safe from such wrongdoings. Paying more for gas or diesel is something the West Coast and Illinois are experiencing far more than the rest of the country. California and Nevada are topping the charts, while Kansas and Missouri are still at $3.6 per gallon ($0.95 per liter). As a fun little fact, people living or visiting the European country of Denmark are paying 2 ($2.1) per liter for gas. It amounts to 7.5 ($8.1) per gallon. SUV The wings triumphant for the Hyundai brand in North America might as well come in the form of the 2023 Hyundai Palisade. While the Pallasaides may not have been Hyundai's star attraction at the Jacob K Javits Center this year, it's safe to say it's what the brand expects to be their number one selling product in the U.S. Domestic market.Hailing from the same size category as the Kia Telluride, Chevy Tahoe, and Ford Explorer makes for some of the stiffest competition in any market segment globally. But when the tarps were taken off what was to be revealed as the 2023 Palisade, the reaction from the press led us to believe people have more than a fair amount of faith in the Hyundai brand as an SUV maker.Credit to them, Hyundai made an effort with the 2023 Palisade to differentiate itself from vehicles from Germany, the U.S., Japan, and even fellow South Korean automakers that occupy the same market space. The broad yet angular hood and front grille employ some truly classic SUV styling cues.In an era where wacky-looking headlamps make crossover and full-sized SUVs look ugly on the regular, the modular arrangement of the LED headlamps and all their accompanying lights make for an interesting, unique front fascia. There's more traditional full-sized SUV boxy goodness to be had along the sides and back end of the new Palisade.All these iconic SUV dimensions encapsulate a cabin that wouldn't feel out of place in a German or Japanese luxury car. Exact seating capacity numbers will depend on the exact trim package. The Limited and Calligraphy editions have second-row captain's chairs that take up room where the eighth seat sits in the SE and SEL models, reducing passenger room to seven souls.There are enough features present on the new Hyundai Palisade to satisfy every occupant who finds themself inside. Prime among these is a 12-inch Apple Car Play and Android Auto compatible infotainment and navigation screen with Bluetooth connectivity and Sirius XM satellite radio compatibility as standard equipment. With seven USB ports present and the ability to connect two simultaneous Bluetooth devices at the same time while inside, this is the perfect family road trip machine.Said road trip will have its miles consumed in earnest by a 3.8-liter V6 engine jetting 291 horsepower and enough torque to tow 5,000 pounds (2267.96 kg) comfortably with the dealer option tow hitch. It's good for Zero to 60 in 6.9 seconds and has an average fuel economy of 19 (12.4 l/100 km) in the city and 24 mpg (9.8 l/100 km) on the highway. Not great by any means, unless your idea of bad fuel economy is a 1980s Ford LTD. With the price of 87 octane still hovering around $4.00 a gallon in most U.S. states, whoever takes ownership of one of these Hyundai SUVs is going to feel it at the pump, at least in the short term. But outside of shoddy fuel economy numbers, there's a lot to like when it comes to the new Palisade. Stepping into the driver's seat opens the door to a world of plush leather upholstery, crisply sharp LCD screens, and enough cupholders to constitute a small movie theater.The inside of the 2023 Hyundai Palisade is a genuinely lovely place to sit. Especially when you consider what the interiors of Hyundai SUVs of old were like to sit in for even small lengths of time. In a year where the New York Auto Show had to reduce the number of brands on display due to health crisis restrictions, it was the perfect opportunity to give a few extra cubic feet of space to an SUV Hyundai expects to be their bread and butter.With prices ranging from around $35,000 for the most basic base model to $42,000 for the brand new XRT package and up to $49,000 for the top-of-the-line Caligraphy Package, there's a trim level with the 2023 Palisade to fit just about anybody's budget.But what are your thoughts on the new 2023 Hyundai Palisade? Is it just another big, bloated walrus of a family SUV, or is it the new hottest family hauler machine to come out of the 2020s? Let us know in the comments down below.Check back soon for more from our coverage of the 2022 New York International Auto Show here on autoevolution. Palmdale, CA (93550) Today Plenty of sunshine with gusty winds developing this afternoon. High 67F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 39F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. Artur Vanetsian, who leads one of those parties, began a nonstop sit-in Yerevans Liberty Square on Sunday evening. He remained camped out there together with a group of loyalists on Monday. Nikol Pashinians regime is preparing to abandon Artsakh (Karabakh), Vanetsian said in a video appeal to supporters. They have started propagating the notion that Artsakh can be a part of Azerbaijan. Unless there is an uprising in Armenia, unless we try to oust Nikol Pashinians regime that process will definitely take place. Pashinian said last Wednesday that the international community is pressing Armenia to lower a bit the bar on the question of Nagorno-Karabakhs status and recognize Azerbaijans territorial integrity. He signaled Yerevans intention to make such concessions to Baku, fuelling more opposition allegations that he has agreed to Azerbaijani control over Karabakh. Vanetsian, who headed Armenias National Security Service from 2018-2019, pledged to present a more detailed plan of actions late on Monday. The objective is clear: so that people gather here in large numbers to take the situation under control, said Sos Hakobian, the spokesman for his Fatherland party. No political force, no individual can single-handedly solve very serious problems facing our country. Fatherland makes up, together with the former ruling Republican Party (HHK), the Pativ Unem bloc, one of the two opposition forces represented in the Armenian parliament. The HHK did not immediately join Vanetsians sit-in. Leaders of the other parliamentary opposition bloc, Hayastan, voiced support for the protest when they visited Vanetsian in the square on Sunday and Monday. One of them, Aghvan Vartanian, spoke of a multipolar opposition push for regime change. He said Hayastan will unveil soon with its own plan of actions. This is just the beginning, Vartanian told reporters. Every day you will witness such actions across the country. Im sure that they will be coordinated and will eventually develop into a powerful movement. The U.S. has for decades co-headed the OSCE Minsk Group together with France and Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier this month that Washington and Paris have stopped cooperating with Moscow because of the war in Ukraine. U.S. and French officials have not denied that. During their separate meetings with the visiting U.S. mediator, Andrew Schofer, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan reportedly emphasized the role of the co-presidency of the OSCE Minsk Group in the long-running efforts to settle the Karabakh conflict. The Armenian governments press office cited Pashinian as telling Schofer that the U.S., Russian and French diplomats should mediate upcoming negotiations on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Moscow signaled late last week that it will act alone in mediating those talks. It said that Igor Khovaev, the Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, will now work as Lavrovs special envoy on fostering the normalization of relations between the two South Caucasus states. The issue is expected to be high on the agenda of Pashinians talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for Tuesday. The Armenian premier will fly to Moscow on an official visit. The U.S. State Department spokesman, Ned Price, said last Thursday that Washington stands ready to engage bilaterally and with likeminded partners to help Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a comprehensive peace deal. I cant speak to the role that Russia might play in this, Price told reporters when asked whether the U.S. is indeed avoiding joint mediation efforts with Russia. A Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped the 2020 war for Nagorno-Karabakh commits Armenia to opening rail and road links between Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan exclave. Armenia should be able, for its part, to use Azerbaijani territory as a transit route for cargo shipments to Russia and Iran. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly claimed that the deal calls for a special corridor that will connect Nakhichevan to the rest of Azerbaijan via Armenias Syunik province. He has said people and cargo passing through it must be exempt from Armenian border controls. Yerevan maintains, however, that the deal envisages only conventional transport links between the two countries. In written comments to RFE/RLs Armenian Service sent on Monday, Pashinians office said the prime minister believes that the so-called Zangezur corridor demanded by Baku would jeopardize Armenias territorial integrity. Pashinian and Aliyev discussed the matter during their trilateral meeting with European Council President Charles Michel held in Brussels on April 6. Pashinian said after the talks that Baku and Yerevan continue to disagree on practical modalities of restoring bilateral transport links. But he said the two sides will keep trying to find solutions. Aliyev and Pashinian agreed to restore Armenian-Azerbaijani rail links during their previous meeting with Michel held in December. But they failed to patch up their differences on the status of the Syunik highway for Nakhichevan. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Plenty of sunshine. High 67F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 44F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. FILE - Travelers walk through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday, April 1, 2022 in Seattle. On Monday, April 18, 2022, a federal judge in Florida voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation saying it exceeded the authority of U.S. health officials. Click here to read the full article. Hip-hop star Keith Grayson the East Harlem graffiti tagger, radio disc jockey, mixtape master, MC battle referee and recording artist better known as DJ Kay Slay died Sunday, due to complications from a four-month battle with COVID-19. He was 55. Slays death was confirmed by Hot 97 and the DJs family Monday morning. Our hearts are broken by the passing of Keith Grayson, professionally known as DJ Kay Slay, read a statement from the Grayson family. A dominant figure in hip-hop culture with millions of fans worldwide, DJ Kay Slay will be remembered for his passion and excellence with a legacy that will transcend generations. In memory of DJ Kay Slay, our family wishes to thank all of his friends, fans and supporters for their prayers and well wishes during this difficult time. We ask that you respect our privacy as we grieve this tragic loss. Slays radio family, New Yorks Hot 97 (where he held the 1 a.m. Drama Hour slot), sent out a prepared statement that read, Hot 97 is shocked and saddened by the loss of our beloved DJ Kay Slay. We cherish the many memories created through the 20-plus years he dedicated to the Drama Hour. A cultural icon, Kay Slay was more than just a DJ; to us he was family and a vital part of what made Hot 97 the successful station it is today. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and fans worldwide and we will always and forever celebrate the Drama Kings legacy. Slays legacy is enhanced by his lifelong dedication to old-school hip-hop vibes, sound and personal pride turned into bravura across each of his recordings. Like DJ Khaled with an abrasive New York edge, Slay brought together the best and brightest MCs of his (and any) time) for Streetsweeper mixtapes featuring the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, and Kendrick Lamar. Long before DJ Khaled came up with incessantly yelled catchphrase such as We the best or Another one, DJ Kay Slay was filling his Streetsweeper mixtapes with vocal segues popping-into-the red:, aka his signature loudmouth voice-overs. If anyone is responsible for the mainstream success of the mixtape with a personal touch, it may be DJ Kay Slay and his Streetsweeper series, including his first two early-2000s major-label albums, Streetsweepers Volumes 1 & 2, released through Columbia Records after he was signed by the late Chris Lighty. Slays rise to acclaim in New Yorks hip-hop community came first in the late 1970s through his unique graffiti writing throughout the East River Projects where he was raised. Known by the tags Dez and Dezzy Ded, Grayson produced work formidable enough to be featured in directors Tony Silver and Henry Chalfants famed 1983 documentary Style Wars, alongside other famous taggers of the time such as Paze and Futura. Style Wars was aired on PBS in 1984, and won a Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, all of which brought Dez national recognition. At the same time that he was busy writing graffiti, Grayson watched, with curiosity, the skills of fellow NYC turntable wizards such as Kool DJ Red Alert and Grandmaster Flash. Without intending to become a DJ (It was something to do that was fun and that I enjoyed doing, said Grayson in a 2019 Forbes interview), he fell in love with turntablism, eventually getting in on the spinning action. This came after he spent time in prison upon being indicted and jailed for felony possession of narcotics. After getting out of stir, and proclaiming himself drug-free, Kay Slay worked odd jobs in order to build his own studio space in Harlem, and by the 2000s, he quickly became on of the Big Apples brightest DJs and MC battle referees. Starting with mixtapes such as Say What You Say, Slay tapes became a home for freestyles from the likes of Eminem, Xzibit, Swizz Beatz, Jadakiss, Fat Joe and Camron. What truly boosted Kay Slays profile was being in the middle of the very real feud between New Yorkers Jay-Z and Nas. After famously winning the bragging rights to being the first DJ to spin Ether Nas dis track on his song by 2001 album, Stillmatic, and a response to Jay-Z s Takeover dis towards Nas and Prodigy DJ Kay Slay became the go-to spinner for battle raps, including the Ja Rule-bashing Eminem/50 Cent/Busta Rhymes remake of Hail Mary. Kay Slays Streetsweeper mixtapes became so popular for their rude battles and his brusque voice-overs that he got swooped up by Columbia for the major label take on the Streetsweeper series. Losing none of his charm or street cred by going major, he made The Streetsweeper, Vol. 1 (2003) and The Streetsweeper, Vol. 2 (2004) hard, rough enterprises filled with legends of the street such as Fat Joe, Scarface and Wu-Tangs Ghostface Killah. While both albums went top 10 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Kay Slay began hosting The Drama Hour on Hot 97, and even became the head of A&R for Shaquille ONeals label DEJA34, the home to Slays third album, The Champions. Since that heyday, DJ Kay Slay continued mixing and releasing wild albums such as 2017s The Big Brother (whose Cold Summer track featured Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller), 2019s Hip-Hop Frontline and December 2021s The Soul Controller all through the Streetsweepers/Empire label the latter coming out right before his hospitalization for COVID began. The year 2021 also saw the release of his Rolling 110 Deep track which featured over 100 rappers such as Ice-T, KRS-One, Kool G Rap and more dropping verses. Slay even turned his talents to publishing, as he was the CEO of Straight Stuntin Magazine, a quarterly focusing on hip-hops top rappers and most active models. For DJ Kay Slay, the good hustle never stopped. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Robert Lempert, Pardee RAND Graduate School and Elisabeth Gilmore, Carleton University (THE CONVERSATION) Its easy to feel pessimistic when scientists around the world are warning that climate change has advanced so far, its now inevitable that societies will either transform themselves or be transformed. But as two of theauthors of a recent international climate report, we also see reason for optimism. The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change discuss changes ahead, but they also describe how existing solutions can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help people adjust to impacts of climate change that cant be avoided. The problem is that these solutions arent being deployed fast enough. In addition to push-back from industries, peoples fear of change has helped maintain the status quo. To slow climate change and adapt to the damage already underway, the world will have to shift how it generates and uses energy, transports people and goods, designs buildings and grows food. That starts with embracing innovation and change. Fear of change can lead to worsening change From the industrial revolution to the rise of social media, societies have undergone fundamental changes in how people live and understand their place in the world. Some transformations are widely regarded as bad, including many of those connected to climate change. For example, about half the worlds coral reef ecosystems have died because of increasing heat and acidity in the oceans. Island nations like Kiribati and coastal communities, including in Louisiana and Alaska, are losing land into rising seas. Other transformations have had both good and bad effects. The industrial revolution vastly raised standards of living for many people, but it spawned inequality, social disruption and environmental destruction. People often resist transformation because their fear of losing what they have is more powerful than knowing they might gain something better. Wanting to retain things as they are known as status quo bias explains all sorts of individual decisions, from sticking with incumbent politicians to not enrolling in retirement or health plans even when the alternatives may be rationally better. This effect may be even more pronounced for larger changes. In the past, delaying inevitable change has led to transformations that are unnecessarily harsh, such as the collapse of some 13th-century civilizations in what is now the U.S. Southwest. As more people experience the harms of climate change firsthand, they may begin to realize that transformation is inevitable and embrace new solutions. A mix of good and bad The IPCC reports make clear that the future inevitably involves more and larger climate-related transformations. The question is what the mix of good and bad will be in those transformations. If countries allow greenhouse gas emissions to continue at a high rate and communities adapt only incrementally to the resulting climate change, the transformations will be mostly forced and mostly bad. For example, a riverside town might raise its levees as spring flooding worsens. At some point, as the scale of flooding increases, such adaptation hits its limits. The levees necessary to hold back the water may become too expensive or so intrusive that they undermine any benefit of living near the river. The community may wither away. The riverside community could also take a more deliberate and anticipatory approach to transformation. It might shift to higher ground, turn its riverfront into parkland while developing affordable housing for people who are displaced by the project, and collaborate with upstream communities to expand landscapes that capture floodwaters. Simultaneously, the community can shift to renewable energy and electrified transportation to help slow global warming. Optimism resides in deliberate action The IPCC reports include numerous examples that can help steer such positive transformation. For example, renewable energy is now generally less expensive than fossil fuels, so a shift to clean energy can often save money. Communities can also be redesigned to better survive natural hazards through steps such as maintaining natural wildfire breaks and building homes to be less susceptible to burning. Land use and the design of infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, can be based on forward-looking climate information. Insurance pricing and corporate climate risk disclosures can help the public recognize hazards in the products they buy and companies they support as investors. No one group can enact these changes alone. Everyone must be involved, including governments that can mandate and incentivize changes, businesses that often control decisions about greenhouse gas emissions, and citizens who can turn up the pressure on both. Transformation is inevitable Efforts to both adapt to and mitigate climate change have advanced substantially in the last five years, but not fast enough to prevent the transformations already underway. Doing more to disrupt the status quo with proven solutions can help smooth these transformations and create a better future in the process. [Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.] This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/climate-change-will-transform-how-we-live-but-these-tech-and-policy-experts-see-reason-for-optimism-180961. TUPELO, Miss. (AP) A man died during the weekend after a fight at a north Mississippi restaurant, authorities said. News outlets reported that officers responded to a call early Saturday about an assault at Steele's Dive in Tupelo. Tupelo Police Maj. Chuck McDougald said officers found emergency medical responders treating Leonard K.C. Cooper, 31, of Fulton. Cooper was taken to the emergency room at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, then transferred to Region One Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green said Cooper died Saturday night at the hospital in Memphis. His body was being taken to the Mississippi crime lab in Pearl for an autopsy. McDougald said a person was taken into custody Saturday and initially was charged with aggravated assault. WTVA-TV reported Cooper died a short time later. Police did not immediately release the name of the person charged. McDougald told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that detectives would confer with the district attorneys office about the possibility of charging the person with homicide. Sarjono Kartosuwiryo (holding microphone), whose father founded the Islamic State of Indonesia militant group, talks to journalists in Jakarta after he and 13 other ex-members pledged allegiance to the Indonesian state, Aug. 13, 2019. A group known as the Islamic State of Indonesia (NII) was plotting to overthrow the government before the next general election, police claimed Monday, saying they obtained documents related to the alleged conspiracy by interrogating 16 suspects arrested in West Sumatra last month. Members of the group, founded seven decades ago, had drawn up plans, acquired weapons and undergone training to create chaos and establish a caliphate system of government, officials said, but declined to give more information or say whether the plot was still active. The evidence we found shows that NII is trying to overthrow the sovereign government before the 2024 elections, said Senior Commissioner Aswin Siregar, head of operational support at Densus 88, a police counter-terrorism unit, told reporters. However, according to a former NII member, the group is not capable of pulling off an attack at that level. The announcement by police followed the arrest of the suspected NII members at two locations in West Sumatra province in March. Officers found documents outlining the groups mission to replace the nations founding ideology known as Pancasila and the secular government with a caliphate by fomenting chaos, Aswin said. The suspects admitted that they had been ordered to acquire weapons to prepare for an attack, Aswin said. When BenarNews contacted him, Aswin declined to provide details about the reported evidence or the suspects statements. Along with West Sumatra, West Java and Bali have been NII hotbeds, according to police. The group has an estimated 1,125 followers in West Sumatra, 400 of whom are active members, Aswin said, but declined to give an estimate for the number of NII members across the country. Independence fighter and Muslim activist Sekarmaji Marijan Kartosuwiryo, a friend of the countrys founding president, Sukarno, proclaimed the Islamic State of Indonesia in 1949. The NII, also known in Arabic as Darul Islam, and its armed wing, the Islamic Army of Indonesia (TII), waged an armed rebellion against Jakarta until the Indonesian government suppressed it in the 1960s. Kartosuwiryo was executed in 1962 after Darul Islam declared a war against the government and tried to assassinate President Sukarno in 1961. In 2019, Kartosuwiryos son, Sarjono, who pledged allegiance to the Indonesian state, said about 2 million NII sympathizers are spread across the country. Analysts, meanwhile, said the NII movement spawned militant groups in Indonesia, including Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the Southeast Asian affiliate of al-Qaeda that authorities blamed for a series of deadly attacks in the 2000s, including the 2002 Bali bombings. NII is a conveyor belt to terrorism, said Noor Huda Ismail, founder of the Institute for International Peace Building (IIPB). Some NII factions are even more hardline than JI, such as the Serang group in West Java, Noor Huda told BenarNews. Islah Bahrawi, executive director of the Indonesian Moderates Network, told an online discussion last week that NII plans were motivated by the Talibans success in taking over the government in Afghanistan last year. Ideologically fluid The group has no qualms about working with JI and Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a domestic militant network affiliated with Islamic State (IS), the international terror organization based in the Middle East, Islah said. Indonesian courts have declared both JI and JAD illegal organizations. At the moment, the NII is unique because it is ideologically fluid. They will embrace those that have the same goal, to make Indonesia an Islamic state, Islah told BenarNews, adding it has been recruiting children. Our findings show that half of their recruits are teenagers, many under 15 years old, he said. A former JI militant, Malaysian Nasir Abbas, said the NII group had recruited children for years through Islamic boarding schools and has instilled in them an ideology that glorifies the Islamic caliphate. The children were taught to reject the government and were not allowed to salute the Indonesian flag or sing the national anthem. Former NII member Al Chaidar, on the other hand, said police had exaggerated the threat posed by the organization. NII doesnt have that kind of capability. Theyre not sophisticated yet. Theyre not like JI or JAD, Chaidar told BenarNews. He cast doubt on police claims that the group recruited minors and wanted to emulate the Talibans success in Afghanistan. Only one faction is happy with the Taliban victory. The remaining [factions] have not said anything about it. They are also not militarily trained, Chaidar said. Survivors of the 58 people, including 32 journalists, massacred by the Ampatuan clan in November 2009, react to the guilty verdicts outside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, Philippines, Dec. 19, 2019. A hard-hitting radio broadcaster was killed by unknown gunmen in the southern Philippines on Good Friday as the air waves were shut down for Holy Week, police said Monday. If the killing of Jhannah Villegas, 38, in Maguindanao province turns out to be related to her work, she would be the 24th Philippine journalist to be killed since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016. Villegas may have made some enemies because of her work, provincial police spokesman Capt. Fayed Cana told BenarNews. Her death could be related to her work, said Cana, adding that investigators have asked local leaders to help identify those responsible. Villegas was attacked at her home on Friday in Datu Anggal Midtimbang town by three unknown armed men who shot her at close range, Cana said. She was rushed to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. Villegas worked as a reporter for community newspaper Sagad and Bugso as well as a block timer broadcaster for Radyo Ukay in Kidapawan city, North Cotabato province and Energy FM 106.7 radio in Manila. A block timer is an independent journalist or broadcast producer who buys airtime to air programs on radio or television. Villegas was known as a critic of local officials, friends and colleagues said. She also headed Mindanao Balita, an online news blog covering local political events across the region. Saudi Akmad, the victims husband, said his wife had received a death threat on Thursday night, hours before she was killed. To the friends of my wife, lets wait for the result of the police investigation, Akmad said, adding he and his wife were planning to travel to a nearby city to visit a relative when she was shot. Journalists killed The Philippines is considered one of the worlds most dangerous places for journalists. Jaynard Angeles, 36, who had worked as a political commentator and station manager for Radyo ni Juan, was gunned down in January in front of a car-repair shop in Tacurong city, also in the south. The suspects escaped and remain at large. Angeles predecessor at the radio station, Benjie Caballero, was shot in Tacurong in October 2019 and died in a hospital two months later. In December 2021, Jesus Malabanan, a journalist who helped the Reuters news agency cover the governments war on drugs, was shot and killed last month in the central Philippines. Two months earlier, journalist Orlando Dinoy was fatally shot six times by a suspect who entered his home in the southern Philippines. Since 1992, about 90 Philippine journalists have been killed because of their work, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. That figure includes 32 journalists who were among 58 people killed in 2009 in the biggest single-day attack on the working press in the Philippines. The journalists were massacred by armed followers of the Ampatuan clan as they accompanied relatives and supporters of a rival who was filing his candidacy for governor of Maguindanao in the south. During his six-year term, Duterte often vowed to protect journalists, but has been at the forefront of attacking critical reporting. His congressional colleagues revoked the license of ABS-CBN Corp., the countrys largest television network. Maria Ressa, who heads the online news site Rappler, was convicted of cyber libel, but remains free on appeal. She shared a Nobel Peace Prize last year with a Russian journalist for their efforts in championing the free press. Thai police help a comrade who was injured when a bomb they were trying to defuse exploded in Lahan, a village in Pattani province, southern Thailand, April 15, 2022. Updated at 2:22 p.m. ET on 2022-04-19 The leader of a separatist group sidelined from Deep South peace talks said Monday it would not take part in negotiations with Bangkok if independence is off the table. The comments came days after the Patani United Liberation Organization carried out twin bombings that killed a villager and injured three police, disrupting a Ramadan-time truce agreed between the Thai government and Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the regions main insurgent group. PULO is ready to talk, but not under the framework of the Thai constitution, Kasturi Mahkota, the groups leader, told BenarNews via text messages. [P]ULO will not talk or negotiate under the framework of the Thai constitution because PULO wants freedom from Thailand. Under the constitution, the kingdom is considered indivisible. At the end of direct peace talks that Malaysia brokered between BRN and the Thai government on March 31 to April 1, the Thai delegation said both sides agreed that future discussions would be done under the Unitary State of Thailand in accordance with the Constitution. That has raised questions about whether BRN the largest of the Deep Souths armed insurgent groups has abandoned its cause of fighting to break free of Bangkok and establish a separate state in the mainly Malay Muslim border region. On Friday, the day the twin bombings rocked Sai Buri district in Pattani province, Kasturi said that PULO had carried out the attack because it was excluded from the current Thailand-BRN talks. PULO was sending a message that Thailand must negotiate with all groups, Kasturi told BenarNews on April 15. When asked on Monday if his group would mount more attacks to ratchet up pressure on the Thai government, he replied, [W]e cannot tell you about the strategy. Before Thailand opened direct talks with BRN in January 2020, two branches of PULO as well as BRN and two other rebel groups were represented on MARA Patani, a panel that negotiated with the Thai side. Kasturi was one of the PULO representatives on the panel. Those talks, which began in 2015, were also facilitated by Malaysia but fizzled out after the BRN started talking directly with Bangkok in January 2020. On Monday night, BenarNews asked a source with BRN to comment on Kasturis assertion that PULO would not negotiate with Thailand under the Thai constitutional framework. For other Patani movements that wish to negotiate with the Thais, they can put forward their terms and conditions to the Thai themselves, the source, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, told BenarNews via a text message. BRN never stops other Patani movements to negotiate with the Thais. And when asked whether the constitutional issue could cause a rift between BRN and other rebel groups, he replied: During the MARA Patani negotiation with the Thais in 2015, it was also done based on the 2013 General Consensus under the Thai constitutional framework. If Im not mistaken, PULOs Kasturi was there with MARA Patani. There was no Dialogue under Thai Constitution written in the agreed terms of reference (TOR) for talks between Thailand and MARA Patani, Abu Hafez, a spokesman for the group, said in a post on Facebook responding to Mondays report by BenarNews. Hence the dialogue was NOT under Thai Constitution, he said. Kasturi Mahkota heads the main faction of PULO that was formed through the merger of the MKP and DSSP factions, he said. A third faction, PULO-P4, operates on its own. It is not clear how many armed men PULO has. A supporter, who asked not to be named due to fear of retaliation, claimed that for the past five years, PULO had trained more than 2,000 combatants, including those with expertise in rocket attacks. BenarNews could not verify the number independently, but a Thai security source, who also was not authorized to speak to the media, said PULO had only a few dozen foot soldiers in its ranks. The attack on Friday was the first one claimed by PULO since 2016. Thailand: We talk informally to all sides Meanwhile, two senior Thai military officials said it was too soon to tell whether PULO would be invited to peace talks but said the army was stepping up security measures after Fridays attack. Whether we will consider including PULO in the future, its up to the [Thai] Peace Dialogue Panel who, in general, wants to talk to all groups, Lt. Gen. Kriangkrai Srirak, the Thai Armys commander in the Deep South, told reporters Monday. The secretary of the Thai peace panel said talking with PULO was possible. The ... peace-talk policy has it that we talk informally to all sides who volunteer to talk, on all topics, and at any place, Lt. Gen. Thira Daehwa told BenarNews on Monday. There is a question whether PULO is ready to talk. If not [we] have to step up security measures .... Senior Thai officials have also said that Fridays attack in Pattani would not derail the ongoing talks with the BRN. The last round of in-person talks ended with both sides agreeing to a 40-day period of non-violence that would last till mid-May and cover the fasting month of Ramadan. It seems two peoples organizations are fighting each other, Hisbullah Muso, a resident of Pattani, told BenarNews, referring to PULO and BRN. They built forces to fight each other, [which is] no good. There were rifts [among the rebels] for a long time, even though they say they fight for the people. The government, however, should talk to PULO should it want to achieve peace, he said. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute. He voted to enact Act 250 in the House in 1970, and afterwards opposed the State Land Use Plan. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Bennington Banner. As the daily locally transmitted COVID-19 cases still number in the thousands and the total number of infections shot up to 200,000 in mid-April, Shanghai experienced its worst COVID-19 outbreak in two years. The Omicron variant, which has caused large number of infections in Shanghai, can lead to severe cases and even death, thus not just a tough flu as some people mistakenly refer to it, according to medical experts. Data show more than 50 million people aged 60 or above belonging to the most vulnerable group in China have not been fully vaccinated against COVID. In the fight against the virus, the most important human right is the right to life and health, said Zhong Nanshan, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering. He then further explained, Since we cant allow widespread infections lead to massive numbers of deaths among senior citizens, we still have to stick to the dynamic zero-COVID policy. Staff members of the online grocery platform Meituan Maicai sort and pack ordered groceries in east China's Shanghai on April 12, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) If China relaxes its epidemic prevention, the resulting surge of infections might paralyze the medical system, cautioned Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission (NHC). The dynamic zero-COVID policy has proven to be the most effective strategy after multiple rounds of hard battles with highly contagious variants, said Ma, according to a Xinhua report. Early this year, many countries loosened their COVID containment restrictions, with the consequence being spikes of severe cases and deaths. In Japan, the accumulated deaths caused by COVID-19 from January to March totaled 10,000. In the U.K., since the country announced the plan for living with COVID in February, its epidemic situation has worsened continually with the weekly newly added COVID-19 cases rising to nearly 5 million. On April 6, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said his announcement of scrapping obligatory isolation for people infected with COVID was a mistake and sent the wrong signal. "Corona is not a cold," Lauterbach wrote on Twitter, "So there must continue to be isolation after infection, ordered and supervised by health offices." Data has shown that Chinas dynamic zero-COVID policy has effectively contained the virus and ensured continuation of normal life and production in most parts of the country. Being among the first countries that initially brought the pandemic under control and registered a positive economic growth, China logged a GDP growth of 8.1 percent in 2021, the highest among major economies in the world. Despite the COVID-19 resurgence, investment in China is expected to expand steadily according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). To underpin the countrys development in 2022, special attention is being given to investment. Official data shows that the national investment in fixed assets increased 12.2 percent year on year in the first two months, 7.3 percentage points higher than last year. Investment in manufacturing and infrastructure has spearheaded that growth. According to a recent NDRC press conference, local government special bonds will play an important role in spurring investment growth this year. In addition, low-carbon projects, emerging industries, and a new type of urbanization will be the key areas for potential investment. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 resurgence has not dampened foreign investors confidence in the Chinese market. Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, increased by 25.6 percent year-on-year to RMB 379.87 billion in the first quarter of the year according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). FDI in high-tech manufacturing grew 35.7 percent over the same period of 2021, while that in the high-tech service sector rose 57.8 percent year-on-year. Facing mounting pressure induced by the COVID-19 flare-ups in the country which have impacted normal operation and personnel mobility in certain regions, foreign firms still hold optimistic outlooks about Chinas sustainable development. According to a Xinhua report, undeterred foreign corporations are advancing new projects in China. The Germany-based technology group Heraeus is pushing forward nearly 10 projects worth around US $200 million in several locations around China. Meanwhile, the Fuling Industrial Food Park, a joint venture with an investment of RMB 7 billion by Europe-based Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and Chinese enterprises DONLINK Group and HAID Group, also broke ground in Guangzhou on March 30. Meanwhile, according to MOC spokesperson Shu Jueting, a special working group for key foreign-funded projects has been set up by the Ministry in cooperation with local authorities to help relevant firms ride out difficulties. "We are helping foreign enterprises, especially those in areas hit hard by COVID-19, to solve problems they encounter in the resumption of work and production, personnel entry into China, as well as logistics and transportation," said Shu. A range of favorable policies are creating more space for foreign companies development in China, such as the trimmed negative lists for foreign investment and implementation of national treatment. During his inspection tour of south Chinas Hainan Province on April 10-13, President Xi Jinping called for accelerating the development of Hainan into a free trade port with Chinese characteristics and global influence, once again showing the countrys determination to further integrate with the world. Xi also encouraged Hainan to build the free trade port into a shining Chinese model in the world, thus making the province a paradigm of the countrys reform and opening-up in the new era. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Community News Editor / Librarian Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. On April 19, 1775, near 10 a.m., Joseph Palmer, a member of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, wrote a short letter detailing the arrival of British troops in Cambridge and the ensuing battle that happened at Lexington. Palmer, then stationed at Watertown, sent the express rider (named Israel Bissell in numerous copies of the letter) to "alarm the country quite to Connecticut." The letter, now known as the Lexington Alarm, first traveled to Worcester, where, under the order of the city's Committee of Correspondence, it was copied, attested to by Col. Foster, a delegate and Town Clerk Nathaniel Balding, and dispatched with express riders. News of the battle at Lexington spread as the letter made its way through Connecticut and into Rhode Island. Five days later, the letter had made its way to New York City, some 345 miles away. It continued from there to New Jersey and to Philadelphia, arriving on April 26, as members of the Second Continental Congress had just started to arrive. That letter, and the name of the express rider who carried it, should have faded into history and most likely would have, had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow not penned a poem about Paul Revere and his famous midnight ride. Not wanting to let Boston get all the credit for rousing the country to its feet, a rider who appeared to travel farther than Revere was stirred up nearly 141 years later, when the tale of Connecticut-born Israel Bissell was told. In this heroic tale, Bissell, later a resident of both Middlefield and Hinsdale, gallops from Massachusetts to New York City in less than a week, warning all he passes that the British have arrived and attacked Lexington. But was this rider Israel Bissell the same one who lived out his days in Hinsdale? This has been a subject of debate for some time, with credit now, erroneously, being given to another rider, Isaac Bissell of Suffield, Conn., despite evidence favoring Israel Bissell. (It should be noted the name Isaac Bissell appears in some later transcriptions of the Lexington Alarm, as does the name Tryal Russell.) The earliest documentation of Israel Bissell's ride found by this reporter appear in the Hartford Courant on July 23, 1916, in a column, "Famous Ride of Israel Bissell: How the East Windsor man carried the news of the Battle of Lexington and Concord from Watertown, Mass. to Philadelphia." In it, the author recounts the tale of how the Continental Post Riders were established in March 1774 by the patriot printer William Goddard (misspelled Coddard in the column), of which (the author claims) the most trusted riders were "Israel Bissell of Connecticut, Cornelius Bradford of New York and Paul Revere of Massachusetts." It may be this column that sparked the legend of Bissell's five-day, 345-mile trip and spurred numerous individuals to celebrate him, not Revere, as the true champion of the spreading the alarm. By 1929, an article in "The Minute Man" credited the ride to an Israel Bissell of East Windsor, Conn., who years after the war, moved first to Middlefield and later to Hinsdale, where he is buried. That fact, repeated in a May 1932 Berkshire Eagle article, drew the attention of Phillip Mack Smith. In a letter to the editor he wrote: "Upon the appearance of this article in 'The Minute Man' in April 1929, I made inquiry as to his authority of the identity in question, and he replied, citing 'The History of Middlefield, Mass.,' which was written by my brother, Edward Church Smith and myself. In justice to us, may I say, wherever the long distance ride is mentioned in that volume it is stated that Israel Bissell of Middlefield and Hinsdale was 'probably' the man who made the ride." Smith continued on in the letter that the brothers were uncertain as to which Israel Bissell made the ride. There was the Israel Bissell of Middlefield and Hinsdale, who lived in East Windsor in 1775, and his father, of the same name. Both Bissells served during the Revolutionary War. The younger, noted as Israel Bissell Jr. in some records, but not all, served in Capt. Stoughton's muster in June 1775 and in Capt. Wolcott's muster in 1776. "The question, therefore, is, did Israel Sr., aged 55, or his son, Israel, aged 23, make the remarkable ride?" Smith wrote. Nevertheless, East Windsor and Hinsdale were happy to celebrate their patriotic son, who received numerous accolades over the ensuing decades, including a graveside marker, placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution, detailing his feat. Hinsdale named a park in his honor and hosted an annual 5K race bearing his name. There was even a postage stamp and cancellation stamp issued by the U.S. Post Office. The unsung hero, as many articles called him, became a favorite story for the press to recycle around Patriots' Day for the next 80 years or so. That was until 2007, when Stockbridge historian Lion Miles made a case against Israel Bissell. (He had done so many times in previous years, but the 2007 letter to the editor in the March 26, 2007, issue of The Berkshire Eagle is of significance. That letter, along with a 2004 iBerkshires.com column by Miles are cited most often by historians crediting Isaac Bissell with the ride.) In the 2007 letter, Miles wrote: "There are absolutely no 'authenticated records' that a man named Israel Bissell did anything at all during the American Revolution and there is no documentary proof that he even was a post rider. The entire ridiculous story is based on the misspelling of the actual rider's name in a newspaper account that was carried throughout the colonies by a series of established express riders, all the way to South Carolina." He also chided anyone for believing a lone rider could travel from Waterford to Philadelphia in six days. He further contends in the letter that the rider's real name was Isaac Bissell, based on documents held by the William L. Clements Library at the University of Maryland and in the Massachusetts Archives at Columbia Point. "He rode only as far as Hartford, as the original order reads ... He signed the documents clearly as Isaac Bissell." (This letter may be one sent by the Committee of Safety on April 20, 1775.) Earlier, in 2004, Miles claimed the post rider was Isaac Bissell based on a letter from the rider to Palmer, requesting payment for a post delivery in April 1775. Miles wrote: "In March 1776, he petitioned Col. Palmer for help and wrote [sic], 'Sir you may Remember when Lexinton Fite was you gave me an Express to Cary to Hartford in Connecticut which I did,' adding, "I think I Earn my money.' He signed with the clear signature, "Isaac Bissell of Suffield." (Massachusetts Archives, vol 303, p. 162.)" In the past dozen years since Miles wrote his letter, institutions across the country have brought their historical collections online, providing researchers from afar the ability to view original source documents. And thus, given this reporter the ability to make a case for Israel Bissell. As to Mr. Miles' claim that there are "no 'authenticated records' that a man named Israel Bissell did anything at all during the American Revolution," we point out there are several Revolutionary War documents that can be viewed on FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com and Fold3.com that prove otherwise. There are several muster rolls showing both Israel Sr. and Israel Jr. among the ranks of Connecticut musters in 1775 and 1776. And on Fold3, a document from Capt. Wolcott's muster shows payment of 30 shillings to Israel Bissell for his service in 1776. As to his claim that Israel Bissell's name does not appear on the actual Lexington Alarm, but was a misspelling repeated in a newspaper article, there is proof that Bissell's name does appear on numerous hand written copies of the document. There are several copies of the Lexington Alarm that can be viewed online. One held by the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington, clearly states the bearer of the letter as Israel Bissell. It's a copy-of-a-copy, written by Daniel Tyer Jr. Tyer made the copy when it arrived in Brookline, Mass., on April 19, 1775, from a copy received by express and penned by Balding in Worcester. (Thus, if the rider's name was incorrectly transcribed, it would have happened in either Worcester or Brookline.) A copy of the alarm, held in the digital archive of the New York Public Library, transcribed from numerous copies prior being transcribed by the chairman of the committee of safety in Elizabethtown, N.J., still bears the name Israel Bissell, as does a broadside held by the Library of Congress, printed on April 23, 1775, in New York City. The broadside speaks of the news of the battle arriving by two vessels from Newport, R.I., and by an express by land. The Lexington Alarm, passed on from Providence, R.I., and copied numerous times over, also bears the name of Israel Bissell. As for the matter of Isaac Bissell being paid for his ride, which is held high as the proof that he was the Lexington Alarm rider, it's much more likely he received his payment of two shillings for delivery of another letter sent by the Committee of Safety on April 20. One can view the April 26, 1776 resolve to pay Isaac Bissell's payment "for his riding express to Hartford, Conn. in April 'last past'" on FamilySearch.org. "The journals of each Provincial congress of Massachusetts in 1774 and 1775, and of the Committee of safety" on archive.org, contains the acts ordering his request be considered and the transcription of a letter (on page 518) dispatched by the Committee of Safety on April 20, 1775, to the governments of the colonies of Connecticut and New Hampshire. This is the letter Isaac Bissell most likely delivered and requested two shillings payment for. As Miles points out, Isaac Bissell only went to Hartford as his letter instructed, something that wasn't part of the Lexington Alarm letter. As the surviving copies of the Lexington Alarm fail to give the direction to bring the note to Hartford, it is safe to surmise Isaac Bissell was not charged with carrying the letter dispatched from Watertown on April 19. Making it more likely than not that Israel Bissell delivered the letter from Watertown to Worcester. But what of the claim that Israel Bissell traveled further and faster than Revere? An amazing story, if it was possible to travel 70 miles a day without resting. If possible, Bissell would have needed to ride at least one Narraganset, a now extinct breed of race horse that could travel a mile in 2 minutes time and could, according to accounts, travel 100 miles in a day. But, as the alarm letters show, the word was spread far and wide by a system of express carriers carrying copies. Most likely Bissell rode from Watertown to Worcester, where Col. Foster, a delegate of the state's Second Provincial Congress was stationed, as well as two notable members of the Constitutional Convention, John Adams and John Hancock (who, having been spirited away from Concord ahead of the British arrival, thanks to a famous alarm, were headed to Philadelphia.) But at the end of the day, does it really matter if the tale of Israel Bissell, of Middlefield and Hinsdale, is 100 percent true if it excites enough people to celebrate the founding of our country and the patriots who risked life and limb for it? Why not let Israel Bissell be the folk hero we need? This story originally ran April 19, 2019. MOSCOW - Consideration of proposed fee increases at Idahos four-year institutions is on the agenda of an Idaho State Board of Education meeting in Moscow this week, April 20-21. Earlier this year, the presidents of Idaho's four-year institutions pledged not to request undergraduate resident tuition increases for the third consecutive year. However, the institutions are requesting increases in mandatory consolidated fees. The mandatory consolidated fee is comprised of four standardized fee categories. Earlier this year, the Board revised its policy to allow students to opt-out of fees that support certain student activities, clubs and organizations. Also on the meeting agenda: University of Idaho students and faculty will have an opportunity to have a discussion with the State Board on topics of interest as part of the University of Idaho community forum. Consideration of a temporary rule to use enrollment, instead of attendance to calculate funding for public schools. If approved, the temporary rule would expire after the Legislature adjourns sine die in 2023. Authorization to appoint a hearing officer to consider an appeal filed by Another Choice Virtual Charter School. Board members will also elect officers to lead the Board until April 2023. The meeting will take place in the Pittman Center, 2nd floor ballroom at 709 Deakin Avenue starting Wednesday, April 20 at 9:00 a.m. (PDT) and resuming the following morning Thursday, April 21 at 8:00 a.m. (PDT). The meeting will be carried via livestream at https://www.uidaho.edu/news/ui-live The meeting agenda and materials are posted on the State Board of Education website: https://boardofed.idaho.gov/event/board-meeting-moscow-3/ * In defiance of economic bullying and vehement defamation by the United States against Xinjiang cotton, farmers there continue cultivating this crop and sowing the seeds for better lives across the region. * There will be 37.57 million mu of cotton plantation areas in Xinjiang in 2022, increasing 2 percent compared to 2021. * Cotton sowing is nearly 100 percent mechanized in Xinjiang. In terms of harvesting, machines accounted for over 80 percent of all the work in the region in 2021. Aerial photo taken on April 16, 2022 shows a tractor working in a cotton field in Daquan of Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) by Xinhua writers Sun Zhennan, Gao Han, Zhao Ge URUMQI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The rumbling of tractors busy in the field on both sides of the Tianshan Mountains signals that cotton sowing is in full swing in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China. Jumay Hasan, of Uygur ethnicity, has planted cotton in Shaya County, Aksu Prefecture, for eight years. This year he plans to expand his plantation by 10 mu, meaning he will plant 130 mu (about 8.7 hectares) of cotton. "I earned 2,000 yuan (about 314 U.S. dollars) in profit from each mu last year," he said. "If things go well, I can get at least 20,000 yuan more this year." Jumay Hasan is just one of the countless farmers in the region who, in defiance of economic bullying and vehement defamation by the United States against Xinjiang cotton, continue cultivating this crop and sowing the seeds for better lives across the region. Tractors plow in a cotton field in Shiqiao Township of Usu City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 31, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) UNFAZED AND CONFIDENT Despite U.S. sanctions on Xinjiang's cotton, Jumay Hasan is confident, and for a good reason. Shaya's high-quality cotton has an excellent reputation, earning it the accolade of the "hometown of cotton in China's Tarim Basin." Jumay Hasan's buoyancy on the crop is not isolated. Another Uygur farmer, Imin Anayet, who is also from Shaya, makes 2.5 million yuan a year from planting cotton. He also runs a farmers' cooperative, with 10,000 mu of contracted land, providing jobs for over 230 local farmers. According to estimates from the China Cotton Association, there will be 37.57 million mu of cotton plantation areas in Xinjiang in 2022, increasing 2 percent compared to 2021. Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that cotton output in Xinjiang topped 5.1 million tonnes last year, accounting for 89.5 percent of the country's total cotton output. Moreover, the region has ranked first in China for more than 20 years in total cotton output, per-unit yield, planting area, and commodity allocation. "Xinjiang has unique natural conditions, abundant sunshine, and a long cotton growth cycle. It is not only the largest high-quality cotton production base in China but also globally significant," said Peng Changming, vice president of Xinjiang Cotton Association. An autopilot tractor works in a cotton field in Sangongdian Village of Ulan Usu Township in Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) ALL MACHINES, NO FORCED LABOR Regarding the groundless accusations from the United States, such as "forced labor," Jumay Hasan said, "How could it be possible? From plowing to harrowing, sowing to harvesting, it is nearly all done by machines." This year, he completed all his field work of sowing within five days, an impossible achievement had these tasks been completed manually. Abdugani Abdukeyum, a Uygur farmer in Bachu County, Kashgar Prefecture, said, "We use a seeding machine guided by the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System to sow, which works precisely and efficiently." According to a report released by the Institute for Communication and Borderland Governance of Jinan University last year, cotton sowing is nearly 100 percent mechanized in Xinjiang. Moreover, in terms of harvesting, machines accounted for over 80 percent of all the work in the region in 2021, said the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Xinjiang. Muhtar Rohman, a Uygur agricultural machinery operator in Shaya, has witnessed the cotton industry's transformation from manual to mechanical firsthand. "I watched my parents toil on the field when I was young, and I remember wishing 'if only I had a machine to help them'," he said. In April 2021, he finally made his dream come true. Using the new cotton-picking machine, he helps farmers with their harvesting and now earns more than 100,000 yuan a year. Photo taken on April 16, 2022 shows a navigational autopilot equipment in a cotton field in Daquan of Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) COTTON BRINGS HAPPINESS The high mechanization rate has been propelled by the acceleration of large-scale cotton production regionally, which in turn has been driven by the expansion of farmers' cooperatives. By the end of 2019, Xinjiang was home to 26,424 farmers' cooperatives. According to the region's department of agriculture and rural affairs, on average, 2,000 new cooperatives were established every year from 2010 to 2019. Yelikat Kalimukan, a Kazak cotton farmer in Shiqiao Township, Usu City, said that the cooperative in his town helped him cut costs. "Our cooperative provides free high-quality seeds and affordable agricultural materials, helping us save around 80 to 100 yuan on each mu. This helps increase earnings for us small households," Yelikat Kalimukan said. Since joining a cooperative in 2020, Jumay Hasan says the technical expertise and mechanical services have paid off in dividends. "Last year, the yield per mu of our cooperative was 410 kilograms, and I earned 240,000 yuan totally," Jumay Hasan said. "Cotton brings us fortune and happiness!" (Video reporters: Aman, Gao Han, Sun Zhennan, Zhao Ge; video editors: Jia Xiaotong, Mu Xuyao) TAIPEI, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The number of new local COVID-19 cases in Taiwan rose to 1,390 on Sunday, the island's disease monitoring agency said on Monday. It was the fourth consecutive day that new local cases surpassed 1,000, the agency said, noting that Sunday also saw 90 new imported cases. To date, Taiwan has reported 35,983 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 26,144 were local infections. I spoke this week with a mother who pulled her children out of school in 2020 to give homeschooling a try. Through remote learning, she saw, for the first time, what her children were actually learning and doing in school and realized that the amount of academic time was quite small. She had always been curious about homeschooling but felt intimidated. When she caught a glimpse of her childrens classroom learning, she realized that she could easily match, if not exceed, the school's academic expectations while providing greater overall freedom for her childrens learning and development. When her childrens school reopened for full-time, in-person learning, this mom decided to continue homeschooling. Now, she is even happier with her decision, especially as homeschool classes and activities resume their pre-pandemic vibrancy. New data analyzed this week by the Associated Press confirm that this mothers experience is a common one. Homeschooling rates surged during the 2020/2021 academic year to more than 11 percent of the overall US K-12 population, but many education observers expected that most of those families would return to school once classrooms reopened for in-person learning. That hasnt happened. Homeschooling numbers this year dipped from last years all-time high, but are still significantly above pre-pandemic levels, the Associated Press reported. It evaluated data from 18 states and found that while homeschooling numbers rose 63 percent in the 2020/2021 academic year, they only dropped by 17 percent this school year, remaining significantly elevated. The largest demographic driver of the homeschooling surge in 2020/2021 were black families who unenrolled their children from school for independent homeschooling. The US Census Bureau found that the number of black homeschoolers increased fivefold between spring and fall of 2020, from 3.3 percent to 16.1 percent. Black children were overrepresented in the homeschooling population compared to the overall K-12 public school population. The sustained rise in homeschooling numbers this year reflects the larger theme of parent revitalization regarding their childrens education. During our LiberatED podcast conversation this week, leading school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis explained that parents have been empowered and emboldened over the past couple of years. Theyve woken up to the problems of the government-run school system and theyre pushing for real solutions. Homeschooling is one such solution, particularly as it evolves to encompass much more than traditional home-based, parent-led learning. Homeschooling has become the educational foundation upon which new co-learning models have sprouted, including microschools, pandemic pods, hybrid schools, and interactive, online learning communities. The education disruption that parents encountered in 2020 was a challenge, but it led millions of them to retake the reins of their childrens education and chart a new learning path. Many parents now find this new path to be more satisfying than the old one, and they arent turning back. CANBERRA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Australian arts patron and former diplomat Carrillo Gantner has described himself as a "panda hugger," and put his memories of China into a book. "I wanted to express some frustration and disappointment that the excellent relationship that we had with China, which has been worked on and developed by so many good people on both sides for over 40 years ... has collapsed in the last several years," he told Xinhua. A professional actor and director who had been the Cultural Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in China in the 1980s, and an Adjunct Professor at the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University, the 77-year-old was dearly known as Lao Gan by his Chinese friends. During the past half a century, Gantner witnessed many events marking friendship between China and Australia. He was involved in the negotiation on bringing two pandas from China to Australia, and directed a play for the Shanghai People's Art Theater "Xiang Ru Fei Fei", or A Stretch of the Imagination, which was performed by famous Chinese actor Wei Zongwan. In retrospect, he said that culture, in all dimensions including performing arts, visual arts, education, language, history and sports, brings people more closely together. "It teaches them about the other," he said. "When you know something about the other, people are less fearful. It reminds people that we share a common humanity, and a desire to live in peace and friendship." "So cultural exchanges can remove the politics and let us deal at a human level directly and openly," he added. Gantner makes no effort to conceal his love for Chinese culture, as traditional Chinese painting scrolls and sculpture of contemporary Chinese artist could be found easily in his Melbourne office. His wife Ziyin was daughter of the late President of the China National Theater for Children Fang Jufen, and he has almost visited China every year. He noted that during the past several years cultural exchanges between China and Australia were seriously affected as well, not only by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also by the current relationship between the two countries. "There's little happening and I feel frustrated and sad," he said, adding that only five or six years ago, these cultural exchanges were vibrant. He wrote to his friends in China, and both sides believed that China and Australia have to come to new understanding. So in his books he offered suggestions in this respect. "Firstly, we need to take a longer term view of the relationship," he said, before explaining that Australia worked through short electoral cycles, and it's three years officially between elections. "So governments take a short term view," he said. "They're trying to appeal for short term electoral advantage and for votes in this country ... So they sometimes say things that are not helpful to the relationship." Secondly, he believed that "a level of courtesy and respect that is due between countries has not always been shown", and called for having discussions in more productive ways such as senior level meetings or through diplomats. He noted in his new book that sometimes Australian interests were not identical to those of the United States, and described Australia's current position as "America's shoeshine boy in the South Pacific." "I personally would be much happier if Australia had a more independent foreign policy," said the author. Also, he said that if Australia was critical of China, it should be consistent, not just singling out one country for criticism. His other suggestions include increasing financial support for academic scholarship in terms of studies on China and developing Chinese language skill at all levels of education, as well as more personal connection of officials. "When I was at the embassy in the mid 1980s, Bob Hawke, the (then) prime minister, came twice during my three years there, and the Chinese leadership were coming to Australia regularly," said Gantner. "So there was a very strong personal basis for the relationship. That sort of strong personal connection is immensely valuable." The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Australia. "We should celebrate that in a big way," said the former diplomat, regarding the anniversary as an opportunity to "reach new agreements and open new doors." For instance, he said that a group of senior people in the performing arts from the major art centers and the major Australian festivals could be sent back to China. People from other areas could get involved as well. One of his children was a senior ICU doctor at a major hospital in Melbourne, which, a few years ago, reached an exchange agreement with a hospital in Shenzhen of South China's Guangdong Province. His son used to visit Shenzhen to help train doctors, and Gantner believed he would be happy to go again. Despite the difficulties right now, the senior artist was optimistic. "Ups and downs are always in any bilateral relationship, but generally, it (the China-Australia relationship) was enormously positive for this country, and I like to think for China also to enjoy it," Gantner said. "It's only in a very short space of time really that the relationship has gone off the rails," he continued. "If it can go off the rails quickly, I hope it can get back on the rails quickly as well." TEHRAN, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A new wide-body Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has passed flight tests "successfully" and has become operational, Tasnim news agency reported on Monday. The drone, named "Gaza," has a wingspan of 21 meters, weighs 3.1 tonnes, and can carry a payload of 500 kilograms. According to the report, the flight endurance of the drone is 35 hours for 2,000 kilometers, and it has a service ceiling of 10,688 meters. It has the capability of carrying 13 bombs and can reach a velocity of 350 kilometers per hour. Gaza can be employed in various combat, surveillance, rescue, and relief, as well as reconnaissance missions. Advertisement Advertise With Us CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Brandon Friendship Centre '60s Scoop programming co-ordinator Debbie Huntinghawk and cultural support worker Deborah Tacan pose for a photo. A local initiative centred on family healing has planned a series of events this week aimed at supporting 60s Scoop survivors. A special drumming session, "Awakening Our Hearts," will take place at Princess Park Friday to honour Earth Day from noon to 1 p.m. The drum circle is part of the Brandon Friendship Centre (BFC) Healing the Family Within, but the event is for everyone in the community, said co-ordinator Debbie Huntinghawk. There is a prophecy that when 8,000 drums are played together, major healing of Mother Earth, Indigenous people and every living being in the world will take place, she said. The beats will create unity, respect, love, compassion, happiness and peace around the world. "Eight-thousand drums are for the healing of Mother Earth, the healing of hearts and for ancestral wisdom. Eight-thousand drums for the survival, for the respect, for the self-determination, freedom, justice, the peace and dignity and of every Indigenous people in all the countries in the world." The event will also serve as an opportunity to heal from the COVID-19 pandemic and the heartache of witnessing the invasion of Ukraine, said Deborah Tacan, a cultural support worker at the Brandon Friendship Centre. "We think were powerless, but you know what, were not. Our voices are strong and we can use that through our drums, through our songs, through our rattles," Tacan said. "Anything that we do that helps connect us." It is important to honour Earth Day because Mother Earth needs healing, Huntinghawk said. "If we dont look after her now, then there will be nothing left for our kids or our grandkids. We have to start." Participants are encouraged to bring a drum or rattle while to the event. Healing the Family Within will also be hosting a series of sharing and healing circles to help 60s Scoop survivors and their families on their healing journeys. The sharing circles will take place on April 20, April 27, May 4 and May 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. "Theyre giving their pain a voice," she said. During the circles, survivors can share their stories and experiences as part of their healing path. The final event, "The Wiping of the Tears," will take place on April 28 at 6 p.m. at 205 College Ave. It will be hosted by Brandon Friendship Centre cultural worker Frank Tacan. "The Wiping of the Tears" is an important ceremony, Frank said. When someone has lost a loved one, traditionally, the community would take care of the family as they mourn and grieve the person that has died. When people arrive at the ceremony, they are wiped off with an eagle fan or eagle feather and if they are still crying, their tears are wiped off. Frank said there is a need to let tears go so people can move forward. During the ceremony, an elder will fill a canupa (pipe) and pray for those coming in who will be standing on a buffalo robe. As the person mourning stands on the robe, they are cared for by the people around them. "People are starting to let go, but they dont know how. Standing on that buffalo robe is so sacred, it overwhelms you and the tears come," Frank said. "It helps them grieve." Many people are grieving for more than one person and this adds to the mourning as they have been unable to properly honour dead loved ones due to COVID-19 public health restrictions for the past two years. Everything comes together in the form of spirituality during the ceremony, he added, and it serves to wake up the spirit within individuals that are mourning and grieving. When people take this step in the grief process, they can start their journeys of healing. He hopes the ceremony inspires people to be more open, talk about their life stories and honestly share how they have healed. "These ceremonies really help you. For instance, if you are grieving for multiple people, you go on a vision quest and release that or you go to the sun dance and dance and release that; same with the sweat lodge," Frank said. "We have to wake up that spirit so healing can happen." ckemp@brandonsun.com Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp When Pope Francis comes to Canada in late July, he is not expected to visit Manitoba. Advertisement Advertise With Us AP PHOTO/ALESSANDRA TARANTINO Pope Francis on his popemobile drives through the crowd of faithful at the end of the Catholic Easter Sunday mass he led in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, on Sunday. The Pope is expected to visit three Canadian cities this summer, none of which are in Manitoba. When Pope Francis comes to Canada in late July, he is not expected to visit Manitoba. According to a report published by CBC, the three locations on the list for his four-day trip during which he will apologize to Indigenous people for their experience at Roman Catholic-operated residential schools are Quebec City, Edmonton and Iqaluit. The report cited confidential sources who were not authorized to speak publicly. The sources also said the trip, which was being planned before the March 28-April 1 meetings between the Pope and delegates from the First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, will be funded by the Canadian Catholic Church. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for Indigenous people across Canada to hear the Pope. Vatican advance teams have already scouted the three cities in preparation for the trip, according to Metis National Council President Cassidy Caron. If the Pope goes to Edmonton, it is possible he will deliver an apology at Lac Ste. Anne, a pilgrimage located 78 kilometres west of the Alberta capital. The pilgrimage is popular with Metis and Indigenous people; at his April 1 audience with delegates in Vatican City the Pope said he hoped to "be with you" on St. Annes feast day, July 26. In a statement, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) would not confirm the locations, saying any official announcement about dates and locations will come from the Vatican. As for the trip itself, the CCCB said "The Canadian bishops are grateful that Pope Francis has accepted our invitation to visit Canada on a pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation." It went on to say "We have had meaningful conversations with Indigenous people, about the timing, focus and themes of the visit." The CCCB has also been in conversation with the federal government, knowing the national importance of such an event, it added. "Given the Holy Fathers advanced age and desire for simple, modest visits, we can expect the Canadian visit to reflect this reality in both the length of the pilgrimage as well as the geography of such a visit, given the size of Canada. We can anticipate that the visit to Canada will be very different than those of the past," the CCCB added. Regarding costs, until it has confirmation of dates, locations, and scope of the visit, the CCCB is "unable to provide detailed information on the budgeting for this trip," said Jonathan Lesarge, government and public relations adviser. "There is widespread enthusiasm around the pilgrimage from the bishops of Canada, other members of the Catholic community, and Canadians more broadly," he said, adding the CCCB is confident of its ability to raise the necessary funding for the Popes trip. Any costs for the papal visit "will be on top of the $30 million being raised to support healing and reconciliation projects across Canada," he added. Winnipeg Free Press Its been nearly a century since psychiatric nursing was established in Western Canada with Brandon one of two hubs in Manitoba. Advertisement Advertise With Us Its been nearly a century since psychiatric nursing was established in Western Canada with Brandon one of two hubs in Manitoba. Celebrations for that milestone and a look at the future begin May 5 with an online webinar titled "Psychiatric Nursing and Practice Our History, Our Future." The event features five registered psychiatric nurses (RPN) sharing their research and experiences in the profession. The host will be Mallory Schmitz, RPN and mental health nurse educator at Selkirk Mental Health Centre. This is the first part of a two-part event. Registered psychiatric nurses work in a variety of settings and bring with them a wide array of competencies and skills in clinical, research, education and administration domains. Their work is constantly evolving as new treatments and discoveries are made and developed. "Its much different than what it was 100 years ago," Beverley Hicks, a retired psychiatric nurse and one of the presenters, said. "This is a teaser for next year and we will be saying that in 2023, we will have a bigger event." The committee planning the event is still working on exact details, Hicks said, and will be releasing them as soon as they are available later in the year. Part of the reason is COVID-19 is still an obstacle for live events. This presentation marks not just an anniversary, but highlights the importance of mental health in Brandons history. Hicks said the psychiatric hospital and nursing school were both major employers for the city well into the 20th century. For the May 5 event, each presenter will focus on a different topic. Hicks said she is presenting on the history of psychiatric nursing in Western Canada, focusing on the establishment of the first psychiatric hospitals in Selkirk and Brandon in 1921, then the graduation of the nurses in 1923 from the psychiatric nursing school in Brandon. Manitoba was the first western province to have dedicated psychiatric hospitals, according to Hicks. The other four papers look at the current state of psychiatric nursing and the future. Each presenters paper will give an overall assessment of the profession as it is and where it could be going in the western part of the country. A look at the trauma nurses face in their profession and what can be done to reduce incidents and provide more support will be presented by Kyla Webb, RPN, from the University of Saskatchewan. With many psychiatric nurses working in acute care with aggressive patients, the risk of physical and mental trauma is high. There are gaps in care and training for nurses and she will present ideas on how to better prepare nurses in undergraduate programs. Karen Batson, RPN and assistant professor at the University of Brandon, will present her work focusing on anti-racism and cultural safety education. As an Indigenous person, she is researching the effects of colonialism and how cultural awareness can help improve outcomes for Indigenous patients, as well as how teaching can be changed to meet a wider range of diverse backgrounds. A more holistic approach that involves spiritual care will be the focus of the presentation by Karen Scott Barss, RPN, faculty member of the School of Nursing at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon. She will discuss integrating a spiritual dimension to nursing for a more holistic approach to health care and education for patients and nurses alike. The challenges women diagnosed with borderline personality disorder face in the health-care system will be the topic presented by Racheal Ligali, RPN, from British Columbia. The focus will be on how women empower themselves, focusing on four women who volunteered for a research project. Her talk will look at the findings of the research to help professionals gain a better understanding of this segment of the population to deliver meaningful and supportive care. To register for the event, log on to Eventbrite and type in https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/webinar-psychiatric-nursing100-tickets-296397491877?keep_tld=1. kmckinley@brandonsun.com Twitter: @karenleighmcki1 Nearly two months have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine, but a Brandon University professor says the worst is yet to come. Advertisement Advertise With Us Nearly two months have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine, but a Brandon University professor says the worst is yet to come. This is why Kelly Saunders, a political scientist who teaches at BU, is urging for greater action from western allies to put an end to the conflict and re-establish the global economy. Despite the Russian army shifting much of its attention and resources to the easternmost regions of Ukraine, Saunders said the world needs to be on high alert after the beginning stages of the war. Ukraine so far has demonstrated its strength against Russian forces. "I think Russia was surprised," Saunders said about the Kremlin announcing the Russian army had significant losses by early April. "Thats indication of the fact that Russia did not expect the kind of resistance and sheer determination on the part of Ukraine that they experienced. I think they thought it would be a far easier takeover." She said the Russian military regime led by President Vladimir Putin believed its own rhetoric with the idea that Ukrainians would welcome Russia as a liberating force, as opposed to the exact opposite attitude that has been shown on the ground in Ukraine. With much of the conflict taking place in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine in part to the Russian military regrouping, Saunders said she believes the war could continue for much longer and thinks the Russian leader is determined to achieve a large-scale victory. "The worst is yet to come." The mindset and motivation behind Putins goals to annex Ukraine been festering since the Russian leader witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union. "If you want to bring back the Soviet empire, then no question, Ukraine is the feather in the cap, its the keystone to rebuilding that empire," Saunders said. Based on its adjacent location to the Crimean Sea and a hub for agricultural development, Saunders said you can draw a straight line back to 2014 when the world witnessed the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Countries aligned with NATO and the West must draw a red line in the sand and force the Russian regime to withdraw troops a lack of willingness that failed to take place eight years ago, Saunders said. "We in the West have to reconcile ourselves with the fact that we did not take strong enough action. "Our reluctance to engage with [Putin], I think has directly and bluntly enabled conditions for things to fester to the point where they are today." In what she describes as the next chapter of the Cold War, Saunders said the big question of implementing a no-fly zone over Ukrainian skies is still a contentious issue. In a previous article published by the Sun, she explained the idea of a NATO-aligned country intercepting a missile should they not be voluntarily removed by Russia, would significantly ramp up the escalation of war. Over the past two months, she said, its clear to see that projective missiles have brought the most success to the ever-changing Russian army in terms of how much destruction it has been able to facilitate. She offered this is a question that should still be on the table, suggesting it would bring Ukraine some immediate relief. Instead of implementing a no-fly zone, the effectiveness of economic sanctions issued by the Canadian federal government and other NATO-allied governments have made life more difficult for the everyday Russian citizen over other parts of the Russian economy, according to the professor. "Youre hurting the average Russians themselves more than youre hurting the billionaires," she said. "(Lets remember) Russians are not to blame for this conflict, its the Putin regime." Saunders, a second generation Canadian with Ukrainian heritage said in this day and age, it is hard to imagine a conflict of this magnitude in Europe following the horrors of the Second World War with a disregard for human life, rights and sovereignty. She said the terror seen on a daily basis for Canadians watching abroad is a stark reminder of the conflict at hand. "Surely weve learned something as a civilization and as a human race, yet here we are again," she said. "The sheer atrocity of it has caught a lot of Canadians off guard. How can you not be moved by what you see is happening?" FILE Kelly Saunders, a political science professor at Brandon University, says the worst is yet to come in the war between Russia and Ukraine. In her time following current events, teaching, and keeping up with geopolitical discussion, she said Canada has responded to the conflict in Ukraine in ways that she has never seen before. "We are the largest diaspora country outside of Ukraine and Russia, the largest Ukrainian population is in Canada," she said. "I think were all touched by this, by both the brutality of it and the sheer closeness between our two countries and were seeing that play out." Over the past few weeks, she expects to see the federal government welcoming more Ukrainian refugees to Westman and across the country as Canada as announced they will be trying to expedite the normal processes for refugees fleeing from a place of crisis. She said it will require a massive effort to have Brandon and other Canadian cites welcome the individuals and ensure they have a place to stay, access to language instruction, jobs and other safeties involved in a situation changing by the hour. "That is going to cost money, but it also requires all of us to open up our homes and our communities to welcome these individuals that are fleeing for absolutely no fault of their own," she said. "We have a wonderful Ukrainian community here that has rallied around the cause and has fundraised significantly to support the war effort and humanitarian effort back in Ukraine." In terms of feeling a pinch at the gas pumps and witnessing the price of groceries rise all across the country, Saunders said Russias contributions of oil, gas, wheat and vegetable oils for example have greatly shifted the balance of the global economy, as more countries stray from having trade relations with the nation in a domino effect. It is a reminder of the fact that we are all interconnected as part of a global economy. "All the more reason why I think we need to find a stronger and effective solution to bringing this crisis to an end in Ukraine to put more pressure on Putin to withdraw the Russian forces to not only return to peace in that region but also in terms of reestablishing more balance in the global economy," she said. Saunders said addressing the rise in price of gasoline and food in the Canadian marketplace can wait until enough pressure is put on the Putin regime to end the genocide taking place on a daily basis in Ukraine. In terms of the Russian end game, the optimistic belief for Saunders suggests there has to be a breaking point for the Russian army. "We are already hearing stories about Russian soldiers refusing to fight, and abandoning their posts so to speak that are trying to get the truth out to their families back home that Russians have been lied to and have been mislead about why this war was necessary in the first place," she said. She pointed to the Russian governments false message of Russians serving as liberators and Ukrainians representing neo-Nazism as an example. On the other hand, Saunders said the goal to annex Ukraine has been Putins ambition since day one, and the Russian president has incredible personal fortune that he can tap into. "The vast majority of Russians do continue to support him simply because they dont know any different," she said. She is concerned that if NATO countries continue to resist the implementation of a no-fly zone and only support Ukraine through financial aid and armaments, this will only create more fodder for Putin to continue the war. "I think were dealing with an individual who has a narcissistic personality and so when youre dealing with someone like that, the normal norms of self-reflection and critical thinking that would go into ones actions are not in play here," she said. "Unless we can find a way for him to exit and save face, I think the war is only going to continue." Whereas another leader may cut their losses after rolling the dice, Saunders said Putins lack of rational thinking has taken a back seat to that ambition of his to restore the Russian empire. She offered something may have to give in the part of Ukraine to end this conflict. This could include two options. The first being to allow Russia to continue its illegal annexation of eastern Ukraine, and the world declaring it a neutral territory. Similar to Crimea, the professor explained both countries could claim the region is theirs, it would be continue to be occupied territory but designated neutral under international law. The second being for Ukraine to say it will not seek membership into NATO and remain a neutral country for military purposes a demand Putin has said is an absolute necessity for him. She believes Ukraine needs to be able to maintain the integrity of its own boundaries. "To ask Ukraine to chop up parts of its territory, to tie its own security hands are incredibly high asks on parts of the west," she said. "It might be the only way for Putin to claim a victory in that regard." For more of our conversation with Dr. Kelly Saunders, you can listen to the third episode of Sunny Side Up, a Brandon Sun podcast. jbernacki@brandonsun.com Twitter: @JosephBernacki Tasha Layton's - 'How Far' | Turning Point Media Relations NASHVILLE, Tenn.How Far, the long-awaited full-length debut from one of Christian musics leading female artists, Tasha Layton, is set for release May 13 from BEC Recordings. Produced by GRAMMY and Dove Award winner Keith Everette Smith, the definitive 10-song set brims with soaring ballads and bright pop gems, putting Laytons signature vocals front and center to extol themes of Hope and encouragement. Anchored by Laytons #1 single Look What Youve Done and her 2020 breakout hit Into the Sea (Its Gonna Be OK), How Far showcases four newly recorded selections, including the debut single and title-cut set to impact radio April 29. A victorious anthem of assurance that Gods grace cannot be outrun, How Far proclaims: A million miles of my mistakes still couldnt keep Your love away/However far away I am from home/thats how far Your love will go. "The whole album is summed up in the message of the title track, 'How Far,'" Layton shares. "It's about how God continues to reach out and pursue us even when we run from Him. It was God's love for us that propelled Him to give His life on the cross. Arms stretched open widethat's how far He will go. Layton co-wrote nine of the projects 10 tracks, and How Far also features songwriting contributions from such names as Matthew West, We Are Messengers Darren Mulligan, Matt Hammitt, Aaron Shust, Ethan Hulse and Andrew Bergthold (We The Kingdom), among others. Additional highlights of How Far include the shimmering synth-pop opener Help Me Let Go; Catch My Breath, a plea for respite amidst the stress of life; and a new rendition of the worship anthem Joy Comes In The Morning, which Layton originally recorded with Franklin, Tennessees Church of the City worship team. I didn't shy away from any hard emotions with these songs, and I really tried to lean in and hear what God had to say about each of them," Layton says of How Far. "My hope is that listeners feel a sense of freedom in this album, understanding that God meets us even in the darkest of hours. The album speaks to God's intimate involvement in our lives, from the mundane to the biggest moments, throughout each and every season. God is in all of those things with us. He cares; He's kind; and He's working all things out for our good." Laytons 2021 smash hit Look What Youve Done reached the pinnacle of Billboards Christian Airplay chart and earned her recognition as one of the publications Top 5 female Christian artists of the year. She has been featured on ABCs GMA3: What You Need To Know, discussing how past struggles have shaped her life and inspired her music; and Layton served as co-host of the 52nd GMA Dove Awards Pre-Telecast last year. Her six-song holiday EP This Is Christmas bowed in October and her guided prayer journal, "Boundless: Moving Freedom From Your Head To Your Heart," also released last fall. In 2020 Layton was first named one of Billboards Top 5 female Christian artists of the year on the heels of her breakthrough single Into The Sea (Its Gonna Be OK), which was among the biggest hits at Christian radio that year. Prior to her solo career, Layton appeared on Season 9 of American Idol and spent four years as a back-up vocalist for pop superstar Katy Perry. A South Carolina native, her voice has been heard in productions for Disneyland and Cirque du Soleil; she has served as an instructor at the National Praise and Worship Institute at Nashvilles Trevecca Nazarene University; and Layton is featured in pro-audio company TC Helicon's book, "The Ultimate Guide to Singing." For further information, visit tashalayton.com, becrecordings.com or turningpointpr.com. Follow Layton on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Greater Sydneys only disease-free and growing koala population is under threat by the construction of a housing estate in its habitat without promised safeguards in place, scientists warn. Earthworks for the first of a two-stage 5000-home development between the Nepean and Georges rivers near Campbelltown, by Lendlease, began in January after being approved in 2019. The plans for the two-stage development, known as Figtree Hill and Mt Gilead, included koala underpasses and corridors of a specified width, as well as protections for crucial food and habitat trees. A female koala from the Campbelltown population that was rescued from the side of a busy road awaits release in 2017. Credit:Cole Bennetts However, Lendlease has yet to secure approval for the underpasses, and scientists fear other changes made since the plan was approved could harm the population of about 500 disease-free animals. Koala ecologist Dr Steve Philips said he understands that koala corridors may now be constructed to an average rather than minimum size, which could create pinch points that prevent the animals from using them. Ku-ring-gai Council bills itself as the green heart of Sydneys verdant north shore, but residents angered by illegal tree removal have prompted the council to investigate what more it can do to curb illegal felling. Councillor Simon Lennon said he spoke to a group of about 50 Killara residents who had complained about the destruction of a grove of beautiful, very tall, very healthy trees last year on private land but visible to the neighbourhood. John David Chia was fined $40,000 for instructing arborists to remove 74 trees surrounding his Roseville property. Credit:Google Earth Studio They are very angry and very distraught, Lennon said. Theyre people who follow the law and theyre understandably distraught when other people appear not to. Lennon said he couldnt give more details about the incident as the councils lawyers were investigating the razing of the trees and considering prosecution. Pharmacists and GPs say action needs to be taken on the wastage of COVID-19 vaccines, as thousands of doses expire amid dwindling numbers of people getting boosters and children being vaccinated. The federal Department of Health estimated that there were more than 13 million COVID-19 vaccines on hand at sites across Australia, including 11.5 million at pharmacies and GPs. The figure factors in a wastage rate of roughly 10 per cent. GPs and pharmacists are calling for COVID-19 vaccine supplies in Australia to be donated or for booster eligibility to be expanded. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen About 300,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses are administered every week. Pharmacy Guild of Australia president Trent Twomey said he had contacted the department to ask that the eligibility criteria for winter booster doses be expanded so that vials would not be left to expire. Moorabbin Airport has been accused of squeezing out aviation users and degrading its capacity as a working aerodrome in favour of commercial development. Federal Transport Minister Barnaby Joyce took the unusual step last month of rejecting property giant Goodman Groups plans to bulldoze aircraft hangars to make way for commercial sheds at the south-east Melbourne airport following uproar from pilots, aviation operators and the City of Kingston council. Rob Simpson, owner of Simpson Aeroelectrics, at Moorabbin Airport. Credit:Simon Schluter However, airport users, including pilot schools, charter operators and aircraft maintenance firms, fear the decision is only a temporary respite from Goodmans efforts to sideline them. Theyre a property development company with an airport problem, said Rob Simpson, who owns maintenance provider Simpson Aeroelectrics and is president of the Moorabbin Airport Chamber of Commerce. The long-term risk here is that they squeeze us that hard until there is nothing left. The biggest private investor in Western Australias power system wants the state government to be clearer about when coal-fired power stations in Collie will shut down, to give the market time to respond and keep the lights on. Alinta chief executive Jeff Dimery said the retirement of coal-fired power was necessary but needed to be done in an orderly fashion that allowed time for controlling the price, maintaining reliability and reducing emissions. Yandin wind farm, WAs largest, is operated and part-owned by Alinta Energy. Credit:Erin Jonasson Alinta owns the large Loy Yang B coal-fired power station in Victorias Latrobe Valley but in WA has invested in wind and gas-fired power. When Engies Hazelwood power station in the Latrobe Valley closed with little notice in 2017 the east coasts power system, the National Electricity Market, was thrown into chaos. A medical worker prepares an artificial limb at the Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics in Gaza City, March 27, 2022. The hospital is considered the only one in Gaza specializing in electric upper limb production and fitting. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) by Sanaa Kamal GAZA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Ibrahim Haboob, a doctor from Gaza who lost his left hand in an accident 21 years ago, has finally fitted with a bionic hand. "I am so happy that I was finally able to use my hand, open it, close it, and hold all kinds of things without feeling embarrassed," Haboob told Xinhua during his hospital visit for prosthetic rehabilitation. "It is not easy for anyone to accept his disability, especially if that person deals with people on a daily basis the way I do," said the physician in dermatology, also a father of four. "I felt that something was missing, and there were pity looks from around, so I fitted with a cosmetic prosthetic hand," he recalled. Haboob is among the 40 recipients of upper-limb prostheses from the Qatar-sponsored Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics in Gaza, which was established in late 2019. "For weeks, patients were trained on how to use their new bionic hands," said Ahmed al-Absi, head of the hospital's artificial limbs department. The prosthesis was custom-built to fit the residual limb and was connected with the user's brain through sensors that detect muscles' electrical signals and translate those signals into movement, according to the doctor. At the clinic's reception, some patients pick up a plastic disposable cup with their bionic hands and take water from a dispenser without squeezing the flimsy cup out of shape. "I use it for everything ... eating, drinking, and many other daily tasks," said Fatima al-Nimr, another bionic hand recipient who lost her left hand to a traffic accident eight years ago. "I had been thrown into many embarrassing situations, especially when I need to use both hands," recalled the 31-year-old woman from Gaza. "We are working to provide an integrated treatment circuit for people who need prosthetic limbs, which is divided into three stages: psychological and physical rehabilitation of the patient, the production of the limb, and its installment," al-Absi explained. In Gaza, there are about 49,000 persons with disabilities, or 2.4 percent of the total population, according to official statistics. The hospital, which is considered the only one in Gaza specializing in electric upper limb production and fitting, hopes to exempt more of the local disabled population from traveling abroad for treatments, according to al-Absi. A medical worker prepares an artificial limb at the Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics in Gaza City, March 27, 2022. The hospital is considered the only one in Gaza specializing in electric upper limb production and fitting. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Embattled Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves has declared she is not going anywhere and lashed her critics for vile bullying after more of her inflammatory comments on transgender issues were unearthed and Liberals lobbied privately to dump her. My opponents, parts of the left media and twittersphere have been unrelenting in calling for me to be disendorsed because of past statements, she wrote in an email to party members on Monday evening which was obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. I have been bullied in the most vile way and received death threats. Im not going anywhere, as the prime minister said yesterday. Katherine Deves hid from journalists by being driven straight into a garage for a party fundraiser on Monday. Credit:James Alcock On Monday, Deves attended a $65-a-head fundraiser at the Mosman home of Liberal Party member Michelle Verbloot, where she went to extraordinary lengths to hide from the Herald and The Ages reporter and photographer. Three cars were moved from the homes driveway so Deves could be driven straight into the garage; she remained in the vehicles back seat until the roller door was closed. NSW Liberal Party vice-president Mary-Lou Jarvis attended the fundraiser but declined to comment. Labor will launch a sweeping review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in a pledge to make the $30.8 billion system deliver better services to more than 500,000 people if it forms government, warning that money is being wasted while Australians are denied help. The overhaul would begin with a review of excessive contracts with consultants including lawyers who are making crucial decisions about service plans for vulnerable Australians, holding out the promise of a streamlined service for people in need. Federal Labor will on Tuesday promise a review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Credit: Louie Douvis Labor disability services spokesman Bill Shorten will unveil the plan on Tuesday with a promise to bring forward a review meant to be conducted by the Productivity Commission next year and to ensure Australians with a disability are given a voice in the inquiry. It should have the rigour of a Productivity Commission review but the voice of people with a disability in the design of it, so we will talk to the disability sector before we set it up, he said. Liquor licensing in NSW will be scrutinised to expose links between access to alcohol and domestic violence, with the states regulator shifting its gaze to areas with high saturations of bottle shops. The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority has for the first time commissioned research investigating the impact of alcohol availability on domestic violence and assault in NSW. Authority chair Philip Crawford said the research will test whether historic links between pubs and alcohol-related violence have left the regulator blind to more pernicious domestic violence fuelled by consumption in the home. The NSW regulator will investigate links between alcohol availability and domestic violence and assault over time. Credit:James Davies The eight-month project by La Trobe University, examining a seven-year period, will explore how many liquor licences can be granted to venues and stores in an area before crime rates start to climb. Victorias triple-zero call service was blindsided by the Omicron emergency after wrongly assuming that COVID-19 infections would keep falling after the Delta wave. A two-page document released to The Age after a freedom-of-information request shows the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) had to upgrade its expectations at the last minute to handle record call numbers after failing to prepare for the highly contagious variant. Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes and ESTA interim CEO Stephen Leane speak to the media in March. Credit:Chris Hopkins As The Age previously reported, people had died in the preceding months waiting for the understaffed triple-zero service to answer their calls. ESTA forecast demand for the month of January in November, basing its preparations on the belief COVID-19 infections were falling at the end of the Delta wave. The forecast designed to roster call-takers and prepare for a spike in demand was refined in early December. Many others, however, have continued their work, including those in the South of France sending invoices to the company that controls Sechins yacht. La Ciotat Shipyards is still writing out invoices for mooring fees, for instance, though a company spokesman said they didnt know who would pay the bill. Authorities are thought to have not told suppliers about the vessels legal status. Loading Sechins yacht had been undergoing refurbishment by yacht company MB92 when it was impounded. Asked about who would pay for the work, a spokesman for MB92 told Reuters: We are still waiting for formal notification from customs that will clarify the official status of the vessel. Benjamin Maltby, a shipping lawyer at Keystone Law, says the owners are still on the hook for these sorts of bills. Ownership hasnt been transferred, only possession. The yachts are said to be beneficially owned by people who have been sanctioned, so they are unable to pay their bills, he says. It is not only crew or refurbishment that must be paid for, but a number of services that are essential to keep the yachts in good condition. Maltby explains that someone is needed to occasionally run the yachts equipment, to make sure it doesnt fall into disrepair. The ships are barred from moving to a new port but will need to be run out of the harbour to test their engines. He says: Yachts need very intensive maintenance. They need to be washed down on a daily basis. The yachts are kept scrupulously clean, and they are taken out of the harbour quite regularly so that the machinery like the engines and the air conditioning units are all run up to normal operating temperatures. If those technical systems arent used, then they will break down. Ultimately, the authorities cant allow the yachts to completely disintegrate as they could pose an environmental risk. Loading It would be completely irresponsible to not maintain the yachts. If you dont look after a boat properly, the metals that come into contact with the water will be eaten away. And this would take some time but eventually the boat will sink. This is obviously a massive pollution risk because they are holding tons of fuel, Maltby says. A sanctioned oligarch, however, is unable to pay for the services required to maintain their vessels even if they wanted to. What happens next likely lies in the hands of the court. With the companies piling up debts, the suppliers could apply to a court to demand payment. In the world of yachting, demanding payment from a company is called an arrest any sale could be for a fraction of a yachts value. Its similar to the winding-up of a company, says Maltby. If you arrest a vessel because youve supplied goods to the owner who hasnt paid, and security isnt put up for payment, you can ask the court to seize and sell the yacht. And you will benefit from the proceeds after the court fees and legal fees have all been paid off. Generally, the yacht would be auctioned, or there would be a sealed bid tender process and you would get your money back. But the yacht itself would not achieve anything like its true market value. An auction of an oligarchs superyacht would no doubt garner huge attention. Ocean Independences Huerzeler says his clients would love to go to such a high-profile event for a cut-price deal on a valuable asset, but warns that any buyer is taking on huge risks such as potential legal battles years down the line if an oligarch tries to take their yacht back. A lot of our clients are hoping for an auction. People are very interested in buying these yachts and they are hoping they can get some good offers on the market, he says. Loading But Im personally very sceptical. There arent that many people who can and want to buy such a huge yacht. I dont see people popping up to buy an asset with such an extreme running cost as well. And they will want proof of ownership who is going to feel safe buying that yacht? He added: We are not giving up any of our territories. Russian military vehicles move on a highway in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces near Mariupol, Ukraine. Credit:AP A Ukrainian military official said street battles had begun in Kreminna and that evacuation was impossible. Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said heavy artillery fire set seven residential buildings on fire and targeted the sports complex where the nations Olympic team trains. Haidai later told Ukrainian television that Russians took control of the city after levelling everything to the ground, so his forces retreated to regroup and keep on fighting. But Aofficials quoted by The New York Times did not see the offensive as being full-scale, and were well short of the anticipated large-scale offensive. According to the Times, Defence Department spokesman John Kirby said, We still consider what were seeing to be a piece of shaping operations, that the Russians are continuing to set the conditions for what they believe will be eventual success on the ground by putting in more forces, putting in more enablers, putting in more command and control capability for operations yet to come. Meanwhile, in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard that was holding out against Russian forces, said in a video message that Russia had begun dropping bunker-buster bombs on the Azovstal steel plant where the regiment was holed up. The sprawling plant contains a warren of tunnels where both fighters and civilians are sheltering. It is believed to be the last major pocket of resistance in the shattered city. At least seven people were reported killed in missile strikes on Lviv, a city close to the Polish border that has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. To the Kremlins increasing anger, Lviv has also become a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons. The attack on Lviv hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto shop, according to the regions governor, Maksym Kozytskyy. He said the wounded included a child. A Lviv hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled the fighting in other parts of the country was also badly damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. The city has seen its population swell with elderly people, mothers and children trying to escape the war. The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv, said Lyudmila Turchak, who fled with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe. Lviv, the biggest city and a major transportation hub in western Ukraine, is about 80 kilometres from Poland, a NATO member. A worker walks through what remains of the premises he worked at after it was hit by a Russian missile in Lviv. Credit:Joe Raedle/Getty Images Russia has strongly complained about the increasing flow of Western weapons to Ukraine and warned that such aid could have consequences. On Russian state media, some TV presenters have charged that the supplies amount to direct Western engagement in the fight against Russia. A powerful explosion also rocked Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to an air base, according to residents. It was not immediately clear what was struck. Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, was hit by shelling that killed at least three people, according to Associated Press journalists on the scene. One of the dead was a woman who appeared to be going out to collect water in the rain. She was found with a water canister and an umbrella by her side. Members of the Ukrainian military walk amid debris after a shopping centre and surrounding buildings were hit by a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv on Saturday. Credit:Getty Images Military analysts say Russia was increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railroads and other infrastructure ahead of its assault on the Donbas. Moscow said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the previous 24 hours, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. It also reported that its artillery hit an additional 315 Ukrainian targets and that warplanes conducted 108 strikes on troops and military equipment. The claims could not be independently verified. General Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News that Russia was waging a softening-up campaign ahead of the Donbas offensive. Damaged and burnt vehicles are seen at a destroyed part of the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant, as smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal during heavy fighting. Credit:AP A senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagons assessments of the war, said there were now 76 Russian combat units, known as battalion tactical groups, in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. That could translate to around 50,000 to 60,000 troops, based on what the Pentagon said at the start of the war was the typical unit strength of 700 to 800 soldiers, but the numbers are difficult to pinpoint at this stage in the fighting. Loading The official also said that four US cargo flights had arrived in Europe on Sunday with an initial delivery of weapons and other materials for Ukraine as part of an $US800 million ($1 billion) package announced by Washington last week. And training of Ukrainian personnel on US 155-mm howitzers is set to begin in the next several days. The capture of Mariupol, where Ukraine estimates 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, seized from Ukraine from 2014. The two volume set of Ukraines answers to the European Union questionnaire on Ukraines application to join the EU handed over by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday. Credit:UPPO/AP The US defence official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas. Loading In other developments, Zelensky submitted a filled-out two-book questionnaire to Matti Maasikas, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, in Kyiv, on Monday, in the first step towards obtaining membership in the European Union a desire that has been a source of tension with Moscow for years. And so, in April 2015, one day before his 26th birthday, Turcich left the home he shared with his sister and mother, armed only with a sleeping bag, an extra pair of shoes and a few essential items. Tom Turcichs dog fell ill in South America. Its been an epic adventure ever since, he says, filled with highs, lows and extraordinary challenges. The pair were held up at knifepoint in Panama; survived the heat and humidity of the unforgiving jungle in Costa Rica; and attended the wedding of strangers in Uzbekistan. They ended up stuck for months under COVID lockdown in Azerbaijan, beholden to a virus that also derailed Turcichs plans to visit Australia due to the countrys strict border closures. And they savoured every day - even the moments when Turcichs body almost failed him. The height of the adventure was when we were crossing the Andes, and Sav and I did this very, very difficult first day of walking, he says, as he re-lights a cigar that one of the locals in Ohio had come out to give him after learning that the pair were passing by. Tom Turcich camping on his journey. I was exhausted, and we were 20 miles from an Argentine border town, and as I started pushing our cart, my legs just gave out on me and I collapsed and fell in the sand. But it was this beautiful moment where Im just laying there, looking at this incredible landscape, and Savannah comes and sits next to me. Instead of panicking, I was able to take in just how far wed come - and how far Id pushed myself. Turcich started his journey solo, in a scene reminiscent of Tom Hanks fictitious character, Forrest Gump, who decided to go for a little run after losing his friend (and greatest love) Jenny, only to end up crisscrossing North America on a three-year adventure. The pair had a sponsor to help fund the early stages of their travels, before starting a Patreon to source more money for the trip when they got to Europe. Savannah arrived about four months into the journey, after Turcich found himself struggling to sleep as he camped out on his own, often waking up multiple times a night to the sounds of strange noises in the distance. Tom, in the background on the left, and his dog Savannah. I just started thinking: man it would be nice to have a dog, so I could turn off that part of my brain, he says. So I got her from a shelter in Austin. Shed been found on the side of the highway with her sister, and was just a puppy at the time - probably about three or four months old - so this has been the only life she knows. There were, however, perilous moments along the way, like the time the pair made their way through Chiles Atacama - the driest desert in the world - and Savannah began sneezing blood. Unbeknown to Turcich, she had been bitten by a tick in Peru. Loading Fortunately, he was able to make his way to the closest road to wave down some motorists who took the pair to a nearby town. They spent a sleepless night together as Savannah kept bleeding, before Turcich was able to convince another stranger to take him to the nearest city the following day, where she received the veterinary treatment she needed to stay alive. I have so much respect for just how tough and stoic she is, he tells The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Whats the big fuss about Solomon Islands? Why is the most senior Indo-Pacific official in the entire US government making an urgent 14,000-kilometre trip this week to visit a fly-speck country with half the population of Adelaide and one tenth its economy? We know that the Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare intends to sign a new security agreement with China. A draft of the secret deal leaked three weeks ago. It specifies that China would be allowed to send security forces to Solomons at the request of the Solomons government. Illustration: Dionne Gain Credit:SMH This was a matter of grave concern said New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the time. Scott Morrison said that it was indeed an issue of concern for the region. But, on Sunday, Australias Foreign Affairs Minister, Marise Payne, seemed to suggest that the problem had been solved. The ABCs David Speers asked her: Prime Minister Sogavare says he is still planning to go ahead with it, he says it wont involve a military base. Do you believe him? Westpac and ANZ have both lifted fixed rates again, as the cost of fixed-rate funding continues to surge. After increasing fixed rates on April 7, Westpac hiked its rates again for a second time in a week. While the majority of the changes from Australias second-largest lender were hikes, the bank has also trimmed its one-year fixed rates. ANZ, meanwhile, has hiked its one- to five-year fixed rates by up to 0.6 percentage points. RateCity.com.au compiled Westpac fixed rate changes for owner-occupiers: Rate type Old rate New rate Change 1-yr fixed 3.24% 2.79% -0.45% 2-yr fixed 3.49% 3.69% 0.2% 3-yr fixed 4.04% 4.19% 0.15% 4-yr fixed 4.29% 4.39% 0.1% 5-yr fixed 4.59% 4.59% 0% Note: Above rates are for owner-occupiers paying principal and interest on a package rate RateCity.com.au also compiled ANZ fixed rate changes for owner-occupiers: Rate type Old rate New rate Change 1-yr fixed 2.99% 3.29% 0.3% 2-yr fixed 3.39% 3.99% 0.6% 3-yr fixed 3.89% 4.39% 0.5% 4-yr fixed 4.29% 4.69% 0.4% 5-yr fixed 4.49% 4.89% 0.4% Note: Above rates are for owner-occupiers paying principal and interest. Sally Tindall, RateCity.com.au research director, said there was no clear end in sight for fixed rate hikes. The fixed rate hikes have picked up again in pace and severity, Tindall said. [The] increases from ANZ are in some cases up to 0.6 percentage points, while CBAs hikes were up to 0.9 percentage points. These arent minor adjustments from the big banks, theyre sizable hikes as markets price in higher funding costs. Tindall said that with the percentage of new fixed lending nosediving to 28%, these hikes are likely to continue to push more borrowers back to variable rates when their fixed term ends. The majority of big four bank rates now start with a four, she said. Its crazy to think that just 12 months ago, Australias three largest lenders were offering fixed-rate options starting with a one. NAB is now the only big four bank offering a three-year rate under 4%, however, its unlikely to last beyond the month. A farmer harvests strawberries at a field in Zhari district of southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, April 11, 2022. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua) KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul provinces have always been close to the heart of the world's opium, and later heroin, trade. Poppy cultivation has been outlawed, but not for the first time. Almost every government in Afghanistan's war-torn history has tried to do the same. The perennial problems the country's leaders face are very few means of alternative ways of making a living in the undeveloped mountains, and that the profits of the trade are simply much more than are to be found in other, legal, pursuits. "Strawberries could be a suitable alternative to poppies if agriculture authority supports farmers," said agriculture official Mohammad Allah Nuri. Demand for strawberries is high and pretty constant, prompting farmers in Dand, Arghandab and Zhari districts to switch plantation. "We have planted more than 50 acres (of strawberries) over the past three years and the process is on the rise," Nuri said. "Farmers can harvest 150 kg of strawberries from one acre. At the local bazaar, strawberries sell for about 200 afghanis (2.5 U.S. dollars) per kg." Kandahar, which is already famous for growing pomegranate, apricot, peach and grape, growing and exporting strawberries would further earn popularity for the southern province. "I grow strawberries on five acres in Zhari," farmer Aziz Ahmad Ahmadi told Xinhua recently. "I earn up to 500,000 afghanis (about 5,688 U.S. dollars) from my land each year." The poppy ban will force the farmers to seek alternatives, and the provincial directorate for agriculture will provide support, said Nuri, adding that some farmers in Kandahar have also switched to beekeeping and honey production. Farmers harvest strawberries at a field in Zhari district of southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, April 11, 2022. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua) A farmer shows freshly-picked strawberries at a field in Zhari district of southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, April 11, 2022. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua) Farmers show freshly-picked strawberries at a field in Zhari district of southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, April 11, 2022. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua) major Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group, on Monday signed a deal with Wheels Ltd (MFCWL) to launch an exclusive hybrid ecosystem for its used business. The phygital (physical plus digital) platform will facilitate an exchange and proper disposal and purchase of old commercial vehicles. With the entry into this segment, aims to streamline the used vehicle market by leveraging its digital ecosystem, its existing and potential channel partners for physical interactions in over 700 parking yards spread across the country, and other advanced technologies. Through effective and efficient processes, the company will bring in more transparency into this space thereby increasing options to reduce the number of old vehicles plying across the roadways of India, a statement said on Monday. The customers will also have access to other value added services like iALERT telematics solution, Driver SAATHi skilling solution, valuation, breakdown services and fuel solutions through various digital solutions offered by . It is a great moment for us on this association of AL with MFCW to provide larger option of our customers with combined strength of our knowledge in CV and MFCW strength on the yards, digital ecosystem. We believe this relationship will provide enhanced value to our customers, said Sanjeev Kumar, Head -- MHCV, . Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kalyankumar Sidram Hatti, Head UV Business, said, We are glad to associate with MFCW in this new initiative of providing greater value to the customer as one step solution be it disposal. Exchange or hybrid (mix of both). This initiative is another step of Ashok Leyland in strong belief of collaboration, innovation, combined strength of physical & digital presence in the spirit of Aapki Jeet. Hamari Jeet.. Its our pleasure to collaborate with Ashok Leyland to expand their pre-owned vehicles business. eDiiG is the largest used vehicle auction platform and we are glad all leading OEMs see great value in partnering with us, said Ashutosh Pandey, chief executive officer, MFCWL Pre-owned or re-purposed vehicles sector is experiencing exponential and consistent growth since the beginning of the pandemic due to the increase in the waiting period for vehicles and financial challenges. Through facilities like exchange, disposal, hybrid, and special vehicle inspection, the platform aims to become the first choice amongst the customers considering an exchange of their vehicles. This will create an opportunity for Ashok Leyland to reach as many fleet and single truck owners across India, as possible, the statement added. from India increased 43 per cent in FY22, with India leading the segment with dispatches of over 2.3 lakh units, as per the latest data by industry body SIAM. The total passenger vehicle (PV) exports stood at 5,77,875 units in 2021-22 fiscal, as compared to 4,04,397 units in 2020-21. Passenger car shipments saw 42 per cent growth at 3,74,986 units, while utility vehicle exports rose 46 per cent at 2,01,036 units during the last fiscal, the data by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) showed. Exports of vans rose to 1,853 units in 2021-22 fiscal, from 1,648 units in the 2020-21 fiscal year. India (MSI) led the vertical last fiscal, followed by Hyundai Motor India and Kia India at second and third positions, respectively. MSI, the country's largest carmaker, exported 2,35,670 PVs last fiscal, an over two-fold increase, as compared to 94,938 units in the 2020-21 fiscal year. MSI's top PV export markets include Latin America, ASEAN, Africa, the Middle East and neighbouring regions, while its top five export models comprise Baleno, Dzire, Swift, S-Presso and Brezza. MSI Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi noted that the company's exports increased on the back of robust demand as well as better availability of semiconductors for export oriented units. "Our total production for the domestic market was restricted because of the semiconductors shortage. Fortunately, we could get more semiconductors for (units meant for) the export market," he noted. Elaborating further, MSI Executive Director Corporate Affairs Rahul Bharti told PTI that over the years, the carmaker has developed a healthy export market globally. "In the past two years, there was a renewed effort to make a quantum increase in our exports... We increased our product offerings, our sales and service network reach and adopted innovative ideas to go closer to the customer," he noted. The Suzuki - Toyota alliance was also helpful in increasing customer reach, Bharti said. Hyundai Motor India's foreign dispatches stood at 1,29,260 units during the last fiscal, up 24 per cent from 1,04,342 from 2020-21. Similarly, Kia India exported 50,864 units across global markets in the period under review, as compared to 40,458 units in 2020-21. Volkswagen India exported 43,033 units in FY22, as compared to 31,089 units in FY 21. Renault India shipped 24,117 units last fiscal, while Honda Cars chipped in with 19,323 units. (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.) For Vipluv, 24, a job offer from the leading company BYJU's was like a dream come true. He, along with four-five of his friends, joined Byju's as Business Development Trainee-Sales in February this year for a monthly stipend of about Rs 15,000. After a six-week training, he was promised Rs 45,000 as salary at a location of his choice -- which was Agra or Noida in his case, as he had relatives there to support him on his first stint out of his home-town. To his shock, after the training period was over, he was asked by the HR team to join Lucknow as his next location, on a salary of just Rs 25,000. "I decided to quit as it was impossible for me to survive in Lucknow at Rs 25,000. Neither the location or the salary that was promised to me were agreed to. All of my friends resigned as none wanted to go to the locations where they had to struggle to survive," Vipluv told IANS. As India reopens amid 'hybrid normal' and schools and colleges return to normal, platforms see a significant dip in the demand for and some of such firms have either shut shops or fired employees in recent days. BYJU's is also facing the heat to keep up with the changing times. Reliable industry sources told IANS that its global expansion plans have not yet reached the scale it had planned. Most notable startup under its umbrella that is facing trouble is online coding platform WhiteHat Jr, bought in July 2020 for $300 million. With WhiteHat Jr, BYJU's aimed to take coding to the world from India, hiring teachers on contractual-basis. The fact is that the platform earned just Rs 12.34 crore and Rs 11.07 crore from its Australia and UK markets, respectively. WhiteHat Jr posted a massive Rs 1,690 crore loss in the financial year 2021, while generating an operating revenue of Rs 484 crore in the same period. The platform's losses skyrocketed in FY21 and its expenses reached Rs 2,175 crore -- compared to Rs 69.7 crore in FY20. Sources close to the company told IANS that WhiteHat Jr has asked its nearly 3,000 sales and support employees to report to either Mumbai or Gurugram (out of its 5,000-strong workforce that includes teachers which are on contractual-basis hence not full-time employees), from April 18. It has also shut its schools division that last year targeted to take its flagship coding curriculum to 10 lakh school students by the next academic year. WhiteHat Jr's also forayed into teaching music online, offering Guitar and Piano. It later launched a specially-curated course to offer immersive learning opportunities for music aspirants across all age groups. However, this move has also yielded no fruitful results to date, said sources. In a statement, a WhiteHat Jr spokesperson told IANS that as part of its back-to work drive, "most of our Sales and Support employees have been asked to report to Gurugram and Mumbai offices from April 18." "Our teachers will continue to work from home. We understand that some of our employees may voluntarily choose not to return to work, in Gurugram and Mumbai. In such cases, the employees are advised to get in touch with HR for next steps," the company added. Sensing the changing education landscape, BYJU'S recently launched 80 physical tuition centres and plans to increase it to 500 in 200 cities by 2022, providing employment to around 10,000 people, including teachers. BYJU's has always been on an acquisition spree. It has acquired several heavyweights, like Aakash Educational Services Ltd and Great Learning. In July 2021, it acquired Epic! for $500 million; US-based Osmo for $120 million in January 2019 and in July 2017, it acquired TutorVista, Edurite from Pearson. Last month, it announced a new partnership with QIA, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, to launch a new business and state-of-the-art research centre in Doha. According to the company, the future of education will bring the best of the online and offline world together. "Learning eventually will combine asynchronous online elements with synchronous elements. For us, India will continue to be a major focal point, as we go deeper into the country to create value in our learners' lives," a company's spokesperson told IANS. "We have and will continue to grow through both organic and inorganic routes. Overall, our products are global, localised to every country and personalised to every learner," the spokesperson noted. However, the winds of change in the edtech space are set to affect the edtech giant too. Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO, has reportedly financed his recent $400 million investment in the company through a debt he raised from multiple international banks, as the edtech giant plans for an IPO. It is a rare gesture to see a founder invest in a startup that is about to file for an IPO. The stark truth is that the lay-off season has begun in the Indian startup ecosystem. Edtech platform Unacademy recently laid off nearly 600 employees, contractual workers and educators -- about 10 per cent of its 6,000-strong workforce across the group. In a nightmare for nearly 1,000 employees, homegrown edtech startup Lido Learning which is backed by top entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala, apparently shut operations in February, forcing its workforce to seek help via social media platforms. How far can BYJU's avoid a strong headwind in the online education space? Time will tell us shortly. (Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in) (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 has taken over the probe into the case of coins worth Rs 11 crore going missing from the vaults of the branch in Mehandipur Balaji in Rajasthan, officials said on Monday. State Bank of India (SBI) had approached the Rajasthan High Court seeking a probe into the matter as the missing amount was higher than Rs 3 crore, the threshold for seeking a probe by the agency. On the high court's directions, the has taken over the FIR earlier registered by the Rajasthan Police. The matter came to light after the branch decided to carry out counting of money after a preliminary enquiry indicated discrepancy in the cash reserve at the bank. A Jaipiur-based private vendor was roped in to carry out the counting of coins worth over Rs 13 crore, according to branch account books. The counting revealed that over Rs 11 crore worth of coins were missing from the branch. Only 3,000 coin bags carrying about Rs 2 crore could be accounted for and were transferred to the RBI's coin holding branch. It is also alleged that the employees of the private vendor who was doing the counting were threatened in the night on August 10, 2021 at the guesthouse where they were staying and were asked to refrain from the counting, the FIR has alleged. (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 (ED) on Monday attached assets worth Rs 758 crore belonging to direct selling company Enterprises Pvt. This is in connection with a probe by the agency which revealed that Amway is running a pyramid fraud in the guise of direct selling multi-level marketing network, ED stated on Monday. It added that the company accused of running a multi-level marketing scam. According to the agency, the company has collected an amount of Rs 27,562 crore from its business operations between 2002-03 and 2021-22. Of this, it paid commission of Rs 7,588 crore to its distributors and members in India and in the US during during this period. The attached properties include land and factory building of Amway at Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, along with plant & machinery, vehicles, bank accounts and fixed deposits. ED had provisionally attached immovable and movable properties worth Rs 411.83 Crore and bank balances of Rs 345.94 crore from 36 different accounts belonging to Amway. Probe revealed that Amway has brought Rs 21.39 crore as share capital in India between 1996-97 and 2020-21, the company has remitted a sum of Rs 2,859.10 crore as dividend, royalty and other payments to its investors and parent entities. Britt Worldwide India Pvt Lts and Network Twenty One Pvt Ltd have also come under the agency's lens. They provide training services and products to Amway. They played a major role in promoting the pyramid scheme of Amway by conducting seminars for joining members under the guise of sale of goods by enrolment of members in the chain system. The promoters are conducting mega conventions and flaunted their lavish lifestyle and used social media to lure gullible investors," ED said. ED further observed that that the prices of most of the products offered by the Amway are exorbitant as compared to alternative popular products of reputed manufacturers available in the open market. The new members are not buying the products to use them, but to become rich by becoming members as showcased by the upline members. The reality is that the commissions received by the upline members contribute enormously in hiking the prices of products," ED pointed out. Amway's entire focus is about propagating how members can become rich by becoming members, it said. UrbanPiper, a one-stop restaurant management platform, said that it has raised $24 million in Series B funding led by existing investors Sequoia Capital India and Tiger Global, and new investors and . A slew of reputed angel investors also participated in the funding round including Pankaj Chaddah (Shyft), Ankit Nagori (Curefoods), Saahil Goel and Vishesh Khurana (Shiprocket), Khadim Bhatti and Vara Kumar (Whatfix). The company plans to use the funds raised to scale its product and engineering teams, strengthen its platform capabilities, as well as broaden its offerings to enable more services to restaurants. The new-age restaurant management platform is already live in over 27,000 restaurant locations across eight countries, including India and West Asia. It currently processes 14 million orders per month, which equates to approximately $750 million of estimated order value annually. UrbanPiper plans to launch in more regions across India, MENA and EU with the aim of onboarding over 200,000 restaurant locations on the platform in the next two years. The restaurant industry is growing at an exponential rate, offering us a huge opportunity to create value and shape the next generation of restaurant businesses. With this investment, we will continue to widen UrbanPipers offerings to meet many more digital opportunities in the restaurant ecosystem, along with bolstering our platform capabilities, said Saurabh Gupta, CEO, UrbanPiper. We are grateful to see both and come together and participate in this round; a huge validation that what we are building is adding a lot of value to the food ecosystem. The company, which has ove 150 employees in India, plans to increase its headcount in the country to 250 in the next year. A B2B software platform, UrbanPiper aims to become a single window to help restaurants run their entire operations. It aims to bring a suite of digital offerings together to ensure all the commerce workflows for a restaurant can happen seamlessly in a simple and intuitive way. Owing to its scalability and reliability, UrbanPiper counts several marquee restaurant chains such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway, Cure Foods, Taco Bell and Rebel Foods among its user base. It currently processes over 18 per cent of all online food orders placed each month in India, and has achieved 10X growth over the past two years. Founded by Saurabh Gupta, Anirban Majumdar, and Manav Gupta in Bengaluru, UrbanPiper is building a full-stack restaurant management platform that helps restaurants operate and scale their businesses with minimal hassle. Currently, a restaurant signs up with an average of 6-10 different online channels/aggregators making it challenging to manage multiple tablets/dashboards. Through UrbanPiper, restaurants can integrate all these aggregators onto a single dashboard and connect it with their points of sale resulting in a 70 percent decrease in order failure. "UrbanPiper is one of our key partners enabling us to seamlessly engage with restaurants and scale faster through their point-of-sale solutions, said Sriharsha Majety, CEO, . Addressing specific needs, the team has always found ways to bridge gaps by creating a win-win for both restaurants and Swiggy. We are excited about the market potential and look forward to scaling our partner network with their continued support. Another investor, Shraeyansh Thakur, Principal, Sequoia India, said the restaurant ecosystem is evolving rapidly with changing consumer needs. Due to pandemic-led disruptions, merchants now increasingly want to adopt digital channels and upgrade their operations. UrbanPiper is at the forefront of this digital transformation and is strategically positioned to build infrastructure connecting digital players to merchants in the F&B ecosystem, said Thakur. Sequoia Capital India is excited to deepen the partnership with the UrbanPiper team as they build further on their mission to empower restaurants globally, and welcome and Swiggy to this partnership. Foodtech giants such as Swiggy and Zomato which have raised huge funding rounds recently are making acquisitions and forming strategic partnerships to tap the opportunities thrown by Indian food market which is expected to double to around $344 billion by the year 2025. This month Bike taxi platform Rapido, raised $180 million in its latest Series D round. Led by new investor Swiggy, the round also saw investment from TVS Motor Company, along with existing investors, Westbridge, Shell Ventures, and Nexus Ventures, partaking in the fundraise. The company's valuation after the fundraise was $830 million. Last month, Zomato Ltd was set to take control of Blinkit after the food aggregator extended a $150 million emergency loan facility to the quick commerce startup, in a transaction that valued Blinkit between $700 million and $800 million. In an interview, Saurabh Gupta, CEO, UrbanPiper, said that he was already in touch with Swiggy co-founder Sriharsha Majety and Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal. We were closing the Series B funding round with our current investors. We felt if there is an opportunity to work closely with the partners (like Swiggy and Zomato), who also feel that there is a value that we are adding to the ecosystem, it might be interesting to (bring them on board). However, both Swiggy and Zomato which compete with each other wanted to know if the other company is going to invest in UrbanPiper or not. From day one, we were very clear, if one of the (Swiggy or Zomato) is not interested to invest in UrbanPiper and then we will not do the deal with any one of them, said Gupta. The idea is to create a better ecosystem for each other to grow. The government is considering a proposal to have a regulator for the so-called skill gaming industry, following concerns about money laundering. The industry is in support of any such move, claiming it would remove uncertainty around the sector and also boost investments, while safeguarding player interests. While the government is exploring options for regulating such entities, it is of the view that the responsibility should not be given to any financial sector regulator because the job may not fit its core competency, according to people in the know. Confirming such talks, ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor More than 1.67 lakh were incorporated in the country in the last financial year compared to 1.55 lakh new registered in the year-ago period, according to the (MCA). In a statement on Monday, the ministry said the increase is significant considering that number of incorporated during the financial year 2020-21 was the highest in any of the previous years. "The incorporations during FY 2021-22 are 8 per cent more than the incorporations during FY 2020-21. While MCA had registered 1.24 lakh companies during FY 2018-19 and 1.22 lakh companies in 2019-20, respectively, it had registered 1.55 lakh companies during FY 2020-21," it said. The ministry, which is implementing the Companies Act, 2013, among other legislations, has been taking various initiatives in efforts to reduce procedures and save time as well as cost in terms of starting a business in the country. In the last financial year, the maximum number of companies were incorporated in the business services (44,168) segment, followed by manufacturing (34,640), community, personal & social services (23,416), and agriculture & allied activities (13,387). The states having the highest number of registrations were Maharashtra (31,107 companies) followed by Uttar Pradesh (16,969), Delhi (16,323), Karnataka (13,403) and Tamil Nadu (11,020). (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.) JOHANNESBURG, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 443 people have died as a result of rains in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province last week while 63 persons were missing, a local official said on Sunday. "The past days have been focused on immediate rescue missions and efforts aimed at saving lives and surveying the damage. While this still continues as a priority, the work to lift the province out of this rubble is intensifying," Kwazulu-Natal Provincial Premier Sihle Zikalala told media. Zikalala said South African police and national defence forces have deployed pilots and crews to help with the rescue operations. A number of areas experienced water disruptions while most areas experienced electricity disruptions, Zikalala said, adding a total of 8,329 houses were partially damaged, 3,937 completely destroyed, and 13,556 households affected. He said that the flood was among the worst catastrophes in the province so far. "The loss of life, destruction of homes, the damage to the physical infrastructure, the demolition of public buildings, and the consequent damage to services combined to make this natural disaster one of the worst ever in the recorded history of our province," Zikalala said. Ltd.s chief executive officer says the company can navigate its way through any immediate disruptions to the global economy and tap into long-term demand for its services as its seeks to reach $50 billion in sales by the end of the decade. TCS, the largest player in Indias $227 billion tech services industry, must deal with a host of challenges, from Covid outbreaks in China that are disrupting supply chains to the war in Ukraine as it upends the geopolitics of Europe. The company also provides tech services and support to thousands of in the U.S. and beyond that are adopting hybrid labor strategies, with employees working both from home and the office. The long-term demand environment is very strong, Chief Executive Officer Rajesh Gopinathan told Bloomberg in an interview at headquarters in Mumbai. Were leaning forward, were betting on growth. Gopinathan, a soft-spoken veteran who joined the company two decades ago and often wears blue formal shirts, is known to be good with numbers and fostering client relationships. Indias outsourcing industry was built on helping replacing their own pricey technology workers with lower cost -- and typically higher skilled -- specialists from the likes of TCS, Infosys Ltd. and Wipro Ltd. But easy growth from labor arbitrage has largely disappeared, forcing Gopinathan and his peers to move into more sophisticated offerings, such as cybersecurity, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. ALSO READ: Operating profit margins of TCS, Infosys decline to two-decade low last month revamped its internal structure with specialized groups as part of a wider move to win business from startups as well as large global enterprises. That overhaul, Gopinathan said, was executed in less than a month. We are extremely agile in the way we reorganize, he said. We are more micro-focused on the customer sets that we have and the opportunities we have. TCS is Asias top outsourcer and a cornerstone of Tata Group, the Indian conglomerate with dozens of in everything from salt to automobiles. The tech services company closed out its fiscal year ending in March with revenue of more than $25 billion. Rising labor costs are a challenge. Last week, TCS reported a 7.4% increase in fourth-quarter profit to Rs 9,930 crore ($1.3 billion), short of analyst estimates, as expenses to hire and retain talent cut into margins. Startups are beginning to compete with giants like TCS for the programmers and developers needed to run their businesses. Some of the newcomers are luring talent with the likes of BMW motorcycles or three-day work week -- something the much-larger outsourcers have resisted. TCS employs nearly 600,000 people and aims to hire more than 40,000 graduates in the fiscal year through March 2023. Gopinathan calls the current scramble for employees transitory and argues that, ultimately, nobody will be able to pay more for talent than TCS because it enjoys the highest structural margins. If you look at this industry, we enjoy the benefit of occupying the high point on the profitability side; everybody else is benchmarked below us, he said. So, no, I dont see a threat to our position. Gopinathan, chief financial officer before his promotion, said he does get questions about why TCS is determined to hire and expand, given the apparent challenges in the global economy. Im getting a lot of debate that everybody else is saying the outlook is bad --how come you are positive? We are reacting to whats there he said. That is not to say that we are living in a bubble, he added. We are betting on that growth knowing that even if we turn out to be wrong, we will then step back and reset. Quick commerce delivery partner Zepto has begun a pilot for 10-minute delivery of snacks, saying it is not getting into food delivery. "We launched the Zepto Cafe format as a pilot a few weeks ago, and we've seen an incredible response from customers. We're going to continue tweaking the model for quite some time so we can perfect the customer experience and unit economics before scaling," said Aadit Palicha, chief executive officer and cofounder of Zepto. "Let me clarify that we are not doing food delivery. This is a Cafe format, with ready-to-drink coffee, chai, and packaged snacks (like biscuits and sandwiches). We don't want to get distracted from our core business by building a complex supply chain for food delivery, where it's difficult to control quality," he said in a statement. Zepto, which was founded by Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra in 2020, last year raised $60 million at $255 million valuation last year from investors. Zepto, to stand out in the food technology market, focuses on 10-minute grocery deliveries stored in dark stores within kilometres of their destination. Palicha defended the 10 -minute model that Zepto has created in the grocery delivery segment saying that it is not risky for delivery agent. In response to a tweet by entrepreneur Anand Mahindra asking how delivery partners will be treated, Palicha said: "The avg [average] distance of a Zepto delivery is 1.8 km. To travel 1.8 km in 10 minutes, one has to drive at <15 kmph. Thats why Zepto has 3.1x lower accidents on avg [average] compared to a regular biker on the road." Zepto will compete with Zomato, which recently said that it has started a pilot of 10-minute food delivery in Gurugram in Haryana. A 30-year-old man who went missing during in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone city has become the first fatality of violence but his death has raised allegations of cover-up, with the kin of the deceased accusing the police of keeping his death under wraps for eight days. The body of Ibresh Khan was kept at a government hospital in Indore for eight days after it was found in Khargone's Anand Nagar area as the freezer facility was not available in Khargone, police said on Monday. A police officer said that Ibresh Khan died due to serious injuries to his head caused by stones. had broken out in Khargone city on April 10 during a Ram Navami procession, leading to arson and stone-pelting, leading to the clamping of curfew. Superintendent of Police Siddharth Choudhary had received a bullet injury during the violence. "An unidentified body was found the next day (April 11) of communal violence in the Anand Nagar area of Khargone," In-charge Superintendent of Police (SP) Rohit Kashwani told reporters. He said since there was no freezer facility available in Khargone, the body was kept at the Indore government hospital after postmortem. Kashwani said the family members of Ibresh Khan registered a missing person complaint on April 14. "Ibresh Khan's body was handed over to his family members on Sunday after they identified him", he said, adding that further investigation is underway. Kashwani said that Ibresh Khan died due to serious injuries to his head caused by stones. However, kin of Ibresh Khan, a resident of the Islampura area, alleged cover-up by the police. Ibresh's brother Ikhlaq Khan claimed that the deceased was seen in the custody of the police by some people on April 12. He alleged that the police informed him about Ibresh's death and the whereabouts of his body only after he threatened to go to the media. Ikhlaq Khan alleged that Ibresh had gone to provide food for 'Iftar' (evening meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan fasting) in the Anand Nagar area when he was hit by a stone. "The people in Anand Nagar attacked my brother with weapons and crushed his head with a stone," he alleged while speaking to reporters. Ikhlaq Khan also claimed that Ibresh Khan was seen in the custody of the police by some people on April 12 but these witnesses are not ready to depose. "A policeman came to me on Sunday night and told me that Ibresh's body is kept in Indore," he said. Ikhlaq Khan claimed that the condition of Ibresh's body indicates that he was brutally attacked. "While his one eye was broken there were cuts on his face and legs," he said. Ikhlaq Khan alleged that the police kept the family members in the dark about the whereabouts of his brother for eight days. "They didn't disclose the whereabouts of my brother even after registering a missing person complaint. The police informed me about my brother's body only after I threatened to go to the media," he claimed. (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 of has faced the wrath of the Central government after it stopped providing daily updates on Covid-19 for the past four days. Once the numbers eventually became known, the country reported a 90 per cent increase in fresh cases and a 165 per cent increase in positivity rate during the past 24 hours. The Centre has now asked to update Covid numbers on a daily basis. The Union Health ministry told the state principal secretary Rajan Khobragade in a letter that the state reported numbers after a gap of four days (From April 14-17) on Monday, due to which Indias key monitoring indicators like cases, deaths and positivity were impacted. On Monday, added 914 new cases and 213 deaths, due to which Indias overall new cases spurted to 2,183, while deaths rose by 214. This was against 1,150 new cases and four deaths on Sunday. The last time Kerala had shared the numbers with the Centre was April 13, which according to the local media, followed a rapid fall in daily cases. The last time India saw over 2,000 cases was on March 19, when the tally hit 2,075. Quick and continuous update of data will assist in India's fight against Covid pandemic and will help not only in tracking and monitoring but will also help in defining the strategies and plans at the Centre, state and district levels, the letter written by Centre health department said. It was Kerala that reported the first Covid case in India on January 30, 2020, when a Thrissur-native student from China was diagnosed with Covid. Since then the state had been continuously reporting Covid cases on a daily basis. India's Active caseload currently stands at 11,542, with a recovery rate of 98.76 per cent. The daily positivity rate was seen at 0.83 per cent and weekly positivity Rate at 0.32 per cent. In the last 24 hours, 2,61,440 tests were conducted in the country. "Daily and diligent reporting of data is critical to arrive at a meaningful understanding of pandemic in districts, state and national level and ensure that any anomalies, surge or emerging trends can be captured in a timely manner. This is especially relevant as it is a highly infectious disease and also has an associated risk of emergence of new variants," the letter added. The rise in the number of cases in Delhi is also a cause of concern for the country as the national capital region contributed 517 fresh cases as compared to 461 cases on Sunday. Though several states had relaxed Covid restrictions, including the compulsory usage of masks, the sudden spike in cases have led to a cause of concern among many. An eight-member forensic team on Monday reached Jahangirpuri to collect samples in connection with the communal violence that occurred on Hanuman Jayanti in the capital. Besides taking photographs of the buildings from where the stones were pelted, the team will also collect forensic samples from the ground. The team is likely to furnish its report within a week. "It has reached the mosque where started. Staff posted with Jahangirpuri Police Station is accompanying and briefing it besides helping it collect evidence, " said a senior police official. On Saturday, the clashes broke out between the two groups when the Shobha Yatra procession was passing through the road just next to Kusal Cinema Hall, on the opposite side of which is a mosque. According to the FIR lodged at the Jahangirpuri police station, the procession was passing off peacefully, but at around 6 p.m., when it reached outside a mosque, the accused Anshar came there with his 4-5 associates and started arguing with the participants of the yatra. The argument soon turned violent and both the sides started pelting stones at each other. "I, Inspector Rajiv Ranjan Singh, tried to pacify the situation and separated the two groups, however, within some time, they again started pelting stones after which I informed the Police Control Room about the development," read the FIR. Soon after this, more police force reached the spot along with senior officials, however, by that time the mob had turned completely violent. The mob pelted stones on the police force and also fired shots at them. At least 8 policemen were injured.To contain the situation and disperse the crowd, the police fired 40-50 tear gas shells. Amid the pandemonium, one scooty was torched and 5-6 cars were vandalised. The police normalised the situation with the help of paramilitary forces and at around 8 p.m. in the evening the situation was under control, yet tense. Later, the area became the epicentre of the heavy police deployment, with the road, where the violent clashes took place, extensively barricaded from all sides. On Sunday, the situation was under control and an adequate number of police force was deployed there to avert any untoward incident. The police said that area domination, foot patrolling and deep deployment has been ensured to assure people and to maintain law and order in the area. Special Commissioner of Police, Dependra Pathak, said that the is currently on the top level of alertness. "Our priority is to curtail rumours," the senior police officer said while speaking to reporters. Meanwhile, the personnel of carried out preventive patrolling and area domination throughout the night in the backdrop of violent clashes. is also in talks with the members of the Aman committee. Court-monitored probe demanded A letter petition has been filed before the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana urging him to take suo motu cognizance of the Jahangirpuri in Delhi. Advocate Amritpal Singh Khalsa in a letter asked the to exercise its epistolary jurisdiction and constitute a committee headed by a sitting judge of the top court, to conduct an impartial probe into the . The letter stated that the "Delhi Police investigation so far, has been partial, communal and directly shielding perpetrators of the violence." The lawyer added that the role of the Delhi Police in the 2020 riots has belittled them and has weakened the faith of the people in them. The letter stated, "This court admonished Delhi Police in their failure to stop violence in 2020." This is the second time that riots have erupted in Delhi in two years, and on both occasions, members of the minority community are only to be blamed, he added. Of the 21 accused persons arrested in the case, 14 were produced before the Rohini court on Sunday, which sent two prime accused - Ansar and Aslam - to police custody for one day. The remaining were sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Delhi Police Commissioner visit injured SI Delhi Police Commissioner on Sunday late night visited a sub-inspector's residence who sustained a bullet injury during the violence in Jahangirpuri, and assured him of full support from the department. Sub-Inspector Meda Lal of Jahangirpuri Police Station had suffered the injury during the violent clashes. Asthana enquired about Lal's well-being and said that the entire Force is proud of his courage displayed at the site of violence. One more accused has been arrested in connection with clashes that broke out in Delhi's Jahangirpuri area on Saturday, taking the total number of arrests so far to 21. Two juveniles have also been apprehended in the connection with the incident that left nine people injured including eight police personnel and a civilian. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Crime Branch and the district police are jointly probing the incident, said Ravindra Yadav, Special Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch. Four security personnel were injured after naxals opened fire on a camp in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a senior official said on Monday. A group of naxals opened fire on the Jaigur camp situated under the Kutru station limits late Sunday night, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI. The rebels fled after the security forces retaliated, he added. Four jawans, three of them belonging to the district police and another from the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF), sustained injuries in the firing," the IG said. The injured personnel were shifted to the Bijapur district hospital and later two of them, Head Constables Tukeshwar Dhruv and Om Prakash Diwan Dhruv of the district police, were airlifted to Raipur for further treatment, he said, adding that all of them were stated to be out of 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.) Maestro Ilayaraja's praise for Prime Minister and comparing him to Dr B R Ambedkar is witnessing both opposition and support in the social media while president JP Nadda has hit out at harsh criticism. The celebrated Tamil composer, in his foreword to a book 'Ambedkar & Modi, Reformer's Ideas, Performer's Implementation', by Bluekraft Digital Foundation, has made the comparison and lauded pro-women initiatives like the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao'. The criticism in social media since Saturday against Ilayaraja could be summed up as ideological, which claim that Modi cannot be compared to Ambedkar as the former is committed to Hindutva while the latter is a reformist leader who dedicated his entire life for the upliftment of the oppressed people. Supporters defend the praise for Modi saying the maestro has only pointed out a fact that both the Prime Minister and Ambedkar went on to succeed against all odds through sheer work and despite belonging to socially disempowered sections of society. Also, they say Ilayaraja commending Modi for schemes aimed at welfare of women, including a legislation against triple talaq, would have made Ambedkar proud. The war of words spilled over to the political arena with the coming out in full support to the renowned musician. Supporters of Left parties and pro-Tamil and Dalit outfits are among those who have opposed in social media Ilayaraja comparing Modi with Ambedkar. The ruling DMK said no one from the party has expressed any opinion on the maestro's comment on Modi. The DMK is also not inclined to spell out any view on the matter, said party MP and organising secretary R S Bharathi in a statement. Tamil Nadu unit president K Annamalai, on his twitter handle, posted a letter of his party chief Nadda to the people. In the letter, Nadda, in reference to Tamil Nadu and without naming Ilayaraja, says: "In Tamil Nadu, elements aligned to the ruling party in the State have left no stone unturned in verbally lynching, smearing and humiliating one of India's tallest music maestro just because he has views not palatable to one political party and their allies. Is this democratic? One can have different views and yet co-exist happily but why take to insults?" On BJP leader and Union Minister L Murugan's remark that Ilayaraja has the freedom of expression to praise Modi, the DMK said the Minister should understand that others with a different viewpoint have the same right to make criticisms. The DMK warned Murugan to not drag the DMK into the issue. Meanwhile, Ilayaraja's son Yuvan Raja (Yuvan Shankar Raja) in a Instagram post said he is a 'Dark Dravidian, Proud Tamizhan' seen by some people as a remark against the right wing. Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, in a tweet, said, "Music Celebrity iconic legend Thiru. @ilaiyaraaja is the pride of TamilNadu & India. His expression from bottom of his heart saying #Modifullfillsambedkardreams is Welcome. as it reflects million brilliant fair minds."BlueKraft Foundation, on its website, says "The book is a prism that reflects upon the multitude of contributions of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in the nation-building process. Many of his ideas and interventions continue to define our governance paradigm, especially with PM at the helm ensuring that his legacy is revived.""The book studies the points of intersection of India's development story under Prime Minister and the ideals of Babasaheb. It also highlights the striking parallels between the two towering personalities that succeeded against all odds and worked to dismantle stifling social structures that they themselves experienced from close quarters. (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 (CII) said that India has lost a visionary industry leader, as it expressed sadness at the demise of chairman N Sankar in Chennai on Sunday. In a statement issued on Monday, T V Narendran, President, CII, said, "India has lost one of its visionary industry leaders. N Sankar worked tirelessly for over five decades in ensuring trust in business and leading by example in setting high standards for ethical business in the country. As a successful entrepreneur, Sankar pioneered various joint ventures, focused on international business, diversified business portfolios and implemented best-in-class manufacturing practices to make Sanmar a truly global company. Sankars farsighted vision not only contributed to the success of his business, but also contributed to the growth and development of major industry sectors, particularly the manufacturing sector in South India, said Suchitra Ella, Chairperson, CII Southern Region. The passing away of Mr Sankar is a great loss to Indian Industry and his passion for Indias progress will live on as his strong and impactful legacy in times to come, CII said in a statement. The Parliamentary Standing Committee that deliberated on the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 for last four months is set to submit its report by April 24, its chairman announced on Monday. The amendment that proposes to introduce Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix species in the Bill has been welcomed by many of the stakeholders while the amendment in connection with 'vermin' has drawn a lot of criticism. Congress leader and former Environment Minister said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment, Forests & Climate Change adopted its report on the proposed amendment Bill. "The report strikes a fine balance b/w Govt's aims and valid concerns of conservationists. Itall be submitted before Apr 24 deadline and then made public," he tweeted. Earlier in March, the Committee held meetings with different states on the issue of the proposed amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act. Prior to that, the Committee had already interacted with conservationists, scientists and various Institutions. After an appeal was sent out to the stakeholders for sending in their suggestions and objections to the Committee, it had received over 70 responses from experts and institutions on the proposed amendment. Ramesh had earlier stated that the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2021 has not been based on widespread consultation and also that it is poorly drafted and has huge shortcomings. There has been widespread outrage against the proposed amendments and activists have been critical of the government's intention and the hurried manner in which it was set to be passed since it was introduced in the in December last year. It was a protest letter by to the Lok Sabha speaker that ensured that the amendment Bill was sent to the Standing Committee. (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.) Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (C) lights the Independence Flame during the Independence Day celebrations in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on April 18, 2022. Zimbabwe marked its 42nd independence anniversary on Monday with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the national celebrations in the second largest city of Bulawayo, the first time in the history of the country that such celebrations have been held outside the capital Harare. (Photo by Wanda/Xinhua) by Gretinah Machingura HARARE, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe marked its 42nd independence anniversary on Monday with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the national celebrations in the second largest city of Bulawayo, the first time in the history of the country that such celebrations have been held outside the capital Harare. Mnangagwa said the main event in Bulawayo, in fulfillment of the government's decision to decentralize the national celebrations, was historic and extraordinary. The celebrations also carried an added significance in that it was the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that the nation held a large, physical gathering in Bulawayo and other provinces throughout the country to commemorate Independence Day, Mnangagwa said. While forging ahead with efforts to build the nation for common prosperity, Mnangagwa stressed the need for national unity for Zimbabwe to achieve its development goals. "As we celebrate 42 years of our country's independence, let us never allow divisive tendencies, greed and the pursuit of unpatriotic self-centered political gains to weaken our bond of unity, peace, love and harmony. Individually and collectively we have a duty to wholeheartedly serve and work hard for the development and prosperity of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe," Mnangagwa said. He said in unity, Zimbabwe is rising with no one and no place being left behind as the country marches forward towards its vision of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income country by 2030. Mnangagwa said the country's independence from Britain in 1980 was achieved through the collective effort by all the people of Zimbabwe, including the gallant heroes and heroines who sacrificed their personal freedoms in order to liberate the country. "Let us not grow tired but keep marching forward with joy, great optimism, determination, zeal and focus on unity, peace and freedom. Good times lie ahead and the fruits of our labor will be there for all to enjoy," Mnangagwa said. He said despite various challenges over the past 42 years including sanctions, Zimbabwe had made tremendous progress in many areas of which it is proud. The country had also learned invaluable lessons from its 42-year journey which will make its actions more targeted for coordinated and balanced development, the president said. Mnangagwa said more economic production was required and to this end, the Zimbabwean government will remain unwavering in its commitment to creating opportunities in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, infrastructure, healthcare, education, sciences and information communication technologies, among other sectors. Zimbabweans at home and abroad, Mnangagwa said, have a sacred obligation and responsibility to help in building the nation, riding on the abundant business and investment prospects in the economy. Zimbabwe hoped for an adequate grain harvest this year despite mixed fortunes due to the impact of mid-season drought and recurrent tropical cyclones in some provinces. Mnangagwa said it was important for Zimbabwe to lay a sound infrastructure base for sustainable socio-economic development, and as such infrastructure development and expansion were being speeded up across all provinces. The mining sector had immense potential to spur socio-economic development and due to responsive strategies, Zimbabwe was on course to achieving the target of a 12 billion U.S. dollars mining industry by 2023, the president said. "Recently, our country assumed the Vice Chairmanship of both the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme and the African Diamond Producers Association, subsequently becoming Chair in 2023. These portfolios will be leveraged to achieve maximum value from our diamond mining sector," Mnangagwa said. He said the development of rural industrialization is being prioritized, leveraging the various unique resources within communities. Total exports were projected to grow by 10 percent this year, Mnangagwa said, adding that the number of foreign airlines coming into the country had increased from three in 2017 to 17 in 2022. Mnangagwa urged the nation to remain alert to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that in order to protect children from the pandemic, parents and guardians should facilitate the vaccination of children from 12 years and above. The celebrations ran under the theme: "Zimbabwe @ 42, Leaving No One and No Place Behind." Dancers perform during the Independence Day celebrations in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on April 18, 2022. Zimbabwe marked its 42nd independence anniversary on Monday with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the national celebrations in the second largest city of Bulawayo, the first time in the history of the country that such celebrations have been held outside the capital Harare. (Photo by Wanda/Xinhua) Dancers perform during the Independence Day celebrations in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on April 18, 2022. Zimbabwe marked its 42nd independence anniversary on Monday with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the national celebrations in the second largest city of Bulawayo, the first time in the history of the country that such celebrations have been held outside the capital Harare. (Photo by Wanda/Xinhua) Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (Front) holds a torch before lighting the Independence Flame during the Independence Day celebrations in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on April 18, 2022. Zimbabwe marked its 42nd independence anniversary on Monday with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the national celebrations in the second largest city of Bulawayo, the first time in the history of the country that such celebrations have been held outside the capital Harare. (Photo by Wanda/Xinhua) Members of Zimbabwe Defense Forces parade during the Independence Day celebrations in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on April 18, 2022. Zimbabwe marked its 42nd independence anniversary on Monday with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the national celebrations in the second largest city of Bulawayo, the first time in the history of the country that such celebrations have been held outside the capital Harare. (Photo by Wanda/Xinhua) Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (C) inspects Zimbabwe Defense Forces during the Independence Day celebrations in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on April 18, 2022. Zimbabwe marked its 42nd independence anniversary on Monday with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the national celebrations in the second largest city of Bulawayo, the first time in the history of the country that such celebrations have been held outside the capital Harare. (Photo by Wanda/Xinhua) Members of Zimbabwe Defense Forces parade during the Independence Day celebrations in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on April 18, 2022. Zimbabwe marked its 42nd independence anniversary on Monday with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the national celebrations in the second largest city of Bulawayo, the first time in the history of the country that such celebrations have been held outside the capital Harare. (Photo by Wanda/Xinhua) A day after Navnirman Sena chief reiterated his warning to take down loudspeakers from the by May 3, the state Home Department on Monday stated that the use of loudspeakers at the religious sites will only be allowed with due permission. State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil will hold a meeting with the Director General of Police to instruct him to direct all police commissioners and officers on the matter, said the sources. In wake of the ongoing loudspeaker row in the state, Thackeray on Sunday said that the Muslims in the country should understand that "religion is not above law and country" while also asking them to take down loudspeakers from . "We don't want riots in . No one has opposed the offering of prayers. We want the loudspeakers that are put up in the and are illegal in the entire country should be taken down. If you do it on loudspeaker, then we will also use loudspeakers for it. Muslims should understand that religion isn't bigger than the law. After May 3, I will see what to do," Thackeray said. The MNS chief asked the Hindus to "wait till May 3" and play Hanuman Chalisa thereafter in front of the mosques that "don't take down the loudspeakers". "I only have to say to the Hindus across India to wait till May 3. And after that, play Hanuman Chalisa in front of all such mosques that don't take down the loudspeakers," he 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.) Chief Minister on Monday ordered an inquiry into how the state has a whopping of Rs 3 lakh crore and where was the money spent. "We will inquire as to where the money was spent and will order recovery into where this money was spent. This was the public money," Mann said in a tweet. As per official figures, the total outstanding debt of as on March 31 was projected at Rs 2,52,880 crore, which is 42 per cent of the GSDP for 2020-21 and the outstanding debt is likely to be Rs 2,73,703 crore in 2021-22, which is 45 per cent of the GSDP. Twenty per cent of the annual budget is being spent only to pay the interest on the loans. As per the latest findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the state's financial crisis is set to worsen with the debt likely to reach Rs 3.73 lakh crore by 2024-25. The government officials told IANS that the state's debt has increased by Rs 1 lakh crore in the past five years under the previous Congress government, largely owing to populism. Responding to the Chief Minister's decision, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) welcomed the decision to order a probe into the Rs 3 lakh crore debt acquisition but said the inquiry should not be used to divert attention from fulfilling the promises made to the people of the state. It also demanded a probe into all advertisements released by the AAP government in the last one month in office. "We are all for a free and fair probe into the Rs 3 lakh crore debt accumulated by the state but this probe should not be used as an excuse to delay fulfilling the promises made to the people," senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema said in a statement here. He said the previous Congress government had used the excuse of empty treasury to renege on all promises made to the people. "Despite knowing the reality of the financial position of the state before taking over the reins of the state, the Chief Minister has now come up with an excuse to probe the reasons behind this position. "The SAD feels the probe should not come in the way of fulfilling the government promise to distribute Rs 1,000 to all women in the state, besides ensuring 300 units of free power per month to all domestic consumers immediately." Cheema said the Chief Minister should also order an inquiry into the advertisements released by the state during the last one month in office. "As per reports, taxpayer money is being used to spread the propaganda of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) across the country. Advertisements are being released in regional languages by the AAP government to project its alleged achievements in South India and even poll-bound states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Crores have been spent for this purpose which does not benefit or Punjabis in any manner whatsoever," he added. Fulfilling its major pre-poll promise, the AAP government on April 16 announced 300 units of free electricity from July 1 in the state. It said the rates of industrial and commercial units would also not be hiked, besides continuing free electricity for the agriculture sector. The government further announced to waive off bills up to 2 KW load till December 31, 2021. Punjab is the second state after Delhi to provide free power to the people in the country. --IANS vg/pgh (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a relief to over thousands of home buyers of Amrapali Group of Companies who have booked their flats under the subvention scheme, the on Monday directed the banks that their accounts shall not be treated as Non-Performing Assets Accounts and no penalties shall be charged from them for default of payment The top court said that the banks will be liable for the principal amount and the interest over it. A Subvention Scheme in the present case is a legal agreement made between the home buyer, the developer Amrapali Group of Companies, and the banks providing the home loan. Under the scheme, the buyer did not have to pay any amount in the form of during the No period till the completion and possession given to the home buyer. Around 10, 000 home buyers have availed the subvention scheme but due to the acts of omission and commission on behalf of Amrapali Group of Companies, they were saddled with the liability of paying the EMI towards the loan without even getting the passion of their flat. A bench of Justices UU Lalit and Bela M Trivedi said, Considering the facts and circumstances on record, in our view, the interest of the flat buyers would be subserved if the accounts of defaulter flat buyers who have availed the subvention facilities shall not be treated as 'NPA account', nor shall their CIBIL score are maintained as zero level. It said that no banks shall impose a penalty for default committed by the flat buyers and added that the banks shall however be entitled to the principal as well as interest over it. It added that the liability of home buyers shall arise from the date when possession is handed over and they shall discharge their liability at that time else banks can take appropriate action. The top court said that as and when individual buyers will approach their respective lender Banks, their accounts will be regularised and any balance payment will be disbursed by the Banks towards a court-monitored account. The bench in its detailed order noted the difficulties faced by the home buyers but said that once the possession of the flat is given to the respective flat buyer, he shall be liable to pay the EMI towards the loan as per the agreement. The bench also noted the concern of home buyers pointed out by advocate ML Lahoty and advocate Anchit Sripat that an extended portion of a flat in the Zodiac project has fallen two days ago. The bench said that the project was constructed by an earlier builder but NBCC which is overseeing the construction of the stalled project will look into the issue and ensure that it does not happen again. The top court also noted the submission that appropriate documentation between the consortium of banks and Greater Noida authority has been completed and around Rs, 1350 crore will be infused for the construction of stalled projects of Amrapali Group. On April 4, the top court was informed that a consortium of seven banks have granted final approval to infuse Rs 1,500 crore out of which Rs 150 has been directly paid to National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC). On March 28, the top court had directed the Bank of Baroda-led consortium to effectuate disbursal of Rs 1,500 crore for the construction of stalled real estate projects of Amrapali Group. It had noted that six banks -- Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Punjab and Sindh Bank, and UCO Bank -- have granted in-principle approval for the disbursal of funds, while Indian Bank was about to give the final approval. On March 21, the top court had said its number one priority is to ensure that every Amrapali home buyer gets a flat. The top court was told by the court receiver that initially they had issued a list of around 8,000 flats that were not claimed by any buyer or which were booked under bogus names or were undervalued. On February 21, the NBCC assured the top court that the construction of stalled projects of Amrapali Group will be of good quality and independent experts will assess the safety and quality standards. The NBCC had earlier told the top court that at present, 10 projects in Noida and 12 in Greater Noida are under execution involving 45,957 units with a sanctioned project cost of Rs 8,025.78 crore. The apex court in its July 23, 2019, verdict had cracked the whip on errant builders for breaching the trust reposed by home buyers and ordered the cancellation of the registration of Amrapali Group under real estate law RERA and ousted it from prime properties in the NCR by nixing land leases. Former group directors of Amrapali -- Anil Kumar Sharma, Shiv Priya, and Ajay Kumar -- are in prison on the top court's order. The court had directed a probe by the Enforcement Directorate into alleged money laundering by realtors, providing relief to over 42,000 home buyers of Amrapali Group with the verdict. The top court, which is trying to bring in funds for the stalled projects, had then directed the state-run NBCC to complete the stalled projects of Amrapali Group. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday said that his government is contemplating to call an all-party meeting on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exemption bill, depending on the action taken by Governor R.N. Ravi. He said that there were speculations in the media that the Governor was about to forward the bill to the President. Speaking on the floor of the Assembly under Rule 110, he noted that it was already 70 days since the Assembly passed the bill again and sent it to the Governor after it was returned by him. "We might convene an all-party meeting if required and discuss the next steps that we have to take." The Chief Minister said that he did not have any personal grudge against the Governor but said that his party had no choice but to boycott the 'At Home' event since the Governor had not forwarded the bill passed unanimously by the Assembly. "Governor R.N. Ravi is a good person to interact with and we have a very cordial relationship. During personal interactions, he has praised our work and had even praised us in his speeches," he said, but added that "a Bill passed unanimously by an Assembly that was celebrating its centenary and lying unattended in Raj Bhavan is an insult to each and every citizen of Tamil Nadu". He said that the Governor accorded utmost respect to the DMK government and the DMK also has all respect towards the Governor but added that the Governor not forwarding the Bill passed unanimously by the Assembly to the President was an affront to the dignity of the Assembly and thereby the people of . --IANS aal/vd (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.) Tax consultants have started receiving number of calls from their clients both corporate and individuals seeking clarity over changes in the reassessment regime. Meanwhile, extreme declined by 12.3 percentage points to 10.2 per cent in 2019. Scroll further down for more on these and other top stories this morning. New tax regime: Big unexplained expenditure may lead to I-T review Tax consultants and chartered accountants have started receiving a flurry of calls from their clients both corporate and individuals seeking clarity over changes in the reassessment regime made during the recently concluded Budget Session of Parliament. Tax experts apprehend the amendments may lead to the income-tax (I-T) department sending out more notices. The new provisions, effective from April 1, have extended the scope for tax sleuths to reopen the past assessments. Read more here Extreme fell sharply in 2011-19: World Bank paper Extreme declined by 12.3 percentage points to 10.2 per cent in 2019, from 22.5 per cent in 2011, according to a working paper of the World Bank. The paper, authored by economists Sutirtha Sinha Roy and Roy van der Weide, showed the reduction in abject poverty in rural areas was more pronounced during the period review than in urban areas. The paper showed that rural extreme poverty dropped by 14.7 percentage points during this period, while urban deep poverty fell by 7.9 percentage points. Read more here We will regain 50% market share gradually: CEO Indias largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, has a new captain in the boardroom. Hisahi Takeuchi takes charge at a moment when the company is going through a structural change where it is revamping its product planning to arrest the slide in market share and after years of shying away from EV, electric mobility, it has committed to its first electric vehicle by 2025. Read the interview here Govt plans regulator for skill to curb money laundering The government is considering a proposal to have a regulator for the so-called skill gaming industry, following concerns about money laundering. The industry is in support of any such move, claiming it would remove uncertainty around the sector and also boost investments, while safeguarding player interests. Read more here Power engineers warn of energy crisis in 12 states, seek govt action The depleting coal inventory of domestic thermal power plants has prompted public sector power engineers to warn of an impending energy crisis in 12 states. According to All India Power Engineers Federation chairman Shailendra Dubey, the power crisis could worsen owing to the low coal stock to fire thermal power units. Read more here Tripura Chief Minister will meet Union Home Minister on Monday evening over state issues. Notably, Tripura has crossed the average covering 50.32 per cent of rural households with tap connections under the (JJM) scheme, said the state and Sanitation (DWS) Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Saturday. Taking note of the state's performance, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has rewarded the Tripura government Rs 100 crore, Chowdhury added. Tripura has urged the Bangladesh government to felicitate industries to set up units in Tripura to take the existing business relations between both countries to a new height. Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, who also happens to be the Finance Minister of the state, observed that both the countries will be equally benefited if Bangladesh Industries open manufacturing units in the state given the relaxations granted by the Government of India. Meanwhile, President JP Nadda will be visiting Tripura for a two day-visit to address a state conference of the party and to review the party's organizational progress. Although dates are yet to be finalized, preliminary works to turn the maiden visit of Nadda after being appointed as the president a success are underway, sources informed. (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 Uttar Pradesh government on Monday made it compulsory for people to wear a face mask in public places in capital Lucknow and six NCR districts amid a rise in Covid cases in some adjoining states, an official said. The increase in Covid cases has had an impact on the districts falling under the national capital region (NCR). Keeping this in mind, the government has made use of masks mandatory in public places in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Baghpat as well as capital Lucknow, an official spokesperson said here. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who issued the directive on Monday, has asked officials to identify people in these districts who have not been fully vaccinated yet and administer the jab to them on priority while getting those with Covid symptoms tested, he said. In the last 24 hours, 65 new Covid cases have been confirmed in Gautam Buddh Nagar, 20 in Ghaziabad and 10 in Lucknow, the official said, adding that the chief minister has ordered close monitoring of the situation. In view of the improving COVID-19 situation, the Uttar Pradesh government had given relaxation in wearing face mask earlier this month. In the genome sequencing of samples of Covid positive patients in NCR, only the variant of Covid has been confirmed, the official said. According to experts, it is possible that the number of Covid cases may rise in the coming days but the chances of patients needing hospitalisation or becoming very serious are slim. However, people should follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, the official said. At present, the total number of active Covid cases in the state is 695. In the last 24 hours, over 83,000 tests were done of which 115 new corona cases were confirmed, he said. During the same period, 29 people were treated and discharged from hospitals, he added. The official pointed out that the progress of the Covid vaccination campaign in the state is satisfactory, but there is a need to accelerate the vaccination of children. More than 86.34 per cent of the state's adult population has received both doses of anti-Covid vaccine while over 94 per cent of adolescents in the 15 to 17 age group have received their first dose, he said. The chief minister also said people should be made aware about the importance of booster dose, the official 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 CNG price in Delhi on Monday stood at Rs 71.61 per kg amid a hike in in fuel costs by state-owned companies to offset the economic impact of the Ukraine war. The CNG price in Ghaziabad, Noida, and Greater Noida has been raised to Rs 74.17 per kg. In Gurugram, CNG now costs Rs 74.94 per kg. The price of in the national capital now stands at Rs 105.41 a litre and diesel Rs 96.67 a litre. On Monday, various auto-rickshaw and taxi unions went on a strike, demanding a CNG subsidy and a fare revision in the wake of rising . Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh General Secretary Rajendra Soni said a protest would be held outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in Civil Lines to press for the demands. Auto and cab drivers' unions have been demanding a hike in fare and slashing of to offset the impact of rising . They refused to call off their strike despite an announcement by the that a committee would be formed to consider a fare revision in a time-bound manner. There are over 90,000 autos and more than 80,000 registered taxis complementing the public transport system in the city. Meanwhile. the has not made any fresh allocation of natural gas from domestic fields to the city gas sector, sending CNG and piped cooking gas prices to record highs but the ministry insisted that allocations have not been stopped and providing more for the sector would lead to cut in supplies to industries like power and fertiliser. Despite a decision of the Union Cabinet to give 100 per cent gas supply under 'no cut' priority to the city gas distribution sector, current supplies are at March 2021 demand level. This has driven city gas operators to buy high priced imported LNG to make up for the shortfall, leading to a record spike in prices. India's increased by 37.01 per cent to USD 18.79 billion during April 1-14 on the back of healthy growth in sectors like petroleum, gems and jewellery, according to a preliminary data of the commerce ministry. during April 1-14, 2021, stood at USD 13.72 billion. Imports during the period rose by 12.24 per cent to USD 25.84 billion, the data showed. Imports excluding petroleum increased in the said period by 18.24 per cent against the same period of 2021-22. While the total during 2021-22 increased to a record high of USD 419.65 billion, imports too soared to USD 611.89 billion, leaving a trade gap of USD 192.24 billion. (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.) Finance Minister will attend the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which begin on Monday in Washington DC. She will also attend the meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank chiefs, finance ministry said. According to a statement by the Ministry of Finance, Sitharaman will also meet President David Malpass on the sidelines of the summit. She will hold bilateral discussions with her counterparts from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South Korea, South Africa, and others. During her official visit to the United States, the Finance Minister will also hold one-on-one meetings with the chief executives from semiconductor, energy, and other priority sectors. As reported earlier, the agenda at the IMF- Spring meeting is likely to focus on how the world's nations can negotiate the impact on supply chains and commodity prices due to Russias invasion of Ukraine. With severe lockdowns in China due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, the joint resolution at the end of the summit will also be on the need to continue to invest in health infrastructure. However, a key global issue, cryptocurrency regulations, will not feature in the agenda and is unlikely to be discussed on the sidelines as well. Sitharaman and Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran are expected to represent the government at the IMF- Spring meeting, which will take place in Washington DC from April 18 to April 24. Ukraine will clearly be the main focus of discussions. The participating nations will discuss the impact the war has had on global supply chains and commodity prices, and how world powers can work together to negate these effects, said an official. The official said that a major part of the joint statement at the end of the summit may focus on Russias invasion of Ukraine. Another important set of discussions will be on further IMF quota reforms, the person added. Additionally, there could also be talks regarding Indias upcoming Presidency of the . LUSAKA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- China's new ambassador to Zambia Du Xiaohui has arrived in Zambia to begin his tour of duty with a pledge to further strengthen the friendly ties the two countries have enjoyed over the years. The new envoy arrived on Sunday and was received by representatives from Zambia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as well as officials from the embassy, according to a statement posted on the embassy's website. The envoy said the China-Zambia friendship has stood the test of time and is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, adding that China-Zambia relations have become a benchmark for China-Africa friendship and a model of South-South cooperation. The statement said Ambassador Du and his colleagues will uphold the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, forge ahead courageously with people from all walks of life, endow the China-Zambia traditional friendship with new connotations of the times, and work to bring benefit to the two countries and peoples. Du becomes China's 16th ambassador to Zambia since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1964. India exported goods worth $18.79 billion during the first two weeks of April, up 37 per cent compared to the same period last year, as external demand continued to remain robust, according to commerce departments preliminary data. Excluding petroleum products, the growth in this period was 23.64 per cent over the same period of 2021-22. Imports grew at a faster pace, with the value of inbound shipments at $25.84 billion, up by 12.24 per cent over the same period of 2021-22. Trade deficit was at $5 billion. Imports, excluding petroleum products, which comprises the lions share in Indias import basket, also increased in this period by 18.24 per cent over the same period of 2021-22. During the previous year, India surpassed the $400-billion target for merchandise exports, ending the year with over $419 billion, growing by nearly a fifth. The department of commerce is yet to set the target for this fiscal year, but meetings with promotion councils and the external affairs minister is also underway to finalise the target. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had last week said the final call regarding the target will be taken by the Prime Minister. While there could be some disruption in exports due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, government officials are confident that the free trade pacts signed with Australia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) will augur well for India and boost exports further. Similarly, India also reached the target of $250 billion in case of service exports, despite the pandemic causing disruption in the tourism and hospitality sector. The target for services exports is now set at $300 billion. India's exports witnessed an astounding growth of 291% from $1,177 million in FY14 to $4,600 million in FY22, said the Ministry of Commerce & Industry on Monday. As per Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) data, India exported to 121 countries across the globe. export jumped 65% in 2021-22 corresponding to previous year. The growth was achieved despite logistical challenges posed by COVID19 pandemic in the form of high freight rates, container shortages, etc, the ministry said. Highlighting the historic achievement in a tweet, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said that Modi governments policies were helping farmers increase their income by tapping global markets. According to the DGCI&S data, India had exported sugar worth of $1,965 million in FY20, which rose to $2,790 million in FY21 and $4,600 million in FY22. In 2021-22 (April-February), India has exported sugar worth of $769 million to Indonesia, followed by Bangladesh ($561 million), Sudan ($530 million) and U.A.E ($270 million). India also exported sugar to Somalia, Saudi Arab, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Nepal, China, etc. Indian sweetener has also been imported by USA, Singapore, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Germany, France, New Zealand, Denmark, Israel, Russia, Egypt, etc. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka account for nearly 80 per cent of the total sugar production in the country. The other major sugarcane-producing states are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Haryana, and Punjab. "Notably, India is the worlds second-largest sugar producer after Brazil. Since 2010-11, India has consistently produced surplus sugar, comfortably exceeding the domestic requirements. The record exports would enable the sugar producers to reduce their stocks and would also benefit the sugarcane farmers, as the increased demand for Indian sugar is likely to improve their realizations. The significant rise in agri-exports is also seen as a testimony of the governments commitment to increase farmers income by boosting exports of agricultural and processed food products of the country," the ministry said. In order to ensure seamless quality certification of products to be exported, APEDA has recognized 220 labs across India to provide services of testing to a wide range of products and exporters. APEDA organizes participation of exporters in the International Trade Fairs, which provides a platform to the exporters to market their food products in the global marketplace. APEDA also organizes national events like AAHAR, Organic World Congress, BioFach India etc. to promote agri-exports. In 2019, APEDA led a delegation of exporters to Indonesia to organised road shows and had meetings with relevant authorities. Thereafter, export to Indonesia picked up and today they are the highest importer of sugar from India. Even after record exports, the closing stocks at the end of sugar season 2021-22 (October September) would be at a comfortable level of 73 lakh tons As and SpaceX CEO puts pressure on the board of to let him acquire the micro-blogging platform for $43 billion, its Co-founder has finally broken the silence, labelling the board as "consistently the dysfunction of the company". Dorsey, who left in November last year -- handing over the baton to Indian-origin -- remains a board member until next month with his 2.2 per cent share. Reacting to a user, Dorsey said late on Sunday: "It (the board) has consistently been the dysfunction of the company". The former Twitter CEO also agreed with venture capitalist Gary Tan, who posted that a badly run board "can literally make a billion dollars in value disappear." When another Twitter user asked Dorsey if he was allowed to speak publicly about the board, he replied, "No". Musk had said that "With Jack departing, the Twitter board collectively owns almost no shares!" "Objectively, their economic interests are simply not aligned with shareholders," the CEO posted. Dorsey's firm Block (earlier Square) is currently working on hardware crypto wallet, a device to help people "safely own and manage their Bitcoin". Meanwhile, Musk has said that the Board of Twitter should be more concerned about other potential bidders than him who has made a fair offer to acquire 100 per cent of the micro-blogging platform for $43 billion. He was reacting to a follower who said that the Twitter board has threatened to dilute their shareholder's stake in the company which is a sort of criminal negligence. "In fairness to the Twitter board, this might be more of a concern about other potential bidders vs just me". With 9.2 per cent stake, Musk is one of the largest shareholders in Twitter. Asset management firm Vanguard Group disclosed last week that its funds now own a 10.3 per cent stake in Twitter which makes it the largest shareholder. Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, who rejected Elon Musk's offer, has about 5.2 per cent share in Twitter. The board of Twitter has adopted the 'poison pill' strategy to stop Musk from forcefully buying it. (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.) Companies tied to far-right radio host Alex Jones filed for in an effort to settle litigation brought by relatives of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. Three entities, including one that holds the rights to website Infowars, sought Chapter 11 protection in Victoria, Texas, on Sunday. Each estimated liabilities of as much as $10 million, according to court filings. Chapter 11 filings allow a business to keep operating while working on a turnaround plan and pause pending civil litigation. Lawyers set up a trust that would pay people suing the companies, and Jones handed over his equity in the entities to the trust. The units in have no purpose other than to hold assets which may be used by other entities and their only liabilities are the litigation claims, according to court papers. Free Speech Systems LLC, the ultimate parent company of Infowars, which Jones still owns, isnt part of the filing. Jones and his companies last year were found liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by relatives of Sandy Hook victims after Jones called the shootings a hoax. A trial in Connecticut to determine the size of the damages has yet to take place. He was also found liable in similar proceedings in Texas. By establishing a trust to settle legal claims in bankruptcy, Joness companies are following a controversial playbook used by other corporations facing significant lawsuits. Companies including opioid maker Purdue Pharma LP and youth organization Boy Scouts of America have sought Chapter 11 protection to settle thousands of cases and streamline payouts to victims claiming harm. Jones put $725,000 of his own money into the trust to cover the costs of the Chapter 11 filings. Additional funds, including $2 million cash, could flow into the trust as a result of the bankruptcy, according to court papers. Two former bankruptcy judges -- Russell F. Nelms and Richard S. Schmidt -- are overseeing the trust. The trust is a way to ensure litigation creditors can be paid in full, rather than get uneven payouts simply due to the timing of trials, lawyers for the companies said in court papers. Jury selection for the Texas trial is set to begin next week, while the Connecticut trial is still months away. Lawyers representing Jones and his businesses have said the Texas defamation lawsuit was strategically filed to silence their free speech on matters of public interest. Judges in Connecticut and Texas issued default judgments against Jones after he failed to turn over documents including financial information. Lawyers representing Jones have argued the plaintiffs probe into the financial ties between Jones and his various entities is akin to a collections action and a fishing expedition. In March, lawyers representing relatives of Sandy Hook shooting victims sought an arrest order for Jones after he skipped a court-ordered deposition, citing health reasons. Jones appeared for the deposition after facing hefty fines. The main case is InfoW LLC, 22-60020, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas. Strong reactions continue in against Pakistani military's air strikes and rocket attacks on Afghan provinces, with many blaming for violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty, Tolo News reported. The Ministry of Defence called the attack tyrannical and warned that no country should provoke . "No country should test the Afghans. Should not make the Afghans take a similar step. Throughout history, Afghans proved that they never stay without a response towards any aggression," said Inayatullah Khwarazimi, a Defence Ministry Spokesman. On Friday evening, the Pakistani air strikes targeted civilians in Esperai district in Khost, killing dozens of people. A large number of Nangarhar residents gathered in Ghanikhil district in the provinces on Sunday to protest the Pakistani air strikes on Afghan soil. The protest in Nangarhar follows a huge rally held by the residents of Khost on Saturday evening where they chanted anti- slogans, Tolo News reported. Some residents of Shiltan district in Kunar also confirmed the death of five people as a result of Pakistani military attack in the district. The attacks were condemned by the Islamic Emirate and top Afghan politicians, including former President Hamid Karzai who called it violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty and norms and a crime against humanity. The Permanent Mission of to the UN in a statement "strongly" condemned the attack and called it an "aggression against the territorial integrity of Afghanistan" and a "flagrant breach of law". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday summoned the Pakistani envoy in Kabul over the attacks in Khost and Kunar provinces. "Along with the IEA Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the session also included Deputy Defence Minister Alhaj Mullah Shirin Akhund where the Afghan side condemned the recent attacks," the Ministry said in a statement. The Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the said over 40 people, including women and children, were killed in the air strikes. (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.) Paris prosecutors are studying a report by the European Union's fraud agency accusing French far-right presidential candidate and other members of her nationalist party of misusing public funds while serving in the European Parliament. The report was disclosed by French investigative news site Mediapart days before Le Pen faces incumbent in a runoff election Sunday that could determine Europe's future direction. Le Pen's party National Rally seeks to diminish the EU's powers. Party lawyer Rodolphe Bosselut denied any wrongdoing, and questioned the timing of the Mediapart publication, just before the presidential runoff. Macron, a pro-EU centrist, leads Le Pen in polls ahead of Sunday's vote, though the race is tighter than when they faced off in 2017. EU fraud agency OLAF submitted its report last month to the Paris prosecutor's office, which is in the course of analysing it, the prosecutor's office said on Monday. No formal investigation has yet been opened, and no further details were released. According to Mediapart, the OLAF report found that Le Pen, her firebrand father and party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen and other party members who served in the European Parliament used 617,000 euros of public money for fictitious reasons, notably for the benefit of companies close to the party. The fraud office is reportedly seeking reimbursement of the funds and potential fraud and embezzlement charges. OLAF accused party members of grave violations and said the inappropriate behaviour of members of National Rally formerly called the National Front imperiled the reputation of the Union's institutions, according to Mediapart. OLAF didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday, a holiday in Belgium and several European countries. It's not the first time Le Pen and her party were accused of misusing EU funds. Among several legal affairs that have dogged her party, Le Pen was handed preliminary charges in 2018 based on a separate investigation by OLAF accusing National Rally members of using aides on the European Parliament's payroll for the party's political activity. Le Pen, who served in the European Parliament from 2004-2017, met with supporters on Monday in the Normandy town of Saint-Pierre-en-Auge. She and Macron face a crucial debate on Wednesday. (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.) Nationalist leader Marine Le Pen on Monday brushed off allegations that she and several of her party members misused hundreds of thousands of euros of European Union funds, with less than a week left before she stands in the final round of the French presidential election. These dirty tricks from the European Union, a few days before the second round, Im very used to them, Le Pen said during a campaign stop in Normandy. I obviously and absolutely dispute these accusations. The Paris prosecutor said it received a report detailing alleged abuse of funds between 2004 and 2017, when Le Pen was a member of the European Parliament, from the European anti-fraud office OLAF on March 11 and is reviewing it. French investigative outlet Mediapart first reported on the OLAF report on Saturday. Le Pens lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, denied any wrongdoing in an interview with BFM TV. Le Pen is set to face President Emmanuel Macron in the election runoff on April 24. According to Mediapart, several political expenses claimed by Le Pen and in her party were fictitious. They include promotional gear for a conference in 2014, payments to various contractors and organizations, personal wine purchases and funding for other party events unrelated to parliamentary responsibilities. Le Pen would personally be liable for about 137,000 euros ($148,000) and her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, for roughly 303,000 euros, according to Mediapart. The total amount of alleged fraud is more than 617,000 euros. A spokesperson for OLAF said the agency finalized its investigation in September 2021 with recommendations and sent its final report to the European Parliament and to French and Belgian judicial authorities. The probe involved several persons, both natural persons and economic operators. The spokesperson added that final case reports are not made public by OLAF. Opinion polls point to a victory for Macron in the final runoff ballot on April 24, and the gap between him and Le Pen has slightly widened over the past week, according to a compilation of surveys. But its still likely to be a much tighter race than in the 2017 election, when Macron defeated her by more than 30 percentage points. Oil rose on Monday in choppy trade, with Brent crude topping $113 a barrel, as outages in deepened concern over tight global supply and the Ukraine crisis dragged on, offsetting concern over slowing Chinese demand. Adding to supply pressures from sanctions on Russia, Libya's National Oil Corp on Monday warned "a painful wave of closures" had begun hitting its facilities and declared force majeure at Al-Sharara oilfield and other sites. "With global supplies now so tight, even the most minor disruption is likely to have an outsized impact on prices," said Jeffrey Halley, analyst at brokerage OANDA. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose $1.37, or 1.2%, to $113.07 at 1332 GMT, not far from the highest since March 30 of $113.80 hit earlier in the session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained $1.48, or 1.4%, to $108.43. The Libyan developments offset concern about demand in China, where the economy slowed in March, taking the shine off first-quarter growth numbers and worsening an outlook already weakened by COVID-19 curbs. "Some Asian investors booked profits as they became worried about slowing demand in China," said Satoru Yoshida, a commodity analyst with Rakuten Securities. Data on Monday also showed China refined 2% less oil in March than a year earlier, with throughput falling to the lowest since October as the surge in crude prices squeezed margins and tight lockdowns hurt demand. Oil surged to the highest since 2008 in March, with Brent briefly topping $134. There are concerns of deeper supply losses looming. Russian production declined by 7.5% in the first half of April from March, Interfax reported on Friday, and EU governments said last week the bloc's executive was drafting proposals to ban Russian crude. Those comments came before an escalation in the Ukraine war. Ukrainian authorities said missiles struck Lviv early on Monday and explosions rocked other cities as Russian forces kept up their bombardments after claiming near full control of the port of Mariupol. (Additional reporting by Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) (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.) CAIRO, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Stephanie Williams, adviser to the United Nations (UN) secretary-general for Libya, stressed here on Monday the importance of finding a political solution to break the political impasse in Libya. "The Libyan lawmakers agreed to continue the discussion on the establishment of a legislative and constitutional framework for the presidential and parliamentarian elections," Williams said on the last day of a UN-brokered meeting attended by members of Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives or the parliament, and the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS). The meetings, which started in Cairo last week, were held amid "a consensus atmosphere," according to Williams. A new round of talks is scheduled to be held in Cairo in May, according to Shaban Abu Setta, an HCS member who attended the meeting. According to an earlier statement released by the UN Support Mission in Libya, the meetings were aimed at determining the constitutional basis for the upcoming elections. Libya expected to hold presidential elections on Dec. 24, 2021. However, the elections were postponed indefinitely because of technical and legal issues, according to the High National Elections Commission. In March, Williams announced an initiative to form a joint committee of the House of Representatives and the HCS to reach a firm constitutional basis to hold national elections as soon as possible. PRI GEN INT .DALLAS FGN56 US-MASS-SHOOTINGS wave rattles communities large and small in US Dallas (US), Apr 18 Three mass shootings in the U.S. over the Easter holiday weekend capped a monthlong spate of gun violence that has touched both big cities and small, rural communities across the nation. The gunfire has rattled large population centers such as Dallas, Pittsburgh and Sacramento, California, as well as much smaller communities, including Hampton County, South Carolina, which has a population of 18,000, and Dumas, Arkansas, which is home to about 4,000 people. A look at some of the major shootings: DALLAS, March 19 Ten people were shot at a teen spring break party in Dallas and several were injured as they tried to escape the chaos. One of the injured, an 18-year-old man, later died of his injuries. The gunfire happened at The Space Dallas event venue. Joe Morgan, who was working crowd control, told reporters that he heard gunshots being fired from outside the venue and later saw people with gunshot wounds to the chest, arms and legs. DUMAS, Arkansas, March 19 More than two dozen people were hurt and one man was killed when two people got into a gunfight during a car show that's part of an annual community event. Innocent bystanders were sprayed by gunfire, among them several children, two of whom were under the age of 2, Arkansas State Police Col. Bill Bryant said. DALLAS, April 3 One person was killed and 15 were wounded by gunfire during a concert at an outdoor field. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 29, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said. One person fired a gun into the air, then an argument broke out and another person fired in the crowd's direction, Garcia said. The event didn't have a permit, he said. SACRAMENTO, California, April 3 Six people were killed and 12 wounded outside bars located a few blocks from the state Capitol in a gunfight involving at least five shooters from rival gangs, Sacramento police said. More than 100 rapid-fire gunshots echoed through the streets as terrified patrons ran for their lives and were hit by bullets. Police said they identified at least five gunmen, but there may have been more. Police said at least two gangs were involved. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, April 10 A shooting inside a crowded nightclub in Cedar Rapids left a man and a woman dead and 10 others wounded. More than 100 people were inside the Taboo Nightclub and Lounge at the time, police said. Officers helped treat the people who were wounded and used their squad cars to rush several of the victims to hospitals. NEW YORK CITY, April 12 A gunman set off smoke bombs and opened fire in a crowded subway car in Brooklyn, wounding 10 commuters and leaving the train car and a subway platform splattered in blood. After a 30-hour manhunt, police arrested a suspect near a McDonald's on Manhattan's Lower East Side after a tip led them there. Part of the evidence in the case includes YouTube videos in which the suspect rants about race, violence and his struggles with mental illness. COLUMBIA, South Carolina, April 16 A gunman opened fire at a busy shopping mall in South Carolina's capital city, wounding nine people, police said. Five other people were injured while trying to flee the Columbiana Centre. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73, but none of their injuries was considered life-threatening, Columbia Police Chief W.H. Skip Holbrook said Saturday. Investigators believe those responsible knew each other, and that others were hurt when they began shooting at each other. HAMPTON COUNTY, South Carolina, April 16 A shooting at a nightclub wounded at least nine people. The attack happened at Cara's Lounge in Hampton County, according to South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division. Hampton County is located about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of Charleston. PITTSBURGH, April 17 Two teenage boys were killed and at least eight people were wounded when a shooting broke out during a party at a short-term rental property. Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert said there was gunfire both inside and outside the rental home, potentially back and forth. Bullet casings found at the scene indicated handguns and one rifle were used, he said. Police believe there were multiple shooters. (AP) IND IND 04190023 NNNN (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 Yuka Obayashi and Alex Lawler TOKYO/LONDON (Reuters) -Oil edged lower on Monday as worries over slowing demand in balanced support from concern over tight global supply and the deepening Ukraine crisis. China's slowed in March as consumption, real estate and exports were hit, taking the shine off faster-than-expected first-quarter growth numbers and worsening an outlook already weakened by COVID-19 curbs and the Ukraine war. fell 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $111.51 a barrel at 0825 GMT, sliding from the highest since March 30 of $113.80 hit earlier in the session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was down 19 cents, or 0.2%, at $106.76. "Some Asian investors booked profits as they became worried about slowing demand in China," said Satoru Yoshida, a commodity analyst with Rakuten Securities. Data on Monday also showed refined 2% less oil in March than a year earlier, with throughput falling to the lowest since October as the surge in crude prices squeezed margins and tight lockdowns hurt demand. Oil surged to the highest since 2008 in March, with Brent briefly topping $134, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine added to supply concerns due to sanctions on Russia and buyers avoiding Russian oil. Adding to supply-side pressure, Libya's National Oil Corp on Monday declared force majeure at Zueitina oil port and warned that "a painful wave of closures" had begun hitting its facilities. Libya had halted production from its El Feel oilfield on Sunday. Russian production declined by 7.5% in the first half of April from March, Interfax reported on Friday, and EU governments said last week the bloc's executive was drafting proposals to ban Russian crude. Those comments came before tensions grew in the Ukraine crisis. Ukrainian authorities said missiles struck Lviv early on Monday and explosions rocked other cities as Russian forces kept up their bombardments after claiming near full control of the port of Mariupol. "Continued war between Russia and Ukraine with no signs of a ceasefire fuelled supply fears, especially as demand is expected to pick up as driving season nears in the northern hemisphere," said Chiyoki Chen, chief analyst at Sunward Trading. (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi and Alex Lawler; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) (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 will take USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) forward with new vigour, vitality and in a rejuvenated manner, ensuring multifaceted development of the flagship project of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a top leader of the ruling PML-N has said. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), made the remarks on Sunday while discussing the future of the Pakistan- relations and future cross border collaboration in China's CGTN programme The Hub' with Wang Guan. "In the first day in office as Prime Minister, met the Chinese Acting Ambassador and told her that Pakistan considers as Pakistan's closest friend and strongest partner and we will take the CPEC forward with new vigour, with new vitality and in a rejuvenated manner," he was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune newspaper. Mushahid said that has a very old and long standing relationship with . When the BRI was launched, the CPEC was its centrepiece, and that was taken forward by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shehbaz Sharif was then the chief minister of Punjab. Mushahid said that under the new government, there would be a broad based acceleration in the Pakistan-China relations in all domains. "China is number one, in terms of a foreign policy priority, which the prime minister made clear when he listed the list of countries and his formulation has been very warmly welcomed in China. So, we have no doubt," he added. Mushahid said that China is the only country for which there is across-the-board national consensus, and the entire political leadership considers it to be Pakistan's number one friend. "So, China friendship is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy, and I see this relationship being further developed and taken to new heights of development, he added. In response to a question about continued momentum in the CPEC projects, he said that the first phase of the CPEC was completed when Nawaz Sharif was in power. "The second phase is bigger. And you will see perhaps acceleration in the field of agriculture, in the field of Information Technology, in the field of tourism, and also infrastructure, especially the railway project, he added. He said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already announced during his visit to Karachi that his government would expand the CPEC. So, there would be multifaceted development of the CPEC. Mushahid said that the CPEC framework also united the federation of Pakistan through infrastructure and energy projects and it had resolved a lot of problems. "So, we feel CPEC is the character of a better tomorrow for the people of Pakistan, Mushahid was quoted as saying by the paper. The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China's ambitious multi-billion-dollar BRI. The BRI is a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. (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 Monday requested to support the planned revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project to end the woes of hundreds of thousands of commuters in the country's largest metropolis. Stressing that KCR would be a "gift for the people of Karachi" and bring great dividends, Shehbaz took the opportunity of the inauguration of a mass transit bus project here to convey his request to Chinese President Xi Jinping to "reconsider supporting KCR for Karachi". Sharif, in his request to Beijing, underlined that the project's completion would create great feelings for among the people of Karachi as well as the rest of Pakistan, the Dawn newspaper quoted him as saying. The original KCR was commissioned in 1964 to help Railways employees commute from their homes in the east of the city to the city and cantonment railway stations. It was expanded over time and eventually evolved into a 44km loop connecting the Karachi port and commercial areas around the city centre. The revived KCR project is expected to revamp the public transportation system of the metropolitan city of Karachi. Sharif, who was appointed Prime Minister a week ago, also expressed gratitude towards its "all weather friend" for "strengthening Pakistan's economy" and supporting it on all forums. Islamabad Metro Bus Service project on a stretch of 11 kilometres from Peshawar Morr to Islamabad Airport will benefit nearly 50,000 commuters every day. The project was supposed to be launched in 2018 but was delayed. Sharif was, however, quick to blame the delay of the launch of the project on the previous government led by Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party and its "lack of will to serve people." He recalled various mass transit projects launched in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan during Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) previous tenure. Sharif also promised the people that his government will ensure the quick implementation of all the projects of public importance. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia's forces have destroyed an ammunition plant in Ukraine's Kiev region, the Russian Defence Ministry said. "During the night, high-precision air-based missiles destroyed an ammunition factory near Brovary (city) in the Kiev region," Ministry Spokesman, Igor Konashenkov told a daily briefing on Sunday. He added that 29 militants, including foreign mercenaries, were eliminated during the rescue of Russian hostages from a mosque in Mariupol city in eastern Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported. The Ministry said Russian forces have destroyed 134 aircraft, 249 anti-aircraft missile systems, 470 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,290 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 254 multiple rocket launchers, 992 field artillery and mortars, and 2,166 units of special military vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian forces. (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.) British Prime Minister is facing new allegations on Monday around partygate, the scandal surrounding government officials breaching coronavirus rules with illegal lockdown gatherings, and will be hoping to escape some of the heat when he leaves for India on Thursday. Johnson has already been fined for one such party, for his birthday in June 2020, when his wife Carrie brought a cake to the Cabinet Room and has also been fined along with UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak. However, according to UK media reports, Johnson is believed to have been linked with around six out of the 12 lockdown parties under police investigation. The Sunday Times' quoted a source as saying that a leaving drinks gathering for Number 10 Downing Street's outgoing director of communications, Lee Cain, in November 2020 was allegedly "instigated" by Johnson. "He said he wanted to say a few words for Lee and started pouring drinks for people and drinking himself. He toasted him," the source was quoted as saying. It has led to renewed Opposition calls for Johnson, 57, to step down. Labour Party Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said that "if the latest reports are true", it means "not only did the Prime Minister attend parties, but he had a hand in instigating at least one of them". Rayner accused him of deliberately misleading the British people at every turn. She added: "While the British public was making huge sacrifices, was breaking the law. "The Prime Minister has demeaned his office. The British people deserve better. While Labour has a plan for tackling the cost-of-living crisis, Tory MPs are too busy defending the indefensible actions of ." While Downing Street has maintained it would not comment on the issue until Scotland Yard's investigation into the matter is concluded, Johnson will be hoping to deflect attention from the issue when Parliament returns after its Easter recess on Tuesday with other pressing matters. The conflict in Ukraine and his scheduled two-day visit to India, starting with Gujarat on Thursday, will be among the issues he is expected to focus on in Parliament. As we face threats to our peace and prosperity from autocratic states, it is vital that democracies and friends stick together. India, as a major economic power and the world's largest democracy, is a highly valued strategic partner for the UK in these uncertain times, Johnson said, ahead of his visit from April 21 to 22. My visit to India will deliver on the things that really matter to the people of both our nations from job creation and economic growth, to energy security and defence, he said. The visit this week, Johnson's first as UK Prime Minister, will begin in Ahmedabad on Thursday with investment announcements in key industries in both the UK and India. He will then proceed to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, when the focus will be on India-UK strategic defence and diplomatic and economic partnership. According to officials on both sides, Johnson will also use his India visit to drive progress in the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations launched earlier this year. Libya closes biggest oilfield; warns of more shutdowns Libyas oil production has fallen by more than half a million barrels a day as a wave of political demonstrations engulfs the OPEC members energy industry. The Sharara field in the west of the country, which can pump 300,000 barrels each day, was closed after protesters gathered at the site demanding Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah quits, according to people familiar with the matter. That came after the nearby El Feel deposit, with a daily capacity of 65,000 barrels, was halted for the same reason. The countrys output is down by 535,000 barrels a day and is bound to fall further, one of the people said. Daily production was 1.1 million barrels as of Sunday, according to another person. Bloomberg Turkey launches fresh offensive in north Iraq Turkey has launched a new ground and air cross-border offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, that has left at least 19 suspected Kurdish rebels dead and has wounded at least four Turkish soldiers, Turkeys defense minister said Monday. Turkish jets and artillery struck suspected targets of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and commando troops supported by helicopters and drones then crossed into the region by land or were airlifted by helicopters, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a video posted on the ministry's website. Akar said the jets successfully struck shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and headquarters belonging to the PKK. PTI Sweden links riots to gangs that target police Swedish police on Monday said they consider the violent riots that have shaken several cities and towns in the Nordic country extremely serious crimes against society and suspect some protesters are linked to criminal gangs that intentionally target police. Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has seen unrest, scuffles, arson and violence since Thursday that has left some police officers and protesters injured. It was triggered by Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan's meetings and planned Quran burnings across the country. We suspect that those involved (in the riots) have links to criminal gangs, National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg told a news conference on Monday. PTI Macrons lead over Le Pen widens ahead of election Emmanuel Macron regained some momentum over far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, as France enters the final week of a closely-watched election. Two polls released Monday showed Macrons lead over Le Pen growing slightly. He would beat the nationalist leader 56-44 per cent in Sundays runoff, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos-Sopra Steria for France Info and Le Parisien, compared with 55.5-44.5 per cent two days earlier. A separate survey by Ifop-Fiducial for LCI, Paris Match and Sud Radio placed Macron ahead in the runoff, with 54.5 - 45.5per cent of voting intentions, up from 53.5-46.5 per cent. Bloomberg (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 Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Mette Knudsen, in his meeting with Chairman of Afghan Senate Fazal Hadi Muslimyar pressed for representative governance, the need for dialogue at all levels, and access to for girls and boys in . Knudsen also held discussion with Muslimyar over the role of the Mission in (UNAMA). Taking to Twitter, UNAMA said that the UN envoy affirmed continued UN commitment to work in support of the people of . "I had an official meeting with Mette Knudsen in this meeting. We discussed the effective role of @UNAMA in Afghanistan, Girls and boys education, recent @UNGeneva conference on the humanitarian assistance to Afghans and many other important Afghan inclusion issues," Muslimyar tweeted. During the meeting with Muslimyar, UNAMA's deputy head discussed representative governance and the need for dialogue at all levels. Earlier, during a briefing of the Diplomatic Corps on April 6, Knudsen highlighted that the Taliban's decision to ban girls from attending secondary schools has negatively impacted the attitude of the global community towards them. The have issued a decree banning female students above grade six from attending their classes in schools. The girls were further told to stay home until the Islamic Emirate announces its next decision. The decision by the Islamic Emirate has drawn severe backlash across the world with the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union issuing a joint statement to condemn the Taliban's decision to deny Afghan girls the opportunity to go back to schools. Meanwhile, the envoys and representatives of the European Union, US, and the European countries in a joint statement have also said that the aid to Kabul will depend on Afghanistan's ability to ensure access to for girls at all levels, said a media report. In the joint statement, the envoys and the representatives have said that the type and scope of " donor assistance will depend, among other things, on the right and ability of girls to attend equal at all levels," reported TOLOnews.The joint statement further stressed that the progress towards normalized relations between the and the community will depend mostly on Kabul's actions and delivery on commitments and obligations to the Afghan people and to the international community. (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.) Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stepped down under pressure from and is now under de-facto house arrest, The Wall Street Journal reports. Saudi Crown Prince Al Saud allegedly handed a written decree to Hadi on the sidelines of the talks in Riyadh, which set out provisions for the delegation of powers to the presidential council, the newspaper said on Sunday citing Saudi and Yemeni officials. Prince Mohammed told Hadi that other Yemeni leaders had agreed that it was time for him to relinquish power, according to the officials. Saudi officials pressured Hadi to step down and threatened to release evidence of his alleged corrupt activities, The Wall Street Journal said. One Saudi official told the newspaper that Saudi authorities have largely confined Hadi to his home in Riyadh and restricted communications with him. These claims were nonetheless refuted by some other officials. Earlier this month, Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stepped down after seven years of war in the country and handed over his power to the newly created presidential council, which consists of eight political leaders, including the separatist South Yemeni Transitional Council governing in the south, but excluding the Houthis. The council's formation was announced following inter-Yemeni consultations in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, where the Saudi leadership called on the council to initiate talks with the Houthis to establish peace in Yemen, which had been torn by violent conflict for years. (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 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian troops in southern have been carrying out torture and kidnappings, and he called on the world Sunday to respond. Torture chambers are built there, Zelenskyy said in an evening address to the nation. They abduct representatives of local governments and anyone deemed visible to local communities. Zelenskyy said humanitarian aid has been stolen, creating famine. In occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, he said, the Russians are creating separatist states and introducing Russian currency, the ruble. Intensified Russian shelling of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, has killed 18 people and wounded 106 in the last four days alone, Zelenskyy said. This is nothing but deliberate terror. Mortars, artillery against ordinary residential neighbourhoods, against ordinary civilians, he said. He said a planned Russian offensive in eastern will begin in the near future. Zelensky again called for increased sanctions against Russia, including its entire banking sector and oil industry. Everyone in Europe and America already sees openly using energy to destabilize Western societies, Zelenskyy said. All of this requires greater speed from Western countries in preparing a new, powerful package of sanctions. (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.) rose on Monday to their highest since mid-March, as the uncertainty surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict dampened risk sentiment and drove investors towards the safety of . Spot gold was up 0.8% at $1,989.65 per ounce, as of 0723 GMT, hitting its highest since March 11. U.S. gold futures were up 0.9% at $1,993.40. Seems like there is a bit of risk aversion in the market, with some overhang from the Russia-Ukraine situation, said Ilya Spivak, a currency strategist at DailyFX, while cautioning thin liquidity could possibly exaggerate price action. Ukrainian authorities said missiles struck Lviv early on Monday and explosions rocked other cities as Russian forces kept up their bombardments after claiming near full control of the strategic southern port of Mariupol. is considered a safe store of value during times of political and economic crisis. While another test of $2,000 is likely the path of least resistance for gold, $2,100 is the bigger, more potent figure to keep an eye on, as there are some meaningful peaks there that would need to be overcome to make the case for lasting gains, Spivak said. Restraining advances in zero-yield gold on Monday, yields on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note firmed to their highest since December 2018. [US/] Spot gold may rise into a range of $1,998 to $2,012, as it has pierced above a resistance at $1,984 per ounce, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. [TECH/C] China's economy slowed in March as consumption, real estate and exports were hit hard, taking the shine off faster-than-expected first-quarter growth numbers and worsening an outlook already weakened by COVID-19 curbs and the Ukraine war. Spot silver rose 0.7% to $25.85 per ounce, platinum gained 1.7% to $1,006.27, and palladium climbed 1.4% to $2,400.60. (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.) COLOMBO, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana said on Monday that the country will take steps to stabilize the economy including strengthening public finance. Siriwardana made the remarks as the Sri Lankan government sent a delegation to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek assistance. Figures show that around 125 billion Sri Lankan rupees (384 million U.S. dollars) of banknotes were printed in April and the government spending has also increased despite escalating foreign exchange shortages. The government has to carefully manage resources and reduce the budget deficit as it has caused many problems across the economy, Siriwardana said. The official added that the government does not have enough revenues and that it is no longer in a position to get foreign loans. "The entire deficit has to be financed domestically. Given that there are limited domestic resources, the central bank is compelled to find the money," he told reporters. The Sri Lankan government decided last week to suspend repayment for all debts for an interim period till it has an orderly and consensual debt restructuring program supported by the IMF. Shares of dipped 6 per cent to Rs 102.20 on the BSE in Monday's intra-day trade after 85.56 million equity shares allotted to qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) got listed on the stock exchanges today. "85,559,435 equity shares of Rs 2 each, allotted to QIBs pursuant to qualified institutional placement (QIP), are listed and admitted for trading on the exchange with effect from Monday, April 18, 2022," BSE said in notice dated April 13, 2022. had raised Rs 865 crore at Rs 101.10 per equity share through QIP. The placement issue price of Rs 101.10 per equity share represents a discount of 4.96 per cent to the applicable floor price of Rs 106.38 per equity share calculated in accordance with applicable SEBI regulations. The fund raise resulted in an overall 15.8 per cent dilution for current shareholders, the company said in a press release. The institutional placement was launched on April 7, 2022 and had witnessed a strong response from both existing as well as new institutional investors including global and domestic funds, with nearly around 50 per cent of the demand from new investors and 70 per cent plus of the book allocated to long only investors, the company said. proposes to maintain sufficient liquidity and use the net proceeds for various purposes, including but not limited to capital expenditure (including acquisition of land, land development rights or development rights), long-term working capital, refinancing/repayment/pre-payment of the borrowings of the Company and/or its Subsidiaries and general corporate purposes. However, the market price of Indiabulls Real Estate almost halved or down 48 per cent from its 52-week high level of Rs 195.90 touched on November 9, 2021. The (SAT) has granted an interim relief to former MD & CEO of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Chitra Ramkrishna in the Himalyan Yogi case. The tribunal has directed Ramkrishna to deposit Rs 2 crore within six weeks. If such an amount is deposited, the balance amount shall not be recovered during the pendency of the appeal, SAT members Tarun Agarwala and Meera Swarup. On February 11, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on Ramkrishna for alleged governance lapses. The market regulator had also directed NSE to forfeit Ramkrishnas excess leave encashment of Rs 1.54 crore and the deferred bonus of Rs 2.83 crore. Sebi had directed NSE to retain and deposit the same in its investor protection fund. SAT has directed NSE to deposit Rs. 4.73 crore towards leave encashment and deferred bonus of the Ramkrishna in an escrow account instead of depositing it in the investor protection fund. SAT has also directed Sebi to submit its reply within four weeks. Ramkrishnas counsel CS Vaidyanathan contested Sebis decision to impose penalty under the Section 23A of the Securities Contracts Regulation Act (SCRA). He argued that provision came into effect in January 2020 and couldnt be applied retrospectively. As a result, imposing a penalty under this section was incorrect and could not be sustained. Vaidyanathan also said that the principles of natural justice have been violated as Ramkrishna was not given an opportunity to cross examine the submissions made by certain witnesses before passing of the final order. The whole time member proceeded to pass the impugned order without granting an opportunity of hearing which was violative of Article 14 Constitution of India, he argued. Vaidyanathan further argued that Sebi had no power to interfere in the autonomy and internal management of NSE. Ramkrishna in her petition has also said that she had merely sought advice from her spiritual guru. Sebis order, she has argued, had nothing to indicate that she was merely following directions of the guru and not applying her mind or reasoning. The petition also argues that Sebis order doesnt mention a single instance where information pertaining to the exchange was misused or has caused loss to any of the stakeholder. The SAT bench said it will consider all these arguments during the next hearing, which is likely to take place on June 30, 2022. In a 190-page order issued on February 18, Sebi had penalised NSE, Ramkrishna, and her predecessor Ravi Narain for governance lapses in appointing Anand Subramanian as the exchanges group operating officer (COO) and advisor to Ramkrishna. The order also made public email exchanges between Ramkrishna and a purported Himalayan Yogi which showed that the unknown person had significantly influenced the decision making at NSE. Shares of crashed 7.5 per cent to Rs 252 apiece on the BSE on Monday as investors booked profit in the stock, post the company's announcement of rasising Rs 4,000 crore for its platform. At 12:03 PM, the stock was 5.6 per cent down at Rs 257.7 per share as against a 2.13 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. On Thursday, the Tata group's power unit on Thursday said it was raising Rs 4,000 crore (or $525 million) from a consortium of investors, including BlackRock and Mubadala, to scale up its business. The investor group will get a 10.53 per cent stake in for the money injected by way of equity and compulsorily convertible instruments, said. READ HERE The company has entered into a binding agreement with the Blackrock-led consortium to invest in the subsidiary at a base valuation of Rs 34,000 crore ($ 4.5 billion). The objective, it said, was to create a comprehensive energy platform. The post-money base equity valuation is Rs 38,000 crore for a 10.53 per cent equity stake in TataPower Renewable Energy, while the pre-money valuation is Rs 34,000 crore. However, the final shareholding will range from 9.76 per cent to 11.43 per cent at the time of final conversion into equity shares, depending on the actual FY23 TPREL EBITDA performance, which would translate to an equity valuation of Rs 35,000 crore for a 11.43 per cent stake and Rs 41,000 crore for a 9.76 per cent stake. Moreover, as per the new structure, TPREL will comprise TPWR's entire green energy portfolio, ranging from utility scale project, EPC, solar rooftop, solar pump, solar manufacturing to EV charging. It has an existing debt of Rs 1,600 crore and, thus, the enterprise value of TPREL comes to Rs 50,000-54,000 crore. Also, going ahead, all green energy-related new business segments, viz. battery energy storage or green hydrogen business, will also come under this new TPREL platform. According to Manoj Dalmia-Founder and Director at Proficient Equities, the deal, at base case, is valued at 14.7x FY23E EV/Ebitda which will set benchmarks for valuation of the renewable energy business. "This is better valued than INvIT which is likely to be valued at 8x FY23 EV/Ebitda. The stock can be bought or can be accumulated at current levels as the breakout that took place earlier was with a good volume, while the overall rise in energy consumption and prices remains promising. Out target price stays at Rs 313," he said. However, those at HDFC Securities opine that while the deal is better than the earlier monetisation plan through InvIT (which was likely to be valued at ~8x FY23 EV/EBITDA), it is below our expected equity value of Rs 4,500 crore for the entire renewable portfolio. "Accordingly, we have cut our target price to Rs231 from Rs 277, by assigning the implied equity value to its renewable portfolio, as per the proposed deal. Eventually, we downgrade our rating on Tata Power to SELL from REDUCE," the brokerage said in a report. Mahindra Lifespace Developer on Monday announced that it has purchased 11.5 acres of land in Pimpri, Pune. The land is estimated to have a developable potential of approximately two million square feet of saleable area and a gross development value of around Rs 1,700 crore. Mahindra Lifespace expects to launch the first phase of the project within the next twelve months Arvind Subramanian, Managing Director & CEO, Mahindra Lifespace Developers said, Pimpri is one of the thriving hubs of Pune with a growing demand for high-quality residential and commercial spaces. This latest land acquisition will be our fifth project in the micro-market. It comes on the heels of the acquisition of 3.26 acres that we concluded in March 2022 and signals our intent to deepen our presence in the locality. Mahindra Lifespace Developers, incorporated in 1999, it is engaged in the business of development of the real estate, residential facilities and commercial complexes. The realtor reported consolidated net profit of Rs 24.86 crore in Q3 FY22 as against net loss of Rs 9.68 crore in Q3 FY21. Net sales dropped 62.6% to Rs 24.34 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21. Shares of Mahindra Lifespace Developers were trading 2.55% lower at Rs 372.60 on BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares of car manufacturer gained 0.92% to Rs 7,540.25 in a weak market after the company announced increase in prices across models owing to increase in various input costs. The weighted average increase across models is in ex showroom prices for Delhi will be around 1.3%. The new prices will come into effect from 18 April 2022. Meanwhile, the Nifty 50 index was trading 272.45 points or 1.56% lower at 17,203.2 amid weak global cues. Maruti Suzuki India is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. The principal activities of the Company are manufacturing, purchase and sale of motor vehicles, components and spare parts. The company reported 47.8% decline in the net profit to Rs 1041.80 crore on a 0.2% fall in the net sales to Rs 22,186.20 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NBCC (India) said that it has secured the total business of Rs 981.17 crore in the month of March 2022. Out of the total contracts received, order worth approximately Rs 500 crore was received from the Union Territory of Ladakh. Further, the company secured work orders worth Rs 52.73 crore from the Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE). The University of Delhi had awarded the company with contracts worth Rs 418.16 crore. The company has also secured a work order of Rs 10.28 crore from MSTC. NBCC (India) provides civil engineering construction services. The Government of India held 61.75% stake in NBCC (India). The company's consolidated net profit declined 11.12% to Rs 83.04 crore on a 5.11% fall in sales to Rs 1971.98 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21. The scrip fell 1.86% to currently trade at Rs 39.65 on the BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Welspun Corp rose 1.39% to Rs 214.45 after the EPC company secured 26 KMT line pipe order from North American customer. The said order will be executed from company's US facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. Welspun further added that the order win is an indication of a revival in the oil & gas business outlook in North America. The company said it is confident of many such opportunities. Welspun Corp is a one-stop service provider offering end-to-end pipe solutions. The company's consolidated net profit slumped 70.21% to Rs 61.38 crore on a 6.78% decline in revenue from operations to Rs 1,298.89 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Windlas Biotech surged 12.34% to Rs 265.40 after the company concluded its European Union GMP Inspection carried out by National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition, Hungary for the Plant-IV situated at Dehradun with zero critical observations. Windlas Biotech, a domestic pharmaceutical formulations contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) industry in India, had undergone this inspection from 11 to 13 April 2022. On 16 April 2022, Windlas Biotech also received certificate of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) from SAHPRA (South African Health Products Regulatory Authority). The company had undergone the inspection audit from 20 to 29 September 2021. Windlas Biotech is amongst the top five players in the domestic pharmaceutical formulations, contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) industry in India, in terms of revenues. The company operates three distinct strategic business verticals (SBVs): CDMO Services and Products (contributing 84.66% of total FY2021 revenues), domestic trade generics and over the counter (OTC) brands (10.22 % of total) and, lastly, exports (5.12 % of total). The company provides comprehensive range of CDMO services ranging from product discovery, product development, licensing, and commercial manufacturing of generic products (including complex generics) with a focus on improved safety, efficacy and cost. Windlas Biotech's consolidated net profit dropped 32.3% to Rs 8.31 crore on a 0.3% rose in net sales to Rs 117.59 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21. The markets were closed on Thursday, 14 April 2022 on account of Mahavir Jayanti / Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti. The stock eschanges were also shut on Friday, 15 April 2022 on account of Good Friday. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Poverty in India is 12.3% lower in 2019 compared with 2011. The poverty headcount rate has declined from 22.5% in 2011 to 10.2% in 2019. According to policy research working paper of World Bank, poverty reduction was higher in rural areas as against urban India. Rural poverty dropped by 14.7% while urban poverty declined by 7.9% during 2011 to 2019. According to the study, farmers with small landholding sizes have experienced higher income growth. Real incomes for farmers with the smallest landholdings have grown by 10% in annualized terms between the two survey rounds in 2013 and 2019 compared to a 2% growth for farmers with the largest landholding. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener will be in the city on April 21, and will give a message of "new age politics" to the people of Karnataka, ahead of assembly polls next year, party leaders here said on Monday. He will be attending a convention of farmers', women, youth and people from various sections of the society, on the invitation of Rajya Raita Sangha chief and farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekhar. Kejriwal's visit to the state comes as is preparing to make its presence felt in Karnataka, during the 2023 Assembly polls. Convener Prithvi Reddy said is the platform for people who fight for farmers' cause, and wants to get such people elected to Vidhana Soudha, to solve the issues faced by the farming community. "It will be a historic day. So far farmers of the state have voted various parties to power, but have only obtained false promises and cheating in return. Farmers of the state have now decided to enter themselves and shape their future. After studying all the parties, they today feel that only AAP is working to solve issues after understanding the difficulties faced by the people," he said. Kejriwal will also be sharing insights on how common people can create a "revolution" that was created through AAP in Delhi and Punjab, and how it can be replicated in Karnataka, and about starting a "new age politics" of common people, he said, adding that several inductions into the party is likely to take place on the occasion. Farmers' convention will be held at the College grounds on April 21 at 11 am. Former IPS officer, Bhaskar Rao, who recently joined the AAP said, youth and progressive thinking people are waiting to hear Kejriwal's message, as the state is preparing for "new age politics" that will be in sharp contrast to the money, muscle and caste powered political atmosphere that exist. "AAP is giving a honest and corruption-free administration in Delhi and Punjab, such a government is required for the state too," he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WELLINGTON, April 18 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand recorded 6,242 new community cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the country's Ministry of Health said in a statement. Of the new community infections, 453 were detected in the largest city of Auckland, which saw a great decline in infections from last week, according to the ministry. In addition, 41 new cases of COVID-19 were detected at the New Zealand border, said the ministry. Currently, 553 patients are being treated in New Zealand hospitals, including 23 in intensive care units. The ministry also reported 11 more deaths from COVID-19. New Zealand has reported 828,906 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in the country. The country is currently at the second-highest Orange setting under its COVID-19 Protection Framework. Under Orange there are no indoor capacity limits and the seated and separated rule for hospitality venues lifts, when bars, cafes and restaurants are able to fill up again. However, people are required to wear a face mask in many indoor settings. After the on Monday cancelled the bail granted to Ashish Mishra, main accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, and directed him to surrender within a week, stepped up its attack on the Centre and questioned when will MoS home Ajay Mishra Teni be terminated. General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "When will PM sack the minister from his council, when will stop protecting people who have ditched farmers?". A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli asked the Allahabad High Court to examine afresh whether Mishra should be granted bail or not. The bench noted that the victims have been denied a chance of effective hearing and the high court overlooked relevant considerations. It further added that the tearing hurry shown by the high court merits the setting aside of bail order and remanded the matter back to high court for fresh consideration. The bench said the high court order cannot be sustained and is thus set aside. Earlier, the apex court had objected to the high court order giving credence to "irrelevant" details in the FIR and post-mortem reports to grant bail to Mishra. On April 4, the Uttar Pradesh government told the that Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, where eight people lost their lives, was a grave offence, but no untoward incident happened after Ashish Mishra, prime accused in the case was granted bail, and he was also not a flight risk. --IANS miz/shb/ (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.) Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday told news agencies that in recent tests, the countrys new air-defence system had successfully intercepted and destroyed a range of incoming projectiles - from mortars and missiles to drones. Were talking of a new laser-based interception system, called Iron Beam. Gantz has said that the system would be operational soon, and will be deployed around Israels borders over the next decade. The new system is designed to complement a series of air-defence systems, such as the Iron Dome, already deployed by the country to defend against enemy mortars, anti-tank missiles and drones. So, what is so special about this system, when many other nations are also pursuing such technology and effective anti-missile defence systems also exist? The answer could lie in the cost of operation. has repeatedly claimed that its Iron Dome defence system is a great success. It reportedly has a 90 per cent interception rate against incoming rockets. However, the system is expensive to deploy. According to a news agency, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said that someone in Gaza can fire a rocket towards for just a few hundred dollars, it costs tens of thousands of dollars for the Iron Dome system to intercept that rocket. Bennett has claimed that the Iron Beam is the worlds first energy-based weapons system that uses a laser to shoot down UAVs, rockets and mortars at a "cost of $3.50 per shot". At the current exchange rate, that amounts to Rs 267 Indian per shot. Its unclear how many shots on target might be needed to bring, say an enemy UAV down, if it were hardened against energy weapons. But it is still a significant achievement. In most Indian metros, you cant get a decent pizza for that amount. While sources differ on precise details, the Iron Beam is believed to have a maximum range of up to 7 kms and is capable of destroying missiles in around four seconds after its twin fibre-optic lasers make contact with their target. The Iron Dome uses Tamir missiles to bring down rockets or missiles aimed at Israeli targets. Those missiles cost big dollars. Instead, the new system can light up a target with laser beam for a fraction of what the Iron Dome costs. Dried-out sections of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal are being refilled, meaning the entire waterway is connected for the first time in a century. The Grand Canal, which is more than 1,700 kilometers long, runs through six provincial-level regions and serves as an important transportation artery. With a history of more than 2,500 years, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014 May 09, 2022 07:10 PM Russian armed forces destroy ammunition plant in Kiev region Xinhua) 09:08, April 18, 2022 MOSCOW, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Russia's forces have destroyed an ammunition plant in Ukraine's Kiev region, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday. "During the night, high-precision air-based missiles destroyed an ammunition factory near Brovary (city) in the Kiev region," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a daily briefing. He added that 29 militants, including foreign mercenaries, were eliminated during the rescue of Russian hostages from a mosque in Mariupol city in eastern Ukraine. The ministry said Russian forces have destroyed 134 aircraft, 249 anti-aircraft missile systems, 470 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,290 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 254 multiple rocket launchers, 992 field artillery and mortars, and 2,166 units of special military vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian forces. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) SINGAPORE, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) grew 7.7 percent year-on-year in March, following a 17.6-percent growth in January and 9.4 percent growth in February, Enterprise Singapore, a government agency, said on Monday. It is the 16th consecutive month for Singapore's NODX to see year-on-year growth. In a breakdown, the electronic NODX increased 11.5 percent year-on-year in March, following an 11.6-percent increase in February. The non-electronic NODX grew 6.8 percent year-on-year in March, compared to an 8.8-percent increase in the previous month. On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, Singapore's NODX decreased by 2.3 percent in March to 17.2 billion Singapore dollars (about 12.66 billion U.S. dollars), after the previous month's 2.9-percent decline. Singapore's non-oil re-exports (NORX) grew 11.4 percent year-on-year this March, following a 19.5-percent growth in the previous month. Both electronic and non-electronic NORX grew. Enterprise Singapore said that Singapore's total trade grew 17.6 percent in March, following a 20.9-percent expansion in the preceding month. In a breakdown, the total exports increased 13.9 percent, and the total imports grew 21.9 percent. ISLAMABAD, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani government has granted India's request to extend the time period for overland transportation of humanitarian assistance from India to Afghanistan which expired on March 21, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said. "As a manifestation of our sincere efforts towards addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, it has been decided to grant two months' extension to facilitate completion of the transportation," the ministry said in a statement Sunday night. The Indian government had recently requested for extension in the period to complete the transportation process, it added. Pakistan approved that in November last year "as a special gesture to the Afghan people," the transportation of 50,000 metric tons of wheat and lifesaving medicines as humanitarian assistance, the statement said. The transportation, as per the arrangement, would be carried out from Attari-Wagah border with India to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border "on exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes," it added. Relations between Pakistan and India deteriorated after India lifted the special status for the Indian-controlled Kashmir in August 2019. Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic relations and suspended trade relations and train service with India in response. After leaving OCA, Bell worked at the Phillips-Gutkin studio in Winnipeg, which made commercials for Canadian television. It was there he met long-time friend and colleague Jane Shattuck. In 1957 Bell left Winnipeg for Europe, stopping in New York City on the way to see sample reels at the big Madison Avenue commercial studios. While there, he met Bill Tytla at Playhouse Pictures who encouraged him to absorb the fine art of Europe and then go work at Disney. For a time, Bell worked near London at the Edric Radage commercial studio before traveling across Europe. He was back in the U.S., Los Angeles specifically, and working in the Disney Research Department by February 1958. In the following years, he animated on the Mister Magoo television series at UPA, Bob Clampetts Beany and Cecil television series, and the Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts with Chuck Jones at MGM. Bell worked with Jones and Abe Levitow at MGM on features and television specials such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Pogos Special Birthday Special, Horton Hears a Who, and The Phantom Tollbooth. He worked at Levitow/Hanson Films on B.C., The First Thanksgiving, television commercials, and the Sesame Street series. Thirty years to the day after he started at Disney (Feb. 10, 1958), Bell returned to the studio as an assistant animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), reuniting with old friends Richard Williams and Jane Shattuck (now, Jane Baer). Bell worked at Disney until he retired on April 18, 1999. During that time, he contributed to many of the key films of the period known as the Disney Renaissance including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, and Tarzan. Bells work on behalf of the animation art form was as significant as the work he did in animation. He was a co-founder of ASIFA-Hollywood and was a governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 18 years. During that time, he resisted attempts within AMPAS to eliminate the Short Films branch and members. Ultimately, the unit was expanded under his watch to become the Short Films and Feature Animation branch. Bells large network of friends and colleagues would characterize him as a gentleman and a gentle man. He was always good-natured and optimistic. His great gift was his ability to listen and empathize. Complete strangers would come away from meeting him feeling that they had made a new friend. After a long and healthy life, Bell found himself in hospital for a week in March, but remained optimistic about getting home. He died of heart failure on March 28. Bell is survived by his long-time partner Arnoldo Archila. Steve Hulett, with The Animation Guild, IATSE local 839, produced a series of interviews with notable animators for the TAG blog. The interview with Bell was done in 2011 and posted in two parts. They can be listened to on the unions blog: Part I and Part II. Animator Andreas Wessel-Therhorn, who worked with Bell at Disney, produced the following visual interview about Bells life in 2018: Photo at top John Canemaker Photo: File Photo Late season snow could impact some long weekend travellers in the B.C. Interior. Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for Rogers Pass on the Trans-Canada Highway, as well as Kootenay Pass and Paulson Summit on Highway 3. Light snow is forecast to begin late Monday afternoon and taper off Tuesday afternoon for Kootenay Pass and late Monday evening for Rogers Pass. Up to 15 centimetres is possible in some areas. The snowfall could hit right as some people are coming home to B.C. from Easter road trips to visit family and friends in other provinces. Anyone returning on Highway 1 should also be aware that Kicking Horse Canyon is set to close again on Tuesday at noon after construction closures were halted for the long weekend. If you miss the deadline, youll have to take the longer route along Highways 95 and 93. #BCHwy1 east of #GoldenBC at #KickingHorseCanyon Phase 4 is fully open for the Easter Long Weekend until Tues (April 19) at noon. Then it's closed until the Victoria Day Weekend. Plan for an additional 1.5 hrs travel time on the Hwy 95/93 alternate route: https://t.co/53UZ0t4YZy pic.twitter.com/yqMR8EfAED BC Transportation (@TranBC) April 17, 2022 Kicking Horse Canyon will again open for the Victoria Day long weekend in May, and then there will be no daytime stoppages due to construction from June 1 to mid-September. Photo: The Canadian Press A man suspected to be a Russian collaborator is detained during an operation by Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) Russian forces launched missile attacks on the western city of Lviv and pounded a multitude of other targets across Ukraine on Monday in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the countrys defenses ahead of an all-out assault on the east. At least seven people were reported killed in Lviv, where plumes of black smoke rose over a city that has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. To the Kremlins increasing anger, Lviv has also become a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons and foreign fighters joining the Ukrainian cause. The attacks came as Russia continued building up troops and artillery in the east and south for the expected start of a new ground offensive in the Donbas, Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland. In other developments, a few thousand Ukrainian troops, by Russia's estimate, remained holed up at a mammoth steel mill in Mariupol, the last known pocket of resistance in the devastated southern port city after seven weeks of bombardment. The holdouts ignored a surrender ultimatum from the Russians on Sunday. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a filled-out questionnaire in the first step toward obtaining accelerated membership in the European Union a desire that has been a source of irritation to Russia for years. Zelenskyy, though, has offered to drop any effort to join NATO, one of the Kremlin's key demands. The Russian missile strikes on Lviv hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto mechanic shop, according to the region's governor, Maksym Kozytskyy. He said the wounded included a child. Lviv, the biggest city and a major transportation hub in western Ukraine, is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Poland, a NATO member. Russia has strongly complained about the increasing flow of Western weapons to Ukraine. On Russian state media, some anchors have charged that the supplies amount to direct Western engagement in the fight against Russia. Lviv has also been seen as a relatively safe place for the elderly, mothers and children trying to escape the war. A hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled fighting in other parts of the country was among the buildings badly damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv," said Lyudmila Turchak, who fled with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. "There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe. A powerful explosion also rocked Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to a military air base, according to residents. It was not immediately clear what was struck. Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, was hit by shelling that killed at least three people, according to Associated Press journalists on the scene. One of the dead was a woman who appeared to be going out to collect water in the rain. She was found lying with a water canister and an umbrella by her side. Military analysts say Russia is increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railways and other infrastructure targets across Ukraine to wear down the countrys ability to resist a major offensive in the Donbas, whose capture has become the Kremlins main goal since its attempt to storm Kyiv failed. The Russian military said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the past day, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. It also reported that its artillery hit an additional 315 Ukrainian targets and that warplanes conducted 108 strikes on Ukrainian troops and military equipment. The claims could not be independently verified. Over the weekend, Russia also claimed to have destroyed Ukrainian air defense radar equipment. Gen. Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News that Russia is waging a softening-up campaign ahead of the Donbas offensive. We are doing everything to ensure the defense of eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in his nightly address to the nation on Sunday. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal assessments of the war, said there are now 76 Russian combat units, known as battalion tactical groups, in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. That could translate to around 50,000 to 60,000 troops, based on what the Pentagon said at the start of the war was the typical unit strength of 700 to 800 soldiers, but the numbers are difficult to pinpoint at this stage in the fighting. The official also said that four U.S. cargo flights arrived in Europe on Sunday with an initial delivery of weapons and other materials for Ukraine as part of a $800 million package announced by Washington last week. And training of Ukrainian personnel on U.S. 155 mm howitzers is set to begin in the next several days. Ukraine halted civilian evacuations for a second day on Monday, saying Russian forces were shelling and blocking the humanitarian corridors. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine had been negotiating safe passage from cities and towns in eastern and southeastern Ukraine, including Mariupol and other areas in the Donbas. The government of the Luhansk region in the Donbas said four civilians trying to flee were shot and killed by Russian forces. Vereshchuk warned Russia on social media: "Your refusal to open these humanitarian corridors will in the future be a reason to prosecute all involved for war crimes. The Russians, in turn, accused neo-Nazi nationalists in Mariupol of hampering the evacuation. The capture of Mariupol, where Ukrainians estimate 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, seized by Moscow eight years ago. The U.S. defense official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, it could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas. Meanwhile, a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician who was arrested last week on a treason charge appeared in a video offering himself in exchange for the evacuation of Mariupols trapped defenders and civilians. Ukraines state security services posted the video of Viktor Medvedchuk, the former leader of a pro-Russian opposition party with personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was not clear whether Medvedchuk was speaking under duress. Putin repeated his insistence that the Western sanctions blitz against Russia has failed. He said the West has not managed to provoke panic in the markets, the collapse of the banking system and shortages in stores, though he acknowledged a sharp increase in consumer prices in Russia, saying they rose 17.5%. Photo: The Canadian Press Pope Francis holds a Paschal candle as he presides over an Easter vigil ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday, April 16, 2022. A Metis group from Manitoba was flying to Rome on Monday ahead of a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP /Alessandra Tarantino A Metis group from Manitoba was flying to Rome on Monday ahead of a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican later this week. The delegation from the Manitoba Metis Federation on Thursday will be the first to meet the head of the Roman Catholic Church since he apologized to Indigenous people for the deplorable conduct of church members involved in residential schools. The Pope apologized at the Vatican early this month following a week of meetings with Metis, Inuit and First Nations delegates. The Manitoba Metis Federation had a separate meeting organized with Francis. Delegates include residential school survivors, elders and youth. David Chartrand, the federations president, says many Metis are deeply connected to the church. Now that His Holiness has issued an apology to all Indigenous peoples, we can focus our meeting on the relationship between the Red River Metis and the Catholic Church past, present, and future, Chartrand said in a news release Monday. Some bishops will be accompanying the Manitoba Metis delegates to the Vatican. It is the desire of all the Bishops in Canada to move forward with reconciliation and to build strong relationships with Canadas Indigenous Peoples, Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg, said in a news release. An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, more than 60 per cent of which were run by the Catholic Church. On April 1, the pontiff stood before a room of nearly 200 Indigenous delegates and asked for God's forgiveness for the actions of the Catholic Church. "I want to say to you with all my heart: I am very sorry," Francis said in Italian. "And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking your pardon." Francis also said he would come to Canada, possibly this summer. Chartrand said he will request the Pope come to Manitoba to understand why we need to renew our relationship, particularly in our small and remote communities, many of which the church is a central part of. A Catholic priest played a significant role in Metis leader Louis Riels founding of what would become Manitoba. Rev. Noel-Joseph Ritchot led the delegation Riel sent to Ottawa to negotiate the provisional governments entry into Confederation. Riel himself was Catholic but also wrote about his issues with the church. The Manitoba Metis Federation organized the separate meeting with the Pope after the group withdrew from the Metis National Council in 2021 following years of internal conflict. The Metis National Council was part of the larger delegation earlier this month. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE- The Twitter icon is displayed on a mobile phone in Philadelphia on April 26, 2017. Twitter said in a statement Friday, April 15, 2022, that its board of directors has unanimously adopted a poison pill defense in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musks proposal to buy the company and take it private. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Twitter's board of directors says it adopted a poison pill defense in order to protect the social media platform from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics. The company announced the move Friday and provided more details in a regulatory filing early Monday. On Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk disclosed an offer to buy the company for $43 billion, or $54.20 per share. He currently owns about 9% of Twitter shares. A rights agreement enacted by the board would give shareholders as of April 25 the right to buy one one-thousandth of a share of preferred stock for each common share they own, at a price of $210 if any person or group of investors acquire 15% or more of the companys shares without board approval, Twitter said in a Monday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The preferred stock would have the same voting rights as a common share. It would give existing shareholders more votes, making it harder for an investor to take control of the company. The filing does not specifically mention Musk. "The effect of the agreement may be to render more difficult or discourage a merger, tender or exchange offer or other business combination involving the company, the filing said. Despite the poison pill defense, the board is still leaving open the possibility of negotiating with Musk or another suitor. The filing says the rights agreement should not interfere with any merger, offer or other business combination approved by the board. Twitter's board hasn't formally rejected Musk's offer. Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said it was interesting that Twitter first filed the shareholder rights plan before turning Musk down, but he expects the rejection to come in the next 24 to 48 hours. Taking Twitter private at $54.20 should be up to shareholders, not the board, Musk tweeted on Thursday. He also said: If the current Twitter board takes actions contrary to shareholder interests, they would be breaching their fiduciary duty. The liability they would thereby assume would be titanic in scale. Twitter said in a filing Thursday that Musk offered to buy the company for more than $43 billion. Musk said Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company in order to build trust with its users and do better at serving what he calls the societal imperative of free speech. Musk called the offer final, although he provided no details on financing. Such details could improve his chances of buying the company. Musk likely could raise some of the money by borrowing billions using his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX as collateral. Shares of Twitter rose nearly 3% to $46.38 in Monday morning trading, still $7.82 shy of Musk's offer. That's a sign that investors are skeptical of whether Musk can pull off the deal. Musk revealed in regulatory filings over recent weeks that hed been buying Twitter shares in almost daily batches starting Jan. 31, ending up with a stake of about 9%. Only Vanguard Group controls more Twitter shares. A lawsuit filed Tuesday in New York federal court alleged Musk illegally delayed disclosing his stake in the social media company so he could buy more shares at lower prices. On Twitter Monday, Musk wrote that board members would get no pay if his offer is successful. That would save Twitter about $3 million per year, he wrote. Circuit Court Clerk Larry Henry, Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean and Juvenile Court Clerk Gary Behler offered their support Greg Beck for District 5. "I am writing to lend my support for the re-election of former commissioner Gary Beck," said Mr. Henry. "Mr. Beck has proven to be a loyal and dedicated individual in both his personal and professional life. "Having known him for 18 years, I can honestly say that he is a person that leads by example and works hard for his district. "During my time on the County Commission I found Mr. Beck to be easy to communicate with others to reach a common goal." Mr. Dean said, "Being able to work with Greg Beck during his time on the County Commission has given me the confidence if elected again, he will do a great job. "Our county needs his kind of leadership and stable commitment in these changing times. I am glad to say I support Mr. Beck's return to the County Commission." "Mr. Beck has a heart for the youth of our country and will go the extra mile to help curb the tide of youth violence in our area," said Mr. Behler. "Commissioner Beck was not afraid to take risks with the creation of a summer work program for school-aged kids. "Mr. Beck managed a good rapport as commissioner and was always willing to listen to the concerns of his fellow elected officials. "His years of experience and history of goodwill makes him the obvious choice for the County Commission seat for District 5." A suspicious person was reported at the 404 Homes Apartments on Tunnel Boulevard. Someone was reported to be inside an apartment that was vacant. Police spoke with a man who was in the vacant apartment. He told police he had permission to be in the unit. After speaking with the maintenance worker and property manager, it was clear to police that the man was not allowed to be in the unit. The man was removed from the property and trespassed. He was told that if he returned to the property he would be taken to jail for trespassing. * * * An employee at The Chattanoogan Hotel, 1201 Broad St., told police that another employee, who was no longer on scene, told her that guests observed a black male grab a "package" from behind the check-in desk and leave with it. The employee said no hotel staff observed the incident take place and she could not definitively determine who the package was for. She said once hotel management arrives in the morning, they will review security footage and notify officers of any further findings. * * * Police responded to a report of a car window shattered in the Republic Parking lot at 1401 Market St. Police found a silver 2012 Ford Fiesta, IL tag, with the driver's side front window shattered by a brick. The brick was still lying on the dash. The window had not been completely broken out. There were no signs of anything being opened or gone through. * * * A disorder was reported at a residence on Blackford Street. A woman told police she had been letting her uncle live with her. She said they had gotten into a verbal disagreement. The uncle also said they had gotten into a verbal disagreement and would call police back out if needed. * * * A disorder was reported at the Hamilton Inn, 2717 Rossville Blvd. Police found a man standing outside room 131. He and another man were in a verbal argument before police arrived on the scene. The first man was told to get his stuff from room 131 and leave the premises. * * * A man on Camden Street told police that someone had broken into his car and stolen a bag of new clothes that he had just purchased. * * * A woman at the Market Street Lofts told police that sometime overnight, someone broke into her 2019 Subaru Forester and rummaged all through it. She said her vehicle was locked, but found no damage. She says she does not know how entry was gained. She said there are no security cameras that cover the parking lot. She knows a $100 gift card was taken, but she is not sure if anything else was stolen, as she had to leave and go to work. * * * A man on Greenview Drive told police that morning he received a text message from someone saying he had failed to appear for jury duty and there was a bench warrant outstanding for his arrest. He said the message went on to say this could be cleared up by him sending $500. The man said he caught immediately that this was an attempted scam. He wanted a report made so police would be aware of this scam. * * * A woman told police that her friend had attempted to steal her car while she was inside the Mapco gas station at 4711 Brainerd Road. She said he only ceased his attempt after she began yelling for people to call the police. She added that he then made threats to damage her car at a later date. The "friend" was no longer on scene when police arrived. The woman declined to press charges against him for the attempted theft. * * * A man on Belle Vista Avenue told police he had a tenant who he had to evict and when she left she took the new refrigerator and stove. He said he bought both items for around $400-$500 each, but knew to replace them would cost him around $600-$700 each. The man said he wanted to make a report for the theft to give to his lawyer, but did not wish to press charges at this time. He was unable to provide a date of birth or address for the former tenant, but said he would have the renter's file for police when he found it and if he needed to press charges. At this time he does not have proof that the former tenant took the property, just that she was the last person known to be in the house. * * * A man at the Quality Inn, 7013 Shallowford Road, told police he let a friend borrow his incarcerated mother's Jeep Liberty. He said he was informed by the friend that someone else had possession of the vehicle. He said while at work, he observed a black male pull up to his place of employment with his mother's Jeep. Police identified the driver and he handed the keys over to the man and both of them left the scene. * * * A man told police that he loaned his girlfriend his Ford F-150 truck two months ago and she has refused to give the vehicle back. The man located his vehicle on Walnut Street. Police spoke with a woman in the Hamilton County Courthouse and she said that she had traded for the Ford F-150. Police explained to her that if the owner did not sign the title of the vehicle over to her, he can still list the vehicle as stolen. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is expected to sign Senate Bill 1610 this week that could crack down on homeless encampments and roadside panhandling. An extension to the Equal Access to Public Property Act of 2012 introduces a $50 fine and/or doing community service for camping on public property. The bill has passed in both chambers of the Tennessee Legislature. The purpose of the bill is to allow local governments if they so choose to use an enforcement mechanism that would penalize solicitation or camping on public property. Local government will decide whether to enforce the law. Solicitation on roadways or exit ramps would become a Class C misdemeanor while unauthorized camping on any public property could be a Class E felony, subject to as many as six years in prison. Where the story got legs came last week when Frank Niceley, Republican Senator from Strawberry Plains, invoked Adolph Hitler into a lively debate. Heres an excerpt from a report from Knoxville television WATE website by reporter Gregory Raucoules: * * * EAST TENN. SENATOR INVOKES HITLER DURING DEBATE Homeless camps on public land risk felony in Tennessee bill Frank Niceley, a Republican senator from Strawberry Plains who represents Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson and Union counties, expressed support on April 13 for the bill by contending that people experiencing homelessness can still change their fortunes and lead productive lives. He underlined his assertion by reminding his fellow lawmakers that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was also once homeless. I wanna give you a little history lesson on homelessness. In 1910, Hitler decided to live on the streets for a while. So for two years, Hitler lived on the streets and practice his oratory and body language and how to connect with the masses and then went on to lead a life that got him in the history books. So a lot of these people, its not a dead-end. They can come out of this. These homeless camps and have a productive life or in Hitlers case a very unproductive life. I support this bill. A request to Niceley from WATE 6 On Your Side for additional comment was not returned. Opponents of the bill argued the bill does not address the causes of homelessness and could make it more difficult for people experiencing homelessness to find work if they have a felony conviction on their records. The bill was passed in both the Tennessee House and Senate; it will next go to Gov. Bill Lees desk. Hitler, the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party or Nazi party who started World War II with the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and led the genocide of millions of Jews, lived in a hostel for the homeless in Vienna from 1910-1913. The comments have since been covered by major news outlets across America and in the U.K. A clip of the comments shared by Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) on Twitter has been viewed nearly 2 million times. Niceley was first elected to the Tennessee House in 1988 and reelected in 1990. He was elected to serve in the 104th General Assembly in 2004 before subsequent reelections in 2006 and 2008. He has served in the Tennessee Senate since 2010. royexum@aol.com Its my belief that you cant fix a problem by making the problem worse. Thats what TN Senate Bill 1610 does, as it has been written and passed in both the State Senate and House of Representatives. Forget about what Senator Frank Nicely said. Although in part it was crass, its also been taken out of context. Surely Senator Nicely could have used a different example than Hitler; regardless, its not a one size fits all. Perhaps he should have talked more about what caused Hitler, one of the most evil men to walk the face of this earth, to be homeless and do the atrocious deeds which cost millions of lives to be lost. I estimate that Planned Parenthood is the only one to snuff out more lives. Fining/punishing someone who doesnt have any money or locking someone up who needs a roof over their head and a hot meal is counterproductive and will only exacerbate the problem with the cost going to the taxpayers. Realizing that the root problem in most cases is a mental disorder, and then providing mental health care, will be the first step in solving the problem., We have ignored mental healthcare far too long. Funding for mental health, both in Tennessee and across the United States, has lagged behind most other health services. Allowing our veterans to be homeless is unconscionable. PTSD is real and nobody wants to suffer from it. It has different degrees of severity and most cases take a trained and skilled professional to help the victim connect the dots to work past it. Governor Lee, please hold off on signing this Senate Bill 1610 until it address the root cause. Give Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly a call and ask what he is doing here. Although I didnt support his election, I support what he is trying to do for our homeless. He hasnt ignored the problem, rather he has taken steps to correct it. Lets do the same thing as the great State of Tennessee. J. Pat Williams The U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corporation, in partnership with multiple state and local responders, refloat the Ever Forward in the Chesapeake Bay, the United States, April 17, 2022. A giant container ship named the Ever Forward with more than 4,000 containers aboard was refloated on Sunday more than a month after it ran aground on the East Coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship -- which became stranded in the Chesapeake Bay on March 13 after departing the Port of Baltimore for Norfolk, Virginia -- was freed around 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) following a 35-day salvage operation. (U.S. Coast Guard/Devin Erfourth/Handout via Xinhua) WASHINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A giant container ship named the Ever Forward with more than 4,000 containers aboard was refloated on Sunday more than a month after it ran aground on the East Coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship -- which became stranded in the Chesapeake Bay on March 13 after departing the Port of Baltimore for Norfolk, Virginia -- was freed around 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) following a 35-day salvage operation. This came after two unsuccessful refloat attempts, as well as days of dredging and removal of 500 containers from the 334-meter Ever Forward. "The vastness and complexity of this response were historic, as an incident like the Ever Forward grounding, in type and duration, is a rare occurrence," Captain David O'Connell, commander of Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region, said in a statement. The Ever Forward will be towed to the Annapolis Anchorage Grounds for inspection, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The ship will be reloaded with the containers that had been removed and continue its voyage to its next port of call in Norfolk. The Ever Forward is operated by Evergreen Marine Corp., whose Ever Given got stuck in Egypt's Suez Canal in March 2021, blocking the waterway for days and causing delays in global shipping. The U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corporation, in partnership with multiple state and local responders, refloat the Ever Forward in the Chesapeake Bay, the United States, April 17, 2022. A giant container ship named the Ever Forward with more than 4,000 containers aboard was refloated on Sunday more than a month after it ran aground on the East Coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship -- which became stranded in the Chesapeake Bay on March 13 after departing the Port of Baltimore for Norfolk, Virginia -- was freed around 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) following a 35-day salvage operation. (George Mason University Department of Police and Public Safety/Handout via Xinhua) The U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corporation, in partnership with multiple state and local responders, refloat the Ever Forward in the Chesapeake Bay, the United States, April 17, 2022. A giant container ship named the Ever Forward with more than 4,000 containers aboard was refloated on Sunday more than a month after it ran aground on the East Coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship -- which became stranded in the Chesapeake Bay on March 13 after departing the Port of Baltimore for Norfolk, Virginia -- was freed around 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) following a 35-day salvage operation. (George Mason University Department of Police and Public Safety/Handout via Xinhua) Cody Sims, CRPC, AAMS, AWMA, financial advisor and franchise owner with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., has celebrated 27 years with Ameriprise Financial. Since 1995, Mr. Sims has served clients of the Chattanooga area, along with clients across the U.S. "My mantra is Good business is always personal,'" said Mr. Sims. "That statement embodies my philosophy and practice and guides me every day. I am pleased to serve our community by helping clients achieve their financial goals. It is a privilege and an honor to be part of the Ameriprise Financial family. As a specialist, I appreciate the opportunity to serve clients who require more complex financial/investment planning. My team and I enjoy meeting with them to thoroughly understand their goals and review their current financial situation. The time invested beforehand is essential to design the optimal plan that addresses their specific needs, in both the short and long term. Im persuaded that a financial plan is never just about the numbers, its about understanding a persons hopes and dreams for their future, helping them plan for and live in retirement with confidence and eventually leave a legacy they can be proud of. As a financial advisor and franchise owner, Mr. Sims provides financial advice that is anchored in a solid understanding of client needs and expectations through one-on-one relationships with his clients, said officials. For more information, please contact Mr. Sims at 648-2900. Their office is at 412 Georgia Ave., Suite 210. In 2004, Larry was still teaching high school in Colorado and Carol was broker for her real estate firm in Denver when it occurred to us that we might want to consider a change in location for our retirement. After much research and a few boots-on-the-ground trips, Larry and I joined the halfbacks and moved to Chattanooga. We ended up in East Brainerd buying a house that had been listed by Sabrena Turners firm, Sabrena Realty. Carol had already obtained her Tennessee real estate license and Sabrena and her brother Brent kindly worked with us, allowing us to write our own offer to purchase. We were told to place the envelope containing the offer in a particular mailbox around the corner from what was to be our new home. That turned out to be Brenda Turners homeSabrenas mothers house. So, you see, Sabrena and her family were our first contacts 15 years ago. We became fast friends and when all was said and done, Sabrena offered Carol a place to hang her license, although Carol decided to stop her real estate practice shortly thereafter. And we had many good reasons to talk across the fence as we watched Brendas grandchildren grow up there on weekend visits. Naturally, in the real estate business, politics seems to always play a part. Forward from those early times in our relationship, politics did enter the conversation and Sabrena held leadership roles in the local realtor association. It so happened that Larry lived in District 4 of Chattanooga, and Larry was interested enough (and mad enough) to actually run for Chattanooga City Council and won and he began to serve in 2013. Sabrena supported Larry in 2013. During that time when Sabrena was campaigning for her first term as District 7 commissioner, we were all in support of Rep. Mike Carters bill to end forced annexation and Sabrena was a founding member of the Hamilton County Citizens Against Annexation. Mike Carters bill passed and that stopped Mayor Littlefields threat to annex swaths of the county into the city. More, Sabrena ran and won the commissioner spot that next year. Larry supported her in 2014 and 2018. Not only did considerable overlap in the addresses of their particular city and county districts exist, but also they enjoyed considerable opportunity to work together on behalf of the citizens represented. Larry and Sabrena periodically hosted community meetings in various churches within their districts, and invited other elected officials, T-DOT officials, etc. to participate as appropriate for public updates on various issues and projects. At these meetings, questions from the audience were also taken. Memorable examples beyond the annexation matter included the widening of East Brainerd Road and improving the intersection of East Brainerd Road and Ooltewah-Ringgold Road. Of course, these projects take years to unravel, but the public warmly appreciated the results of Sabrena and Larrys work; they maintained communication with people who signed up for updates, and next meetings. They demonstrated that good government can work for the good of all. It was a privilege to be a close spectator as their well-oiled machine whirred. Sabrena married the wonderful Mark Smedley in 2011, and she stayed on as county commissioner for a second elected term and eventually became chairwoman. Wisely, she continued her education and obtained a Masters in Business Administration, opened more businesses, and raised her young children beautifully as a single parent the majority of the time. What more could one want in a mayor of Hamilton County? She has already proven her capabilities, set appropriate priorities, prepared herself for more responsibilities, and has consistently demonstrated readiness to meet tough challenges head-on. Shes her own self-made entrepreneur and public servant. If you dont vote for Sabrena Smedley for mayor of Hamilton County, dont come crying that the trade schools never happened, that the needed school board funding was not there, that the intentional future development you thought would be there disappeared into the mist. Voting for anyone else means that you think that any joe can just step up into that position with absolutely no direct preparation and successfully meet the needs of the entire county. Think again. People, get smart. Sabrena is the only Hamilton County mayor candidate who is truly ready for prime time. Larry & Carol Grohn Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Norma McGee Ogle was appointed to the bench by Governor Don Sundquist in 1998. It was a career move that wasnt on her radar, despite that fact that judgeship runs in her family.It was something that I had not really thought too much about because my husband (Circuit Court Judge Rex Henry Ogle) was a trial judge, Judge Ogle said. I thought that that might preclude any attempt on my part. There was an opening on the Court of Criminal Appeals, and I received calls from several friends, including then Judge Gary Wade. He encouraged me to apply, and I thought about it and decided to do it. If I applied and I wasnt successful, then I knew I had at least tried.If you are wondering what its like having two judges in the family, you may want to ask the Ogles son.Our son laughs and says that he could never win an argument growing up, Judge Ogle said.We dont really talk about our work at home. I think after a full day of work, the last thing we want to talk about is what weve done that day. We just try to relax with other things.Even though Judge Ogle tries not to bring her work home, shes truly enjoyed every minute on the bench.I have loved the work, Judge Ogle said. To paraphrase Lou Gehrig, I feel like Ive been the luckiest person on earth. The work is interesting, and I have wonderful colleagues. It makes it so much easier. We are able to discuss our cases. We can disagree without being disagreeable. We have a wonderful support staff. The Court of Criminal Appeals has the reputation of being the most collegial court and it is. I know other people would disagree with me on that. I think it is the collegiality of the judges on this court that really make the difference.If theres anyone who can question a judge and get away with it, its her mother. Judge Ogle recalls a humorous moment during a case that received a lot of media attention.I had to reverse a high profile case and I had gone to visit my parents, Judge Ogle said. My mother had heard on the news that this case had been reversed. She said, I wonder what judge did that. I had to say, It was your daughter. My mother is a wonderful person and she snapped right back and said, Well, you did what you had to do.One thing is for sure, the work of a judge is never boring. Judge Ogle said she is always learning and she recommends new judges do the same.Appreciate the experience of your colleagues because the good thing about being part of an appellate court is youre not there by yourself, Judge Ogle said. Youre one of three people. You can talk about the issues, make decisions together or disagree. I love to learn and I hope I never quit learning. Thats one thing about being on this court is you never stop learning.Because there arent many people who have the opportunity to sit on the bench, Judge Ogle advises new judges to enjoy it, appreciate it and just be glad to be there. Before you know it, it will be time to retire.I will miss the people I work with, Judge Ogle said. I have a wonderful support staff, the people in the clerks office. Ive had opportunity in the east to work with Judge Montgomery, Judge Tipton, Judge Thomas, Judge Wade and Judge Witt, Jr., who is not retiring and will be a great resource for the two new judges coming. Theyve just been wonderful, especially when I was a new judge, who came in and had so much to learn.Moving forward, Judge Ogle would like to see more female judges. She was fortunate to follow Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey and former Justice Penny J. White, crediting both women with preparing her for the job.When I came to this court, for several years, I was the only female on the court, Judge Ogle said. I really do want to encourage women to apply to all the appellate courts. Weve come so far, but were still, except for the Supreme Court, were a very small minority on the intermediate courts. My hope is that in the future well see more women apply.As for retirement, Judge Ogle believes making that transition will be easy.I dont tend to sit at home and do nothing, Judge Ogle said. I have a granddaughter, who just turned five, who I want to spend more time with. I also want to spend more time with my family and do volunteer work to stay busy. Judge Ogle plans to retire on June 30, 2022.Prior to Judge Ogles appointment to the bench, she was a private practice attorney in Sevierville, from 1979-1998. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee in 1974 and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1977.Judge Ogles memberships and community service include: Member, Board of Judicial Conduct, 20152018; Tennessee Bar Association, Sevier County Bar Association and Knoxville Bar Association; Commissioner and chairperson, Tennessee Human Rights Commission, 19951998; Member, State of Tennessee Local Planning Advisory Board, 19971998; Member and chairperson, Sevier County Board of Education, 19821994; Advisory Board, Walters State Community College, 1997present; Sevier County Library Foundation. Nightfall, Chattanoogas longest-running outdoor summer concert series will celebrate its 35th season this year with a 15-week season of free outdoor concerts held at Miller Plaza beginning Friday, May 27, and continuing every Friday through Sept. 2. Shows begin at 7 p.m. and end at approximately 9:30 p.m. In additional to music on the Miller Plaza stage, Nightfall features food trucks, local artisan vendors and lawn games in Miller Park. The finals for this years Road to Nightfall competition will precede the beginning of the Nightfall season with a show at Miller Plaza on May 6 beginning at 7 p.m. The top four bands from the April preliminary RTN rounds will each perform a 30-minute set to compete for the chance to be a Nightfall headliner on Aug. 26. The RTN finals at Miller Plaza will not involve road closures or the use of Miller Park, since it is not a part of the regular Nightfall season. During the Nightfall regular season starting May 27, most weeks will adhere to Nightfalls regular format of having a 7 p.m. local opening band, followed by an 8 p.m. national headliner of various genres. However, there are three nights that will serve to highlight local talent, as a way to celebrate and support Chattanooga bands. Nightfall 2022 Schedule: May 27 Cha Wa / Killakeyz (opener) June 3 Teddy Thompson Band / Ryan Oyer (opener) June 10 Wildernmiss / Summer Dregs (opener) June 17 This date will include a co-bill of two different Chattanooga bands: Opposite Box 7pm/ The Original FBI 8:25 pm June 24 Lakou Mizik / Steely Bruno (opener) July 1 Blackcat Zydeco featuring Dwight Carrier / The Scarlet Love Conspiracy (opener) July 8 Yam Haus / Jason Lyles (opener) July 15 Boulevards / Amber Fults (opener) July 22 The Abrams / Barefoot Nellie (opener) July 29 This date will include a co-bill of two different Chattanooga bands: Call Me Spinster 7pm/ Drew Sterchi & the Blues Tribe 8pm Aug. 5 Joslyn and the Sweet Compression / Rishard (opener) Aug. 12 OConnor Lee (band) / New Dismembered Tennesseans (opener) Aug. 19 Magnolia Boulevard TN Ruminators Aug. 26 2022 Road to Nightfall Winners (TBD) Sept. 2 Miko Marks / Butch Ross (opener) With band performances held on the Miller Plaza stage, the renovated Miller Park provides space for activities such as outdoor games, food trucks, artisan vendors and family activities on the grassy lawn. Registration for artist booth space can be found at http://www.nightfallchattanooga.com/nightfall-registration-form. Motorcycle parking will be allowed in the one block of Market Street between 8th Street and M.L.King Boulevard. Fun new features include roller skating with the Moonlight Rollers on the second Friday of each month, and a car display from the River City Corvette Club on the fourth Friday of every month in the block of M.L.King between Market and Broad. Other additions in that block will regularly include a video game bus and occasional vintage clothing (check Nightfallchattanooga.com to stay informed about special features each week). Nightfall bulk discount beer and wine tickets will again be available this year at each show, offering a 20 percent savings on a packet of 20 beer and wine tickets. Food trucks and non-alcoholic drink concessions are also available on site. No outside food or beverages are allowed to be brought in to Nightfall since concession sale are a primary funder of Nightfall. Known for its family-friendly environment as well as being recognized nationally for the quality of its musical programming, Nightfall is a family-friendly concert series that brings the Chattanooga community together in the heart of the city. Nightfall is made possible this year thanks to sponsorships from Mich Ultra, Fletcher Bright Company, Southeast Bank, Village Volkswagen, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Southern Honda Powersports, U.S.Xpress, T-Mobile, Chambers Welding & Fabrication, Lass & Lion, and Chattanooga Whiskey. In-kind support comes from NPR/Music 88.1, ChattanoogaNow, Ruby Falls and River City Company. Nightfall is locally produced by Chattanooga Presents. For more information on this free community concert series, call 304-5835 or visit NightfallChattanooga.com for a complete, interactive website that includes music samples by each headliner, as well as other important information for first-time attendees. A controversial project to rezone property at 1023 South Seminole Dr. from O-1 Office District and C-2 General Commercial to R-3 Apartment district failed to get approval at the East Ridge City Council meeting. Around a dozen residents who live near the site spoke in opposition to the project that had been tabled at earlier meetings from March 10 and 24. One speaker said they realized that this was the last opportunity the homeowners had to protect their neighborhood from a massive change. There is overwhelming sentiment that the community is against this project, said Edgar Shaw. The Chattanooga Regional Planning Agency had recommended that the site hold only 10 units. The complex proposed by the owner, represented by Kenny Custer with ASA Engineering, would have had 72 units. Three years ago an 80-unit apartment complex had been proposed, using the same studies, and was also denied by the city council. Concerns that were expressed by many of the homeowners in the neighborhood included statistics from Realtor.com showing that with the increase of rentals in an area, that the value of homes decline and the crime rate could go up. How the increased density in the city, which already is one of the most densely populated in Hamilton County, could benefit East Ridge was questioned. Higher density does not mean a better quality of life, said one speaker. Daily traffic that would enter and exit on South Seminole Drive would likely be increased by 144 vehicles daily assuming two per unit. And the hilly terrain obstructs visibility of on-coming traffic according to another speaker. The road is already being used as a main route from Georgia into Tennessee with heavy traffic that empties onto Ringgold Road near what already is considered a dangerous intersection where 38 accidents occurred from 2015-2019. The intersection is very near the Bachman Tunnel where the average is 9,645 vehicles per day in the eastbound lane. The property has been used to retain stormwater and residents and business owners feared that replacing the vegetation with parking lots and impervious roofs would cause flooding and runoff issues. Another reality is that if rezoning had been approved, it would open the door to the developers who would not be required to build what had been presented to the council and to the public. Once zoning is changed, the developers would be able to build any quality of multi-family units they wanted to. It is easy to do a dog and pony show said speaker Ed Turner. The project would not necessarily end up being luxury apartments renting for $2,200 - $2,500 per month, that overlooks Toms Carpets, he said. Another speaker questioned the code of ethics of a $1,600 contribution that the developer of the apartments made to Vice Mayor Mike Chauncys Hamilton County Commission campaign, suggesting that the vice mayor should recuse himself from the vote. City Attorney Mark Litchford replied that campaign donations are not a conflict of interest unless there is a direct financial gain. This was done in the light of the day, said the Vice Mayor. Direct answers were not provided at the public meeting that was held earlier regarding this project, said Council Member Jacky Cagle. He said he left the meeting confused because it was not clear when the traffic study had been done and there was no mention of water run-off. Additionally, he said the owner could build whatever they wanted once it was rezoned. A motion made by Council Member Andrea Witt was seconded by Vice Mayor Chauncy who both voted to approve the rezoning. The request failed with Mayor Brian Williams and Council Members Jacky Cagle and Ester Helton in opposition. East Ridge City Manager Chris Dorsey reported that the new Pioneer Frontier playground opened April 2 with a good turn-out. But he said there have already been several issues with unruly behavior there as was experienced last year after school hours. He would like it to be known that there will be increased police presence at the park during that time. He said that the new dog park is open for use although the play equipment has not yet been delivered. It is expected sometime in May or June. The East Ridge Council authorized the city to proceed with negotiations with BP Constructions proposal to revitalize the adjacent properties located at 4214 Ringgold Road and 1501 Tombras Avenue. The proposal includes removing all existing structures from the former McBrien Elementary School site and be replaced by a mixed-use development. The vote means the city recognized the proposal made in response to the Request for Proposal. That will allow renegotiations with the developer which presented only conceptual drawings that are considered to be flexible. Mayor Brian Williams said he would like to see more open space in the plan, that could be used for community events much like the space at Cambridge Square. The mayor led a discussion about resurfacing roads in East Ridge. A study has been done to rate every road from the worst to the ones in best condition. The city has earmarked $750,000 for road work this year. The council committed to spending $500,000 to start making repairs. To make the money go farther, the mayor proposed spot paving. This would not be just filling potholes, but would repair or replace sections of the roads that are in the worst condition. The roads will be grouped into areas so the company that does the work can make efficient use of where the equipment will be used. The East Ridge city code was amended with a prohibition of cooking and devices that use open flames on balconies of apartments. These will not be allowed to operate within 10 feet of combustible materials. Delays caused by the labor and materials shortages have caused the need for an extension in time that the two new liquor stores in the city were given to complete construction and open. Two extensions have already been given, one in November, 2021 and another in February 2022. Now the city will be adding two additional three-month extensions if they are needed. A resolution was approved for a variance to the citys sign ordinance that will allow a reduction of the front setback for a monument sign at 6801 Ringgold Road for a Marriott Towne Place Suites hotel that is being built on Frawley Road. The developer Dynamic Group requested the variance because with the requirements of the sign ordinance, the monument sign would have been behind a hill, making it difficult for travelers to identify the location. Due to the COVID pandemic, the voting location in East Ridge was moved two years ago, to Camp Jordan Arena. This year it will be moving back to the community center along with the sites for political campaign tents that will be erected. The council approved a resolution to have the candidates tent locations the same places they were before 2020. The council also approved the purchase of a new attachment for the street departments boom mower. And a contract with HHM Certified Public Accountants was approved for auditing services for the coming year. 90 Day Fiance Season 9 couple, Jibri and Miona, may already be married, according to a Serbian interview conducted in 2020. The many inconsistencies in this couples storyline make fans question the TLC shows validity. Miona and Jibri, 90 Day Fiance Season 9 | TLC Jibri claims Miona is coming to the US on a K-1 visa On the premiere episode of 90 Day Fiance Season 9, which aired on April 17, audiences are introduced to Jibri and Miona. Jibri, a 28-year-old from Rapid City, South Dakota, moved home after living in LA, California. In the episode, Jibri introduced 23-year-old Miona as his fiancee. He explained that she would be coming to the United States for the first time on a K-1 or fiance visa. As fans know, the K-1 visa allows the non-US citizen in the relationship to come to the US with the intention of getting married in 90 days. Jibri and Miona discuss where they will have their wedding. Miona has her heart set on a beach wedding. And she made it clear that a wedding on the prairies of South Dakota isnt an option because she is only going to get married once. However, some new information might confirm that Miona and Jibri could already have married pre-2020. Serbian interview refers to Miona as Jibris wife In an interview for a Serbian outlet, Telegraf, Jibri talks about the struggles of being a Black man in America after George Floyds death and the unrest that followed. The interviewer refers to Jibri by his self-appointed Serbian name, Jovan Crnovic. Miona and Jibri, 90 Day Fiance Season 9 | TLC In the 2020 interview, Jibri talks about how much Serbia means to him. He said, But then when I came here this has been my second home. He then reveals that hes already married to Miona. Jibri said, My wifes Serbian, and my lifes Serbian, and everything Serbian to me is right. He explained that he brought his grandmother and two cousins to Serbia on one of his many trips to the country. Which many fans found odd, considering that his mother, Mahala Bach, has yet to meet her sons fiancee, Miona. This begs the question of which part of Jibri and Mionas storyline is true and which part is made up by production. 90 Day Fiance fans question the shows credibility After finding out that Jibri and Miona could already be married, many 90 Day Fiance fans discussed the shows credibility. One fan posted on Reddit, I know the producers and the couples create situations for some drama effect. I know it is not all real, but the case of Jibri and Miona is next level. Many 90 Day Fiance fans wondered why TLC agreed to feature this couple knowing they are possibly already married. One fan speculated, Wonder why TLC chose their story then. Maybe TLC had these couples chosen before COVID? Anything besides it being scripted I want it to be real to me. Could this be another example of TLC frauding? Unfortunately, many 90 Day Fiance fans believe that might be the case. Either way, fans will have to keep watching this season to find out the truth. New episodes of 90 Day Fiance Season 9 airs Sundays on TLC and discovery+. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Season 9: All About Jibris Space Punk Band Black Serbs For a while, movie stars Chris Pratt and Anna Faris seemed to have the ideal marriage. They were affectionate and quirky and appeared to have a lot of fun together. Although the couple went their separate ways, for a while, they seemed as though they were living the sort of happily-ever-after that comes at the end of a rom-com. However, the end of the relationship was more similar to how their characters parted in the movie that brought the actors together. Anna Faris and Chris Pratt met on a movie set (L-R): Actors Anna Faris and Chris Pratt arrive at the premiere of Columbia Pictures Passengers at Regency Village Theatre on December 14, 2016 in Westwood, California. | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic The relationship began classically for a Hollywood couple. Chris Pratt and Anna Faris met in 2007 on the set of the movie Take Me Home Tonight. Faris was still married at the time to fellow actor Ben Indra. Although she and Pratt insisted that they didnt become romantically involved at the time, she filed for divorce from Indra shortly after they met. By the time the movie premiered in 2011, everything had changed. Faris and Pratt got engaged in 2008, and they were married in 2009. Although they said they didnt start dating during the filming of Take Me Home Tonight, Pratt did credit their time on set with sparking their relationship. This is a pretty spectacular moment for us, he said at the premiere (via PopSugar), to be able to come to this movie that we met on and fell in love making. Their marriage fell apart Pratt and Faris welcomed a child together, Jack, in 2012. Although the couple appeared happy in the years after Jack was born, Pratt started to move into leading man roles. Along with that came rumors that he wasnt always faithful. In 2016, he took some time off work to spend time with Faris. However, the couple announced in 2017 that they were separating. Their divorce was final the following year. In Take Me Home Tonight, Faris portrayed Wendy, while Pratt played her boyfriend, Kyle. The pair get engaged early in the film, but Kyle doesnt support Wendys dreams. She breaks up with him at the end of the movie. Faris later spoke about why she and Pratt split. It had to do, in part, with their careers. I dont think we did a great job of eliminating competitiveness, she said on her podcast, Anna Faris Is Unqualified. Pratt and Faris both moved on It didnt take long for Chris Pratt and Anna Faris to find love again. Pratt started dating Katherine Schwarzenegger, and in 2019, he proposed to her. Faris said that he texted her with the news shortly after the engagement, and she was so happy for him that she even offered to officiate their wedding. The following year, Pratt and Schwarzenegger had a daughter together. Although there was some drama around a social media post that Pratt made at the time, Faris insisted she was happy that Jack had a sibling. According to People, Faris quietly eloped with cinematographer Michael Barrett in 2021. The two have been together for a while, having met in 2017 while they were working on the movie Overboard. RELATED: Anna Faris Reveals What Went Wrong (Partially) With Chris Pratt Marriage On April 3, 2022, Miami Police responded to a domestic dispute involving a popular social media model and a man whod been stabbed. Media outlets quickly reported on the couple in question, Courtney Tailor and her boyfriend Christian Obumseli. Sadly, Obumseli died from his injuries. Followers of Tailors Instagram, OnlyFans, and Youtube accounts want to know what happened. Everyone else simply wants to know who Courtney Tailor is and why she fatally stabbed her boyfriend. Who is OnlyFans and Instagram model, Courtney Tailor? Courtney Tailor, an OnlyFans and Instagram model | Courtney Tailor via Youtube Tailor is accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death, although she does not face criminal charges at the time of publication. Her boyfriend Christian Obumselis family lawyer said Tailor, real name Courtney Clenney, stabbed him, reports Heavy. Tailor is a fitness influencer and model. Shes popular on social media platforms such as OnlyFans and Instagram, where youll find photos of her in revealing clothing. Beyond her over two million followers on Instagram, the 25-year-old appeared in a 2015 music video for rapper G-Eazys hit song Me, Myself and I. She also appeared in a couple of movies prior to that. You can see photos of Tailor if you subscribe to OnlyFans. On this adult subscription service, Tailor claims to be a Texas transplant, though she is a Michigan native. Today, she is best known for a video captured from a neighboring apartment building. The video shows her on the floor in handcuffs, covered in blood, while talking to the police. What we know about the April 3 incident involving Courtney Tailor and Christian Obumseli Obumseli recently moved to Miami from Texas and was living with Tailor in the One Paraiso apartment building in Edgewater. The 27-year-old worked for a software company and studied communication at Texas Tech, reports Heavy. Beyond this, not much is known about Obumseli or the tragedy that occurred between him and Tailor, which is still under investigation. However, according to The Sun, neighbors say the couple frequently had intense arguments that required police involvement. Ashley Vaughn, a friend of the couple, said, Weve seen her hit him. Ive never seen him hit her. Although Obumselis Instagram posts portray them as a loving couple, Tailors lawyer, Frank Prieto, says otherwise. He stated that she was defending herself at the time of the incident. Tailor also cited involvement with sex trafficking via her lawyer. Obumselis family says this is not true. They set up a GoFundMe page in Obumselis honor and imply that Tailor is getting off easy because she is rich and white. However, some sources report a neighbor witnessing Obumseli hit Tailor a week prior to the incident. Where does the case stand now? Allegedly, when the police showed up at the apartment, Tailor began talking about killing herself, according to the Sun. Therefore, the police did not immediately file charges against Tailor because they detained her under the Baker Act. The Baker Act is a Florida-based process that means law enforcement or others may force treatment for mental illnesses on someone who is a danger to themselves or others. Former Florida state representative Maxine Baker sponsored the act in 1971. To be held on the Baker Act, a person must be mentally or emotionally impaired and unable to control their actions or understand reality, yet will not willfully submit to examination. In a situation like this, the person, Tailor, would be held for 72 hours. A clinical psychologist or physician must examine the person during that time. After the examination, one of four things will happen: The person will be released if not charged with a crime, released for outpatient treatment, consents to voluntary placement in a treatment facility, or involuntarily forced by a circuit court to enter a treatment facility. At this time, the police have not filed charges. The media recently spotted Tailor out with her father in Miami. RELATED: Angela Simmons Reveals The Hardest Part About Surviving Domestic Abuse Jennifer Lawrence became an international star with her authoritarian-defying badass Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games series. But her seemingly straightforward physical appearance in the franchise was actually more complicated to create than it would seem. By the time she was done filming Catching Fire, Lawrences hair was so badly damaged she had to almost completely start over. Read on to find out what Lawrence (and her hair) went through to recreate Katniss look. Jennifer Lawrence | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence did not want dark brown hair When Lawrence and director Gary Ross sat down to figure out Katniss hair color, they ended up with very different opinions. Lawrence, a natural blonde, really wanted to pick the lightest brown that was under consideration, but that didnt vibe with the visual style Ross had in mind. Committed to creating a much more earthy tone than other Hollywood tentpoles, Ross looked at six different brown wigs on Lawrenceand ultimately chose the darkest brown. Although Lawrence might have been able to wear a wig for shoots, she agreed to dye her hair for the role to ensure an authentic look. But the dark brown hair was only part of the process. According to Cosmopolitan, they settled on a very specific type of braid that had hidden benefits for filming. Not only did the braid look practical for the character, but it could be easily picked up by the camera when shooting from any angle. With her dark brown hair and now-famous braid, the hair team was able to mask how difficult the process was to transform Lawrence into Katniss. Lawrence had a hair crisis after shooting Catching Fire Just as she was becoming one of the highest-paid actors in the world, Lawrence was quietly trying to control a hair disaster. In the middle of shooting Catching Fire in late 2011/early 2012, Lawrence was up for a Best Actress Oscar for The Silver Linings Playbook. Lawrence can be seen accepting the award at the Academy Awards with mostly brown hair and a splash of blonde. Only days after winning her Oscar, Lawrence was back on set in Hawaii wrapping up her scenes in Catching Fire, which again required her to dye her hair dark brown. By the time she finished the shoot, her hair was badly damaged from all the bleaching from brown to blonde, and re-dyeing in such a short span. Ultimately, Lawrence had to convert her long brown locks into a short blonde pixie cut, allowing her to start from scratch and regrow her natural blonde hair. Katniss also wasnt the only role that required Lawrence to dye her hair around that time. Just after finishing the first Hunger Games in 2011, she dyed her hair jet black for The Silver Linings Playbook, only to have the look scrapped and redyed before filming began. According to the New York Times, the person who nixed the look was now-disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. Trusting the beauty experts works for Lawrence Despite being an international movie star, Lawrences beauty routine is surprisingly low-key. According to a Harpers Bazaar profile, Lawrence keeps it simple and listens to the experts for anything beyond regular upkeep. That is especially true with her hair. Im so bad with hair! she admitted, adding that she mostly likes to straighten her natural curls and trusts her L.A. stylist to deliver the uneven and choppy look she likes. With top-tier stylists at her side whenever she wants, Lawrence has been very adventurous when it comes to trying new hairdos. As broken down by Vogue, shes gone back and forth between being a blonde and brunette, worn extensions plenty of times, and even dazzled with her pixie cut when she was forced to experiment. From a simple side part for Parisian fashion shows to the princess-like chignon she wore when winning her Oscar, Lawrence has covered nearly the full spectrum of hairstyles in a decade in the spotlight. Beyond hair, Lawrence makes sure to exfoliate every night and wear sunscreen wherever she goes, but she also rarely wears makeup if shes not heading to an event. And when she does, she would much rather trust her face to a pro. Since I often get it done professionally, Im probably better off staying away from my face, she said. Lawrence will again be a blonde for her starring role in the upcoming Bad Blood, a drama about fallen biotech titan Elizabeth Holmes from director Adam McKay (The Big Short, Dont Look Up). RELATED: Dont Look Up Star Jennifer Lawrence Was In Absolute Misery Filming 1 Scene With Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothee Chalamet It Was Hell TLCs Little People, Big World brought Amy and Matt Roloffs family to the forefront. Though only Zach Roloff and his wife, Tori Roloff, remain filming the show with Amy and Matt, the couple has four children. More recently, Amy gave fans a peek at her visit with her daughter, Molly Roloff. So, where is Molly Roloff now in 2022? Heres what we know. Little People, Big World star Amy Roloff visited Molly Roloff for Easter 2022 Amy Roloff and Matt Roloff | Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire Today, Amy and Matt Roloff are the driving force behind Little People, Big World, but such wasnt always the case. When the show began, Amy and Matt showcased what their family looked like. Both Amy and Matt are little people, as is Zach Roloff. But Zachs twin, Jeremy Roloff, as well as Molly Roloff and Jacob Roloff, were born of average height. With the show returning to TLC in 2022, it looks different from when it first began. And fans rarely see much of Molly in the public eye. Amy posted a photo to Instagram on April 17, 2022, of her visiting Molly for Easter. Easter weekend in Spokane, Amy captioned the post. Nothing better than hanging out with some of my kiddos and grandson and praising the Lord. Hallelujah! The photo shows Amy taking the selfie outdoors with Molly, Mollys husband, Jacob, Jacobs wife, two dogs, and a baby carriage. Where is Molly Roloff now? Quitting #LPBW certainly hasn't hurt Molly Roloff's net worth. https://t.co/wg1cufD3OE In Touch Weekly (@intouchweekly) February 20, 2022 So, where is Molly Roloff now? At 28 years old, shes married to Joel Silvius and still living in Spokane, Washington, where Amy visited her. Amy visits Molly from time to time, and it seems Molly also comes to Helvetia, Oregon, to spend time with her mom. They live about five to seven hours apart. In Touch Weekly reports Molly is a Senior Accountant External Reporting at Nordstrom. While she currently lives in Spokane, she also reportedly went to school there. She attended Whitworth University in Spokane. So, will Molly make any future appearances on Little People, Big World? While shes no longer a series regular, theres a chance shell make a cameo for major events. Unfortunately, fans shouldnt expect her, Jeremy Roloff, or Jacob Roloff to return to reality TV full-time. Did Jacob Roloff have a baby? He and his wife have a baby carriage in the Easter photo with Amy Roloff Is Jacob Roloff the heir to Roloff Farms? #LPBW's Matt Roloff gifted his youngest a vintage car and praised his work after Jeremy and Zach voiced interest in taking over the family farm. https://t.co/uaPEG4aGCx In Touch Weekly (@intouchweekly) January 18, 2022 Aside from Molly Roloff, Amy also visited with Jacob Roloff, given the Easter 2022 photo. So, does Jacob Roloff have a baby now? He does. He and his wife, Isabel Rock, welcomed their first child in December 2021. They married in 2019. Our birth story didnt go as planned; as we know life rarely ever does, Isabel posted on Instagram on Dec. 11, 2022. These past few weeks have shown me what true surrender and trust looks like. I have never been more hands on my knees afraid, and I have also never known a love so big. Seeing Jacob as a father is the most heartwarming thing I have ever witnessed. Being a mother is the most myself I have ever felt. While Jacob Roloff will never return to Little People, Big World, he has a good relationship with Molly and Amy. Additionally, recent rumors suggest Matt Roloff wants him to take over Roloff Farms, though well have to wait and see what occurs there. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! RELATED: Little People, Big World: Jeremy Roloff Says He Didnt Want to Associate With the Show When He Left, Says It Did Damage WASHINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Two minors died and eight more people were injured after shots were fired at a house party in Pittsburgh, a major city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, early Sunday morning. The shooting took place shortly after midnight during a party at a rental property, with as many as 200 people in attendance, many of them underage, according to police. Two male victims -- both juveniles -- died at the hospital, police said, and eight more people were being treated for gunshot wounds. A police release initially said nine others were injured, but Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert told reporters on Sunday noon that the number was later revised. Police also said initial investigation revealed as many as 50 rounds were fired inside, prompting some party-goers to jump out of the windows, and several more shots were fired outside the home. The investigation is ongoing. Andrew Weinstein, an attorney and advocate for ending gun violence, tweeted on Sunday that people might not have heard about the shooting "because it's the sort of thing that happens every single day in America." "It's long past time we did something about that," Weinstein added. The Pittsburgh party shooting was only one of several mass shootings that have been reported across the United States over the weekend. In the state of South Carolina, two separate mass shootings on Saturday afternoon and early Sunday have left at least 23 people injured in total. In Syracuse in the state of New York, five people were shot, including one man fatally, in a commercial area early Saturday. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh told reporters that this incident touched a nerve in this community. "I've heard from a lot of people who are concerned," Walsh said. "Everybody goes downtown. Everybody can relate to that. Everybody has stood where this incident has occurred." Over 22,000 people have died or been injured due to gun-related incidents in the United States this year, according to a database run by the nonprofit research group Gun Violence Archive. Many cities around the United States have been experiencing "a pretty significant increase in shootings and homicides," a trend that started in the spring of 2020, according to Christopher Herrmann, assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, specializing in crime analysis. Americans' concern about crime and violence has edged up in the past year, and for the first time since 2016, a majority of them -- 53 percent -- said they were worried "a great deal" about crimes, according to the latest data from Gallup. When a celebrity dies, like Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, its easy to focus on the fan reaction. Everyone looks back on their past work and wonders what they could have done if they were still around. Machine Gun Kelly remembered Hawkins children, however, and had a few sweet words to say to them. Machine Gun Kelly | Jason Kempin/Getty Images Taylor Hawkins death shook up the music world News of Hawkins death on March 25 came as a shock to many. He was only 50 years old and was on tour in South America at the time. It seemed like everything was going right for Hawkins, and then we learned that he was gone. Hawkins was found in his Bogota, Colombia hotel room. After announcing his passing, the Foo Fighters officially canceled their Grammy Awards performance. As of this time, their future tour dates are also canceled as the group mourns. Even so, Hawkins still had a role to play at the Grammys. Billie Eilish wore a black T-shirt with Hawkins picture on it during her performance. The 2022 Grammys host Trevor Noah would later play a touching tribute video during the time slot when the Foo Fighters were originally scheduled to play. The Foo Fighters won three awards that night. These were for the Best Rock Performance (Making a Fire), Best Rock Song (Waiting On a War), and Best Rock Album Medicine at Midnight. Machine Gun Kelly reached out to Taylor Hawkins children Hawkins was on the Howard Stern Show quite a bit, so when Machine Gun Kelly appeared on the show on March 28, it was only natural to discuss Hawkins death. Howard mentioned how much he enjoyed having Hawkins on the show. He really enjoyed talking to Hawkins, and remembers him as a kind soul. Machine Gun Kelly agreed. As it turns out, he got to spend some time with Hawkins in Paraguay just two nights before his death. The Foo Fighters and Machine Gun Kelly were supposed to perform at a festival together. The event was canceled due to bad weather, however. This didnt stop the Foo Fighters from having a good time, and they invited Machine Gun Kelly and his entourage along to their hotel rooftop. Machine Gun Kelly remembered how Hawkins made sure to speak to everyone, including his personal assistant. He took the extra time to really get to know everyone. When discussing Hawkins children, Machine Gun Kelly said, I really want to thank him and let his kids know that he made us feel so confident in ourselves and loved, and your father [was] a great, great man, and we were all lucky to know him. The Mainstream Sellout tour is on The show must go on, and Machine Gun Kelly released his sixth full-length studio album Mainstream Sellout on March 25, the day of Hawkins death. He was on the Stern Show to promote this album and said the title is sort of a way to poke fun at himself and the people who think that hes new to the scene. Mainstream Sellout currently has a user score of 5.5 on Metacritic. Many of the reviews referenced the similarities between this album and Tickets to My Downfall. According to Machine Gun Kellys site, the tour will begin in Austin, Texas on June 8, and will then move across the U.S. until it wraps up in Cleveland, Ohio on August 13. Machine Gun Kelly will then travel overseas to Germany, Czechia, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ireland, and finally to the Netherlands where the tour will end on October 12. RELATED: Red Hot Chili Peppers Pay Tribute to Taylor Hawkins and Kurt Cobain on the Howard Stern Show Mayim Bialik is still alternating guest hosting duties with Ken Jennings on Jeopardy!, though she has plenty of other projects in the works. Recently directing her first feature film As They Made Us, Bialik also wrote the script and admitted she thought of her formerThe Big Bang Theory co-star when she fleshed out a specific character. Mayim Bialik | Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images As They Made Us highlights family relationships As They Made Us was released in theaters and on streaming services on April 8. The story centers on Abigail (Dianna Agron), a divorced mother of two, who is trying to handle her familys complex dynamics while caring for her ailing father (Dustin Hoffman). Abigails estranged brother (Simon Helberg) has broken off contact with the family due to their mothers (Candice Bergen) highly abrasive personality. Coming to terms with the dysfunction in her family, Abigail attempts to heal the rift between her brother and parents before her dad passes away. Loosely based on her own family of origin, Bialik commented on how the films cast members gave stellar performances. This is an unbelievable cast, each of them individually, but then also as a family, Bialik told Variety. I just love so much how they function together, and how they didnt function, as the roles required. RELATED: Mayim Bialik Called Directing These 2 Hollywood Icons Surreal and Intimidating Mayim Bialik considers herself Simon Helbergs biggest fan Bialik expressed her gratitude for her former TBBT co-star taking on the character of Nathan, knowing how Helberg would nail the role. It was very, very special to work with Simon, Bialik said. I basically wrote with him in mind, but I never thought he would do this movie. It also was very important to have someone who knew me when my father passed away, who knew my family, and it felt like having a friend there. Though the Jeopardy! guest host knew she had her work cut out for herself calling the shots for two Hollywood heavyweights in Hoffman and Bergen, Bialik was most apprehensive giving Helberg direction. I would say Im Simon Helbergs biggest fan, Bialik told the Daily Beast. It was a bigger challenge than even directing Dustin or Candice or Dianna, because this is someone who I looked up to so much and who inspired me for the decade that he and I worked together on Big Bang, and now I have to turn around and try and approach him as his director. Calling Action! was new for Mayim Bialik Bialik is no stranger to show business. Starring on the big screen as a child actor in the film Beaches and later on TV in NBCs sitcom Blossom, Bialiks transition to directing had her tackling some new tasks. I was extremely nervous I was terrified, she admitted to Variety. And it literally didnt even occur to me that Im the one who has to yell, Action. I remember there was this notion of like, How do I want to say it? There was this definite notion of being terrified for at least the first week. Bialik leaned on some tips from fellow directors to help her stay on her toes throughout the filmmaking process. I spoke to the director Eliza Hittman (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), she remarked. She told me let no one in the edit bay whos a producer, except me, and that was really good advice. I used David Mamets book on directing as sort of my guide. I had a wrote down my favorite quotes and posted them on the clipboard that Id take to set and I would literally touch the book every morning before Id leave the hotel room. As They Made Us is now playing in theaters and on streaming services. RELATED: Is Jeopardy! Guest Host Mayim Bialik Married? Disney+s new series Moon Knight is a different take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Until now, the streamers Marvel offerings directly tied into the movies. While this may still happen with Oscar Isaacs newly-introduced hero, the show is yet to crossover with other MCU properties past references. However, if a big crossover occurs, the director sees him as a problem for the other heroes of the universe. Oscar Issac as Moon Knight | Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios What is Moon Knight? According to IMDb, Moon Knight pits Isaacs titular character against a cult with roots in Ancient Egypt. However, Isaacs protagonist, Marc Spector, has a problem. He lives with dissociative identity disorder and switches between personas while forgetting his time between them. As such, a man who begins as a museum employee quickly latches onto his own secret identity. The show aims not only to introduce a new character but shine a light on an actual mental health condition. On top of that, Ethan Hawkes Arthur Harrow is a religious zealot and cult leader who worships the Egyptian goddess Ammit and serves as a worthy foe. Meanwhile, Spector attempts to make sense of his new existence. In a new twist, Disney started this series not in the shadow of other events, but in a corner of the cinematic world that, until now, we havent seen. However, should Moon Knight crossover with the bigger universe, he might bite off more than he can chew. If Moon Knight meets Avengers Moon Knight co-director Mohamed Diab spoke with Inverse about the characters role in the greater MCU. While the series stands alone through two episodes, everyone looks forward to the seemingly inevitable crossover with the big-screen cast. With this in mind, Diab sees that potential collaboration is the bane of the collectives existence. I could see Marc and Steven driving the characters of the MCU crazy. Marcs speaking to someone with complete seriousness, and suddenly he turns into Steven, or Moon Knight turns into Mr. Knight. I think it would be amazing, Diab told Inverse. While the on-screen world is yet to reach that point, executive producer Grant Curtis told the website that theyve already plotted Moon Knights ultimate role inside the greater universe. Moon Knight is very much in the MCU, Curtis told Inverse. Curtis continued, saying, The observant viewer is going to hear and see those Easter eggs we drop that do explain that and confirm that We looked at the very first comics he appeared in, in 1975, and we looked over the years of storytelling, over the decades of Moon Knight stories, [and asked] what are the themes and tones that were gravitating towards as storytellers? We never intentionally tried to make this standalone. Thus far, it has kept that feel. However, the MCU is in the middle of its longest, most comprehensive overhaul, and Isaacs introduction could play out in many ways. What will happen next? Oscar Isaac is just the latest massive star to join the universe, but his inclusion, alongside Hailee Steinfeld in Hawkeye, shows just how ambitious future plans may be. The MCU is still recovering from Endgames universe-changing events, and every series from WandaVision to Moon Knight has added intrigue to the post-blip world. Whether this plays into the multiverse or Moon Knight happens to fight alongside one of the established characters remains to be seen. However, if the first few episodes are any hint, Isaacs time in the MCU could establish his role as one of the most iconic since Robert Downey Jr. kicked off the MCU in 2008s Iron Man. RELATED: Moon Knight: Layla Could Fight as Marvels First Major Female Moon Knight If Khonshu Gets His Way Apple TV+ has fans enthralled with the Korean diaspora story based on a novel, Pachinko. It follows four generations of a family led by a female protagonist named Kim Sunja. Actor Kim Min-ha plays the teenage version of the character in Pachinko. Kim embodies her characters journey to seek a better life and, in Pachinko Episode 6, gives birth to the next generation. To get an accurate scene, the actor studied labor intensively. [Warning: This article contains spoilers for Pachinko.] Kim Min-ha as Sunja in Pachinko Episode 6 | via Apple TV+ Sunja is in a foreign land and gives birth to her first child in Pachinko Fans who have kept up with Sunjas emotional story are well aware of her battle living in Japan. In previous episodes, she left a Japan-occupied Korea and moved to Japan with her husband. Before her marriage and travel, Sunja is pregnant with Koh Hansus (Lee Min-ho) child. Fans know the drama-filled and tense meeting Sunja had with Hansu before leaving for Japan. She made it very clear the child was hers and not Hansus. Sunja proclaimed the child would be hers to raise alongside her new sweet and understanding husband. The trip to Japan by boat was hard on Sunja and the baby, but they made it through. As a foreigner in Japan, pregnant and without her mother, Sunja has difficulty adapting and holding on. In Pachinko Episode 6, it is time for Sunja to have her child and push her into a new chapter of her life. Fans were awestruck by actor Kim Min-has ability to deliver an emotional and realistic labor scene she spent time preparing for. Kim Min-ha spent time watching labor videos for Pachinko Episode 6 This scene is important because Sunjas taken initiative. So she's going to sell the pocket watch that Hansu gave to her to get money to pay off Yosebs debt. Justin Chon, Director of #Pachinko pic.twitter.com/EqeyDQVUUh Apple TV+ (@AppleTVPlus) April 13, 2022 RELATED: Thirty-Nine: The Sweet Reason Why Jeon Mi-do Cried at Son Ye-jins Wedding Wearing a padded pregnancy belly on set is one thing. It is another to act out a convincing birthing scene on screen. In Pachinko Episode 6, Kims character gives birth to her first son. To prepare for the role, Kim did a lot of research to get it right. According to her interview with Deadline, Preparing for that scene, I had to watch a lot of documentaries and a lot of videos on YouTube. I wanted to see a lot of live moments of women in labour. And then I asked a lot of things to my grandmother. Any fan who went to high school and took Health Education would recall the graphic nature of birth videos. While it may seem extreme to some, it helped Kim get a better perspective of how to act out the scene that took two days to film. It was kind of tough. But also, it was my first experience, and I really wanted it to be live, and not pretending. It was also very challenging for me. But also a whole new experience, said Kim. The actor even reveals her mindset, and research made her feel as if she was really pregnant on set. Kim Min-ha stars as Sunja in weekly episodes of Pachinko RELATED: Squid Game: Why Park Hae-soo Says K-Drama is The Most South Korean Story Pachinko is a weekly limited series that is close to its finale. The series has two episodes left in Sunja and her familys diaspora story of survival and reconnecting with your ancestral roots. Kim plays the leading role as a teen Sunja with Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung as an older version of the character. In the role of Sunjas husband is actor Steve Sanghyun Noh as Baek Isak. Jin Ha plays the role of Sunjas grandson Solomon and actor Soji Arai as her son Mozasu, who owns pachinko parlors. Pachinko is available to stream on Apple TV+ and airs new episodes every Friday at Midnight EST or 9 pm PST. RELATED: Twenty-Five Twenty-One: Nam Joo-hyuk Improvised One of His Characters Most Heartbreaking Scenes Selling Sunset is back with season 5. That means all new properties, plenty of Oppenheim Group drama, and even heartbreak. Heres what fans of the Netflix series have to look forward to in new episodes of Selling Sunset. Heather Rae Young, Amanza Smith, Vanessa Villela, Davina Potratz, Chrishell Stause, Maya Vander, Christine Quinn, Mary Fitzgerald, Emma Hernan | Nino Munoz/Netflix Selling Sunset Season 5 features more luxurious properties in the Hollywood Hills Selling Sunset first debuted on Netflix a year before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but it became a source of escapism for viewers in future seasons. The new episodes are no different, giving fans a dose of the property porn they crave. From the lavish $23,995,000 property on Blue Jay Way in Los Angeles to the Mount Olympus property listed at $2,995,000, the prices are what youd expect to see from the agents on Selling Sunset. But the layout of these properties continues to amplify season over season. This time around, theres even more homes designed to entertain. One episode features a house that looks like it could be the backdrop of a TikTok video. The homes potential to be rented out for content creation is even commented on. Whether you watch the show and lust over these houses, investigate to get decor ideas for your own home, or both, Selling Sunset Season 5 is full of lavish LA properties. But thats not all this season has to offer. Christine Quinn brings new blood and new drama to The Oppenheim Group The drama from the Selling Sunset Season 4 finale lives on. Previously, Christine Quinn was on the outs with her Oppenheim Group colleagues, and that trend continues in season 5. Now that Christine has burned bridges with Mary Fitzgerald, Chrishell Stause, and Emma Hernan, shes forced to turn to external sources for camaraderie. She finds a friend in newcomer Chelsea Lazkani. Season 5 of #SellingSunset featuring newcomer Chelsea Lazkani will premiere on April 22nd. pic.twitter.com/FNsDGIu1Rd Affinity Magazine (@TheAffinityMag) March 23, 2022 Jason Oppenheim and Chelsea have a history he sold her husband Jeff Lazkani a house before (a process that involved showing Kanye Wests home, to which Jeffs mom said: It looks like a lonely narcissist lives here.) Chelsea knowledge of Manhattan Beach intrigues Jason. But her call it like it is personality will intrigue Selling Sunset fans. Chelseas willing to befriend anyone at The Oppenheim Group adds to the drama in season 5. Selling Sunset Season 5 details Jason Oppenheim and Chrishell Stauses brief relationship Jason and Chrishell went public with their relationship when the cast went to Italy in the summer of 2021. Season 4 concluded with a teaser of the two getting together, but we get a closer look at their relationship in season 5. After some soul searching, Jason acknowledged he wasnt not ready to have kids. Instead of continuing in their relationship, Jason and Chrishell publicly separated in December 2021. Selling Sunset fans will get an even closer look at the couples split in season 5 of the Netflix series. Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim | Netflix Their breakup, albeit heartbreaking, is handled with grace and compassion. Oddly enough, it serves as a palette cleanser to the ongoing drama between the women of The Oppenheim Group. Watch all 10 episodes of Selling Sunset Season 5 on Netflix beginning April 22. RELATED: Selling Sunset Star Heather Rae Young Opens Up About Fertility and Her Journey to a Little El Moussa With Tarek The exciting new Hulu miniseries, The Dropout highlights the relationship between Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) and her COO Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews). Holmes was recently convicted of fraud, and Balwanis case is currently in court. But whats become of their romance? Heres a breakdown of Holmes and Balwanis relationship timeline and where they stand today. Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos CEO in an interview | David Orrell/CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images) Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani met in 2002 The real-life couple at the center of The Dropout is no longer dating. The two met in Beijing, China in 2002, when Holmes was 18 and Balwani (who was married at the time), was 37. Holmes was in China studying Mandarin through Stanford at the time. And when she first spoke to Balwani, she was impressed by his business acumen and success. I understood that hed been a really successful businessperson, that he worked with Bill Gates in the early days of Microsoft, Holmes said during her 2021 trial via Vanity Fair. I talked to him about wanting to start a company, and a company that I tried to build in high school, and I asked for his advice. Upon their return to the United States, Holmes and Balwani kept in touch via email. And in 2005, after Holmes dropped out of college to start Theranos, she started living with Balwani in Palo Alto. Holmess defense will try to prove that sure, maybe she ran a highly lucrative scam for over a decade, but she didnt know it was a scam at the time. Her legal argument essentially amounts to throwing her former partner and boyfriend Ramesh Sunny Balwani, under the bus. pic.twitter.com/Jb6WEzPfFZ Morning Brew (@MorningBrew) August 31, 2021 Sunny Balwani joined Theranos in 2009 and left in 2016 Balwani officially became Theranos COO in 2009. And by then, he and Holmes were in a serious relationship. As reported by Vanity Fair, the government released hundreds of texts the couple sent to each other while they were dating. Balwanis texts to Holmes were doting and loving, while Holmes messages were shorter and far less affectionate. There is no love for me like yours, Balwani wrote in one text. Which is why its hard to breath [sic] without your breath near me. Holmes reply to most posts like this was a simple Ditto. But in 2016, Balwani left Theranos. And according to Holmes, things ended because of a failed government inspection of their labs. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes testified she was abused by her former romantic partner Ramesh Sunny Balwani and that the relationship had a pervasive impact on her life during the time when she is accused of committing fraud https://t.co/c5CjuOp6hs pic.twitter.com/uNksgKUHuJ Reuters (@Reuters) November 30, 2021 I had gone into that inspection thinking that we had one of the best labs in the world, and the findings from that inspection were so fundamentally different than what I had believed, Holmes said during her trial, blaming Balwani for the failure. He wasnt who I thought he was, and I realized if I was going to fix the issues and allow the company to see through its potential, I had to do that without him in the company. Elizabeth Holmes accused Sunny Balwani of abuse during her 2021 trial During her 2021 trial, Holmes blamed many of Theranos failures and frauds on Balwani. And she also accused her former COO and boyfriend of abuse. He would tell me not to sleep much, eat only foods that would make me pure and would make me have the most energy possible in the company, Holmes said, as reported by Vanity Fair. #Update: Back in court for the trial of Sunny Balwani. Former Theranos employee and whistleblower Erika Cheung is on the stand, testifying that employees removed data from tests to make results look better. pic.twitter.com/IGYxfQKJja scott budman (@scottbudman) March 30, 2022 He would get very angry with me, she added. And then he would sometimes come upstairs to our bedroom and force me to have sex with him when I didnt want to because he wanted me to know that he still loved me. Holmes was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. She faces a $1 million fine and up to 80 years in prison. Balwanis trial began in March 2022. He is facing the same charges as Holmes. RELATED: The Dropout: What Is the Real Elizabeth Holmes Net Worth? Bill Murray is a fan favorite for many since he is best known for being a part of movies like Caddyshack (1980), Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II (1984 and 1989), and Groundhog Day (1993). In more recent times, he was Baloo in the live-action movie The Jungle Book (2016) and as Boss in the Isle of Dogs (2018). However, of all the movies that Murray has been involved with, the one people are most interested in is his cameo appearance in Zombieland. Although Murray was only in the movie a short time, there have been rumors and suspicion that Murrays own home was in the movie. Bill Murray | Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Fans want to know, Was Zombieland filmed at Murrays real house? We have the long-debated answer! Bill Murray in Zombieland Zombieland is a horror-comedy that was released in 2009. The setting is post-apocalyptic and after a strain of mad cow disease mutated and affected people, ultimately turning people into zombies. The survivors are focused on survival, knowing that at any moment they, or those close to them, could be killed. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a lonely college student, who chooses to leave the safety of his dorm in Texas and head to Ohio to see if his family is alive. Along the way, he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and the two pair up. Next, they meet Wichita (Emma Stone) and her sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). They are con artists who take the guys weapons and their vehicle. To counter it, the guys find another vehicle and go after the girls, which ends in a truce between all four people. They set off toward California after Columbus learns his family is likely dead where they ultimately end up at Pacific Playland, attacking many zombies and finding themselves in the process. Is the zombie apocalypse close to home for Murray? After the group reaches California, and before they take on a multitude of zombies, they reach Hollywood. It is here that Murray makes his cameo appearance. Murray plays a fictionalized version of himself and a survivor of the zombie apocalypse. He is staying in his Beverly Hills mansion and acts like a zombie to trick real zombies into thinking he is one of them. It is Tallahassee who suggests visiting the Murray mansion, which leads to Murray, while watching Ghostbusters, being killed by Columbus. For years people have wondered whether Murrays home was the one in Zombieland. Although Murray owns many homes, he did not ever own the Beverly Hills mansion shown in Zombieland. In fact, the mansion itself isnt even in Beverly Hills, but in Atlanta, Georgia where it is a part of the Buckhead neighborhood, according to CBR. This doesnt lessen its value, though. It is a massive home with reportedly nine bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, seven full kitchens, two gyms, a wellness center, a cigar room, and a ballroom. Where does Murray actually live? Murray is a very private person, but it is rumored and shown on CelebAnswers that he has homes in New York, Massachusetts, California, and South Carolina. It is also noted that he spends a lot of his free time in Charleston where he enjoys visiting Harolds Cabin, a small cafe, which he co-owns with John Schumacher. According to Explore Charleston, Murray has also been spotted supporting the Charleston RiverDogs, dining with friends at Husk restaurant, relaxing during happy hour at Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer, sipping mint julep at The Gin Joint, and living on Sullivans Island, which is just minutes outside of Charleston. RELATED: Bill Murray: 9 of His Greatest Roles Cherokee Nation citizen Falon Wilson of Chelsea received the Olan Isbell Merit Award honoring the founder of Professional Oklahoma Educators. Wilson is a counselor at Chelsea High School. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 CAIRO, Egypt, April 18, 2022 (Morning Star News) The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Alexandria has declared a priest who was stabbed to death on April 7 a martyr, while Egypts most influential Islamic institution condemned the attack. Archbishop Arsanious Wadid, 56, priest of the Virgin and St. Paul Church in the Karmouz neighborhood of the Meharam Bek District in Alexandria, was walking on the city promenade when the assailant stabbed him three times in the neck with a knife, according to local press reports. The priest was distributing Ramadan gifts to passers-by on the walkway with a group of youths from the church, according to Alarabiya.net. He was stabbed by a man described only as a 60-year-old beggar as he was returning to a bus taking them back to the church site. The assailant fled but was apprehended by citizens and restrained until police arrived. Wadeed was transported to Mostafa Kamel Military Hospital, where he died from his wounds upon arrival. Authorities reportedly said that after questioning the assailant was found to be mentally unstable, a common assertion after attacks on Christians in Egypt. Officials said a motive for the attack had yet to be determined. The criminal court placed the assailant under medical examination to check his assertions that mental instability made him lose control of his actions, according to Ahram Online. During his interrogation, the defendant confessed to intentionally killing the victim, but later changed his confession saying that he had arrived in Alexandria a few days prior in search of work and stayed overnight on public roads, claiming that the knife in his possession was just for self-defense, the outlet reported. He also claimed that he was not aware of what he was doing on the day of the incident until he was arrested. Furthermore, he said that he suffered from mental disorders about 10 years ago, after which he was admitted to a mental health hospital to receive treatment, and that he sometimes loses control of his actions. The Public Prosecution was also questioning the attackers family. Blood samples were taken to check if he was under the influence of narcotics during the attack. The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Alexandria declared Wadid a martyr. The Coptic Orthodox Church described the killing as exceptional, and does not reflect the general situation in Egypt, and a failed attempt to destabilize security, and praised rapid action by state agencies to block any sedition. Archbishop Moussa Ibrahim, the official church spokesperson, told Sky News Arabia that the incident was an exception as such incidents have completely stopped and that it was a failed attempt to destabilize security. He claimed that the country was stable and secure, adding that the attack will not stop our movement forward. Archbishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, also condemned the killing, tweeting, In clerical attire in a public space with no one else attacked, it can be safely assumed that Father Arsanious Wadid was targeted as a priest. With a suspect in custody, we wait to see whether investigations rule this to be an individual event or part of a known wider phenomenon. Evangelical and Catholic churches stated that the brutal crimes against Christians will not undermine Egypts unity and strength, according to Egypt Today. Al-Azhar, the worlds most influential Sunni Islam institution, condemned the attack in a statement on Facebook. Al-Azhars Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb said such attacks might instigate religious wars. The Grand Imam affirms that homicide is a major sin that arouses Gods wrath and is punishable in the afterlife, read Al-Azhars statement. Christians make up more than 10 percent of Egypts population in Muslim-majority country, and attacks on Christians are common. Wadid was ordained to the priesthood in 1995 by the late Pope Shenouda III, former head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Egypt was ranked 20th on Open Doors 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Oleksii Liskonih Szofia Boros voted for Victor Orban. The young evangelical mother of two has her misgivings about the man who has been accused of undermining democracycurtailing press freedom, undercutting the independent judiciary, and changing election rules to give an advantage to his political party, Fidesz. But in the end, it was pretty simple to support him for reelection on April 3. Evangelical Christians support the majority of Orbans policies and positions, even if we dont really admire the way he goes about his politics, she said. I voted for him because he is a conservative Christian standing up against a liberal Europe. Evangelicals arent a big or politically organized voting bloc in Hungary. Only a few evangelical groups are established enough to achieve recognition from the national government, including the Baptist Union, the Hungarian Methodist Church, the Hungarian Pentecostal Church, the Church of the Nazarene, and the charismatic Faith Church, whose pastor endorsed Orban during a Sunday service. About half the people in the country consider themselves Catholic, a quarter has no religious affiliation, and 16 percentincluding Orbanidentify with the Reformed Church in Hungary, which is part of the mainline World Council of Churches and affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Eighty percent of the country identifies as Christian, but only about 15 percent of Hungarians attend church on a weekly basis. But a lot of Hungarians, it turns out, feel like Boros. They wanted a conservative Christian prime minister committed to defending what they see as a Christian culture and its Christian values. The Fidesz campaign was built on a few very clear, concise and targeted messages, Hungarian pastor and Calvary Chapel church planter Attila Nyari toldEvangelical Focus. They were focusing on identifying the enemiesthe EU, George Soros, the UN and Muslim migrantsfor the Hungarian people and then positioning Orban as the saviour and protector of the nation. Nyari told CT that most evangelicals in Hungary thanked God for Orbans victory. The Calvary Chapel pastor and Lausanne Movement chief of staff said he was personally saddened by the outcome but he thinks hes in the minority. Fidesz got about 53 percent of the vote and secured a two-thirds majority in parliament. Orban won reelection for the fourth time and has four more years in office. The few weeks before the election were dominated by debates about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and whether Hungary should get involved. But the longer arc of the campaign focused on economic support for families and protecting Hungary from liberalism, multiculturalism, and LGBT ideology. Orbans administration froze the price of fuel and some basic food products and instituted new welfare benefits for families with children, retired people, and people under 25. The prime ministers party also put a referendum on the ballot asking people if they wanted to protect children from education about sexual orientation or media content that portrays or promotes gender reassignment. The referendum failed to meet the threshold requirement of 50 percent, but may have succeeded in mobilizing some voters. Orban has styled his political program as a defense of Christian liberty. He argues that Hungary has historically been a Christian island in a sea of foreign threats, such as Soviet Communism and German Nazism. Today, he says, it must be defended against Islam, immigrants, globalism, and liberalism. According to Carolyn Gallaher, professor in the School of International Service at American University, Orban connects to voters through his identification as a Christian and legitimizes his political views by saying they are synonymous with Christianity. His invocations of faith are less about specific issues than powerful symbolism. The prime minister was once an atheist. But on the way to power, Orban reconnected with his Calvinist roots and underwent a religious transformation in the 1990s, even remarrying his wife in a church and having his children baptized. His Christian identity has become key to his political ego and his vision for Hungary. He talks about the nations Christianness as he argues for instituting restrictive immigration policies, aiding persecuted Christians in Africa and the Middle East, and amending the constitution to define marriage as solely a relationship between a man and a woman. Orban does not shy away from fighting the culture war, wrote Rod Dreher, the American Orthodox author of The Benedict Option and Live Not by Lies. Dreher traveled to Hungary for the election and cheered for Orbans victory. I have been saying for the past year that US conservatives should come to Hungary to learn from Orban and Fidesz, he wrote for the American Conservative. Orban is not a small-government Anglo-Saxon conservative. He believes in using the power of the state to strengthen families, the basis of any health society. But the most important thing US conservatives can learn is how to use political power to fight the culture war. The Conservative Political Action Conferenceseen as a bellwether for American conservativeswill hold its next meeting in Hungary in May. Orban is scheduled as the keynote speaker. Even as he wins acclaim from conservatives internationally, though, some evangelicals at home have turned against Orban. The Christian opposition has been dismayed by what they see as his abuses of power, his politicization of Christianity, and a coarse nastiness. Orban has used dehumanizing language for migrants and refugees, calling desperate people fleeing Syria invaders and poison." One of his fiercest critics is Gabor Ivanyi, a Methodist minister who runs one of Budapests homeless shelters and was once Orbans pastor. Ivanyi has been locked in a years-long conflict with the prime minister, accusing him of betraying the democratic ideals he once held and misusing the idea of Christian liberty to grasp power. Ivanyis religious organization, the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship, was raided by federal agents in February. Critics of the Orban government say it was politically motivated. Ivanyi is not the only prominent Hungarian Christian who criticizes the prime minister on religious grounds. Orbans leading opponent in the election was Peter Marki-Zay, a Catholic who regularly spoke of Orbans many sins. Marki-Zay represented an impossibly broad coalition of political groups, who were only really united by their opposition to Orban. But he nonetheless returned to religious themes when he made his argument. He said Fidesz embraced the love of power instead of the power of love and a true Christian could not vote for Orban. The Catholic politician was barred from national television, however, and was only able to give that speech to a small group of supporters. Some evangelicals who dont support Orban, such as Nyari, are especially dismayed at how this last election has made politics seem so important. Nyari told CT he is happy to have a mix of political views in his church and thinks its healthy for evangelicals to have a diversity of views. Hes disheartened, though, by how divisive the last election has been, pointing to tensions that have emerged in his own community. He senses deep wounds on both sides. I see the validity of the vocation and the work politicians do, but Christians need to remember that they are not the ultimate authority, Nyari said. If we place too much emphasis on the importance of politics, we might be overconfident or might become hopeless if the other side wins. Neither is a genuine faith response. Evangelicals are just a small fraction of Hungarian voters, according to the pastor. But they wrestle with a real temptation to put too much faith in politics. Personal relationships in our everyday lives, serving, and prayer have way more power to shape a countrys future than its politics, he said. Christians in India arrested during Maundy Thursday service Police in northern Indias Uttar Pradesh state arrested dozens of Christians celebrating Maundy Thursday in their Evangelical church after a mob of radical Hindu nationalists surrounded the building and locked the doors in retaliation for the alleged forced conversions of Hindus to Christianity. At least 36 Christians were arrested from a church belonging to the Evangelical Church of India denomination in Hariharganj area of Fatehpur City based on a police complaint under Uttar Pradesh states anti-conversion law filed by a member of the Hindu nationalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council), the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christians Concern reported. This is a perfect portrayal of Jesus suffering 2000 years ago. We know Jesus endured, and we will, ICC quoted a member of the congregation as saying. Maundy Thursday is an occasion when Christians gather to celebrate Jesus final Passover with His disciples, His commandment to love one another, and His service to others through the washing of feet. According to Indias PTI news agency, the arrests were made over allegedly illegal religious conversions of 90 people in the last 40 days in the [Fatehpur] district. Sadly, Uttar Pradesh is one of the harshest states in India regarding religious freedom violations, ICC President Jeff King said. When the Indian authorities validate the actions of a violent mob by jailing the mobs victims, they are sending a message that criminal activity is approved by the authorities whenever it targets religious minorities. This type of legal posture only worsens the religious freedom climate and further increases the vulnerability of Christians to more violence. The VHP, the group that filed the complaint, is known for attacking minorities, including Christians. Anti-conversion laws are inherently subjective, and perception-based, therefore completely restricting the rights of Christians to public expressions of their faith, King added. While Christians make up only 2.3% of Indias population and Hindus comprise about 80%, the countrys anti-conversion laws presume that Christians force or give financial benefits to Hindus to convert them to Christianity. Some of these laws have been in place for decades in some states. Radical Hindu nationalist groups frequently use the laws to make false charges against Christians and launch attacks on them under the pretext of an alleged forced conversion. For Indias Christians, 2021 was the most violent year in the countrys history, according to a report by the United Christian Forum, which recorded at least 486 violent incidents of Christian persecution in the year. The UCF attributed the high incidence of Christian persecution to impunity, due to which such mobs criminally threaten, physically assault people in prayer, before handing them over to the police on allegations of forcible conversions. Police registered formal complaints in only 34 of the 486 cases, according to the UCF. Often communal sloganeering is witnessed outside police stations, where the police stand as mute spectators, the UCF report states. Hindu extremists believe that all Indians should be Hindus and that the country should be rid of Christianity and Islam, an Open Doors fact sheet explains. They use extensive violence to achieve this goal, particularly targeting Christians from a Hindu background. Christians are accused of following a foreign faith and blamed for bad luck in their communities. Prosecutor asks to withdraw death penalty for murderer at center of Supreme Court prayer case A district attorney in Texas filed a motion to withdraw the death penalty for an inmate at the center of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed him to have a Baptist minister lay hands on him during his execution. Last Thursday, Nueces County District Attorney Mark A. Gonzalez filed a motion in district court requesting the withdrawal of the order setting [John Henry] Ramirezs execution date and recall the death warrant. In 2008, Ramirez was found guilty of brutally murdering 46-year-old Corpus Christi convenience store worker Pablo Castro in 2004. Ramirez reportedly stabbed the clerk around 30 times and was apprehended in Mexico over three years later. He was recently issued an execution date for this coming October. The undersigned District Attorney for Nueces County has the firm belief that the death penalty is unethical and should not be imposed on Mr. Ramirez or any other person while the undersigned occupies the office in question, read the motion. The Assistant District Attorney who most recently moved for an execution date in this cause was not aware of my desire in this matter and did not consult me prior to moving for an execution date. Ramirez's attorney, Seth Kretzer, was confident that the death penalty will be withdrawn. He told local media outlet KRIS 6 News that if the moving party no longer wants that result, it would seem to be very unusual that a judge says, Oh no, you must have it. Ramirez filed a complaint last year when he was denied a request to have a pastor pray audibly and lay hands on him while being executed via lethal injection. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of Ramirez, reversing an earlier ruling and remanding the case for further legal proceedings to find a solution that respects his beliefs. Given the current record, respondents have not shown that a total ban on audible prayer is the least restrictive means of furthering their asserted interests, wrote Chief Justice John Roberts for the majority. Roberts also rejected the governments rule that clergy inside cannot be allowed closer than three feet from a prisoner being executed in the name of preventing interference. We do not see how letting the spiritual advisor stand slightly closer, reach out his arm, and touch a part of the prisoners body well away from the site of any IV line would meaningfully increase risk. And that is all Ramirez requests here, Roberts continued. We think that preventing accidental interference with the prisons IV lines is a compelling governmental interest. But we also think it is one reasonably addressed by means short of banning all touch in the execution chamber. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing that Ramirez has manufactured more than a decade of delay to evade the capital sentence lawfully imposed by the state of Texas. This Court now affords yet another chance for him to delay his execution," wrote Thomas. "Because I think Ramirezs claims either do not warrant equitable relief or are procedurally barred, I respectfully dissent." Before being heard before the nation's high court, Ramirez's case received the backing of several faith groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Seventh-Day Adventist General Conference, among others. Street preacher cleared of hate speech charges for preaching from the Bible A court in the U.K. has cleared a 72-year-old Christian street pastor of all charges a year after his arrest for purportedly causing alarm and distress in London by preaching about the biblical definition of marriage, which police said was hate speech." Uxbridge Magistrates Court acquitted Pastor John Sherwood of the Penn Free Methodist Church in north London, whose defense was centered on Article 10 of the 1998 Human Rights Act. The trial was quite remarkable in that there was so much Scripture quoted in it. Pastor Sherwood was determined to impress upon the prosecution that everything that he ever preaches upon is grounded in the final authority of Gods word, the Bible, Sherwoods colleague, Pastor Peter Simpson, who was with Sherwood at the time of his preaching, told Conservative Woman U.K. Article 10 of the 1998 Human Rights Act states: Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority. At the trial, the public gallery was full with Christians showing their support for a man of God who is willing to stand up for the truths of Scripture, Simpson was quoted as saying. And after the trial, Pastor Sherwood recited words of the hymn, To God be the glory, Great things he hath done. Last April, Sherwood had been speaking on Genesis 1:27-28 in the northwest London town of Uxbridge, arguing that marriage is between one man and one woman, when he was approached by police officers and told that three complaints had been received about his preaching. The police accused him of causing alarm and distress to members of the public and arrested him. On April 23, 2021, Sherwood was held overnight at a police station. In September, he was charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, which outlaws threatening or abusive words or behavior likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, according to Christian Today. Sherwoods arrest was captured on video and condemned as brutal by the campaign group Christian Concern. A police officer spoke to Simpson at the time and ordered him not to offend people who identify as gay by quoting from the Bible, even though there is no law protecting people from being offended. I responded that the police would have no objection whatsoever to a Pride parade being held in Uxbridge, yet that would be highly offensive to Bible-believing Christians, Simpson wrote at the time. The officer did not appear to appreciate the logic behind this argument. Police officers urged Sherwood to come down from a step ladder he was preaching from as he respectfully informed police he has freedom of speech and people have the freedom to ignore him and continue walking if they disagree with his statements, Simpson wrote. Sherwood resumed preaching and spoke of the precious right to freedom of speech, which is traced back to the Magna Carta in 1215 and the Bill of Rights in 1689. Onlookers again accused him of making homophobic statements and hate speech. The officers proceeded to pull the pastor down from the ladder as he resisted arrest and seemingly lunged at an officer as multiple officers handcuffed and arrested him. A lady in the crowd was heard saying, its a Christian country, let him speak, while Simpson noted that others in the crowd had accused him of hate speech. Ukrainian President Zelensky urges Biden to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism As the Russian invasions of Ukraine continues with mounting civilian casualties and fear that the Kremlin might resort to tactical nuclear weapons in the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged President Biden to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Zelensky made the request to blacklist Russia while speaking to Biden on the phone, and the White House is said to be reviewing the state sponsor designation, which allows the U.S. to adopt the most aggressive sanctions, according to media reports. Four countries North Korea, Iran, Syria and Cuba are on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. The discussion about the state sponsor designation was a very brief part of the call, which was mainly about Ukraines urgent appeals for more weapons and energy sanctions against Russia, NBC News reported, citing anonymous administrative sources. We have put in place the most unprecedented sanctions and export controls with over 30 countries across four continents, a source was quoted as saying. As usual, were not going to comment on any one specific option, but we will continue to consider all options to increase the pressure on Putin. Sources also told The Times (U.K.) that Biden is keeping the move under consideration, and observers believe Russias history under President Putin might fulfill the criteria for the designation. Meanwhile, in an interview with CNN, which aired Sunday, Zelensky warned that Putin could use nuclear or chemical weapons against Ukraine. Not only me all of the world, all of the countries have to be worried because it can be not real information, but it can be truth, Zelensky told CNN. Chemical weapons they could do it, for them the life of the people [is] nothing. We should think not be afraid, not be afraid but be ready. But that is not a question for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine but for all the world, I think. Since Russia began its invasion on Feb. 24, its estimated that at least 1,982 civilians have been killed and 2,651 have been injured as of an April 15 update from the United Nations. Among those killed are 162 children. 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 multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes, the U.N. said, adding that the actual number of casualties is likely to be considerably higher. Late Sunday, the Qatari government-run news outlet Al Jazeera quoted the Crimean Human Rights Group as saying that the Russian military had forcibly removed around 150 children from the shattered Ukrainian city of Mariupol. The children were likely taken to the temporarily-occupied Donetsk region and the Russian city of Taganrog, an advisor to Mariupols Mayor Petro Andriushchenko was quoted as saying. In the last known pocket of resistance inside besieged Mariupol on Sunday, about 2,500 Ukrainian troops and about 400 foreign mercenaries holed up in a steel plant ignored Russias ultimatum that they surrender or face destruction by Russian forces, The Guardian reported. Russian forces, meanwhile, carried out aerial attacks near Kyiv and elsewhere in an apparent effort to weaken Ukraines military capacity ahead of the anticipated assault, it said. The British newspaper also reported that Ukraine had completed a questionnaire required for the European Union to begin to decide on its membership. 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. The economics of Judas' betrayal Many of you probably remember hearing the story of how Mary of Bethany anointed the feet of Jesus with perfume and how Judas objected to it. The account appears in John 12. What you probably did not hear was an explication of the important economic themes in that passage. Preachers tend to underestimate the importance of economic themes in the Bible. Few have training in finance or economics, and a mental block was formed earlier in Church history when theologians began to mix biblical theology with pagan philosophy, which tended to be contemptuous of commerce. But the Bible is about real life, and real life involves economics. Your work, your spending, and your decision to read (or not read) this article are economic in nature. Some Christians, given to displays of pious one-upmanship, are quick to decry any biblical discussion about economics. But all that does is insulate the economic aspect of life from Christ's lordship. The most ostentatiously "spiritual" are still buying and selling like the rest of us; they just don't want Jesus to talk about it. However, He does. Mary uses an expensive jar of nard, a spice imported from the East, which we are told is worth 300 denarii, amounting to almost a year's wages. Judas raises an objection to the expense, and the Bible alludes to the fact that he will later hand Jesus over, which we know he did for money. If Judas' 30 pieces of silver refer to the same coinage Judas claims the gift of perfume is worth (which is quite plausible given that denarii were silver), then Judas betrayed Jesus for a mere tenth (a tithe) of the amount Mary gave to Jesus to honor Him. Judas' betrayal of Jesus came cheap. On the other hand, it is possible that the temple elite paid him in Tyrian shekels, which were worth about 120 denarii, but even that is still less than half of Mary's offering. Her sacrifice to the glory of Christ is more than Judas' reward for betraying Him. All this detail about money is there in the Bible, plain to see, even if some expositors and preachers have grown used to skimming over these details as though such things are insufficiently spiritual to warrant attention. Judas opposed this extravagant use of expensive perfume, claiming that he did so out of concern for the poor. The Bible makes clear that he didn't care about the poor but was a thief who embezzled from the common purse, which he held on behalf of the disciples. In this, Judas is a perfect stand-in for the Judean elite with which he is aligned. The aristocracy, centered in Jerusalem and the temple, were engaged in economic exploitation. Money was concentrated in Jerusalem by way of the temple tax, forced tithing and currency manipulation enforced by government mandate. The religious elite "devoured widows' houses." The high priest was supposed to help the poor, but what really happened is that money was centralized into a common purse and then stolen from by the ruling class. The difference between Judea and Judas was merely one of quantity, not quality. They both had the same economic model, only Jerusalem's was on a much larger scale. This background becomes clearer once one takes into account the research that indicates Judas might well have been the only Judean (as opposed to Galilean) among the 12. Early in the Gospels we see Jesus recruiting disciples in the region of Galilee. We are not told the geographic origin of all of the 12, but all of the those whose origin is given are from the north, from in or near Galilee. We see no recruitment of any from Judea. Furthermore, later, after Judas is no longer part of the picture, after the Ascension in Acts 1:11, the angels address the apostles, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?" So the apostles, other than Judas, were "men of Galilee." But what about Judas? While scholars disagree, the most common explanation for the epithet "Iscariot" is that it identifies Judas' city of origin. Ish is Hebrew for man and Kerioth was a town in Judea. Judas' father Simon is identified as Simon Iscariot, which means that it is not likely a nickname or title given by Jesus (such as "son of thunder"). Furthermore, some texts actually say "from" (apo) Kerioth. The ancient world didn't have the same pattern moderns do of first name and last name. It was common to have name and city of origin, for example "Jesus of Nazareth." In addition, Judas tries to align himself with the temple elite. He conspires together with them to betray Jesus. That at least suggests an alignment of views. Also, his name is consistent with such an alignment, Judas Maccabeus having been the founder of the regime that ruled Jerusalem at the time. All this taken together builds a case that Judas was a Judean in origin and in political sympathies, who presents the readers with a small-scale representation of the Judean economic model: centralization of wealth with the implied aim of caring for the poor, but in reality stealing from the common purse. This might well help the reader to understand the statement by Jesus in response and rebuke to Judas: "the poor you will always have with you," which is often taken as a statement for all people at all time. However, it parallels quite closely the warning given to Israel in Deuteronomy 15, "For the poor shall never cease out of the land" because of Israel's disobedience to God. This might explain why Jesus switches from singular, "leave her alone" to plural "the poor you shall always have with you," which is not clear in English, but is in the original Greek. If this is the case, Jesus is condemning the Judean elite by extension in His rebuke of Judas. Poverty is not fated; it was there because the ruling class disobeyed God, not because poverty was inherently inevitable. This, then, is a glimpse of Judas economics, concentrations of wealth and power ostensibly for the good of all, but in reality for the good of a few. Remember that when someone who administers the common purse for a group, or for a whole nation, rebukes others in the name of the poor. Parent dressed as Easter bunny distributed condoms to elementary school students in Texas A Texas elementary school has distanced itself from a parent who dressed up as the Easter bunny and passed out condoms to students last week. Tammy Thompson, the principal of Gullett Elementary School in Austin, Texas, sent a letter to parents informing them that a parent dressed as an Easter bunny passed out condoms to children during dismissal time Thursday. Fox 7 Austin obtained the letter, which read: This afternoon during dismissal, a Gullett parent visited campus dressed as the Easter Bunny and handed out plastic eggs. Some of those eggs contained candy, and some students were also given unopened condoms. Please know that this was not a planned event, nor sanctioned by the school, and we have spoken with the parent about the inappropriate nature of their activity," Thompson added. "We value parent participation and always request that you work with campus staff to best support our students." Located in northwest Austin, Gullett Elementary School serves more than 500 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, according to the Austin Independent School District website. A school district spokesperson told local news outlet KXAN that the district is "working to review our safety protocols to ensure this does not happen again." The spokesperson characterized the occurrence as an incredibly careless and inappropriate action of a parent. Although the parent was told to leave the school campus, the individual continued to give out the Easter eggs on a nearby public sidewalk. While Austin Independent School District maintains that the distribution of condoms was an accident, other school districts in large U.S. cities have strived to make condoms available to young children as part of sex education. In 2020, the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education passed a policy requiring schools to make condoms accessible to students as young as fifth grade. Under the policy, all but a dozen of the districts 600 schools would have condoms on campus, including several that educate small children. Conservative groups criticized the policy in Illinois largest city. Maryanne Mosaz of the sexual risk avoidance advocacy group Ascend stressed that children are not cognitively, emotionally or physically ready to handle these kinds of acts." Meg Kilgannon of the Family Research Council agreed that children can never meaningfully consent to sex acts. In addition to Austin ISD, a much smaller school district made headlines for what it asserted was the accidental exposure of young children to condoms. In 2019, Sullivan County Schools in Tennessee sent a flyer advertising a three-day clinic providing free birth control including implants, IUDs, pills, condoms, and more home with second-grade students. The school district assured concerned parents that it did not realize that the flyer, which advertised free dental, medical and vision services on the other side of the sheet, contained a second page promoting free birth control. The distribution of Easter eggs containing unopened condoms to elementary school students comes when some public schools in the U.S. face intense pushback for embracing sexual education curricula that some parents feel are inappropriate for young children. Austin Independent School District is not immune to the controversy. Earlier this year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Austin ISD contending that district violated state law by holding a Pride Week encouraging schools to plan activities that engage, educate and inspire students concerning LGBTQIA+ issues. Paxton wrote that Texas law requires that [b]efore a student may be provided with human sexuality instruction, a school district must obtain the written consent of the students parent. Today, I sent a letter to @AustinISD for their curriculum and lesson plans that constitute human sexuality instruction governed by state law. The Texas Legislature has made it clear that when it comes to sex education, parentsnot school districtsare in charge. pic.twitter.com/pVZ4Sj8GMF Texas Attorney General (@TXAG) March 22, 2022 By hosting Pride Week, your district has, at best, undertaken a week-long instructional effort in human sexuality without parental consent, he maintained. Or worse, your district is cynically pushing a week-long indoctrination of your students that not only fails to obtain parental consent, but subtly cuts parents out of the loop. Either way, you are breaking state law. In response to Paxtons letter, AISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde posted a message on Twitter stating, I want all our LGBTQIA+ students to know that we are proud of them and that we will protect them against political attacks. Throughout the week, the district added several pictures of elementary schools participating in Pride Week festivities to its Twitter feed. I want all our LGBTQIA+ students to know that we are proud of them and that we will protect them against political attacks. https://t.co/fNGiaoNM3q Dr. Stephanie S. Elizalde (@AustinISDsupt) March 23, 2022 Franklin Graham preaches in Ukraine: Easter is about more than just egg hunts and bunny rabbits Evangelist Franklin Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham and head of the Evangelical humanitarian organization Samaritan's Purse, preached an Easter sermon in Ukraine, urging believers not to lose sight of the true meaning of the celebration. As thousands have reportedly died and over 11 million have been displaced from their homes since the invasion began at the end of February, the 69-year-old Graham preached his pre-recorded Easter sermon from Lviv in western Ukraine. Fox News broadcasted the event, which featured music from the Ukrainian Easter Choir. Graham grieved that the world is continuing to become more violent and secular. Many politicians and educators scoff at those that worship the Lord Jesus Christ. They make fun. They dont believe, Graham said. For many, Easter has become Easter egg hunts and bunny rabbits and candy. But, may we never forget the true meaning of Easter, and that is the price that was paid for the redemption of your soul." The head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association assured that the price was "paid by God" and "Easter is about Gods love for mankind." God created the world and everything in it. He made us man and woman. And he placed the first man and woman in a perfect world," he added. "There was no sin in this world that God created. He intended for man to live, but God has laws." And we know from the Scripture that the first man and woman chose to disobey God. And as a result sin came into the world. And sin has infected the entire human race, he continued. According to Graham, Bible states that every human has sinned and that all humans have come short of "God's standards for His glory." "And there is a penalty for sin. And its death," he warned. "The entire human race is under a death sentence from God because of our sins. But yet, God had a plan to save us from our sins." What does that strange concept [of sin mean]? Well, the Bible says, telling a lie is a sin. Have you ever lied? Of course, you have. All of us have lied. The Bible says all men are liars. It's true. Stealing is a sin, Graham stated, adding adultery, murder, hatred, bearing a false witness and pride as other examples of a long list of sinful behavior. Although God is "holy and just," Graham stated that "sin separates humans from God." It breaks fellowship with God. All of us fall short of God's standards. And the Bible says in Isaiah: all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are as filthy rags, Graham said. The Bible says: There is no one righteous; no, not even one. So what can man do? How can we be saved? Graham asked hypothetically. Graham said many people believe a false notion that they can work to earn their salvation by making enough money, building a building, being kind or going to church a few times a year. No, there is nothing that you can do. You see, it's only through Jesus Christ and Him alone, Graham said, referring to salvation as a gift from God. The Bible says: It is by grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not of yourselves. It's a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Good Works cannot save your soul. It just can't do it." In His plan to "redeem" mankind, God sent His Son, Jesus, from Heaven to earth "for the purpose of taking our sins" by dying on a cross. Graham pointed listeners to the Bible verse John 3:16. By Jesus Christ shedding His blood for us, He was redeeming our souls to God. But we have to be willing to accept it by faith, Graham said. He stated that Jesus was falsely accused and beaten beyond recognition. "Religious leaders falsely testified against Him. The Roman government wanted to appease the crowd. They knew He was innocent. They knew there were religious leaders who were jealous of Him. So what did they do? They just gave in to the mob and gave into the crowd." Graham stressed that Jesus "went willingly to the cross." "He went there for you and for me. He was mocked when he hung on that cross. And Jesus stayed on the cross, Graham said. And while He was on the cross, God poured upon his Son your sins and my sins, the sins of mankind, sins past, sins present, sins future. That's us today." We're the ones who deserve to go to the cross. We're the ones that deserve death," he said. "Jesus never sinned. And as a sinless person, He was able to take our sins. He was buried in a tomb." As many in Ukraine may have "lost hope this Easter," the preacher said many wonder "what to do and where to go." He urged them to fix their minds "on eternity in heaven with God and having belief and faith in Jesus." He has risen, just as He said. He is not here. He is risen. This is the greatest news that has ever been proclaimed that Jesus Christ is alive. The tomb is empty. He's not here. He's alive. He is risen, as He said He would, Graham said. If we repent and turn from our sins and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God will forgive our sins, and we can have that hope that we will be saved and forgiven and be with God for eternity in Heaven. How do we have eternal life? It's not by works, but it's by God's grace, and it's through faith in His Son Jesus Christ." He remarked: "This is Easter. It's about a risen Savior. It's about an empty tomb." "Other religions are notable, and you can go and visit their tombs. Some of them are gorgeous, a lot of marble or granite. Jesus' tomb is empty. He is not there. He is risen, just as the angel has said." Graham's speech comes as the North Carolina-based Samaritans Purse has about 160 workers and volunteers on the ground in Ukraine meeting the physical and spiritual needs of those displaced from their homes by the Russian invasion. About half of [the displaced people] have gone out of the country, the other half are here inside Ukraine with no place to go and living with friends or relatives and some cities that converted factories or abandoned buildings into warehouses with beds where they can keep them, Graham said. And this is a difficult time for Ukraine. So much suffering in this country and Samaritans Purse [has] responded." Samaritans Purse, which works in regions of the world struck by tragedy, war and natural disasters, has several field hospitals and clinics established to help the people in Ukraine. Samaritan Purse also has established food distribution centers. Chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association are ministering in hospitals and praying for Ukrainians. I think it's important for this Easter that we remember the people of Ukraine and that we pray, Graham said. New York subway shooter called on Jesus to kill all white people in online rant The online rants of a suspect who wounded more than 20 people in a mass shooting at a New York subway station last week show that he was obsessed with a race war and even called on Jesus to kill white people. Frank R. James, a 62-year-old suspect who called the police hotline to turn himself in amid a citywide manhunt, was found to have posted a meme that said, O black Jesus, please kill all the whiteys, according to reports. James' online posts also appear to show that he liked watching CNN and supports communism and Fidel Castro. He also adheres to a racist ideology of black supremacy, which was earlier identified as black identity extremism." The FBI told the New York Post that the ideology no longer exists even though the man who killed six people and injured over 60 others at a Christmas parade and the suspect who killed a Capitol Hill police officer last April both espoused the same supremacist beliefs as James. James, who detonated a smoke grenade before firing 33 shots on the Manhattan-bound N train on April 14, posted material on social media linked to the ideology, the Post added. White people and black people, as we call ourselves, should not have any contact with each other, he says in a YouTube video under the user name prophetoftruth88. James also believed a race war would follow Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a rant shared by The Post Millennial. James was arrested in Manhattans East Village neighborhood last Wednesday with the help of tip-offs given to police by the public, along with the suspect himself notifying police about his exact location. Five people who provided critical information that helped lead to James' arrest will share a $50,000 reward, police said, according to The Guardian. James was spotted by bystanders, and he, too, called the NYPD, telling them that he wanted to turn himself in, ABC 7 reported, citing a police source. I think youre looking for me, the caller allegedly said. Im seeing my picture all over the news and I'll be around this McDonalds. However, James had disappeared by the time police reached the location. The police received more calls from the public, who told them they thought the suspect was down the block. The police were able to spot James and arrested him without incident. ABC 7 also said that James was known to the NYPD and had a rap sheet that spanned from 1992 to 1998 with nine prior arrests. James also supported Black Lives Matter and claimed he had a mental illness and that the citys mental health service was a horror show, according to The Post Millennial, which added that he believed humanity would be exterminated due to the damage done to the environment. Pastor says 200K Easter egg drop is church following Pauls example by finding ways to share the Gospel A multisite nondenominational church based in Kentucky held multiple Easter egg drops on Sunday, dropping approximately 200,000 Easter eggs for nearly 3,000 children to collect. 7 Hills Church, a congregation with locations in Florence, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, held multiple egg drops after services on Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. Kyle Waid, an associate pastor at 7 Hills Church, told The Christian Post that nearly 3,000 children took part in the egg drops, and more than 700 volunteers helped organize the events. Every year, 7 Hills Church tries to make fun Easter memories for families. Over the years, weve dropped eggs out of hot air balloons, had professional sky divers, fireworks, and even shot people out of cannons, said Waid. Many churches host Easter egg hunts, with some holding them off site and with tens of thousands of eggs being available for children to search for and gather into baskets. In 2015, for example, the New Jersey-based Liquid Church held what was reportedly the largest Easter egg hunt in the state that year, with approximately 100,000 eggs being hidden for children to find. Although technically a secular practice, Waid defended the idea of churches holding Easter egg hunts, quoting 1 Corinthians 9:22, in which St. Paul wrote, "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." Our church carries that same mission. We have become all things to all people with the same goal as Paul: that someone would receive the message of Jesus, Waid said. The egg hunt is an afterthought. The goal is to reach people. Following every Easter service, we hand out admission tickets to the egg hunt. Its our hope that through the 10 minutes of hunting eggs, families can create a fun memory together. Its our prayer that through the hour and 15-minute service, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, sisters and brothers can find a forever friend in Jesus. To add to his point, Waid explained that 7 Hills Church recorded almost 500 salvations during Easter weekend, while also noting that Lead Pastor Marcus Mecum has always invested heavily in the next generation, including making church for children fun and engaging. Battling through our moods Everyone at times experiences feelings of disappointment, discouragement and dejection. Circumstances in our personal life, as well as world events, can cause us to feel overwhelmed and despondent. Oswald Chambers wisely wrote, We have to battle through our moods. Christians are in the unique position of having one foot in the world, and one foot already in Heaven. After all, believers have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). In other words, our soul is now in direct relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In addition, believers have direct exposure to the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Sometimes when a Christian feels oppressed and under attack," it is the result of spiritual warfare with demons. It is hard for us to fully appreciate how dejected Christs first disciples must have felt after Jesus was crucified and buried. It was so unexpected, in spite of the fact that the Lord had told them: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life (Matthew 17:22-23). Christs disciples assumed what most Jews continue to assume today: the Messiah will arrive with great fanfare and establish an earthly kingdom. Instead, Jesus Christ came humbly as a suffering servant (Isaiah 53:1-12). Jesus said, My kingdom is not of this world, (John 18:36) and, The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). Needless to say, believers have a lot going on inside of them. Christ is now on the throne of our heart, while our moods are nevertheless a present reality as well. Some of our moods are rooted in our physical makeup; others are rooted in our emotional makeup; and still others are rooted in the spiritual dynamics we are encountering in our life. And of course, many times our moods are a combination of all three: physical, emotional and spiritual. It is often next to impossible for us to discern exactly why we are feeling a certain way at a particular time. Sometimes an attack is simply emotional turbulence, while other times there are actually demons tempting us and trying to upset our peace in Christ. Spiritual warfare is a daily reality for believers. This is why it is so important for us as Christians to follow this prescription for peace: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:10-12). These demons are just as real as the Lords holy angels who are "sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). Our emotions can run hot and cold, but Gods salvation story is set in stone even in the midst of our emotional inconsistencies and spiritual attacks. Therefore, it is critical to anchor our life in the historical events of the cross and the empty tomb. The death of Jesus was a glorious victory over Satan and his army, (Colossians 2:15) and the resurrection of Christ was Gods exclamation point in history! Jesus said, Because I live, you also will live (John 14:19). Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35). This includes trouble, hardship, demons, fluctuating moods and unpredictable emotions. It is helpful to confront any feelings of despair we experience with the certainty of Christ's redemptive work at the cross, as well as with Gods Word which is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). In order to stand strong against demonic attacks, we need to remember: The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). Scripture meditation, Scripture memory and prayer are supernatural weapons which empower us to stand strong in the Lord when our mind and emotions are threatened by discouraging thoughts and feelings of dejection. And the greatest weapon we have been given is the Gospel message of our salvation! (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8,9) Jesus endured the agony of crucifixion so that we could be given the free gift of everlasting life in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2; Romans 6:23). Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean you wont continue to experience a wide range of moods. Emotional instabilities and psychological pressures are just two of the many disconcerting consequences of mans fall into sin. Our brief and fragile life on Earth is certainly a far cry from the perfect ecstasy we will experience continually in Heaven. As Scripture reminds us, What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). And our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17). Sometimes we simply need to speak to our soul, which is so prone to becoming discouraged. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God (Psalm 42:5). The Lords willingness to help us in the midst of our emotional storms and spiritual attacks provides an anchor for our soul and a stabilizing influence for our emotions. The following prayer can help us battle through our moods by the Grace of God: Jesus, I am a sinner who struggles not only with my sins but also with moodiness at times. I need you, Lord, to be the anchor for my soul and for my emotions. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Come into my life today, dear Lord, with your power, peace, forgiveness and salvation. Wash away my sins. Cleanse me of my evil thoughts and wicked behavior. I want to live for you, Lord, rather than for sin. Change my heart, O God, and make it ever true. Deliver me from a spirit of discouragement and despair and fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I know you are alive, Lord Jesus. Renew my spirit whenever I start to feel like I am coming under attack, and whenever I start to become overwhelmed by my emotions or by troubling circumstances in my life. I want to feed my soul everyday with your precious Word. Protect me in the midst of attacks from the spiritual enemies of my soul. Thank you, Jesus, for your amazing grace in my life and for being the Rock of my salvation. Amen." Substitutionary atonement: Jesus died for us The prophet Isaiah said it so beautifully, hundreds of years before Jesus death: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). What a message! We sinned. He died. We deserved the punishment. He took it on Himself. That is the meaning of the cross. As expressed by Peter, He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds ... For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18a). Or in the words of Paul, God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:9). The perfectly righteous one died for the totally unrighteous ones, taking our place on the cross. And did it all because of love. That is Gods heart for a sinful human race. Rather than wiping us out, He sent His Son to die for us and offer us new life. That is the Grace of God a holy God who had even reason to destroy us yet chose to offer us mercy instead. As a teacher of the Jewish Scriptures, Paul understood that the heart and soul of the sacrificial system was substitution, an innocent animal dying for the guilty Israelite. As described in Lev. 17:11, it was a matter of life for life. Thats why the shedding of blood was so important (see also Heb 9:22). And thats why, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would lay his hands on the scapegoat and confess the sins of Israel over that goat. The animal would then be sent into the wilderness, while the blood of another goat would be killed to provide expiation (meaning atonement and cleansing) for the nation. As stated in Leviticus 16, the High Priest is to put [the sins of Israel] on the [scape]goats head and send it away into the wilderness by the man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on it all their wrongdoings into a desolate land, and he will release it there (Lev. 16:21-22). One goat would be killed, shedding its blood to bring atonement and cleansing to the nation. The other goat would be driven out into the wilderness to symbolically carry away Israels sins. But on the cross, Jesus literally carried our sins away and willfully shed His blood to wash us clean. And by the power of that cross and the efficacy of that blood, we can be forgiven and delivered and washed clean. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians after listing a number of sinful behaviors and lifestyles, And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11). Or as he wrote to the believers in Rome, What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin's domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law's requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:3-4). But why did the Savior have to die such a horrific, barbaric, humiliating, degrading death? Why the cross? Its because His death on the cross shows us just how ugly our sins are. Its because the cross shows us the terrible price that must be paid for sin. Its because the cross shows us the extraordinary, mind-boggling, totally humbling, incredibly massive love of God. And when Jesus rose us from the dead, He declared victory over all the powers of darkness and provided our justification and vindication. He died for us, meaning that we died with Him, so that we could also rise to new life in Him. That is the power of the cross. That is the reality of the resurrection. And that is why Paul could write, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). Thats also why John could say, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. He continued: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 1:8-2:2). As one who received the Lords cleansing mercy and liberating grace more than 50 years ago a mercy and grace that have been with me every day since I urge you not to live in your sins another moment. Jesus took your place on the cross a place we all deserved so that you could have a place with Him forever. Call on Him today to save you from your sins, and let that new life begin right now. What will it be? The bigger issue behind the 'What is a woman?' question The recent refusal of now-confirmed Supreme Court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to answer the question, what is a woman? is just one symptom that is part of a much larger disease infecting our society. In the same way, I tell men who struggle with a porn addiction that porn isnt their true problem, the what is a woman/transgender debate is just one small manifestation of a bigger thing. At its root, the foundational ailment producing our multiple higher-level maladies is a rejection of God and His true reality for one that is a self-created and false actuality. The willful king of the bedroom Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor describes our current situation as a battle between the mimesis and poiesis worldviews. The first sees reality as having a purposeful order and design (teleology), which provides meaning and thus sees humans as needing to discover that meaning and conform to it. The second sees the world as nothing more than undirected raw material out of which stabs at transient meaning are attempted by the individual. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out which worldview has society in its grip at the moment. The signs are unmistakable and include everything from the what-is-a-woman dispute to cancel culture. For example, many pull their hair out as they see cancel culture claim victim after victim and wonder how it came to be so dominant in society. Tracing its birth up to our current end result isnt all that difficult. Dismissing God and His design for humanity, millennials and others like them built their own poiesis realities from the comfort of their childhood bedroom. Using all their social media apps, they were able to remove any offending opinion with a click, block texts and news sources that challenge their position, instantly unfriend people, and build a safe space that professor Carl Trueman says, allows the individual simply to be himself, unhindered by outward pressure to conform to any greater realitythe individual is king. He can be whoever he wants to be. Consequently, the willful king (cf. Dan. 11:36) of the bedroom had no problem crying out, Off with their heads! to silence anyone they didnt like. The problem is, once they left their bedrooms, they naturally wanted to continue their years-ingrained private filtering process and impose it publicly with like-minded mobs First Amendment, free speech, and rights of other people be damned. And, voila, cancel culture. The poiesis worldview and privatized reality-creating that birthed cancel culture can also be blamed for the identity debates we see. It used to be firmly understood that a person could privately pretend to be whatever they wanted to be, however, the rest of us were under no obligation to publicly join them. No more. The devils original question Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn identified the cause of societys primary disease years ago in his speech that many called "The Great Forgetting": Todays world has reached a stage which, if it had been described to preceding centuries, would have called forth the cry: This is the Apocalypse! Yet we have grown used to this kind of world; we even feel at home in it Men have forgotten God; thats why all this has happened. For those embracing the poiesis worldview, the practical process of forgetting God involves posing the devils original question, has God said?, responding with a definitive no, and proceeding to substitute their own subjective reality in place of Gods objective truth. Has God really made humans only male and female (Gen. 1:27)? They respond no, with the end result being increasingly bizarre identities being proclaimed such as people who now identify as animals like a hippopotamus. Has God said, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh (Gen. 2:24)? They say no, and so we see the strangest of unions being formed like that of an Australian woman who married a bridge. Has God said that because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil (Ecc. 8:11)? They answer no, and so you end up with, as Ann Coulter so well describes, city after city being turned into feces-smeared murdertopias that make Charles Bronsons Death Wish look like The Sound of Music. Puritan John Owen calls the process, a deifying of our own imaginations. Along a similar line, Charles Taylor dubs thinking like the above, the social imaginary, which he defines as taking various practices and personal intuitions and making them not only possible but going so far as to bestow upon them a sense of societal legitimacy through political strong-arming. Of course, anyone disagreeing with the subjective realities composed in the social imaginary is immediately and publicly attacked in ad hominem fashion with all the latest -phobia labels. The sad fact is, the torches and pitchforks crowd carrying out the assaults rarely ever consider the truth that such dissenters are not afraid of those with whom they disagree, but rather they are afraid for them. So, take your pick of whatever debate is currently raging (e.g., what is a woman?) or the proclamations of the oddest identities. You can trace them all back to the rejection of God and His objective reality for a subjective one where people take His place, become self-creators, and substitute their social imaginary for His actual reality. What does 'God is good, God is great' really mean? God is good, God is great, we say in a childhood prayer. Cute words, but what do they actually mean? And what do they mean for us today? God Almighty in Scripture is translated from the Hebrew words El Shaddai. What gets lost in translation is that this literally means the God who is all-sufficient or the God who is enough. During a pandemic with job losses, health crises, shortages, and difficulties at every turn these words mean that people who know God can put their trust in Gods greatness because God is great. Today, as from the start, God is our El Shaddai. In Genesis Chapter 17, God changed Abrams name to Abraham in order to change his identity to become a father of nations. For the same reason, he changed Abrahams wifes name from Sarai, which means survive, to Sarah, which means princess, or mother of nations (Genesis 17). With the name change came a change in depending on self and self-sufficiency to depending on God and his all-sufficiency. From Bible days to today, God has always been completely sufficient. He is Almighty. He is all-powerful. His capabilities and capacity are without precedent and without end. He is never diminished. God is never tired, drained, overwhelmed or depleted in any way. Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is impossible with El Shaddai, our God Almighty. God is all-sufficient and He is our sufficiency. So, if He is sufficient for the struggles we may face today, how do we get more of that sufficiency in our lives? And if hes our sufficiency, why would we ever live on the level of insufficiency? Ill give you four reasons. First, people tend to look at what we have instead of what God has. When Jesus told the disciples to feed a crowd of 5,000, Philip said they didnt have bread sufficient for the size of the crowd. But Jesus blessed what they did have and the crowd was fed, with 12 baskets left over. We often fail to see Gods greatness in our lives because, like Philip, we allow our own insufficiencies to define us. Thats not to say we should feel sufficient in ourselves. Knowing were insufficient is the very thing that pushes us to depend on God. When we do, the greatness of our El Shaddai defines us, not our insufficiencies. Sensing his insufficiency, a rich young ruler asked Jesus, What do I lack? Jesus told him to sell all and follow Him. The story illustrates that we must choose Jesus over possessions and that we cannot rely on possessions. The rich young ruler became sad. He didnt realize when he was asked to give things up that He was talking to someone who had access to everything. Like the rich young ruler, we can get hung up on what we have and who we are instead of trusting what God has and what God can do. Second, we often dont ask. We have not because we ask not, the Scripture states (James 4:2). Americans have left $3 billion in gift cards unspent, uncashed, and unutilized. Thats an astonishing waste. Kind-hearted people spent $3 billion on gifts they thought would bless or help another person, and the person receiving the gift just never used it. Jesus paid the price with his life to connect us to the Father, the El Shaddai, so that in our insufficiency, we would have sufficiency. We should make use of what He gave us. We serve an amazing God. Dont be afraid to ask. Third, we fail to expand our capacity to receive. How do we expand? Through generosity. When Jesus fed 5,000 people, he used a little boys loaves and fish. That boys gift of everything he had prepared the way for miraculous multiplication. I like the way the Message Bible translates the principle. The world of the generous gets larger and larger the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller (Proverbs 11:24 MSG). God is not against people being wealthy. He is against people being stingy. Generosity starts with the small bit you have now in your hand. Jesus states that whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. And whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much (Luke 16:10). Living a generous lifestyle expands you. And when youre expanded, theres simply more room for God to pour in His El Shaddai greatness. Fourth, we live with the wrong mindset. Some of us come from families, situations, communities, and nations that are steeped in a poverty mindset. By breaking the poverty mindset, our El Shaddai, the Father of eternity who owns everything, will bless us with what we need. At times, we think small. We think God is not able to bless. We develop an orphan mindset. We feel abandoned by our Heavenly Father. Some people even live with a slave mindset. God wants us to break that off. Were each living the most exciting life in the entire world because were following the Master, the El Shaddai, the all-powerful ruler and king. We all have today what the rich young ruler passed up. We have what he couldnt fathom. Were living through a pandemic, sure, and yet were living through it with the all-sufficient God. Its time to focus on what God has in His hands, not on what is in your hand. Ask God for every small thing you need. Dont be afraid to name it. Let go of some of what you have, and live generously in order to move into what God has for your life. And get into Gods Word so your mind can let go of a poverty mindset and embrace Gods abundance, Gods power, and Gods strength. There is no lack in our God who is all-sufficient. The truth has never changed. God is good. And God is great. Queen Elizabeth II expected to miss Easter Sunday service at St. George's Chapel Queen Elizabeth II will not be attending the Easter Sunday worship service in Windsor this year after missing the Maundy Thursday service for only the fifth time in her 70-year reign. The 95-year-old British monarch, who also serves as head of the Church of England, will be unable to attend services, The Guardian reported, speculating that it was due to health-related issues. While Buckingham Palace did not disclose an official reason for not attending the services at St. Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle, Elizabeth has had to pull out of other events in recent months due to mobility problems, The Guardian added. Since the queen was not able to attend the Maundy Thursday service, Prince Charles oversaw the service tradition of giving what is known as Maundy money to people who had provided Christian service" over the last year by caring for the elderly or assisting those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years and since the death of her late husband, Prince Philip, the Queen has been delegating some of her annual duties to other members of the royal family. For the first time, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall stood in for the queen at Thursday's church service. Last month, Charles also stood in for the queen at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. The four other times the queen missed a Maundy Thursday service include 1954 when the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt. Rev. Michael Gresford Jones, stood in for her, and after giving birth to two of her children (1960 and 1964), and in 1970 when she was on tour in New Zealand in her official capacity as reigning monarch. In February, Elizabeth tested positive for COVID-19, with Buckingham Palace reporting that she was experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms, yet still performed light duties in her role as queen. She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines, stated the palace, as reported by the BBC reported. In 2020, at a time when much of the world had initiated lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Elizabeth gave her first official Easter address in which she championed the hope found in Jesus Christ. The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave His followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. We know that coronavirus will not overcome us, she said. As dark as death can be particularly for those suffering with grief light and life are greater. May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future. Born April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London, Elizabeth became queen in 1953, with her setting the record for longest-reigning monarch in British history in September 2015. Inside Hook Whats the opposite of traveling in time when you reach 88 miles per hour? One Tesla driver reportedly learned the answer to this question in a nerve-wracking manner. Heres a hint: it involved his cars display simply ceasing to function when his speed came to 83 miles per hour. You know, exactly what youd like to have happen when youre making your way down the highway at a high speed. An ABC report has more information on the incident, which befell Javier Rodriguez as he was traveling through Riverside County, California. As he drove, he told ABC, he realized that the cars switches and buttons were no longer working, and the cars display had frozen. He also perceived what he referred to as a weird scent and an increase in the interior temperature. I was nervous that if I were to brake a whole lot that I wouldnt be able to gain the speed again to keep up with traffic and get around cars, Rodriguez told ABC. I was nervous somebody was going to slam into me. As Jalopnik notes, Rodriguez eventually got his car off the road safely. Eventually, it rebooted and seemed to resume its normal functions. Rodriguez was not taking any chances, however, and had the car towed. Tesla repaired it, but didnt provide much detail on what had gone wrong. According to what Rodriguez told ABC, the automakers report stated that they had [d]iagnosed and found poor communication from charge port door causing power conversion system to shut off in order to protect on board components during drive. Whether this was a unique event or evidence of something more alarming remains to be seen. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Christianna McAfee never dreamt of being queen when she applied to join the 74th Neches River Festival this year. It was her first time participating, and her focus was on the scholarship opportunities offered. Im going to UT Austin, and I need all the money I can raise to afford all four years, the Beaumont United senior said, adding Im also a big girly girl. I love dressing up, being a pretty princess. This was just a great opportunity to be myself and also make some money for college. First, she had to face a panel of nearly a dozen judges and in two minutes impress them, explaining why she should be selected for a scholarship and a spot on the court. A nearby clock ticked off the seconds as McAfee faced the panel who, referencing her lengthy resume, fired question after question. They asked me things like how I manage my time, what are my inspirations, three words to describe myself, what are my biggest accomplishments, McAfee recounted. I never did anything like that before, she added. Its my personality to go out and meet a lot of people. So, going into the interview, I literally was just myself. I talked to them like Ive been knowing them for years, and it worked out in my favor. McAfee answered six questions before the timer buzzed, an impressive feat as most only make it through three or four questions, she said. On April 9 McAfee stood on stage at the Julie Rogers Theatre with some 150 princesses, over 30 duchesses and their escorts for the 74th coronation ceremony. You dont know anything until the night of the coronation, she said. You walk in and get presented by your escort, and if they tell you to stop, that means you won either Miss Congeniality or best escort or you get your scholarship, she said. No one told McAfee to stop. She didnt get one of the half-dozen scholarships awarded this year. I was pretty sad, she said, after regrouping with the princesses and duchesses backstage. I thought, Man, I thought I was gonna get a scholarship. The group retook the stage for the court selection. They called the name of the First Duchess, then the third lady in waiting, the second lady in waiting, then the first. When they called the third lady, I got a little feeling. I was like, Wait, is something bad about to happen? What is going on? McAfee recollected. Then, she heard her name called as the 74th Neches River Festival queen, a glittering tiara placed atop her head and red satin sash embroidered in gold placed across her shoulders by Ashley Messina. When they called me, it was just shock, complete shock, she said. I didnt get a scholarship, but I did get something much better. Being a queen opens up so many more opportunities. Ive met so many people already, contacts that I would not have imagined having, and I just know that theres more to come, she said. Its a fairy tale ending McAfee never envisioned when she submitted her application. Going into Neches, honestly when I say I was just looking for a scholarship, I wasnt thinking about court," she said. "I wasnt thinking about even getting up to that level ... Its a big family tradition. The past two queens were sisters. They were expecting their third sister to win this year. Its just a very generational thing. I never expected to be the person to break something generational like that, McAfee said. That wasnt the only barrier she broke. McAfee is the first Black queen in the festivals 74-year history. History made and writing her own story, grandmother Juanita McAfee posted to Facebook following the coronation. McAfee wasnt thinking about making history as she processed to the Civic Center for the post-coronation ball with several litter girls in tow, all holding up the heavy robe trailing behind her on the trek. The kids were so sweet, so amazing. I had my scepter and they said, can you do hup 2, 3, 4? as we march? We were pretty rowdy, she recalled. The boisterous group arrived at the ball and immediately hushed per her request. Just knowing that they just saw me as the queen, thats what really meant a lot to me. They werent looking at me like, Oh, shes the first Black queen. Im just the queen, and that was really inspirational, McAfee said. Its inspiration she hopes to spread when she visits her moms elementary school classroom. Its a school thats predominantly Hispanic, Asian and Black. And the little girls are like, they dont believe that Im real, and so I am going there to visit and prove to them, Yeah, Im from Beaumont, Im little old me and Im the queen. I got here. I got a crown. I got to be in this fairy tale and you can, too,' she said. Just showing them that Im achieving something great and knowing that Im doing this, you can do this. Thats my whole goal right now just letting them know that they can do it. McAfee will have plenty of opportunity to fulfill that goal. While she hasnt received her official duties yet, she knows it will include many appearances, especially with children. Since its creation in 1949, the Neches River Festival has focused on celebrating our greatest natural resource, the Neches River, through a variety of riverfront activities, like boat races, ski shows, a regatta on the downtown Beaumont boat docks, a parade, royalty court and more, according to the NRF website. The perhaps greatest area of emphasis for the past years has remained unchanged. The NRF celebrates our youth, the site says. From here on, its all for the kids. Thats the core of this festival, for them to see tradition and feel at home in something, McAfee said. It was part of the allure for her to join and has its own rewards. My favorite thing about Neches is even if you dont win, you still get to be a princess, you still get to have that experience. You dont get excluded from anything, McAfee said. But somebody has to be the new queen, and McAfee believes it was her resume that helped earn her the crown. Her accolades include being the varsity cheer captain and making the All-American cheer team this year. McAfee is also class president, a role I love most in my life, because I got to give my classmates everything I hoped for for my senior year and what they wanted for their senior year. She was named Miss Beaumont United and most spirited at a recent senior banquet and before that was crowned homecoming queen, something she'd dreamed of since she was a kindergartner, when she would make drawings of herself wearing the crown. McAfee also has held several jobs since she turned 16 and is a paid member of the Timberwolf Network a student media organization that runs the jumbotron at Beaumont Memorial Stadium and other multimedia production for the Beaumont ISD. Academically, she is a National Merit Scholar, a part of the Texas First Program at UT Austin and was one of 70 students across the state awarded a $48,000 impact scholarship to UT Austin. And those are just the highlights of the resume that caught the NRF panels eyes. I think that they just wanted to acknowledge that, acknowledge the growth that could come from me, and the potential that I have to grow, McAfee said. Its the start of a resume that will only lengthen when she and classmates graduate this spring the first class to attend Beaumont United as freshman and then graduate four years later and McAfee enters UT Austin this fall. Shell already have several college credits under her belt, having completed six dual-credit classes at Lamar University by the end of the semester. That thirst for knowledge will serve her well when she heads to Austin pursuing a major in Communications and Leadership with a minor in business. Im a talker, and I love to lead others by example. So, the Communication and Leadership program at UT is just the perfect fit for me. It will teach me how to talk to others properly and efficiently to get things done without being rude, to have a positive outlook and to talk to others how youd want to be talked to," she said. "Thats really the whole thing with communication leadership - how to be a better leader." Eventually, she plans to attend law school and become a multi-disciplinary professor of law, business and communication while working her way up the post-secondary administration ladder. McAfee wants to change the classroom and eventually the whole campus. I want students to see me and say, Hey, President Chrissy or Dean Chrissy knows me. McAfee says she has even loftier goals in the educational field, but I dont want to say what they are, because I dont want to jinx it, she said with a smile. For now, those goals are McAfee's personal stars, upon which she'll gaze and work to reach in good time. Brandon Bell/Getty Images A Tampa, Florida-based federal judge on Monday issued a ruling voiding national mask mandates on airplanes and public transportation, declaring the policies as overreaching on the part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The judge's 59-page ruling outlined a litany of reasons for the decision, ultimately opting in favor of a full nullification of the policy. The decision has left airports scrambling to clarify their individual standards regarding mask usage. According to KPRC 2's Aaron Fernandez-Wische, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports have opted to continue requiring masks for travelers inside their facilities until they are provided "official guidance" directing otherwise. Arriving at Londons Gatwick Airport for his EasyJet flight to Malaga, Spain, with his wife and 12-year-old daughter on April 4, Alasdair Crawley said it was like walking into the mayhem of the aftermath of a soccer game. The 49-year-old plumber from East London described long, unruly lines of angry passengers trying to determine the status of their flights and families sprawled out across the floor eating, drinking and sleeping to get through long delays. First, our flight was canceled and rebooked for a day later, so we lost the first night of our hotel, and then when we arrived for our new flight, it was delayed by three hours, Crawley recalled this week from his hotel balcony in Spain. Its bliss to be here, but honestly, if I knew I had to go through the shambles at the airport again, I would have probably chosen to stay at home in my garden. Crawley was not alone in his urge to seize the moment or in encountering chaos when he did. Over the past two weeks, travelers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean have endured long lines at airports, flight delays or cancellations, and plenty of frustration. Thousands of Britons have flocked to airports for the start of the Easter vacation season, which coincided with governments across Europe dropping coronavirus restrictions. But in the past two weeks, more than 1,000 flights have been canceled across Britain, upending vacation plans for tens of thousands of passengers. On April 9 alone, British Airways and EasyJet canceled more than 100 flights. In the United States, low-cost carriers such as Southwest and Spirit were also forced to cancel flights earlier this month after technical glitches and bad weather. Additionally, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines announced reductions to spring and summer flight schedules, with JetBlue reducing its May flight capacity between 8% and 10% and saying it plans to make similar cuts to its summer schedule, while Alaska cut 2% of its flight schedule through June. The cuts came at a time when travel demand has come roaring back, with some airlines and airports reporting the highest passenger numbers since the start of the pandemic. Londons Heathrow Airport received 4.2 million passengers in March, a more than sevenfold jump from a year ago. In the United States, passenger traffic in recent months has reached nearly 90% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Transportation Security Administration. When Europe lifted its restrictions, that was an invitation to come back, said Janice Riley, 54, an American basking in the sunshine in the old town of Geneva early this past week. Rileys trip to France and Switzerland had been smooth so far but she said she was willing to get stuck or face disruptions for the sake of going somewhere. I just had an itch to travel and see friends and family, and taking that risk has been worth it, she said. It is the moment the travel industry had been waiting for the great comeback, despite rising prices and the uncertainty over the war in Ukraine. But it seems like the new normal for travelers may be chaos driven by the continued spread of variants and subvariants of the coronavirus and travel operators who are still unable to cope with the volume of demand. Were in for a very bumpy and turbulent two months ahead, said Paul Charles, CEO of The PC Agency, a London-based travel consultancy firm. Easing of restrictions, booming demand and a rise in cases The freedom to travel after two years of stringent rules caused a sudden surge in demand for European travel. The International Air Transport Association, which represents nearly 300 airlines, expects total passenger numbers in Europe to reach 86% of 2019 figures in 2022 and make a full recovery in 2024. The biggest issue, said Charles, the travel consultant, is that many travel companies were not prepared for demand to snap back so quickly and are now scrambling to recruit staff. The labor shortfall is now being seen in the fact that companies cannot operate as normal, he said. During the height of the pandemic, tens of thousands of jobs were slashed across the aviation industry, and now many airline and airport workers are reluctant to come back to jobs that can offer long hours and low pay. The uncertainty over the future of the pandemic has also pushed people in the industry to seek more-secure career opportunities. Stories of unruly passengers, often long commute times and job uncertainty, as seen with COVID-19, could be off-putting for many currently seeking work, said Ralph Hollister, a travel and tourism analyst at the data analytics firm GlobalData. Hollister said a lack of staff in security roles has contributed to the disruptions experienced at British airports, adding that the time it takes to vet and train people means that the issues will not be resolved soon. The issues have been compounded by a record surge in coronavirus cases across Europe, particularly in Britain, which has dropped all of its coronavirus requirements for masking, testing and vaccination. Early this month, the government reported that 1 in 13 people were infected with the virus, and the World Health Organization said virus restrictions in several countries, including France, Italy, Germany and Britain, were relaxed too quickly, causing cases to rise. Coronavirus infections have also been rising in parts of the United States as highly contagious omicron subvariants spread. In an echo of what American carriers faced as omicron spread, EasyJet said hundreds of its cancellations occurred because of coronavirus-related crew absences. British Airways has also been struggling with staff sickness but said a majority of its flights continue to operate as planned. On Tuesday, EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said he would have expected to see the spike in COVID-19 infections across the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe to have dropped by now, but that has not happened yet. Until that moment in time, well continue to monitor the situation, he said. Still, the airline has flown 94% of its planned schedule in the past week, the highest number of flights operated since 2019, and is confident it will be able to return to a near pre-pandemic schedule by the summer, Lundgren said. Time is running out For American travelers, one of the biggest concerns is the predeparture coronavirus test required to return home, which they feel could mean theyd be stuck overseas if they test positive. Among major Western tourist destinations, the United States is a holdout in continuing to require a negative test to enter; the Netherlands, Ireland and Jamaica all recently dropped the requirement. The U.S. travel industry has been pushing the Biden administration to drop both the testing requirement and its mask mandate for planes and other public transportation. The American Society of Travel Advisors, or ASTA, said the inbound testing requirement is the single biggest barrier to the full recovery of the international travel system. On Wednesday, the United States government announced that it would extend a mandate requiring travelers to wear masks on public transport, including on airplanes and at airports, for another two weeks. It has not addressed the future of the pre-arrival test requirement. Demand for travel among American travelers for European destinations is recovering but has been dimmed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February. In a recent survey of 1,300 Americans by the travel app TripIt, 33% of respondents said they would take a trip abroad by June. The travel booking site Hopper said that, in March, 15% of international bookings on its site were for U.S. travel to Europe, down 6% since the invasion. In 2019, United States travel to Europe accounted for 30% of international bookings on the site. I put this trip off in 2020 and then again in 2021, but Im in my 70s and time is running out, said Richard Zelinka, a lawyer from Naples, Florida, discussing a visit to France he has planned for June. At a certain point, health issues will prevent me from traveling, and you just dont know what will happen in the world next year. When Crawley, the plumber from East London, emptied the majority of his savings account to book the trip to Spain, he told his wife that it was time to let go and live again, he said. I didnt want to wait for the next bit of bad news or a new COVID variant or World War III to start. It felt like now or maybe never. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Authorities have an identified a 10-year-old boy who was fatally shot in downtown Minneapolis. KSTP-TV reported Monday that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Amare Rasaun Mayberry-Campbell of Andover was shot Friday evening in an apartment building. SARAJEVO, Bosnia (AP) Regardless of how the Russian war in Ukraine ends, getting justice for human rights abuses suffered during the conflict will inevitably be a long and painful process for those who survive to tell of the atrocities they witnessed. That's the message from survivors of Bosnias 1992-95 internecine war, who have dedicated the ensuing years to the re-telling and re-living of their trauma in hope of bringing those responsible to justice and setting the historical record straight. For me, it is personal. I am still searching for the remains of my brother. I cannot move on. I cannot focus on something else and leave that behind, said Edin Ramulic from the northwestern Bosnian town of Prijedor. Ramulic was 22-year-old university graduate when, in April 1992, he and his male relatives, including his older brother and father, were rounded up by Bosnian Serbs, along with thousands of other non-Serb civilians from Prijedor and surrounding villages, to be deported from the area, imprisoned, tortured or killed. More than 3,000 non-Serbs including 102 children were killed in Prijedor. Some were executed in their homes or in the streets, others in three prison camps where prisoners were subjected to including beatings, rape, sexual assaults and torture. Ramulic's brother, uncle and four cousins did not survive the camps. Much like the graphic evidence of killings and torture in Bucha, outside Kyiv, that emerged earlier this month after Russian forces withdrew from the area, the discovery by international journalists of the camps in Prijedor in August 1992 provoked global outrage and calls by world leaders for those responsible to be held to account. A process was put in motion by the United Nations Security Council to establish a special U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. When it was set up in The Hague in 1993, it was the first international court to investigate and prosecute allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide since the tribunals in Nuremberg and Tokyo after World War II. At first nobody thought it would work, the investigators access to crime scenes in Prijedor and elsewhere in Bosnia was blocked for years, and political leaders of the Bosnian Serbs and neighboring Serbia continued to deny human right abuses and hide documents and those indicted. Justice was slow to come. Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander Ratko Mladic were fugitives from international justice until the late 2000s when they were tracked down in Serbia. But by the time it shut down in 2017, the tribunal had convicted 83 high-ranking wartime political and military officials, most of them from Bosnia. It also transferred a mountain of evidence and cases against lower-ranking suspects to their home countries in the Balkans. Desperate to find information about the fate of their loved ones and force the world to acknowledge their suffering, survivors like Ramulic changed their lives, setting up support groups for potential witnesses, collecting information about missing persons and commemorating the victims. Ive spent countless months of my life in different courtrooms (as a witness), listening to defense counsels trying to deny the evidence, Ramulic said. It sometimes happens that the people you know are guilty are set free because of the lack of evidence, but it is worth it, he added. Ramulic still does not know where his brothers remains are or exactly who killed him and how, but the court sentences, some of which he had helped bring about, are the most valuable thing that we have, because the evidence-based truth contained in them cannot be forever ignored and denied. In Munira Subasic's former life, before the war, she was a shopkeeper, wife and the mother of two sons. Nothing prepared her for what she would become after losing her husband and a son in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in which 8,000 men and boys died. It was the only episode of Bosnias war to be legally defined as genocide. Amid their frantic search for their missing loved ones, Subasic and a number of other women created an organization, Mothers of Srebrenica, and engaged in street protests and other direct action to stay in the public eye and demand that mass graves be found, remains identified and those responsible for the massacre brought to justice. To date, almost 90 percent of those reported missing from the fall of Srebrenica have been accounted for. We knew the names of the killers, we collected them and shared the information with prosecutors, we visited every mass grave site, we searched for information about where others might be. We have been breathing down everyones neck, demanding justice, Subasic said. Mothers of Ukraine will have to do the same, she added. Subasic, along with dozens of others, testified before the U.N. war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia, helping put behind bars close to 50 Bosnian Serb wartime officials, collectively sentenced to over 700 years in prison. To get there, however, Subasic and other women of Srebrenica had to overcome the pain of constantly confronting people who tried to hide that our children ever existed, who basically claimed that we were never mothers, that we never gave birth to anyone." Russias denials of massacres its soldiers are now obviously committing in Ukraine sound to me the same as Srebrenica genocide denial, Subasic said. But if survivors are persistent, the truth will prevail. As for absolute justice, in Bosnia it remains elusive. The Bosnian war killed 100,000 people, most of them civilians, and upward of 2 million, or over half of the countrys population, were driven from their homes. Three decades since it started, some 7,000 of the war missing remain unaccounted-for and the Bosnian judiciary has a backlog of over 500 unresolved war crimes cases, involving some 4,500 suspects. As the years pass and witnesses and suspects age, fall ill or die, many of the cases that remain open will likely never reach trial. Jasminka Dzumhur, Bosnias human rights ombudsperson, was appointed last month by the U.N. Human Rights Council to serve as a member of its three-person commission to investigate possible human rights violations during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is very important that we know from experience what information is important to establish the evidence of human rights and humanitarian law abuses and what facts can later help relevant judicial bodies to prove individual criminal responsibility for such violations, said Dzumhur. The commission is not a body that shall establish criminal responsibility for possible human rights violations and war crimes (in Ukraine), but it is a mechanism for gathering of facts that can help establish individual criminal responsibility, she added. Still, Dzumhur warned that it was important for survivors of human rights abuses and possible war crimes in Ukraine to understand that their path to justice will be long and uncertain, that it will demand many sacrifices from them and that along the way they are unlikely to find many allies" who will be as committed as they are to the pursuit of truth. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that he will call a special session of the legislature to address rising property insurance rates in the state. The Republican governor said the special legislative session will occur in May and focus mainly on the reform of the property insurance market" but could address other topics. He said he would sign a proclamation this week containing meeting dates and additional details. DeSantis said the goal on property insurance would be to bring some sanity and stabilize and have a functioning market. The announcement comes amid growing consensus among lawmakers to address spiking rates and other problems in the state's property insurance market. Attempts to pass legislation around property insurance failed during the regular legislative session in the GOP-controlled statehouse earlier this year. After months of public outcry, newspaper headlines, and Democrats raising the alarm all session long, the Governor has finally addressed the growing homeowners insurance crisis," said Sen. Jeff Brandes, a Republican who has been pushing for a special session on property insurance. Joseph Petrelli, president of Demotech, a company that rates the financial stability of insurers, said one prime factor driving up Floridas homeowner rates is state court rulings that have made it highly profitable for lawyers to sue insurance companies even if the amount won is relatively small. Petrelli added that Florida's premiums are also driven up by its rules governing roof replacement, with the state requiring that any roof incurring damage of 25% or more in a storm or other event must be fully replaced. But Amy Boggs, a St. Petersburg attorney who chairs the Florida Justice Association's property insurance committee, disputed Petrelli's contentions. She said one problem is that the insurance companies are claiming they aren't profitable, but their financial records are not made public so it is impossible to test the veracity of their claims. She said the Legislature passed a law last year limiting attorney fees, so that is no longer an issue. For roofs, she said, if insurance companies are not going to have to fully cover older roofs, they should be required to tell consumers how much they are covering and how much that will decrease the premium. She said the only reason the number of lawsuits in Florida is high is that insurance companies often try to stiff their customers out of tens of thousands of dollars. She said in one recent case she handled involving a home destroyed in Hurricane Irma, the property insurer tried to pay about $2,000, saying the damage was caused by flooding that its policy didn't cover. She said arbitrators disagreed and ordered the company to pay $233,000. No one is suing over a couple thousand dollars, Boggs said. Separately, lawmakers are returning to the statehouse this week for a special session on congressional redistricting. ARMSTRONG, Iowa (AP) A former Armstrong police officer has been charged with dozens of crimes, making him the latest in a string of former town officials to face criminal charges in the last 14 months in a wide-reaching corruption case. Former Armstrong officer Benjamin Scheevel was charged earlier this month with 84 felony and misdemeanor counts some dating back to 2016, radio station KILR reported. The counts include stalking, involving at least two women, non-felonious misconduct in office, assault and unauthorized dissemination of criminal history data. He also faces counts of obstruction, theft and tax evasion. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida lawmakers will return to the Capitol Tuesday to begin a special session to approve a new congressional map after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the previous GOP-backed boundaries that preserved minority districts. The work should be easy, given that Republican leaders have already conceded the once-a-decade process to DeSantis. Much to the dismay of Democrats and voting rights groups, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson told lawmakers last week that neither chamber was going to try to draw a new map, but rather vote on the heavily pro-GOP map DeSantis gave them. They're giving up their right to make a decision and they are relenting to a governor who is essentially a narcissistic autocrat, said Democratic state Rep. Michael Grieco during a Monday news conference. The map DeSantis submitted would likely create more Republican seats than the maps approved by the Legislature. It would also likely reduce Black representation in Florida's delegation from four to two. While DeSantis, who is a potential 2024 presidential candidate, said his map is race neutral, Black lawmakers say it is racist. To Gov. DeSantis, I'm not going to call what you're doing a culture war anymore, I'm going to call it just what it is: It's a racist tactic that you're doing. And you know what you're doing, Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones said at a news conference with other Black elected officials and community leaders. He said it will be an incentive to get people to vote when DeSantis is up for reelection in November. When you come for one of us, you come for all of us, and we will not allow you to dilute our districts with representation for your own political gain. You lose, Jones said. The governor's communications office didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Florida is adding a 28th congressional district because of population growth over the decade. The vote this week on the DeSantis map won't be the end of the process since it will be the focus of legal challenges. Qualifying for federal office will run from June 13-17. It won't be the only special session held this year. DeSantis on Monday said he would sign an order this week to bring the Legislature back in May to address rising property insurance rates. The League of Women Voters of Florida said the DeSantis map violates the state constitution, which requires contiguous districts that don't benefit or hurt a political party, incumbent or candidate. It also says districts can't be drawn to reduce minority access to elect representatives. But DeSantis argues that since the provision was passed by voters in 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled race can't be a primary factor in drawing districts. The League of Women Voters of Florida issued a news release calling on lawmakers to find courage and do their jobs instead of conceding to DeSantis. The legislatures irresponsible plan to capitulate to the aggression of the Governor nullifies the constitutionally mandated separation of the three branches of government and is moving in the direction of an autocracy," said league President Cecile Scoon. HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) A former Mississippi Department of Corrections probation officer faces up to 80 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of embezzlement for taking more than $4,000 from people who were trying to pay court-ordered fines and fees. Dendrick Hurd, 28, entered the plea Monday, a day before his trial was set to begin in Forrest County Circuit Court, the Hattiesburg American reported. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) A knife-wielding woman robbed a Taco Bell restaurant in North Carolina by climbing through the drive-thru window and grabbing a cash drawer, police said. Winston-Salem police said in a news release that the unidentified woman fled in a brown sport utility vehicle after robbing the the fast-food restaurant on Saturday afternoon. PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) The former long-serving head of Montenegro's top court has been arrested for allegedly helping cover up her son's drug-smuggling operation, local media in the Balkan country reported on Monday. Vesna Medenica, who was the head of Montenegro's Supreme Court for 17 years, was arrested late on Sunday at the airport in the capital, Podgorica, according to state TVCG television. BATH, Maine (AP) U.S. Sen. Susan Collins on Monday made her first public appearance since contracting COVID-19 earlier this month, visiting Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works with the the Navy's top officer. Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, joined Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, in touring the future USS Carl M. Levin and visiting with crew members. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Sensors on a Florida amusement park ride had been adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats, resulting in a 14-year-old boy not being properly secured before he slipped out and fell to his death, according to an initial report released Monday by outside engineers. The average opening for restraints on the seats on the 430-foot (131-meter), free-fall amusement park ride located in the heart of Orlando's tourist district was 3.3 inches (8.3 centimeters). However, the opening of the restraint for the seat used by Tyre Sampson, upon inspection, was as much as 7.1 inches (18 centimeters), and the one for another seat was as much as 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters), according to the report commissioned by the Florida Department of Agriculture, which is investigating the accident. Sampson was only 14 but already 6 feet, 5 inches tall (195 centimeters) and well over 300 pounds (136 kilograms) when he slipped out of his seat as the ride plunged to the ground at speeds of 75 mph (about 121 kph) or more. The restraint opening was over 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) at the start of the ride with Sampson in the seat but could have expanded to as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) from the extra weight, the report said. An inspection showed that sensors used to activate safety lights on the two seats, indicating the harness safety restraints were in place, had been adjusted to allow for the wider openings. The safety lights on Sampsons seat and on the rides control panel were illuminated; if they hadn't been, the ride would not have started. As the ride slowed down, Sampson slipped through a gap between the seat and safety harness, the report said. As part of the investigation, two individuals one 6 feet, 3 inches (190 centimeters) tall, the other 6 feet, 5 inches (195 centimeters), and both weighing between 200 and 300 pounds (90 to 136 kilograms) were positioned in the seat with openings ranging from 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters). They slipped through the restraint, the report said. The cause of the subject accident was that Tyre Sampson was not properly secured in the seat primarily due to mis-adjustment of the harness proximity sensors, said the report from Quest Engineering and Failure Analysis, Inc. The Orlando Free Fall ride, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty, didn't experience any electrical or mechanical failures, the report said. The release of the report marks the initial phase of the investigation into the teen's death, and we are far from done," Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said at a news conference in Orlando. Fried said the 30-seat ride, located on a busy strip of International Drive in the heart of Orlando's tourist district, would remain closed indefinitely. The report said there were many other potential contributions" to the accident and that a full review of the ride's design and operations was needed. In a statement, an attorney for the amusement ride's owners, Orlando Slingshot, said the company had followed all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the ride's manufacturer. Orlando Slingshot has fully cooperated with the State during the initial phase of its investigation, and we will continue to do so until it has officially concluded," said Trevor Arnold, the attorney. ___ This story has been edited to correct the name of the ride to Free Fall, not FreeFall. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Patrick Lyoyas father says he and his family have a right to know the name of the white officer who fatally shot the 26-year-old Black man. But the police chief in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says he will only do so if the officer is charged in the April 4 shooting that followed a brief foot chase and a struggle over the officer's Taser. Eric Winstrom's department is among those across the U.S. that have faced scrutiny for withholding identities of officers in cases where Black people were wounded or killed during interactions with police. Some have said its to protect the officers from retribution. Others, like Grand Rapids, point to policies that prohibit the release of an officers name before charges are filed. Im asking for the law to release his face, his image and his identification because I would love to know the person who has killed my son. I have the right, Peter Lyoya said through a translator during an emotional news conference after video of the shooting of his son was released last week. Andrew Shannon, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Peninsula Chapter and vice president for the SCLC Virginia State Unit, said police departments should treat officers who are under investigation like they would anyone else. They always report who the suspect is and they report who the victim is, except in cases of rape, Shannon told The Associated Press. There should be no special treatment when law enforcement are involved in these types of matters. They should want to demonstrate transparency and openness so everyone can be fully apprised of the process. Lyoya was facedown on the ground when an officer shot him in the back of the head while straddling Lyoya. The officer had stopped Lyoya for driving with a license plate that didnt belong to the vehicle. The funeral for Lyoya, a native of Congo, is scheduled Friday in Grand Rapids, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. The Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled to deliver the eulogy. While Winstrom said he could not release the officer's name, he did release videos of the shooting, citing a need for transparency. The officer could be heard repeatedly ordering Lyoya to let go of his Taser, at one point demanding: Drop the Taser! Ben Crump, an attorney for Lyoyas family, planned to release results of an independent autopsy on Tuesday. Michigan State Police are investigating. The prosecutor who will determine whether the officer will face any charges has said not to expect a quick decision. A Grand Rapids police spokeswoman said Monday in an email that a person's name, age, other basic information and the charges against him can be released following an arrest or issuance of an arrest warrant. Not releasing the officers name is consistent with the procedure, Jennifer Kalczuk wrote. Such policies vary from city to city. Chicago, for example, changed how it handles such cases after Black teenager Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by a white police officer in October 2014. In that case, it was prosecutors who released Officer Jason Van Dyke's name 13 months later, when he was charged with murder and video for the shooting was also released. On Monday, Federal authorities said they will not criminally charge Van Dyke. In response to criticism of how the McDonald shooting was handled, the city made changes. While police still will not release an officer's name unless he's charged, the agency that reviews those shootings does so regardless. City policy also requires that video be released within 60 days. Last year, within a month of two separate fatal shootings by police, including of a 13-year-old boy, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released officers' names. Prosecutors have said the officers won't face charges. Ephraim Eaddy, spokesman for the agency, said it has concluded that officers names cannot be held back because they are public servants. If the release of the names of the Chicago officers involved in the two 2021 shootings seemed to come quickly, the name of the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer who shot Jacob Blake several times in 2020 was made public in lightning speed. Three days after that shooting, the Wisconsin Department of Justice issued a news release that included Officer Rusten Sheskey's name. The decision came after the Kenosha Police Department handed the investigation over to the states Justice Department for complete transparency, said Kenosha police Lt. Joseph Nosalik. Nosalik said he agreed with the decision. Had the department refused to release the name, Nosalik said he would have called to ask why. The public has a right to know ... and unless theres a logical reason like it might put the officers safety and his family in jeopardy, I dont see a reason why the name cant be released, he said. In fact, he said, the Kenosha police moved to extricate" Sheskey's family from their home after learning that they might be in danger, and suggested the same concern might be part of the reason why authorities in Grand Rapids have not released the officers name. Crump, the Lyoyas' attorney, said having the officer's name would allow the family to find out more about him. We want to know his history, Crump said last week. I can guarantee you, theyre going to do everything in their power to try to learn the history of Patrick to assassinate his character." _____ Find the APs full coverage of the fatal police shooting of Patrick Lyoya: https://apnews.com/hub/patrick-lyoya ____ Williams reported from West Bloomfield, Michigan. Babwin reported from Chicago. Williams is a member of AP's Race and Ethnicity team. If youve ever planted a seed in your garden to watch it grow, you know how difficult it can be to create the right conditions to help it thrive. Maybe the plant needs more water, or has too much. Maybe the soil around your house isnt fertile enough, so you add potting soil. Farmers make similar decisions while planting new crops each spring. Just like the choices you make from season to season impact how plants grow in your garden, the stewardship practices we use on our farms matter, too. In agriculture, a sustainable future intertwines with environmental stewardship. Farmers improve soil health and water quality using innovative solutions on their farms. They support clean energy solutions that benefit air quality and produce more with fewer resources. Farmers invest in soil health, water quality One way Illinois farmers explore new crop production techniques is through work with researchers, universities and industry partners. Each year, farmers host on-farm trials through the Illinois Farm Bureau Nutrient Stewardship Grant Program to develop new management practices that protect the land. These studies help growers in each county learn more about the production capabilities of soil in their regions. In its seventh year, the program has committed over $150,000 to support more than 20 projects across Illinois. Based on voluntary efforts, such as planting cover crops to replenish nutrients in the soil and reduce surface runoff, farmers continue to make increasingly positive impacts on our natural resources. The goal is to balance maximum crop, and ultimately food and fuel, production with land management decisions that safeguard farmland for future generations of farm families. Renewable fuels benefit consumers, environment While stewardship is important, so is agricultures contribution to cleaner energy solutions like biofuels. Illinois farmers produce millions of gallons of corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel annually. The supply of these alternative fuels is essential to a strong domestic fuel supply in the U.S., a fact highlighted by supply chain disruptions in recent years. More biofuel production means more affordable, environmentally friendly solutions Americans can depend on. Growing a bright future with fewer resources Protecting the environment also means growing more food and raising more livestock with fewer resources than ever before. Without the technological advancements and climate-smart practices used in modern agriculture, farmers in 1990 would require more than 100-million more acres to grow what we do today. Thats significant because the number of acres used in production agriculture decreases each year, while demand for food, fuel and fiber increases exponentially. Livestock farmers have also found new ways to do more with less by improving barn construction and reimagining waste management. Farmers who raise pigs, dairy and beef cattle often recycle the nutrients found in animal manure back into crop production on their farm. Many growers have also tapped into the benefits of using cover crops by using them to replenish their soils between corn and soybean rotations and repurposing them as forage for livestock. Agriculture, environmental needs are connected As Illinois farmers take to the fields to plant fresh crops this spring, its only fitting that Earth Day is also right around the corner. While this years celebration officially takes place on April 22, farmers make decisions every day to balance the needs of crops and livestock on their farms. Their work supports a steady supply of ag products that people rely on and protects the integrity of farmland they hope to one day pass on to the next generation. This op-ed was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com. Guebert is the Illinois Farm Bureau president. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican elected to four terms starting in the 1980s, announced Monday that he will not run again in a bid to take on the Democratic incumbent in the battleground state. A campaign by the 80-year-old Thompson would have put him on the ballot for the first time in a decade and 24 years after his last win. The winner of the Aug. 9 Republican primary will advance to face Gov. Tony Evers. Thompson contemplated seeking yet another comeback in his unparalleled career in Wisconsin politics that spans more than half a century, even meeting last month with former President Donald Trump at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to discuss it. Thompson told The Associated Press that Trump encouraged him to run, but Thompson's family was against it. Thompson said Trump didn't disparage any of the other Republicans who are running, and Thompson held out the possibility of endorsing one of them. I want a Republican governor and I want to win," Thompson said. Thompsons entry would have shaken up an already crowded Republican field that includes former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, businessman and former Marine Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun. Last week, Madison businessman Eric Hovde decided against a run. Ramthun has openly advocated for decertifying President Joe Bidens win, even though Republican leaders and attorneys have said that would be illegal. Kleefisch and Nicholson also have supported Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and they have pushed to eliminate the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission. Kleefisch served eight years as lieutenant governor under Scott Walker between 2011 and 2018. Nicholson ran for U.S. Senate in 2018, losing the Republican primary to Leah Vukmir. She went on to lose to Baldwin. None of the other Republican candidates immediately returned messages seeking comment on Thompson's decision not to run. Thompson last ran for office in 2012, when he won a Republican primary for U.S. Senate but then lost the general election to Democrat Tammy Baldwin. Before that, Thompson won election four times as governor the most in state history and served from 1987 until 2001. He left that year, midway through his fourth term, to become then-President George W. Bushs secretary of health and human services. Thompson has never been far from politics, briefly running for president in 2007 and in March completing a 21-month stint as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System. I want to run," Thompson said Monday. "I still want to run. My brand of politics is different. I wanted to articulate my brand of politics. Ultimately, Thompson said his family was united against him mounting yet another campaign his fifth for governor. We had a family meeting and it was unanimously opposed by all of them," Thompson said. "I decided to go along with them. I just cant run a campaign if your wife and children were all opposed to it and they were. Thompson political career began in 1966, when he was first elected to the state Assembly. He served there for 20 years before spending the next 14 as governor. He was U.S. health and human services secretary from 2001 to 2004. His last two bids for public office failed. Thompson dropped out of the run for president in August 2007, five months before any state voted after his candidacy failed to generate momentum. While he won the 2012 Senate primary, he came out of it broke and eventually lost to Baldwin by more than 5 points. BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Ukraine on Monday rejected as baseless and false the accusations made by Serbias president that Ukraines secret service is behind a series of hoax bomb threats against Air Serbia flights to Russia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has claimed that the foreign intelligence services of Ukraine and an unidentified European Union nation are doing that." The pro-Russian Serbian leader did not provide evidence for his claim. Other Serbian officials have alleged that the threatening bomb hoax emails had been sent to Serbia from either Ukraine or Poland. His (Vucics) statements about Ukraines alleged involvement in bomb threats to Serbian air carriers flying to Russia are false, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement. The Serbian national carrier is the only European airline besides Turkish air companies which has not joined EU flight sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Several Air Serbia flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg have been delayed or had to return to Belgrade after the anonymous bomb threats. Vucic said although the flights to Russia are not making a profit because of frequent returns to their base in the Serbian capital, the flights will continue as a matter of our principle. Serbia voted in favor of three U.N. resolutions condemning Russias bloody carnage in Ukraine, but has so far rejected joining international sanctions against its allies in Moscow. Ukraines Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed disappointment that Serbia, a candidate to join the EU, has not yet supported the 27-nation blocs sanctions against Russia. Tough sanctions and unity of the democratic world can stop this war, Nikolenko said in a statement. We call on Belgrade to stand up for the truth and fully join in supporting Ukraine and upholding the values on which a united democratic Europe has been founded. ___ Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate UNITED NATIONS (AP) Yemen's Houthi rebels have agreed to rid their ranks of child soldiers, who have fought by the thousands during the country's seven years of civil war, the United Nations said Monday. The Houthis signed what the U.N. described as an action plan to end and prevent recruiting or using children in armed conflict, killing or maiming children and attacking schools and hospitals. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the rebels committed to identifying children in their ranks and releasing them within six months. One of the Houthis top diplomats, Abdul Eluh Hajar, signed the agreement. Representatives from the U.N.s childrens agency posed with Houthi officials for the media at a ceremony to mark the agreement in Yemens capital, Sanaa. The Houthis called it a plan to protect children. Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is operating in exile, made similar commitments in several documents signed since 2014, the U.N. said. Virginia Gamba, the U.N.'s top official looking out for children in war zones, called the Houthis' move a positive and encouraging step, but she noted that the most difficult part of the journey starts now." "The action plan must be fully implemented and lead to tangible actions for the improvement of the protection of children in Yemen, Gamba, who signed in New York as a witness to the Houthis commitment, said in a statement. The U.N. says nearly 3,500 children have been verified as recruited and deployed in Yemen's civil war. However, a senior Houthi military official told The Associated Press in 2018 that the group had inducted 18,000 child soldiers into its army by then, and former child soldiers told the news cooperative that boys as young as 10 were recruited. At the time, a Houthi military spokesman denied any systematic recruiting of people under 18 and said there were orders to reject children who tried to join up. More than 10,200 children have been killed or maimed in the war, the U.N. says. It's unclear how many may have been combatants. Yemens civil war erupted in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa and forced the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power. War monitors estimate the conflict has killed over 14,500 civilians and 150,000 people when combatants are included. The fighting also created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The warring sides agreed earlier this month to the first nationwide truce in six years. The two-month pact was timed to start during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised hopes about building momentum for peace. Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi stepped aside last week and said a new presidential council would run the exiled government and lead negotiations with the Houthis. Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries welcomed the leadership change after years of infighting among anti-Houthi factions. A Houthi spokesperson dismissed the development as an illegitimate decision made from afar. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Prompted by a court order, federal wildlife managers have issued a new draft plan for managing Mexican gray wolves in the Southwestern U.S. in an effort to address illegal killings of the endangered predators. The plan calls for millions of dollars to be spent over the coming decades on more education, outreach, increased law enforcement patrols and other projects to boost the wolf population across its historic range in Arizona, New Mexico and in Mexico. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently reported that Mexican wolves saw their numbers increase for another consecutive year but that overall growth of the population has been tempered in part by human-caused mortalities, which include illegal killings and being struck by vehicles. The draft made public last week is meant to address the longstanding concerns of environmentalists who claim the agency is not doing enough to ensure the recovery of the species. While encouraged by the proposed changes to address what they call conflict hot spots, some environmentalists say pressure on the wolves will continue until the recovery area is expanded and the predators are allowed to roam. Bryan Bird with Defenders of Wildlife said his group believes the revisions should have considered an expansion northward into the Grand Canyon and southern Rocky Mountains. Though the proposed revisions improve this imperiled animals chances at survival, Defenders remains concerned the plan still fails to prescribe what is needed for full recovery of the worlds most endangered subspecies of wolf, he said in a statement. Meanwhile, federal and state managers still struggle to curb wolf-livestock conflicts. Ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico say wolves continue to kill cattle despite efforts to scare the animals away from herds using tools that range from flagging along fence lines, riders on horseback, pasture rotations and even diversionary food caches. Under the plan, the wolf recovery team would do more outreach in local communities to improve hunter, trapper, rancher and public awareness and tolerance." That would include handing out materials with biological information about the animals and conflict reduction techniques. Wildlife managers also want to increase law enforcement patrols in areas identified as mortality hot spots to help with public education, the deterrence of illegal killing and the investigation of wolf mortalities. We added this action because we expect the presence of increased law enforcement to have a chilling effect on the intentional illegal killing of Mexican wolves, officials stated in documents supporting the revisions. Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity noted that fewer than 10 people have pleaded guilty to illegally killing wolves and that many of the cases go unsolved. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, about three-quarters of documented Mexican wolf deaths in the recovery area between 1998 and 2020 were attributed to human causes. Illegal killing counted for 119 of the 216 documented mortalities. Vehicle strikes were a distant second, and many causes of death were listed as unknown. Wildlife officials say modeling used for the recovery plan suggests that the Mexican gray wolf population could grow or remain stable as long the mean mortality rate is less than 25% and if mortality among pups remains low at 13%. Officials describe the current rate of human-caused wolf deaths as excessive. The Fish and Wildlife Service expects recovery of the species to take between 25 and 35 years, with the estimated cost nearing $203 million. The agency's estimates show that the price tag for reducing human-caused mortalities of Mexican gray wolves in the U.S. is expected to top $6 million over the next 25 years, with expenses likely increasing each year. Loren Patterson, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, said in an email Monday that the wolves are putting the livelihoods of family ranchers at risk. Although the association doesn't condone illegally killing a wolf, he said ranchers are disappointed that the Fish and Wildlife Service isn't supporting those whose herds are being "significantly and detrimentally impacted by these predators. When the wolf was originally introduced as an experimental/non-essential population, the (Fish and Wildlife Service) claimed to be working with the rurally impacted communities and ranchers, but the agency has completely abandoned us, he said. In the recovery plan, federal officials vowed to continue to seek additional funding for programs designed to offset the wolves direct and indirect costs to ranchers. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HAMPTON, S.C. (AP) Authorities in South Carolina are investigating a shooting at a nightclub early Sunday that wounded at least nine people. It was the second mass shooting in the state and the third in the nation during the Easter holiday weekend. The shootings in South Carolina and one in Pittsburgh, in which two minors were killed early Sunday, also left at least 31 people wounded. No one was reported killed in the violence at Caras Lounge in Hampton County, roughly 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of Charleston, according to an email from South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division, which is investigating the shooting. A phone call to the nightclub was not answered. In Pittsburgh, two male youths were killed and at least eight people wounded when shots were fired during a party at a short-term rental property. The vast majority of the hundreds of people at the party were underage, the city's Police Chief Scott Schubert told reporters. The Allegheny County Medical Examiners Office identified the two victims as Jaiden Brown and Mathew Steffy-Ross, both 17. Investigators believe there were multiple shooters, and Schubert said police were processing evidence at as many as eight separate crime scenes spanning a few blocks around the rental home. The two shootings come just a day after gunfire erupted at a busy mall in the South Carolina state capital of Columbia, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Sunday's nightclub shooting. Nine people were shot, and five people sustained other kinds of injuries while trying to flee the scene at the Columbiana Centre, Columbia Police Chief W.H. Skip Holbrook said Saturday. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73. None faced life-threatening injuries. We dont believe this was random, Holbrook said. We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire. The only person arrested in the mall shooting so far is Jewayne M. Price, 22, one of three people initially detained by law enforcement as a person of interest. Price's attorney, Todd Rutherford, told news outlets Sunday that his client fired a gun at the mall, but in self-defense. Rutherford said Price faces a charge of unlawfully carrying a pistol because he legally owned his gun but did not have a permit to carry a weapon. Columbia police said on Twitter that a judge agreed Sunday to let Price leave jail on a $25,000 surety bond. He was to be on house arrest with an ankle monitor, police said. It was unprovoked by him. He called the police, turned himself in, turned over the firearm that was used in this, and gave a statement to the Columbia Police Department, Rutherford said, according to WMBF-TV. That is why he got a $25,000 bond. Police said the judge will allow Price to travel from home to work during certain hours each day. Price is forbidden from contacting the victims and anyone else involved in the shooting. South Carolina residents age 21 or older can get a weapons permit, which as of last year allows them to carry weapons openly or concealed. They must have eight hours of gun training and pass a background check that includes fingerprinting. The three Easter weekend mass shootings are in addition to other gun violence in recent days. Last week, a gunman opened fire in a New York subway car, wounding 10 people. A suspect was arrested the next day. Earlier this month, six people were killed and 12 others wounded in Sacramento, California, during a gunfight between rival gangs as bars closed in a busy downtown area just blocks from the state Capitol. One week ago, a shooting inside a crowded nightclub in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, left a man and a woman dead and 10 people wounded. And last month, 10 people were shot at a spring break party in Dallas and several others were injured as they tried to escape the gunfire. Just over two years ago, after putting my sons to bed, I began writing about something that was weighing on me and I couldnt get off my mind. It was the increasing amounts of Methamphetamine I was seeing being used in our community and the affects it was having in the lives of those addicted to it. Especially, the lives of children of those hooked by this illegal drug. I write to you again with things not being any better, but regrettably worse than they were before. In the past month, between the Mecosta County Sheriffs Office and the Big Rapids Police Department, we have arrested 15 people for possession or delivery of Methamphetamine. One of these people nearly ran over one of our deputies, who thankfully escaped with minor injuries. Our patrol unit wasnt so lucky, ending up with enough damage where it is considered a loss by our insurance company. We also arrested a 25-year-old mother for possession and for Operating Under the Influence of Drugs (Meth) Felony Possession of Meth, Felony Delivery of Meth. She had her 2-year-old son, unbuckled, with her in the vehicle, who was turned over to family members. While investigating a motor vehicle theft, we detained and arrested a 15-year-old juvenile male who was responsible, along with some adults, for a theft of another vehicle and breaking and entering in Isabella County. During our contact with the juvenile, he was found to be in possession of meth, and admitted to using it for an extended period. In fact, of the 88 people currently in our jail at the time of this article being written, 45 of them are directly or indirectly in relation to meth charges. Methamphetamine, usually referred to by its shorthand "meth," is a central nervous system stimulant. Meth can be snorted, smoked, injected, or taken orally, and its highs are characterized by an increase in energy and an elevated mood state. It is closely related, in both chemical structure and effect, to amphetamines, but meth has stronger affects. Observing the lives of meth users, I have seen certain habits and tics that they exhibit. They tend to have fixations with flashlights, and some I have dealt with locally that are addicted are regularly scraping out vehicles, or endlessly disassembling and reassembling them again. THE RISE OF P2P METH The one pot method, with Ephedrine being the key component used by those cooking it at local levels, is a thing of the past. It has taken a backseat to the much stronger and mentally incapacitating, P2P (phenyl-2-propanone) meth, which is predominantly manufactured in Mexico, imported into the United States, making its way north and east to Mecosta County and other communities throughout Michigan and the United States. The legalization of marijuana in Michigan and other states in our country have contributed to the rise in Mexican cartels being a big part in the meth epidemic in the United States. As some states legalized marijuana, Mexican pot revenue faltered. Many producers switched to making meth and found it liberating. Marijuana took months to grow, but with crystal meth, its a shorter period to produce, wasnt as bulky to cross the border with, and in the end, much more profitable, partially due to its addictive nature. Drugs, like Heroin, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, have become popular because they are a fix that becomes a vice for people. They are a fix for emotional and physical pain. A fix for the pressure our society places on people, sometimes to live the all-American dream. A life they are not successful in achieving. In the last three years the state of Michigan has ranked in the top four in both the use of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl-Cut Methamphetamine. Its scary that a deadly drug is made that much more deadly. Due to the amount of meth the drug cartels can produce, and the demand for it, the cost of it has lowered in the past few years. Another concerning result of the P2P and Meth, was how quickly the drug took its toll on those using it. The Ephedrine meth tended to damage people gradually, over the years. With the switchover to P2P meth, that damage seemed to accelerate, especially damage to the brain. Listening to jail calls and interviews, just at the local level, the meth business and society is a widespread one with users having multiple sources to go get their fix. This goes far beyond the national and international level with how the drugs get to our small, rural community. There are typically a lot of hands involved in the drug getting to Mecosta County from the Mexican border. According to Sam Quiones, a journalist, who chronicled the growing Methamphetamine crisis in America through his 2021 book, The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, from 2015 to 2019, the Mexican military raided some 330 meth labs in Sinaloa, Mexico, alone. Arrests were rare, according to a person involved in targeting the labs. Far from being a deterrent, the raids showed that no one would pay a personal price, and more people entered the trade as a result. At one point in 2019, DEA intelligence held that, despite all the raids, at least 70 meth labs were operating in Sinaloa, each with the capacity to make tons of meth with every cook. BREAKING THE CYCLE Additional concerns associated with the continued use of meth, is the abundance of people needing or requiring rehabilitation, through a court order or otherwise, and at clinics. A lot of these clinics were initially for those suffering from alcohol and opioid addictions, now have begun to be regularly used for those seeking help for meth. A lot of the people receiving the rehabilitation are also homeless, due to the drug consuming their life. Breaking the cycle of recidivism is difficult with all drugs. The counseling and continuum of care required to support the broader life changes necessary for addiction recovery are often absent. You add to this, the addicts going back to hanging out with the same group of people who helped lead them to the place they are in their lives, and it is a recipe for the recidivism they continue to deal with. Most concerning, currently and in the future, is how the P2P meth is quickly causing steep deterioration in mental health. The symptoms include violent paranoia, hallucinations, conspiracy theories, isolation, massive memory loss, jumbled speech. Methamphetamine is a neurotoxin it damages the brain no matter how it is derived, but P2P meth seems to create a higher order of cerebral catastrophe. People in their 30s and 40s with no prior history of mental illness seemed to be going crazy. The degree of mental-health disturbance, the wave of psychosis is something we as a society havent seen before. Although we are fighting an upward battle, there are things we as a community can do to fight Methamphetamine addiction and the toll it takes on families and our community. These things will help those addicted and resorting to criminal acts to supply their habit. The first step in treating methamphetamine addiction is usually medical detox. Overuse and abuse of methamphetamine increases your tolerance, which can lead to physical dependence and, upon deciding to quit, some terrible withdrawal symptoms. There are treatment methods that are still in the preliminary stages that can be used after the detox has occurred, but it is still too soon to gauge the effectiveness of these. In the end, it is our federal government who needs to take a more focused and closer look at stopping the P2P meth from entering our country. It takes our community being unified in combating the drug and educating everyone to not even start using it, to avoid the addiction cycle. Gov. Greg Abbott may have ended additional inspections of commercial trucks entering Texas from Mexico, but experts say the week-long border security policy still resulted in huge economic losses for the state. Abbott ordered the "enhanced safety inspections" in protest to President Joe Biden ending Title 42, a border policy that allowed federal agents to quickly deport migrants attempting to enter the country citing COVID-19 restrictions. The heightened vehicle checks, which Abbott claimed would help combat smuggling, led to extended wait times at the border and delayed shipments of products ranging from avocados to auto parts. Economist Ray Perryman, president and CEO of the Waco-based Perryman Group, told the Dallas Morning News that Texas lost an estimated $477 million per day as a result of the enhanced border security checks, citing preliminary data he plans to issue in a new study. "Our economies are so interdependent that a policy like this makes us more inefficient and forces us to lose some of the benefits of cross border trade," Perryman told the Dallas Morning News. "So my message to Governor Abbott is we need to do everything we can to encourage the smooth flow of goods and services across the border rather than something else." Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, told CNN that losses to fruit and vegetable producers as a result of the brief policy are estimated to be more than $240 million and that consumers could expect to spend more to make up for the losses. "It's a bad time to be adding this to consumers' pockets to pay out their pocketbook," Jungmeyer said. Dante Galeazzi, president of the Texas International Produce Association, told CNN that about $9 billion worth of free produce crosses from Mexico into the Lone Star State each year. Galeazzi said that for the past week, businesses and goods were "being used as bargaining chips" and that it could take "a week or longer, up to probably three weeks, before the supply chain realigns." Galeazzi predicted that the policy would leave some store shelves in the fruit and vegetable departments empty starting this past weekend. Brent Erenwert, CEO of Brothers Produce, told KHOU 11 that Houstonians would also start to see higher prices at the store soon. Mexico reportedly lost $100 million due to the disrupt in trade, according to Jose Diaz Briseno, a Washington correspondent for Mexican newspaper Reforma. Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador criticized the inspections and accused Abbott of using the policy to gain support from voters. "Legally they can do it, but it's a very despicable way to act," Lopez Obrador said at a Monday news conference, according to Reuters. After striking deals with leaders of four Mexican states that border Texas, Abbott announced Friday that the additional inspections would be suspended for the time being, but threatened to close bridges if trafficking spikes across the border. "As we are speaking this moment, all these bridges are opened back up to normal trafficking," Abbott said during a news conference. "And so, all the goods that used to go from one country to the other at a very rapid pace, they are moving at that rapid pace as we speak right now." WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, April 17, 2022 _____ SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 708 PM CDT Sun Apr 17 2022 ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern Uvalde and northeastern Zavala Counties through 800 PM CDT... At 708 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Uvalde, moving southeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and penny size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Uvalde, Knippa and Uvalde Estates. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 800 PM CDT for south central Texas. LAT...LON 2922 9986 2935 9976 2920 9941 2905 9941 2895 9949 TIME...MOT...LOC 0008Z 305DEG 26KT 2924 9976 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ALLOWED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 135 TO EXPIRE FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN LOUISIANA THIS ALLOWS TO EXPIRE 14 PARISHES IN NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA CALDWELL GRANT JACKSON LA SALLE LINCOLN OUACHITA UNION WINN IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA BIENVILLE CLAIBORNE DE SOTO NATCHITOCHES RED RIVER SABINE IN TEXAS THIS ALLOWS TO EXPIRE 2 COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST TEXAS PANOLA SHELBY THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ARCADIA, BERNICE, CARTHAGE, CENTER, CLARKS, COLFAX, COLUMBIA, COUSHATTA, DRY PRONG, FARMERVILLE, GIBSLAND, GRAYSON, HAYNESVILLE, HOMER, JENA, JONESBORO, LOGANSPORT, MANSFIELD, MANY, MARTIN, MIDWAY, MONROE, MONTGOMERY, NATCHITOCHES, OLLA, PLEASANT HILL, RINGGOLD, RUSTON, STONEWALL, WINNFIELD, AND ZWOLLE. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather An overview of economic class immigration for Pakistanis who want to move to Canada. How to immigrate to Canada from Pakistan An overview of economic class immigration for Pakistanis who want to move to Canada. How to immigrate to Canada from Pakistan An overview of economic class immigration for Pakistanis who want to move to Canada. How to immigrate to Canada from Pakistan An overview of economic class immigration for Pakistanis who want to move to Canada. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A There are a number of ways to move to Canada depending on your circumstances in Pakistan. Pakistan is one of the top source countries of new immigrants to Canada. In 2021, more than 8,400 Pakistan citizens moved to Canada, making it the tenth-largest source country overall. It is also in the top 20 source countries of international studentsabout 3,400 came to Canada in 2021. In 2020, Pakistan was the fourth leading country of citizenship of invited Express Entry candidates. Further, the latest available census data indicates there are about 202,000 Canadians with Pakistani ancestry. The largest share of the Pakistan diaspora lives in Ontario, especially Toronto, Mississauga, and Milton. On the west coast, Vancouver also has a large Pakistani community. Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration In this article, we are going to focus on economic immigration to Canada. Economic immigration refers to people who are assessed by the government on their ability to establish themselves in the Canadian labour market. You may be eligible for family class immigration if you have Canadian family members such as a spouse or common-law partner. If you are coming to Canada for safety reasons, you may be able to immigrate as a refugee. The best way to immigrate to Canada will entirely depend on your goals. There are more than 100 economic immigration pathways available. Choosing one is like finding the right key to a lock. We are going to focus on some of the most popular permanent residence pathways, and a few temporary residence options that help you get to Canada while increasing your chances of a successful immigration story. Express Entry Express Entry is the federal governments application management system for Federal High Skilled immigration programs and some Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). It is essentially an online reservoir of immigration applications and is sometimes called the Express Entry pool. In order to get a profile in the Express Entry system, you need to be eligible for one of the Federal High Skilled programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). Being eligible for these programs also opens you up to become eligible for Express Entry-aligned PNPs. It is not necessary to be in Canada in order to be eligible, nor do you necessarily need a Canadian job offer. When you submit your profile, you are given a score out of 600 based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). You get CRS points for factors such as education, age, language proficiency in English or French, and skilled work experience (note skilled work is a designation on Canadas National Occupational Classification (NOC) system). You can get an additional 600 points if you are awarded a provincial nomination through a PNP. The absolute maximum number of points Express Entry candidates can get is 1,200. About every two weeks, Canadas immigration departmentImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holds invitation rounds where Express Entry candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence. During these Express Entry draws, the top-scoring candidates receive Invitations to Apply (ITAs) and have 60 days to respond with a complete application for Canadian immigration. This is the final step before an immigration officer renders a decision on a permanent residency application through Express Entry. Provincial Nominee Program Another popular immigration pathway, the PNP offers pathways to permanent residency for people who can support regional labour market priorities. The PNP allows Canadian provinces to create their own immigration programs. They may be more fine-tuned to address the needs of Canadian provinces and territories. Almost all of Canadas provinces and territories participate in the program, except for Nunavut and Quebec. The province of Quebec instead operates its own immigration program. There are two types of PNPs: enhanced programs, which are aligned with Express Entry; and base programs which are managed by the provinces independently. Enhanced programs pull from the Express Entry pool of candidates. If you receive a provincial nomination through one of these PNPs, you get 600 CRS points added to your overall score. This award will push you to the top of the pool, priming you to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw. Base PNPs can be an option for people who are not eligible for Express Entry. To immigrate through a base PNP, you apply to the province, and if you are eligible, get a nomination. With your certificate in hand, you can then apply for permanent residence to the federal government. Other federal immigration programs Canada offers a number of other immigration programs tailored to the countrys needs for labour. If you would like to immigrate to one of the four Atlantic provinces on the east coast of Canada, the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) might be for you. Designated employers from the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick can hire foreign workers through the program. Workers themselves get an individualized settlement plan into their new community. There are also immigration options for caregivers, agri-food workers, and people who wish to immigrate to rural and northern regions in Canada. Temporary residence options You can get temporary residence by visiting, studying, or working in Canada. Study and work experience in Canada may open the doors to more immigration options. Research has also shown that immigrants who have professional experience in Canada before immigration tend to make more money and have higher instances of employment. Study in Canada Canada is one of the worlds leading destinations for international students, hosting more than 600,000 students from all over the world. International students are attracted to Canadian schools for their high quality of education; opportunities to work during the school year, academic breaks, and after graduation; as well as the pathways to permanent residency that become available to international student graduates. There are more than 1,500 Designated Learning Institutions in Canada, which accept international students. Graduates of these institutions may be able to go on to get an open work permit, and stay in Canada for up to three years after graduation. In order to study in Canada, you first need to be accepted to a Canadian school. Once you get your letter of acceptance, you can then apply for a study permit. After graduation, international students may be able to stay in Canada for up to three years (depending on the length of the study program) on a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). To be eligible, international students must have studied full time in person for at least eight months. Those who studied online between the spring of 2020 and August 2022 can still use that time toward PGWP eligibility. Student Direct Stream Students from Pakistan who wish to study in Canada may be eligible to get a study permit faster through the Student Direct Stream (SDS). Canada aims to process all SDS study permit applications in 20 days. To submit an application for a Canadian study permit through the SDS, you must: provide a copy of a letter of acceptance from a Canadian Designated Learning Institution; present a confirmation document for your upfront medical exam; prove that you have a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) of $10,000 prove that tuition fees for the first year of study are paid; show proof that you either completed studies at a Canadian curriculum high school or show proof of a language test results demonstrating an IELTS score of 6 in English or NCLC 7 for French; and submit the application at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). If you are approved, you will get a letter of introduction and a temporary resident visa to come to Canada. You will then present it to a visa officer upon arrival in Canada. Pakistan citizens cannot be residing in another country at the time of applying for a study permit through the SDS program. Canadian work permits In order to work in Canada, you usually need a work permit. Certain people who are coming to Canada for work but not enter the labour market may be eligible to work without a work permit, but these are special circumstances. Canadian work permits are divided into two broad programs: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP). The main difference from the workers perspective is that TFWP permits require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) whereas IMP work permits do not. It is the employers responsibility to complete the LMIA, as it shows the federal government that hiring a certain foreign worker will have a neutral or positive impact on the Canadian labour market. IMP work permits do not require LMIAs as the work that the employees do through them adds a significant benefit to the country, or is part of a reciprocal agreement between Canada and another country. An example of an LMIA-exempt work permit would be an Intra Company Transfer for those who work in multi-national companies. For the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, one example might be the Global Talent Stream. Intra-Company Transfer Intra Company Transfers may be an option for companies that have a location in Pakistan and Canada. Executives, managers, and staff with specialized knowledge who work for multi-national companies may be able to move from Pakistan to work at a parent company, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate in Canada. ICT work permits are initially valid for one year and may be eligible for renewal. Both the company and the transferee must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the ICT. For example, employees must have been continuously employed (via payroll or a contract) by the company that plans to transfer them to Canada in a similar full-time position for at least one year in the three-year period immediately preceding the date of the initial application. The company itself must already be doing business in Canada. There are separate criteria for start-ups. Namely, start ups need to demonstrate the company can financially support the start-up costs of the operation and has the ability to compensate employees, among other criteria. Global Talent Stream Tech workers may be eligible for two-week work permit processing through the Global Talent Stream. In order to be eligible, workers either need to be hired by a Canadian employer that has a designated referral partner, or going to work in an in-demand tech occupation. Eligible tech occupations include computer information systems managers, computer engineers, mathematicians, information systems analysts and consultants, among others. Conclusion In 2022, Canada aims to welcome a record 431,645 newcomers. That number is only on its way up over the next three years according to the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan. In Canada, immigration is often seem as a benefit to the economy, population growth, and Canadas identity as a multicultural nation. Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. Experts speak highly of China's successful Shenzhou-13 mission Xinhua) 09:19, April 18, 2022 BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Foreign media and space experts have paid particular attention to China's successful Shenzhou-13 manned mission after three Chinese astronauts completed their six-month space station stay and returned to Earth safely on Saturday. The experts highlighted the astronauts' work in space, including two spacewalks, more than 20 science experiments and two live educational lectures. They also expressed expectations for future cooperation with China. Philippe Coue, a French specialist in Chinese astronautics, described the mission as "faultless" in an interview with Xinhua on Saturday. Noting several "world firsts" were completed and numerous experiments conducted during their half-year flight, he extended his "congratulations to the crew for advancing astronautics in China." As for the educational lectures delivered from the Tiangong space station, Molly Silk, a doctoral researcher of Chinese space policy at the University of Manchester in England, told the Space.com news website that the real-time interactive event "highlights the reality of the country's technological achievements and displays the competencies and utility of its space program." "Such an event serves to enhance national pride and to encourage young citizens to pursue science-based careers," she said. The Shenzhou-13 crew has completed the longest-ever spaceflight in Chinese history, marking the last flight mission to verify critical technologies of the Chinese space station and an important milestone in China's space industry, said Pui Jeng Leong, a media veteran in Brunei, adding it lays a solid technology foundation for further building the Tiangong station. "China has made such incredible advances, and I just enjoy watching their developments and hope to see us all working together more in the future," Don Thomas, a retired NASA astronaut, recently told Xinhua. Despite the political divergence between countries, Thomas believes that astronauts from different countries share the same identity -- space travelers from Earth. "It would be my goal that definitely all the space-exploring countries of the world can work together on some projects in the future, maybe building a joint base on the moon or a base on planet Mars," Thomas said. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Organizations that continued full speed ahead with their digital transformation initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic are able to ruminate on what went right and what they would have done differently, with the benefit of hindsight. Some of what theyve gleaned comes as no surprise: A successful digital transformation requires executive buy-in, constant communication with business units, and of course, financial commitment. A newly released report from Deloitte supports that, noting that a straightforward, compelling north star narrative is critical to success for 38% of executive respondents. A leader also needs to devote time and energy to drive a transformation forward. When a chief transformation officer contributed an additional 15% of their time, the probability of success improved by approximately 16%, according to the study. In terms of financial investment, half of the survey respondents indicated that their organizations invest between 1% and 5% of annual revenue on transformation programs. But there are lesser-known, less obvious attributes of a successful digital program. CIOs and other IT leaders share seven secrets of how to get digital transformation right. 1. They speak a common language While its critical for tech leaders to communicate throughout a digital project, its also important to communicate appropriately, says Rich Nanda, US strategy and analytics offerings leader, at Deloitte Consulting. Rich Nanda, US strategy and analytics offerings leader, Deloitte Consulting Deloitte Consulting In many organizations, we commonly see IT leaders in these discussions move too quickly to discussing technical requirements, Nanda says. The challenge with this approach is that companies end up in what we refer to as the digital trap. They lead with a single technology AI, cloud, or currently the metaverse, [which] is in a hype cycle. By narrowing the focus too quickly, IT leaders miss the opportunity to ensure their digital program is aligned with their enterprise strategy as a north star, Nanda says. They run the risk of miscommunication and misaligned business, technology, and operational strategy across the CXO team. Tech leaders should have a common language that clearly defines their companys digital imperatives, with related value measures, that allows the organization to align on strategy across the C-suite and to communicate the strategic value they hope to achieve from it, Nanda says. From there, they can use the latest technological advancements in AI or advancing ecosystem accelerators such as industry cloud to help accelerate their ability to change in service of that strategy, he says. This will elevate digital trust. 2. They use dashboards to monitor value Companies that make effective use of dashboards are more likely to succeed at digital transformation, according to a new brief from the MIT Center for Information Systems Research. Dashboards should be used to monitor the value of an initiative and how value is created, measured by organizational and individual capabilities that support digital transformation, and tracked over time, according to the research brief. CISR researchers recommend staying persistent on dashboard usage given that, like most cultural shifts, there will be resistance to their introduction. They also advise communicating the dashboards value consistently since that will drive effective dashboard use, both to increase adoption and to improve company performance on key dashboard metrics, the brief says. 3. They invest in their teams to spur innovation Digital transformations typically include the adoption of cloud-based and third-party tools and services. When that happens, your team members become managers of services rather than creators of them, observes Evan Huston, chief digital officer at Saatva, a luxury sleep company. To free up internal resources for innovation, Saatva has moved from using traditional quality assurance to crowdsourced QA all over the world, which gives the company an army of testers, Huston says. Our internal QA team now focuses 100% on automated testing and managing the queue from the crowdsourced operation. These changes shake up the skills you need on your team, creating a gap that your organization needs to fill with hiring or re-training. Being aggressive with training has also been particularly effective in getting more from IT talent on hand, he adds. High IQ people have the capacity to learn complex new skills if you invest in them. Your organization can both avoid turnover costs and preserve corporate memory. By investing in your employees, and freeing them up to handle higher-level tasks, IT leaders can greatly accelerate what their teams are capable of accomplishing. 4. They vet vendors thoroughly and write detailed RFPs Today, VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, Texas, has a new, AI-powered chatbot that answers questions 24/7 and a mobile app that customers can use to buy bus passes. These accomplishments didnt come without a lot of angst for VIAs Vice President of Technology and Innovation Steve Young. Steve Young, vice president of technology and innovation, VIA Metropolitan Transit VIA Metropolitan Transit The long and short of it is, VIA partnered with the wrong partner, Young says. The provider was terrible they changed platforms on us and things didnt work on the [original] bot, he recalls. Although Young talked to some people before hiring the provider, he acknowledges that officials could have dug deeper and found people the company didnt refer them to for references. Even if a vendor has had success with previous products, technology changes so frequently, its important to vet not just the company but the specific product, Young says. The chatbot platform was a new product for this particular company, so while we heard good things about the company, sometimes you vet the company but not the product, especially when its new to the market, Young says. The company was a relatively new provider of the chatbot platform. Theres a danger in adopting quickly, he says. Its a pitfall. Saatvas Huston agrees, saying hes learned to choose namesake platforms over niche solutions even if they cost more. Benefits that are often overlooked are ease of IT audits, better SLAs, superior security and compliance, and more talented engineering staff likely maintaining the namesake platform. VIA also had a partner issue with the mobile pass provider it worked with. The challenge there was more about needing a partner that could move at the speed we wanted to move at, Young says. VIA had a lot of requirements and spent a lot of time waiting for the partner to respond. When they sought a new tech partner, once again VIA wanted to find a vendor with stability and a history of proven performance. We wrote a slim RFP that described what VIA officials envisioned in a mobility payment platform. The RFP also stipulated that VIA wanted a partner with a strong platform with proven integrations with other third parties. As much as Young wants to support small and midsize businesses, he says he has to think about the risk to the business and their customers. He has learned the importance of getting creative in writing an RFP to get a better response from bidders. Whereas in the past, VIA shied away from writing long-winded proposals, officials had better luck telling a story of what you want rather than itemizing in detail what you want to see because you might not end up with as good a bid as you want, he says. 5. They collaborate by any means possible Honeywell is in the midst of an aggressive digital transformation in every one of its business units and functions. Sheila Jordan, chief digital technology officer, is spearheading those efforts and presently overseeing 42 active transformational programs at Honeywell. Jordan was hired 60 days before the lockdown began and was immediately tasked with shifting tens of thousands of employees to work from home. Sheila Jordan, chief digital technology officer, Honeywell Honeywell That meant everyone in the company had to learn to use collaborative technologies such as Zoom, even senior leaders who hadnt used them before, she says. Now, those technologies have become ingrained in Honeywells culture. Jordan says she saw decision makers using collaborative tools for demos and presentations, and then inadvertently applying [them] to solve other problems. That led to new ways of using video, such as to meet with vendors, and it also led to the creation of a customer advisory board as more and more people became comfortable with collaborative technology. Video can only go so far, though, Jordan admits. As we return back to the office, theres been a demand to shake peoples hands, she says, and people are meeting people for the first time in two years, which is important. But they are re-considering whether they should get on a plane for a one-hour meeting when video is so effective. 6. They recognize agile is more than just a framework Charles River Laboratories, an early-stage drug research organization, is not only building new technologies but transforming the way employees work. For example, IT is ingraining an agile way of working into its culture, says Mark Mintz, corporate senior vice president and CIO. Our objective is to bring technology to market more quickly in more iterative pieces and quickly work to identify and solve problems, he says. ITs approach is to launch betas, test and learn from them, then improve and offer more features and capabilities. Mark Mintz, corporate senior vice president and CIO, Charles River Laboratories Charles River Laboratories This involves changing people, culture, and technologies, he says. Even the best technologies dont implement themselves. You need highly skilled people who are continuously learning and developing new processes and understanding new technologies to get the most out of them. But having great people only gets you so far. If theyre not collaborative or if theyre not given a safe space to experiment and not empowered to use their skills, you wont get benefits from the technologies, Mintz says. Given the nature of its business, Charles River is implementing cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning. But IT is also deploying APIs and microservices and thinking about and designing flexible architecture. That is critical because it enables us to move at scale, Mintz says. Security is also paramount, he adds. Where I spend most of my time is on the people and culture side getting those people and making sure we grow our talent and create the best culture and environment, he says. Frankly, then its getting out of their way and removing impediments and letting them do what theyre good at. In the process of learning agile some 10 years ago, Mintz says he has come to realize that its not just a framework and a methodology. Frankly, people who look at agile as a framework are missing the impact, he says. Agile is identifying what the right problem is. he says. Then, if you break it down into small pieces, you can quickly iterate so youre never going too far off the right path, and in a customer-centric approach, you are constantly checking in with the customer. Its the leaders role to create the space for [the team] to be able to test and learn, he says, and remove impediments that slow them down. Its not the leaders job to tell them what to do. 7. They invest in cloud experimentation When Arup started its digital transformation, the global engineering firm made a big push to bring in all 1,800 employees in the Americas region so everyone would feel involved, says John DiCamillo, CIO of the Americas region. John DiCamillo, CIO of the Americas region, Arup Arup The UK-based company deployed a design methodology that focuses on four Ds: discovering a problem, defining the challenges, developing the answers, and delivering the solution, DiCamillo says. Leadership felt there should be a vehicle for people to look at new ways of doing things, and now, people can request money to try something new in the cloud, whether an automation activity or the creation of a tool, he says. DiCamillo found that people were shying away from provisioning cloud services because they had to figure out how to pay for time in Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS. So he decided to provide seed money for people to go play and understand how to do high-performance computation in the cloud and use technology to improve upon inefficiencies. Employees can request anywhere from a couple of thousand dollars up to $25,000. The only caveat is employees have to produce a value report at the end that identifies the ROI, whether in time savings, new efficiencies, new skills they gained, or potential reuse in other areas or other projects, he says. The seed money has led to the creation of tools to replace manual efforts, DiCamillo says. Engineering firms love Excel spreadsheets, but at the end of the day, those formulas can be replaced by code, he says. It has also led to new ways of working. Leveraging high-performance computing, for example, has enabled delivery on projects in hours instead of days, he says. As organizations continue their transformation journeys, leaders say theyve learned so many other secrets. Honeywells Jordan sums it up by saying make it simple, predict, be smarter, be more relevant, and surprise and delight. VIAs Young says he has learned you have to be willing to screw up. You have to be willing to admit something didnt work out and pick up and move on. We might think a customer wanted something and they dont. Its so easy in IT to get set in our ways. Transformation is a constant process because the pace of change and growth continue to accelerate, he says. Its a mistaken view that the journey ends. We always need to be looking at the next things to do better to serve employees and customers. The pandemic was the greatest change engine ever and theres no going back. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has come a long way since its inception in 1824, but its core mission remains the same: to save lives at sea. Volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, where the non-profit operates some 238 lifeboat stations and 240 lifeguard units. Over its almost 200-year history, lifeboat crews and lifeguards are said to have saved over 140,000 lives. RNLI CIO Claire Deuchar RNLI/Nathan Williams The charitys CIO and strategy director, Claire Deuchar, is charting a long-term direction that goes beyond traditional IT cycles. She is restructuring her technology delivery team with strategy and data professionals able to look 30 years into the future, prioritising diversity, neurodiversity, and mental health in her IT department and looking to support volunteers experiencing economic hardship and political pressure. An IT team looking to the future Deuchar was appointed in 2018 as CIO, her first job as a senior IT executive after holding procurement and product roles in the energy and fast-moving consumer goods sectors. Its been a choppy ride, however, with the global pandemic impacting the RNLIs financial performance, volunteering support, and talent attraction and retention. Amid all of this, she has had to maintain the non-profits six objectives, according to its 2020-2024 strategy: Keep RNLIs people safe Focus on what will save the most lives in or near the water Work with the partners the RNLI influences for improved safety on or near the water Ensure people love being part of the RNLI Raise the funds RNLI needs and spend donors money wisely Enable a sustainable and secure future. Deuchar has restructured the charitys IT operations and digital delivery team to include a long-term strategy manager to investigate the non-profits pathway for the next 10 to 30 years (RNLI assets, such as buildings and boats, have a 50-year lifecycle). She has also appointed heads of data evidence and insights and data operations and applications. The former will look at life-saving analysis and work with fundraising and marketing departments, whereas the latter will ensure the charity has the right speed and management of data. The new roles complement existing IT leaders in the team, including the head of IT services and security and the head of digital technology change. Deuchar describes her own role as being the standard spectrum of CIO duties but, much like her expanding team, with a growing emphasis on data and insights. She says better information can help the RNLI support those who are most at risk, as well as inform communications, marketing, and fundraising teams about whats required to improve awareness and gain new supporters. We know that data underpins everything that we do, she says, noting that the RNLI has historically struggled to report to volunteers and users, particularly around lifeboat maintenance and downtime. COVID-19 hits financials and volunteers, but there are positives Government COVID-19 lockdowns have had a harsh impact on the non-profit sector and what the RNLI has experienced has been extensive and painful. Charitable donations bobbed up and down, financial results took a hit, and government guidance on social distancing meant volunteer support has at times been restricted. According to RNLIs financial reports, local authorities contribute 20% of the 20 million needed to pay for a normal lifeguard season, with the remaining 16 million coming from donations. At the end of the summer lockdown in the summer of 2020, the charity expected a multi-million shortfall in funding by the end of the year, mainly because it was forced to stop many of its fundraising activities. COVID has impacted every organisation in ways that were unimaginable, says CIO UK 100 member Deuchar. The key thing for us is that we continued to save lives throughout the pandemic period. Our volunteers continued to go on shouts [rescue calls] and rescue people [on boats and beaches], even when we were in lockdown. Our lifeguards continued to support and rescue those in need on our beaches. We saw that the beaches were 30% busier during the pandemic than they had been in previous years. Deuchar says there were positives to emerge from an increase in lifesaving service demand for the technology team. The pandemic accelerated network upgrades (more than 30% of RNLI stations suffer from poor broadband connection) and experimented with VR and mixed reality platforms such as Microsofts HoloLens to improve the maintenance of equipment. Deuchar says that while her team had to re-sequence work, theyve received widespread praise across the organisation, and worked collaboratively with other departments to help digital income grow by 300%. The visibility of our technology, data and digital teams underpinning the organisation has improved, and I would say that some of the priorities of our projects have been enhanced as a result of that, she says, adding that 75% of the change agenda is now led by the technology team. Improving team culture, neurodiversity, and mental health Deuchar has been building an open and inclusive culture at the RNLIs IT department. From bringing the team together once a week to celebrate achievements to putting a focus on mental health and neurodiversity, its all part of a wider cultural shift. In Deuchars team, the RNLI ethos of OneCrew shines through. Some members of her team are neurodiverse, while others have mental health issues. Deuchar has looked to support them all through the pandemic through a raft of unorthodox and unregimented weekly meetings. I was very conscious that everyone, particularly from a technology perspective, was going to be under a lot of pressure. Her once-a-week catchups have been varied, starting with five-minute yoga sessions and tai chi, to inspiring talks from minority communities. A former deaf RNLI volunteer recently returned to talk to the team, accompanied by her Labrador. Mental wellbeing has now been included in the organisations annual people survey for the first time. I wanted to make sure that for every single call that we had together, we just had a few moments that were around our wellbeing, inclusion, and diversity, Deuchar says. A new data academy and hybrid IT infrastructure As Deuchar builds out her team to focus on data and insights, data literacy becomes critical. Working with apprenticeship provider Multiverse, Deuchar has launched a data academy, which she describes the course as a three-tiered programme that lasts between one and two years and offers RNLI staff formal data skills and qualifications in everything from data science to business intelligence (BI). The modules are business relevant and therefore have the added advantage of directly supporting the organisation as individuals learn, Deuchar says. The individuals put themselves forwards with line manager endorsement and have an assessment by Multiverse to confirm that they are being targeted at the appropriate level. This CIO is not resting on her laurels. She suggests that there is work to do on data literacy, training, and architecture, citing one example of collecting data from smart cameras on beaches. Weve got a lot of data on those cameras. How should we be using that from a training perspective? How do we want to be managing that data? What should we be thinking of when were thinking about VR, from a training perspective for our volunteers? The charity has a hybrid IT infrastructure and is undergoing cloud migration. A Microsoft-based organisation, the RNLI is using Dynamics AX for ERP, Dynamics for CRM, Sitecore for CMS/website management, and is looking to consolidate its raft of cloud providers to improve data and finance management as well as operational efficiency. We are currently defining our future data architecture, which is an exciting step for us. This will enable us to ingest and more effectively manage big data. For the year ahead, Deuchar is not battening down the hatches. Theres a further planned network upgrade, more experimentation with HoloLens, AI and smart signage on beaches, as well as a focus on talent attraction and retention. Theres a new digital programme, which will include a sprinkling of ERP, but supporting her team remains the main priority. Its about engaging and leading my team to be brilliant. And to set the organisation up for the future. Primeste notificari pe email Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare Granturi - Finantari Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele Concurs prelungit de selectare a unui expert/experta sau grup de experti in consolidarea capacitatilor centrelor regionale de suport in afaceri ale intreprinderilor sociale (Hub-uri) Raspunsul la criza refugiatilor: Apel de propuneri, lansat de MAD-Aid in parteneriat cu Camera de Comert Britanica din Moldova For decades, terrorists who kidnapped Americans operated outside the reach of US law. The conviction last week of isis member El Shafee Elsheikh in the kidnapping and murder of four Americansamong them journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloffis a landmark victory for justice that should change the way the US responds to future kidnappings. The lessons to be drawn from the deaths of Foley, Sotloff, and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller have been debated inside the US government since a November 2014 meeting between Jims mother, Diane, and President Barack Obama. At that meeting, Diane Foley told the president that the US had failed hostage families by shunting them from agency to agency and threatening to prosecute anyone who tried to pay a ransom to bring their children home. The president, moved by Foleys appeal, ordered a comprehensive review of US hostage policy. It involved multiple government agencies, consultations with experts, and the families themselves. The result was a whole new structure for hostage response, which has led to vast improvements in the way that families are treated. But there was one policy that Obama would not change. I am reaffirming that the United States government will not make concessions, such as paying ransom, to terrorist groups holding American hostages, Obama proclaimed at the end of the review process. Doing so, Obama argued, would make it likely that more Americans would be kidnapped. Despite some tinkering around the edges during the Trump administration, the no-concessions policy remains a bedrock principle of US hostage response. But last weeks conviction of Elsheikh by a federal jury in Virginia suggests an alternative path, using a strategy that has worked with tremendous success at the domestic level. Journalists have an obvious stake in the debate over hostage policy because of the nature of their work in conflict zones. Nearly 20 percent of all Westerners kidnapped by non-state actors around the world are journalists, according to a 2015 West Point study. The number is much higher in certain contexts, such as during the 2013 shift in the Syrian civil war, when jihadist groups began actively searching for victims. For decades, the strategy in the case of domestic kidnapping has been to save the life of the hostage first and then go after the kidnappers and bring them to justice. The success of this approach is the reason kidnapping for ransom is an almost nonexistent crime in the United States, as I discovered while researching my 2019 book We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Kidnappings, Hostages, and Ransom. Sign up for CJR 's daily email In 1932, following the public uproar over the abduction of the Lindbergh baby, kidnapping was made a federal crime. One of the key strategies that the FBI has used is known as ransom-as-lure. Using money stashed around the country at Federal Reserve branches, the FBI has employed ransom payments both to secure the release of the hostage and to apprehend the kidnappers. They have to pick up the money somewhere, former FBI hostage negotiator Gary Noesner told me. Kidnapping for ransom is a very hard crime to pull off successfully. But when an American is kidnapped outside the United States, the US government has historically taken a very different approach. If the kidnapping is carried out by a designated terrorist groupas was the case with the Americans kidnapped by isis in Syriathe US will not negotiate and has sometimes pressured families not to do so. The result is that nearly 75 percent of Americans taken hostage by terrorist groups are killed by the captors. This compares with roughly 20 percent of European hostages, whose governments often pay ransoms. The American no-concessions approach could be justified if it made Americans safer, as President Obama argued. But there is little evidence that this is the case. Numerous studies have concluded that kidnapping is largely a crime of opportunityterrorist groups generally nab foreign hostages without checking passports. Brian Jenkins, a former US Green Beret and current Rand Corporation analystand one of the nations leading experts on hostage policyput it this way: The most powerful determinant of whether or not there will be further kidnappings is not the policy of the government, but the fate of kidnappers or their organization. If kidnappers are apprehended and appropriately punishedthen kidnapping will decline. If this is not done, then it does not make any difference what the policy is. While bringing terrorist kidnappers to justice is exceedingly difficult, the conviction of Elsheikh shows it is possible. The families of the American hostages killed by isis lobbied three administrations relentlessly, persuading Attorney General William Barr to agree not to pursue the death penalty, allowing the British government to provide evidence essential to winning Elsheikhs conviction. The lesson from the Elsheikh conviction is that the US should adapt the approach that has been used to eliminate kidnapping for ransom as a crime in the United States to international hostage cases: focusing first on winning the release of kidnapped Americans through all reasonable means, and then doing everything possible to punish the perpetrators. Accountability is essential to deter hostage-taking and wrongful detention of American citizens, said Diane Foley and her husband, John, in a statement published following Elsheikhs conviction. Through this trial, the US has shown there can be justice. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Joel Simon is a fellow at Tow Center for Digital Journalism. His next book is The Infodemic: How Censorship Made the World Sicker and Less Free co-authored with Robert Mahoney. When Bobbi Dempsey was finding her footing in her career as a freelance journalist, in 2000, she could feel a stark distance between herself and her editors. They assumed, for instance, that her town in agrarian Pennsylvania, where she lived and worked, had high-speed internet. (Back then, it did not.) Or theyd tell her to use a certain app, despite the fact that she only had a flip phone; smartphones were too costly. The first few times she had to travel to report, she didnt have a credit card, just a debit card, and couldnt book a hotel or cover a security deposit. Dempsey, whos now fifty-two, felt that she was fighting a constant battle to prove the value of covering a random rural area, from a reporting standpoint. Her opponent, she felt, was a kind of editorial bias, financial but also cultural. Shed long wanted editors to make clear that they value the insight that I and other writers with our experience can offer. But these sorts of endorsements were few and far between. Similarly, Alex Miller came across systemic barriers ten or so years ago, when he was an aspiring reporter in New York City. Miller, a Navy veteran, moved in to a shelter when he could no longer afford housing. As he attended college in the city, he continued to write, publishing pieces that included an op-ed for the New York Times about his experiences with poverty and homelessness. Nevertheless, the slow pace of magazine and newspaper payments often stymied his ability to pay his bills promptly. In time, Miller says, some of the interpersonal interactions he had with editors compounded the injury. After Miller submitted an autobiographical essay in which he reflected upon his mothers paranoid schizophrenia and the poverty of his youth, he says an editor wrote me a book to tell me how terrible my piece was, that it was one of the worst, and she had been doing this for fifteen years. The feedback was demoralizing for Miller; at the time, he was working securitythe latest in a series of jobs that had included giving out amNewYork on the subway, working as a server at a pizza joint, and doing maintenance at the Veterans Administration hospital in the Bronx. He was also recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder connected to his time in the Navy. You can fall into a depression, if you dont have a support group, as a freelancer, says Miller, who is now thirty-five and contributes to publications including Wired and Newsweek. (Disclosure: after I wrote this piece, my nonprofit decided to support some of Millers articles.) Negative encounters with editors like those described by Miller and Dempsey are not unusual in the media business. As I see it, those encounters owe in part to a disconnect between ranking editorial staffers at legacy media outlets and reportersoften freelancersfrom less privileged backgrounds. Elite journalists tend to graduate from the same small cohort of colleges; a 2018 study published in the Journal of Expertise found that only a handful of select schools feed the mastheads of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, suggesting the importance of networks. Many are the beneficiaries of what has been called journalisms professionalizationa process, media professor Silvio Waisbord wrote, that entails a unified project of occupational differentiation and the definition of common skills, norms, and ethics. Many were trained to abide by the professions legacy norms in journalism schools or in newsrooms. These are places whose demographics still fail to match the audiences they strive to serve. In addition, the terms often on offereducational debt and frequently meager wagesprevent plenty of would-be journalists from joining the profession. Ironically, even as the economic fortunes of the news media have declined precipitously, as a social group the status of journalists has increased, Daniel Kreiss, a professor of media studies, wrote. Journalists are highly educated, urban, and cosmopolitan elites when compared with the publics they serve. A number of independent contributors, meanwhile, do not meet that description. Most news coverage isnt created with people experiencing poverty in mind, Heather Bryant, a journalist and founder of Project Facet, has said. That is frequently made clear when outlets want to run sensitive and authentic stories concerning class. In a 2018 essay for Journalists Resource, Bryant and Denise-Marie Ordway, both reporters who grew up in poverty, called for our industry to consider prioritizing a journalism for and with people over coverage about people. But coverage for and with people isnt possible without building class awareness into the editorial process from end to end. Sign up for CJR 's daily email How might our industry better engage with financially stressed journalists, and better serve less privileged audiences? Street papersthe dozens of publications across the country created by and for unhoused people, such as Bostons Spare Change News or Seattles Real Changeoffer some instructive examples. Alejandro Ramirez, the former editor in chief of Spare Change, says he found himself occasionally applying extra hands-on efforts in order to guide contributors through the editorial process. Contributors sometimes required editing in nontraditional ways, Ramirez saysdown to taking a handwritten story and transforming it into a typed article. The goal, he says, was to publish them. Of the lessons he took from his role, Ramirez says, the most important was simple, if all too rare: pay writers on time. The papers vendorsthose who sold and contributed to itcould use that fifty dollars an article, he says. Kevin Howley, a media studies professor at DePauw University, described street newspapers to me as acts of communicative democracy whose aim is to broaden the range of voices in media and create fairer public spheres. (In their capacity as the voice of the poor, street papers seek to engage reading publics in a critically informed dialogue over fundamental issues of economic, social, and political justice, Howley wrote in a 2003 paper.) They often take advocacy positions and feature first-person reporting from those experiencing povertyeditorial decisions not necessarily undertaken by legacy publications. And they are participatory in ways that many legacy publications still are not. Assigning and editing with class sensitivity means news outlets are reconsidering some of journalisms fundamental elements. This includes not only hiring reporters who have had non-traditional life experiences but giving them more leeway for personal expression, supporting their experiential expertise. Reporters who are struggling economically have told me in conversation that they want editors and managers to recognize their lived experiencerecognition that, in turn, might help many outlets see beyond their own class limitations and better engage issues of class and poverty in their coverage. In order to do so, assigning editors must think through the realities their contributors might confront each day, and how those realities may differ from their own. In some cases, it might mean countering an impulse toward tough love editingan approach that may not work for every writer, or even for most writers. Those who cover issues intersecting with financial stress, and whose own lives include it, dont need grit to work in journalism; they need thoughtful approaches. Careful editing and fact-checking isnt just about being meticulous; it should also retain the capacity for empathy, for the duration of the editorial process. In others, it might mean reevaluating payment practices. Like most news outlets, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project (EHRP), the nonprofit news organization I direct, usually pays writers after their pieces are published. We have learned that, in a number of cases, we need to offer at least half a reporters fee and travel expenses up front. Some of our writers cant afford to pay for their hotel rooms, or even their rent, in advance. Sure, weve been burned a couple of times. But weve come to think of those moments as part of a process of caring for freelancers and putting our trust in them. By and large, it has worked out for us. In still other cases, it might mean expanding our notions of expertise. We might rethink who the expert is in an expert quote, and try to find these authorities outside of established institutions, or established journalistic practice. (As Ramirez said of his work at Spare Change, if you want to cover the housing crisis, for example, you need to talk to someone who has been searching for housing their entire adult life.) Currently, EHRP is collaborating with a number of other nonprofits to create a journalist-facing database of experiential expertsan effort were calling Working Sources. The people in our forthcoming database arent just specialists by virtue of the time theyve spent at think tanksthey may have worked as daycare providers or labor organizers, or have experience with drug addiction or housing insecurity. Working toward inclusion can feel Sisyphean. But the outcomes can be rewarding. Dempsey says shes started to see editors pay more attention to the knowledge that comes from her own struggles; she recently published an article on free dental care for the poorest Americans in The New Yorker. (The article was supported by EHRP.) She admits that she still has to do a lot of code switching to work in media. Still, she says, she takes heart in the stories she is able to tell, because people like me finally see their stories being portrayed. She adds: Readers are amazed and so appreciative: they are glad to know that they are not so alone. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Alissa Quart is the executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, a journalism nonprofit devoted to covering inequality. The author of five nonfiction books (including Bootstrapped, forthcoming in August 2022) and two poetry collections, she has also contributed to the New York Times, The Guardian, and the New York Review of Books, among other publications. MIAMI (AP) Seawalls, despite more natural innovations like living shorelines, arent going anywhere in Florida except up. With thousands of miles of coastline facing two feet of sea level rise by 2060, some cities and counties, including Miami-Dade, are already calling for raising the standard heights of seawalls. And many of the seawalls to come in the decades ahead promise to be different not only stronger and more durable, but better designed to both absorb waves and reduce damage to the adjacent sea or bay bottom. One new approach in development by the University of Miami is even specifically designed to provide habitat for corals, mangroves and other marine life. Weve got to stop doing things the way we have for the last few decades, said Esber Andiroglu, an associate professor at the University of Miami focused on building the seawalls of the future. This is a time for innovation, Hes among the university scientists and private companies designing new technology to improve seawall construction, which is likely to be a booming business in coming decades. By one estimate, it could cost $75 billion to raise and repair every existing wall in Florida by 2040. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger The first thing youd notice about the brand new seawall alongside North Bay Villages Treasures on the Bay Condominium is that its higher than it used to be. The other major change is impossible to detect because its encased in concrete. About 50 feet of the seawall cap isnt interlaced with the usual steel rods, known as rebar, that reinforce the vast majority of buildings. Instead, it uses bars of glass fiber reinforced polymer. Its twice as strong as steel, weighs about 75% less and most importantly, it doesnt corrode. Thats a common weakness with rebar used in projects exposed to salty air and water. Its why so many older coastal buildings start to sport menacing cracks if left unattended. Reinforcement with fiber polymers would completely take that problem away, said Andiroglu, who designed the new seawall. The polymer rebar is well-tested, he said, and increasingly used by the Florida Department of Transportation on projects vulnerable to salt air. The upfront cost is about 10% to 15% higher than steel, he said, but over the long term it will be cheaper because it has a far longer life span 100 years or more, some studies suggest. And the price is likely to decrease as its use becomes more common. Seawalls designed like LEGO bricks also could help reduce the costs of raising them in the future. Andiroglus lab is experimenting with modular pieces that could be added to as needed. That could be handy as rising sea levels push coastal building codes higher. People always say `but if I built it too high Im wasting my views, and `its not going to happen during my lifetime, he said. Modular functions allow people to add height to seawalls as its happening. It will also break down the financial burden across decades. Coral Friendly Concrete The primary ingredient of seawalls concrete is also ripe for change. Its a big contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, which exacerbate climate change, and it can deteriorate in humid, salty environments like South Florida. Concrete is pretty much the most used material in the world, said Prannoy Suraneni, an assistant professor at UM dedicated to coming up with better concrete _ not just for engineering but also for the environment. Suraneni said its relatively simple to switch out ingredients in concrete to make it more durable. There is already an option called ultra-high-performance concrete, and builders across the country are starting to use it more but it doesnt solve every problem, especially on the environmental side. How we make concrete resilient or coral friendly, that is a lot more challenging, he said. Research already shows that a seawall with a variety of textures will attract different forms of marine life better than a completely smooth wall. His team is also studying how the chemical composition of different concrete mixes alkalinity and other additives encourages healthier growth of marine life, a still unresolved question. Perhaps the most revolutionary change would be using saltwater, rather than fresh water in concrete seawalls a change that would cut costs and would be especially valuable in countries where drinking water is depleted. After several years of research and experiments, Suraneni said hes confident that seawater can be used in concrete, as long as the steel rebar inside is also swapped out. Steel and salt just dont mix. There is zero question you can use seawater in concrete. The main issue is the steel we use in concrete is likely to corrode, he said. So dont use steel in these circumstances. Use glass fiber reinforced polymer. Introducing Seahive While seawalls protect land, they arent so good for marine life. When a wave comes crashing into a mangrove forest, or even a pile of rocks, it breaks up that force. But when a wave crashes into a straight seawall, all that energy gets funneled straight down, scouring the adjacent sea bottom and sea life. In Miami-Dade, thats why new seawalls are required to have a pile of rocks _ known as riprap _ at their base. In some spots, the rocks are piled high enough to peek out of the water, and mangroves and other coastal plants will root there. Thats what inspired a group of UM scientists to design a riprap replacement, designed with mangroves and other plant life in mind. They call it SEAHIVE, a reference to the six-sided tubes that stack up to look like a beehive honeycomb. Think of it as an airbag. It dissipates the energy by allowing the water inside, said Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, an assistant professor at the University of Miamis college of engineering and head of the research team at SEAHIVE. After three years of testing the structures in water tanks, the team is moving on to pilot projects in the real world. One will be placed near a seawall in North Bay Village, another will be offshore in Miami Beach as an artificial coral reef, and a third will be debuted this summer in Pompano Beach for a snorkel park project called Wahoo Bay. The plan is to plant mangroves and coral on the SEAHIVE structures in the sunken park so residents _ especially kids _ can swim up and experience nature firsthand. We expect the major attraction will be school groups, said Rob Wyre, chairman of Shipwreck Park, creator of another snorkel park in Broward County. Its a blank canvas insofar as whats going to happen on the education side. Once theyre in place, Rhode-Barbarigos said his team will measure everything from how fish and plants react to how good of a job the structures do at breaking up waves. To guard against corrosion and crumbling, theyll be built with the same plastic polymers as the North Bay Village condo seawall. If all goes well, he said this technology could be an easy-to-deploy solution for waterfront South Florida cities. We wanted something which is robust, which is easy to implement, easy to manufacture, approachable, he said. You can always push the envelope to really high-tech later. We need the low-tech solution so we can have sustainable, equitable development. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona victims of long-ago child sex abuse can proceed with lawsuits against groups like the Boy Scouts of America after the state Supreme Court rejected claims that a state law extending victims right to sue was unconstitutional. Arizona is among many states that have reacted to child sex abuse in recent years by allowing victims of even decades-old abuse to sue groups that didnt protect them from predators. That has led to lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Church, Scouts and others. The high court last week rejected appeals by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and its affiliates in central and southern Arizona of lower court rulings that found a 2019 law extending the statute of limitations was constitutional. The rulings appear to be the first to directly address whether the Arizona law is legal, according to Phoenix attorney Robert Pastor, who represents victims in the two cases the high court considered. Those lawsuits allege that the group that connects youth called Littles with adult mentors known as Bigs did not properly oversee the Bigs. The cases involved two men who abused boys, one in 1983 and one in the 1970s, court filings show. The men are not defendants. Child USA, a national group that pushes for so-called revival laws that allow old cases to be pursued in court, urged the high court to uphold the trial court rulings. It noted Arizona was among more than 30 states enacting legislation since 2002 allowing such lawsuits, most in recent years. A ruling against (the laws) revival window would have negative ramifications for all the child sexual abuse survivors throughout Arizona who are embracing the window in pursuit of long overdue justice, the groups filing said. The Utah Supreme Court in 2020 threw out its revival law, but other states have upheld them, including the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2015 in a case involving a Roman Catholic priest. Arizonas high court considered appeals from decisions by two Maricopa County Superior Court judges who rejected Big Brothers Big Sisters arguments that the Legislature violated its due process rights by extending the statute of limitations. The judges said in rulings issued last year that courts have long held that changing a statute of limitation for non-criminal claims is within the rights of legislatures. The lawsuits were put on hold while the group appealed, but now can proceed. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America spokeswoman Dvon Williams said the group does not comment on litigation. The CEO of the Southern Arizona chapter, Marie Logan, declined to comment on the suits, and calls and emails to the affiliate in Phoenix were not immediately returned. Arizonas 2019 law provided a one-time window for victims of long-ago child sex abuse to sue beyond the existing two-year statute of limitations that began once they turned 18. That window closed at the end of 2020. It also created a much longer time for more recent victims to sue after they turn 18, allowing lawsuits to be filed up to age 30. The lawmaker who pushed the law said he was pleased with the court rulings. I never had any concerns that it wasnt constitutional, said Republican state Sen. Paul Boyer, whose insistence on the law held up the state budget in 2019. I would have loved the window to have been open longer and I would have loved to have it higher than age 30, but it was a compromise. Pastor, the attorney who represents the two unidentified men suing over abuse by their Bigs, said Thursday that hell now be able to find out how much Big Brothers Big Sisters knew about child predators who he says used their organization to groom and victimize children. He said groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters provide vitally needed support for children, but must be vigilant about keeping predators from using them to find victims. What we know as litigators advocating for survivors is that perpetrators will seek out volunteer opportunities in these organizations, because perpetrators need access to children, Pastor said. In addition to the cases Pastor is pursuing against Big Brothers Big Sisters, lawsuits have been filed in Arizona against the Boy Scouts of America, the Roman Catholic Church, the state Department of Child Safety and schools and universities, he said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BOSTON (AP) Multiple U.S. government agencies issued a joint alert Wednesday warning of the discovery of a suite of malicious cyber tools created by unnamed advanced threat actors that are capable of sabotaging the energy sector and other critical industries. The public alert from the Energy and Homeland Security Departments, the FBI and National Security Agency did not name the actors or offer details on the find. But their private sector cybersecurity partners said the evidence suggests Russia is behind the industrial control system-disrupting tools and that they were configured to initially target North American energy concerns. One of the cybersecurity firms involved, Mandiant, called the tools exceptionally rare and dangerous. In a report, it called the tools functionality was consistent with the malware used in Russias prior physical attacks though it acknowledged that the evidence linking it to Moscow is largely circumstantial. The CEO of another government partner, Robert M. Lee of Dragos, agreed that a state actor almost certainly crafted the malware, which he said was configured to initially target liquified natural gas and electric power sites in North America. Lee referred questions on the state actors identity to the U.S. government and would not explain how the malware was discovered other than to say it was caught before an attack was attempted. Were actually one step ahead of the adversary. None of us want them to understand where they screwed up, said Lee. Big win. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which published the alert, declined to identify the threat actor. The U.S. government has warned critical infrastructure industries the gird for possible cyberattacks from Russia as retaliation for severe economic sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Officials have said that Russian hacker interest in the U.S. energy sector is particularly high, and CISA urged it in a statement Wednesday to be especially mindful of the mitigation measures recommended in the alert. Last month, the FBI issued an alert saying Russian hackers have scanned at least five unnamed energy companies for vulnerabilities. Lee said the malware was designed to be a framework to go after lots of different types of industries and be leveraged multiple times. Based on the configuration of it, the initial targets would be LNG and electric in North America. Mandiant said the tools pose the greatest threat to Ukraine, NATO members and other states assisting Kyiv in its defense against Russian military aggression. It said the malware could be used to shut down critical machinery, sabotage industrial processes and disable safety controllers, leading to the physical destruction of machinery that could lead to the loss of human lives. It compared the tools to Triton, malware traced to a Russian government research institute that targeted critical safety systems and twice forced the emergency shutdown of a Saudi oil refinery in 2017 and to Industroyer, the malware that Russian military hackers used the previous year to trigger a power outage in Ukraine. Lee said the newly discovered malware, dubbed Pipedream, is only the seventh such malicious software to be identified that is designed to attack industrial control systems. Lee said Dragos, which specializes in industrial control system protection, identified and analyzed its capability in early 2022 as part of its normal business research and in collaboration with partners. He would offer no more specifics. In addition to Dragos and Mandiant, the U.S. government alert offers thanks to Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks and Schneider Electric for their contributions. Schneider Electric is one of the manufacturers listed in the alert whose equipment is targeted by the malware. Omron is another. Mandiant said it had analyzed the tools in early 2002 with Schneider Electric. In a statement, Palo Alto Networks executive Wendi Whitmore said: Weve been warning for years that our critical infrastructure is constantly under attack. Todays alerts detail just how sophisticated our adversaries have gotten. Microsoft had no comment. AP writer Alan Suderman contributed from Richmond, Virginia. About the photo: A joint cybersecurity advisory released by the Department of Energy, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Security Agency and the FBI is photographed in Washington, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The agencies issued the joint alert Wednesday announcing the discovery of malicious cyber tools capable of gaining full system access to multiple industrial control systems. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Ten people were shot and two others injured in a shooting at a busy shopping mall in South Carolinas capital that authorities do not believe was a random attack. Three people who had firearms have been detained in connection with the Saturday afternoon shooting at Columbiana Centre, Columbia Police Chief W.H. Skip Holbrook said. He said at least one of those three people fired a weapon. We dont believe this was random, Holbrook said. We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire. Authorities said no fatalities have been reported but that eight of the victims were taken to the hospital. Of those eight, two were in critical condition and six were in stable condition, Holbrook said. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73, he said. Daniel Johnson said he and his family were visiting from Alabama and were eating in the food court when they first heard shots ring out and started seeing people running. Johnson said people were screaming for their children and spouses, knocking over tables in the food court as they fled. Everybody was trying to get outside, Johnson said. When I was coming out, you could see baby strollers turned over, peoples phones and left keys. It was kind of a hectic situation. Johnson said he gathered his wife, daughter and son and began heading toward the exit after letting the crowd clear out for a bit. My biggest thing was _ and not to sound selfish _ was to make sure that our family was OK and to get them out safely because this is not something that we love to do for Easter weekend. Heavy police presence continued in the area hours after the shooting, though officers began letting more traffic through the streets surrounding the shopping centers and strip malls that are usually packed on weekends. Officers were also stationed outside a nearby hotel designated as a reunification area for people at the scene of the shooting and their families. Workers from a couple of stores remained clustered in the mostly empty parking lot Saturday evening, waiting for police to let them back inside to retrieve their car keys and personal belongings so they could leave. They said they did not hear or see anything during the shooting but followed the malls alert system and were evacuated by police shortly after. They declined to give their names, citing company policies. Todays isolated, senseless act of violence is extremely upsetting and our thoughts are with everyone impacted, Columbiana Centre said in a statement. We are grateful for the quick response and continued support of our security team and our partners in law enforcement. The shooting is the latest in a rash of shootings at or near malls across the country. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the head Wednesday outside Brooklyns Atlantic Terminal Mall. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Officials said he was with a group of boys when they got into a dispute with a second group. On Tuesday, a Southern California shoe store owner mistakenly shot a 9-year-old girl while firing at two shoplifters at the Mall of Victor Valley, police said. And earlier this month, police said six people were killed and 12 others wounded in Sacramento, California, during a gunfight between rival gangs as bars closed in a busy area near the Downtown Commons shopping mall and the state Capitol. About the photo: Authorities stage outside Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia, S.C., following a shooting, Saturday, April 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. RUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) Authorities have lifted some evacuation orders for a mountain community in drought-stricken southern New Mexico as firefighters worked Saturday to contain a wind-driven blaze that killed two people and destroyed over 200 homes. The evacuation orders lifted late Friday covered about 60% of the estimated 4,500 people ordered to leave their homes since the fire started Tuesday, Village of Ruidoso spokesperson Kerry Gladden told The Associated Press on Saturday. Evacuation estimates were previously reported to be around 5,000 people. The big story is were in a re-population mode, Gladden said earlier during a media briefing. Those evacuation orders remaining in effect may be lifted in coming days, officials said. Those waiting to return included Barbara Arthur, the owner of a wooded 28-site RV park that had wind damage but didnt burn. We feel blessed, said Arthur, who on Saturday was staying at a motel and preparing taco ingredients to take to another RV park for dinner with people displaced by the fire, including some of her tenants. Arthur said the fire came within a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) of her park and that she saw flames while evacuating. Its the scariest thing Ive ever been through in my 71 years of living, she said. Bob Moroney, who works for a company that manages nightly rentals at Ruidoso River Resort, said three different groups, roughly 15 people overall, were displaced by the fire and are staying in units at the complex. These are literally people that left for work in the morning and never went back home, he said, adding that for many, their homes are total losses. Theyre just down to chimneys and foundations at this point. Moroney, a qualifying broker for Keller Williams Casa Ideal, said that for now, the displaced are just trying to decompress as they figure out insurance and other next steps. Fire incident commander Dave Bales said crews worked to put out hot spots and clear lines along the fires perimeter to keep the fire from spreading. The fire has no containment but Bales expressed a mix of satisfaction with work done so far and prospects for coming days. Weather conditions Saturday appeared favorable with reduced wind and increased humidity, Bales said. We have lines in. We just want to make sure they hold in that wind, he said. The fire and the winds that spread it downed power lines and knocked out electricity to 18,000 customers. Electricity has been restored to all but a few dozen customers, said Wilson Guinn, a Public Service Co. manager. But people returning to their homes needed to be cautious and call utility officials if they encounter downed lines, Guinn said. We may have missed something, Guinn said. Dont try to touch them, fix them, roll them up, whatever. Gladden, the village spokesperson, said residents also need to be aware that the strong winds earlier in the week may have damaged trees that could still fall or lose limbs. Its important that what started this whole event was a significant wind storm, she said. Hotlines lit up Friday afternoon as residents reported more smoke, which fire information officer Mike De Fries said was caused by flare-ups within the interior of the fire as flames found pockets of unburned fuel. The fire started in the neighborhood and then spread to more remote areas, De Fries said Saturday. Authorities are investigating the cause. What you have here in Ruidoso are stretches where homes are destroyed, multiple homes are destroyed within neighborhoods, De Fries said. And then there is the clear evidence and the trail of the fire as it progressed further north and west and in some cases neighborhood to neighborhood as it burned through the Village of Ruidosos north and east side. Authorities have yet to release the names of the couple who died. Their bodies were found after worried family members contacted police, saying the couple had planned to evacuate Tuesday when the fire exploded but were unaccounted for later that day. As of Saturday, the fire had burned 9.6 square miles (25 square kilometers) of timber and brush. Hotter and drier weather coupled with decades of fire suppression have contributed to an increase in the number of acres burned by wildfires, fire scientists say. The problem is exacerbated by a more than 20-year Western megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change. There are other blazes in the state, including the smaller Nogal Canyon fire to the northwest of Ruidoso. That fire was caused by downed power lines, De Fries said, and has burned six homes and eight outbuildings. People have been ordered to leave the area. We are right now in a time, even though its very early in the year, where places like New Mexico have had extra stretches of just extremely dry weather, De Fries said. Combining that with some winds, and you can see by the number of fires that are taking place and number of new starts every day and each week that fire conditions are a big concern. Ruidoso a decade ago was the site of the most destructive wildfire in New Mexicos recorded history when more than 240 homes burned and nearly 70 square miles (181 square kilometers) of forest were blackened by a lightning-sparked blaze. While many older residents call Ruidoso home year round, the population of about 8,000 people expands to about 25,000 during the summer months as Texans and New Mexicans from hotter climates seek respite. About the photo: The remains of a home left after a wildfire spread through the Village of Ruidoso, N.M. on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Officials say a wildfire has burned about 150 structures, including homes, in the New Mexico town of Ruidoso. (Alexander Meditz via AP) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. India is biggest digital ID provider With 1.3 billion Aadhaar card users, India tops the list of countries with the most digital ID users. A digital ID is a digital copy of a physical ID like Aadhaar, a driving license, or a passport. Globally, there are 4.2 billion digital ID users, a number expected to reach 6.5 billion by 2026, according to Juniper Research. Most government-funded schemes in India are linked to Aadhaar card numbers for verifications. Juniper Research found that COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of digital identity adoption by over 50%, emphasizing its importance, especially in government services. The report recommends that government partner with digital identity vendors with diverse identity datasets to ensure an inclusive digital transformation in e-governance. It expects digital identity vendors revenue globally to exceed $53 billion by 2026, up from $26 billion in 2021. India in talks with US to harness AI opportunities India and the US have held an inaugural AI dialogue to discuss opportunities for joint innovation in new domains. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. Following the India-US ministerial dialogue, Singh released a statement saying, Our extensive engagement has yielded important results. Some of these include commencing the defence space and defence artificial intelligence dialogues in near future. The parties also discussed a possible deepening of collaboration between the two countries in domains including science and technology in the US-India Joint Technical Group (JTG), space, AI, and cybersecurity. Global capability centres surge in India As the pace of digital adoption increases, there has been a surge in the number of global capability centres (GCCs) set up in India. According to Nasscom, as of financial year 2020 India was home to over 1300 GCCs employing more than 1.3 million workers and contributing $33.8 billion in gross revenue. The industry organisation said that 25% of the Fortune 500 and 15% of Fortune 2000 companies have a presence in India. 3M, Airbnb, Zoom Video Communications, Pratt & Whitney, Tredence, Rolls Royce, Bosch Global Software Technologies have all recently set their GCCs in the country. US retailer Lowes was the latest to announce the launch of a GCC, its second in India. Recently, crypto exchange platform Coinbase also announced its plans to set up GCC in India. The rise in the number of GCCs can be credited to the growing demand due to the increased focus on automation and digitalization after the pandemic. TRAI submits 5G recommendations The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has submitted its recommendations to the government on how 5G spectrum should be auctioned to network operators. The auction is expected to happen later in 2022. The report titled Recommendations on Auction of Spectrum in frequency bands identified for IMT/5G, was expected to be submitted in February 2022, but was eventually filed in mid-April. In its report, TRAI recommends the reserve price for all 5G spectrum be set at 70% of the valuation previously arrived at. It recommended that the spectrum for 5G be auctioned in the bands already used for mobile communications in India, and also in the new spectrum bands of 600 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz, and 24.25-28.5 GHz. The telecom body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) whose members include Airtel, Jio, and Idea however wasnt happy with TRAIs recommendation and said the spectrum pricing was still too high. COAI had presented arguments and concerns about the high reserve price based on global benchmarks and recommended lowering the price by 90%. Air India revamps its IT plans Tata Group recently acquired Air India and now plans to improve its IT infrastructure. With the upgrade, Air Indias chairman N Chandrasekaran aims to bring business accountability to the airline to save costs and improve efficiency. Technology firm Amadeus will be taking over the development of Air Indias passenger services system, which includes functions such as flight schedules, ticket reservations, and ecommerce, as the airlines existing agreement with SITA ends in June. Amadeus will upgrade Air Indias IT to a single platform of advanced technology for frictionless bookings, helping agents efficiently upsell and add-sell for a better mix of high-value fares. The company expects the tech upgrade will save it crores of rupees in the next few years. A four-day workweek could be mandated for some California employees should a proposed bill be passed by the states legislature. The bill, introduced by two Assembly members, Cristina Garcia (D-Dist.58) and Evan Low (D-Dist. 28), would amend existing legislation in the state and reduce the typical workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours. Work in excess of 32 hours would be paid at a rate of at least one-and-a-half regular pay, and, most significantly, the Assembly Bill 2932 would require employers to pay employees the same amount for 32 hours as they would for 40. This would enable staff to work the equivalent of four eight-hour days, rather than five. The change would apply to businesses with more than 500 workers, with certain exemptions, including having a collective bargaining agreement with a union. Similar rules have been proposed at the federal level by US Rep. Mark Takano, (D-CA.), who last year proposed legislation that would also shorten the workweek from 40 to 32 hours. "After two years of being in the pandemic, we've had over 47 million employees leave their job looking for better opportunities," Garcia said in an interview with CBS News. "They're sending a clear message they want a better work-life balance they want better emotional and mental health, and this is part of that discussion." The California Chamber of Commerce opposes the new measure on the grounds that it imposes a tremendous cost on employers and includes provisions that are impossible to comply with, exposing businesses to litigation under the Private Attorneys General Act. The bill would also discourage job growth in the state and likely reduce opportunities for workers, said Ashley Hoffman, policy advocate at the California Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to Low. Thomas Lenz, a lecturer at the USC Gould School of Law, told Computerworld the legislation may create cost and operational hurdles for employers struggling to meet staffing goals. He added that, should the legislation pass, employers with over 500 employees might consider scaling back their operations to minimize risk and potential exposure. Though calls for a four-day week are not new, the idea has gained momentum in recent years, partly driven by businesses rethinking working practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. While critics say it will create complexity and incur additional costs for employers, supporters of the idea highlight improved worker well-being in four-day week trials, even leading to higher productivity. Numerous companies are currently conducting trials, including Kickstarter, Qwick and Unilever. Hospitality gig-work platform Qwick, for example, began trialling a shorter workweek earlier this month. At Qwick, workers will switch from their typical five-day, 38-hour week to 32 hours a week spread over four days. (They would get the same pay as for a five-day week.) The trial applies to Qwicks full-time staffers and will run until July, when the company will evaluate whether it was a success. However, the number of companies that have switched permanently to a four-day week remains low and it is unclear whether recent momentum will lead to mainstream adoption. Last month, job posting site Indeed told Computerworld that less than 1% of job postings on March 11 included the term four-day week.. A Gallup survey of full-time U.S. employees in March 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic upended many business practices indicated that only 5% put in four days a week, with 84% working five days (and 11% working six days a week). Many four-day week initiatives are aimed predominantly at office workers, rather than other parts of the workforce such as those in service industry jobs. The California bill would affect all non-exempt employees. 04/18/2022 Photo (c) Laser1987 - Getty Images American Airlines CEO Robert Isom says the airline is all ready to go for the 2022 summer travel season. In a meeting with pilots, Isom said travelers can count on American to manage the expected increase in passengers for both the summer and beyond. The airline has had to deal with some bumps in recent months, including issues with fuel shortages, system-wide cancellations brought on by bad weather, and issues with pilots. However, Isom says thats all in the past. People really need to feel like they have control of their itineraries and we give them control by making sure they get to where they want to go on time. I just cant be any more blunt about it than that, Isom told pilots during a company town hall, according to CNBC. Other airlines are really struggling. Isom didnt call any other airline out specifically, but he may be talking about JetBlue and Alaska Airlines. Earlier this month, both companies said they were pulling back on their normal flight schedules. For JetBlue, that cut was sizable 8% to 10% at least through the end of May. The company is hoping to minimize the impact of seasonal weather interruptions and air traffic control disruptions going forward. Airlines offer more to keep consumers happy Airlines will need to be on top of their game in the coming months to satisfy the throngs of people who are returning to the skies. Many carriers are already taking extra steps like upgrading mileage programs or offering enticing fares to keep travelers happy. Despite an extension of the face mask mandate, the Transportation Security Administration reports that it is already seeing more people going through security. Passenger screenings jumped to 2.3 million people this past Friday, up 57% from a year ago. The gravitational pull in Western Hemisphere comes not from US, but from China, which offers markets, money, investment But in our own hemisphere, the gravitational pull comes not from the United States in decline, but from China on the rise, offering markets, money, investment -- and a governing model: capitalism with Chinese characteristics. If the national security establishment has its way, the United States wont let our neighbours choose their own orientation. It will push propaganda, reinforce corrupt elites and threaten or impose sanctions for those who dont fall in line with a model that has failed repeatedly across the hemisphere. Hypocrisy is common in international relations. The Russians and Chinese, for example, constantly invoke international law, even as they trample it when they deem it necessary. The United States champions a rules-based order, in which we make the rules and hold ourselves exempt from them when desirable. The principle of respecting nations and their right to choose their own path is a good one. The countries of our own hemisphere wish we would practice it as well as preach it. --- *Editorial director, publisher of the Nation, president of the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord (ACURA), writes a weekly column at the Washington Post, is a frequent commentator on U.S. and international politics for Democracy Now, PBS, ABC, MSNBC and CNN. Twitter: @KatrinaNation. This article is distributed by Globetrotter in partnership with The Nation Another example of this view comes from Post contributing columnist Robert Kagan , who argues in Foreign Affairs that the United States should embrace its role as a global hegemon. This is a duty, not a choice, he writes: A militarily, economically, and culturally powerful country exerts influence on other states by its mere presence, the way a larger body in space affects the behavior of smaller bodies through its gravitational pull. The United States is entangled because what it offers is genuinely attractive to much of the world.But in our own hemisphere, the gravitational pull comes not from the United States in decline, but from China on the rise, offering markets, money, investment -- and a governing model: capitalism with Chinese characteristics. If the national security establishment has its way, the United States wont let our neighbours choose their own orientation. It will push propaganda, reinforce corrupt elites and threaten or impose sanctions for those who dont fall in line with a model that has failed repeatedly across the hemisphere.Hypocrisy is common in international relations. The Russians and Chinese, for example, constantly invoke international law, even as they trample it when they deem it necessary. The United States champions a rules-based order, in which we make the rules and hold ourselves exempt from them when desirable. The principle of respecting nations and their right to choose their own path is a good one. The countries of our own hemisphere wish we would practice it as well as preach it.--- The Russian invasion of Ukraine is in many ways bigger than Russia, its bigger than Ukraine, State Department spokesman Ned Price recently declared . There are principles that are at stake here Each and every country has a sovereign right to determine its own foreign policy, has a sovereign right to determine for itself with whom it will choose to associate in terms of its alliances, its partnerships and what orientation it wishes to direct its gaze. The United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated last year, does not recognize spheres of influence, adding that the concept should have been retired after World War II.Those are noble but empty words -- because they obviously do not apply to the Western Hemisphere. Take Cuba, which continues to suffer under an embargo that has been enforced for 60 years. That, plus the pandemic and President Donald Trumps reversal of Obama-era liberalization -- a crackdown sustained by the Biden administration -- has bludgeoned the islands economy. Food and medicine are scarce ; many young and entrepreneurial Cubans are leaving the island in droves . The pressure contributed in large measure to the protests that stunned the island last July.Yes, the one-party regime remains and still represses much dissent. But the embargo and related policies have failed for six decades and 11 presidents. Cubans are still applauded for their humanitarian efforts, dispatching doctors to help in disasters across the developing (and developed) world. The United States and Cuba cooperate in efforts to police drug trafficking and limit terrorism. Yet the embargo continues punishing the Cuban people until they get rid of the government the United States does not approve of. So much for choosing their own path.Cuba is not alone. The United States has imposed harsh sanctions on Venezuela and Nicaragua for sustaining regimes Washington opposes. Even the recent sanctions on Russia, says Juan Sebastian Gonzalez, the senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council, are designed such that they will have an impact on those governments that have economic affiliations with Russia So Venezuela will start feeling the pressure; Nicaragua will start feeling the pressure; as will Cuba.At the same time, the national security establishment is raising alarms about growing Chinese involvement in the Western Hemisphere. China is now Latin Americas leading trade partner , as well as a leading source of direct investment and financing. Interested in security access to commodity exports, China assisted the region after the 2008 financial crisis, with investments that generated jobs and helped decrease poverty in the region. During the pandemic, the Chinese rushed vaccines (of questionable effectiveness, it should be noted) into the region and provided continued demand for products.All this raises fears about Chinas support for what are castigated as populist governments from Argentina to Venezuela. Already armchair strategists are scoping out how to respond to the threat posed by Chinese trade, investment and financing. Evan Ellis, a professor at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, penned a report for the Centre for Strategic and International Studies entitled Preparing for Deterioration of the Latin America and Caribbean Strategic Environment, which suggested the United States doesnt have the resources to compete with China on investments and aid to the region.To make up the deficit, Ellis chillingly argues for an aggressive U.S. military buildup in the region, a propaganda offensive to discredit any governments friendly to China, potentially promoting resistance movements against Chinese, Russian and Iranian influence, and, of course, sanctions for those who stray. The professor did not mention the principle of allowing nations to choose their own course. The first curious thing about it is that the substance Batman injects himself with is green -- which is also the color of a drug Batman briefly dabbled with in the comics. In 1991, after failing to save a kidnapped girl because he wasn't strong enough to lift some boulders, Batman starts taking a drug called "venom" that basically turns him into Popeye after eating spinach. At first, the drug comes in the form of green pills, but then the scientist who created it synthesizes a stronger liquid formula. Batman feels like he's become much more effective at crime-fighting since he's been taking venom; the only problem is that it's also been driving him psychotic. DC Comics Whereas he's usually a paragon of mental health. Continue Reading Below Advertisement If the substance in the movie was venom, that would explain why Batman loses his mind when he injects it; for a moment there, it really looks like he's gonna beat Riddler's online buddy to death until the cops intervene. In the comics, after realizing he's become addicted to venom, Batman locks himself up in the Batcave for an entire month to kick the habit. Venom's creator dies in the same storyline, but later on, his formula is used to perform experiments on prisoners on the Caribbean island of Santa Prisca. The only one of those prisoners to survive the experiments escapes the island and starts wearing a costume rigged with a series of tubes that let him shoot up more venom whenever he wants. Oh, and he also starts calling himself Bane and gets obsessed with "breaking Batman," literally. Fun fact: according to the DC Wiki, using venom might cause impotence. But the movie itself is one of the most truly unhinged literary adaptations of all-time. For one thing, Branagh provides us with a detailed traumatic backstory for Poirot s mustache. Yeah, the film opens, not in Egypt, but in the trenches of World War 1, where Poirot witnesses the death of his commanding officer who has a big, crazy mustache. 20th Century Studios So Poirot grew his facial hair purely in tribute to his fallen friend? Not so fast just moments later, an injured Poirot wakes up in a military hospital with a grotesque scar that, somewhat improbably, occupies a distinctly mustache-shaped area on his upper lip. We're pretty sure the exact same thing happened to Tom Selleck. 20th Century Studios Continue Reading Below Advertisement He also associates this event, and specifically the resulting mustache, to the tragedy of his one lost love; the ex-fiancee that got away even though in the flashback, she seems both perfectly fine with the scar, and is even the one who playfully suggests that he should grow a mustache. In the end, Poirot signifies that he is ready to love again by shaving his trademark stache which, again, his ex was seemingly totally cool with. 20th Century Studios Agatha Christie spent more than five decades hammering out Poirot novels and never felt the need to delve into the cartoonishly tragic events that led to her detectives signature look. Thats almost as dumb as having to explain where Han Solo got his last name. This mustache stuff is so crazy, we havent even had time to mention the scene in which Armie Hammer awkwardly dry-humps multiple women on the dance floor of a 1930s jazz club. ST. LOUIS (AP) Eric Greitens stepped aside as Missouri's governor in 2018 amid a scandal involving accusations of blackmail, bondage and sexual assault. As he attempts a political comeback this year with a U.S. Senate bid, his ex-wife has said Greitens physically abused her and one of their children. It once took far less to end a political career. But at a recent meeting of the St. Charles County Pachyderm Club in a largely Republican area of suburban St. Louis, GOP voters engaged in genuine debate over whether they'd support Greitens in the August primary. Bob Sullentrup, the club's 70-year-old president, dismissed Greitens as damaged goods." Hes going to get creamed, he said. That baggage will follow him. Others, including several women, weren't so sure. Sharon Kumnick of Weldon Springs said she'd vote for Greitens if he's the GOP nominee, noting everybody's divorce, when they want more than is offered, is contentious." Tina Maloney, a real estate investor from St. Charles, said Greitens should stay in the race. I dont think just because youre accused of something in this day and age that you should drop out, Maloney said. This is what they always do, she said, citing the sexual assault allegations that emerged against Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court nomination hearing. It shows character to fight, Maloney added. That sentiment is reinforcing Greitens' refusal to leave the race, posing the latest test of the GOP's openness to men accused of physical or sexual abuse. Greitens is convinced that by casting himself as a conservative fighter in the mold of former President Donald Trump, he can win the Republican nomination for Missouri's open U.S. Senate seat even though many of his political benefactors abandoned him and the party's establishment wishes he would just go away. I am going to win, Greitens said in an email, calling his ex-wife's accusations false and a political hit job. Indeed, Trump is perhaps the GOP's best example that candidates can power through abuse allegations. He won the 2016 campaign despite accusations of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen women. In this year's midterms, Herschel Walker is poised to become the GOP's nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia despite making repeated threats on his ex-wife's life. A Republican candidate for governor in Nebraska, Charles W. Herbster, was accused last week of groping several women. Sean Parnell, a Republican who sought a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, is the rare example of a candidate who ended his campaign after allegations of abuse. He only did so after losing a court fight over custody of his three children. The string of allegations concern some Republicans who worry that the party will rally behind candidates who will be unable to win the general election, when moderate voters often play a more decisive role. With the Senate evenly divided, the GOP cant afford to lose what would otherwise be a safe seat. That anxiety has deepened in Missouri after Trudy Busch Valentine, an heiress to the Anheuser-Busch fortune whose family history is deeply intertwined with the state, entered the Senate race last month as a Democrat. Many in the party have unified behind Valentine as the best chance to flip the seat. In her personal capacity, Pat Thomas, the state GOP's treasurer, has called on Greitens to leave the race. She said Valentine's entrance makes it even more urgent for someone other than Greitens to emerge as the nominee. I am certainly concerned that (she) could be a problem, Thomas said. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL and Rhodes Scholar, was considered an early front-runner in the crowded Republican primary to replace retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt. But his campaign was rocked last month when his ex-wife, Sheena Greitens, filed a sworn affidavit as part of a child custody case that accused Eric Greitens of displaying such unstable and coercive behavior in 2018 that others took steps to limit his access to firearms. In the affidavit, Sheena Greitens said he once knocked her down, took her wallet, keys and phone, and prevented her from leaving their home with their two children. She also accused Eric Greitens of striking their eldest son and pulling him around by his hair, among other claims. Eric Greitens says that's all false. And he, his allies and his attorneys have used hardball tactics to try to discredit her. In statements, interviews, a press conference and on social media, theyve portrayed Sheena Greitens as a liar with a documented history of mental illness. They've also accused her of working in conspiracy with a web of Republican figures to take down Eric Greitens' candidacy, among them Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., longtime Republican operative Karl Rove and Greitens' former 2016 campaign manager Austin Chambers, who has staunchly defended Sheena Greitens. Everyone smelled right away that this was a political hit job, Eric Greitens said. His attorneys have filed subpoena requests seeking phone records from Sheena Greitens, her sister, as well as Rove and Chambers, whose attorneys derided the effort an abuse of judicial process by a floundering campaign. But Eric Greitens says that if the allegations against him were true, there is no way his ex-wife would have agreed two years ago to a court-approved parenting plan. An affidavit she filed at the time stated that it was in the best interest of the children for the parents to share joint custody, a discrepancy that he argues amounts to perjury in light of her most recent statements accusing him of abuse. Sheena Greitens says she told multiple lawyers, therapists, and our mediator, in 2018 and afterward about the abuse allegations. She also says she will provide evidence in court, including pictures and documentation of their communications. The parenting agreement came at the time she was moving to Texas for her job. I had to make concessions that I did not want to make," she said in a court filing. Ultimately, she says that her ex-husband's current behavior feels like a repeat of 2018, when he resigned rather than go under oath to respond to allegations made by his former hairdresser, who testified that he blindfolded and restrained her in his basement, assaulted her and appeared to take a compromising photo to pressure her to keep quiet about an affair. He has acknowledged the affair, but has denied taking pictures. When his political future is at risk, he becomes erratic, unhinged, coercive and threatening, Sheena Greitens stated in a recent court filing. He accuses me of things that are untrue and generates conspiracy theories about me collaborating with his enemies when I have done no such thing. For now, the political fallout from the episode is uncertain. There are signs the dispute could galvanize the pro-Trump base. Many online conservative outlets have sided with Greitens while criticizing his ex-wife, a college professor at the University of Texas who specializes in Asian affairs. And Greitens' campaign says they saw a dramatic uptick in donations since the allegations were made public, taking in over $100,000 in 14 days. But he's also drawn harsh condemnation from many leading Republicans in Missouri. Sen. Josh Hawley, who served as Missouris attorney general when Greitens was governor, said in a statement that if you hit a woman or child, you belong in handcuffs, not the United States Senate. Its time for Eric Greitens to leave this race. Greitens leading opponents had stern words, too, calling on him to to be jailed, drop out or seek help. But not everyone was quick to fully condemn. Gov. Mike Parson said he believed Sheena Greitens, but stopped short of urging Eric Greitens to end his candidacy. The Missouri Republican Party also hasnt taken a stand on Greitens future. Thomas, the state partys treasurer, said the best thing he can do is suspend his campaign. She also noted that while Greitens accused the woman he had an affair with as well as his ex-wife of lying, theyve both made their statements under oath which Eric Greitens has not done. Why hasnt he gone under oath? Thomas asked. If he had nothing to hide and wanted to put this all to bed, why doesnt he do that for his supporters? ___ Slodysko reported from Washington. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) A Louisiana House panel advanced a proposed state operating budget Monday that includes $148 million for pay raises for teachers and school support staff and $104 million for increases for higher education, but strips a proposed $100-per-month increase in state supplemental pay for local police and firefighters. Still up in the air as the $38 billion state operating budget and related budget bills left the House Appropriations Committee on Monday was the future of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' proposal to allocate $500 million in one-time revenue toward a new Mississippi River bridge at Baton Rouge, a project one administration official said could eventually cost roughly $2.5 billion. The initial bridge funding, the school pay raises and $100 million in higher education funding including more than $31 million for faculty pay increases were among priorities Edwards laid out in his annual budget proposal earlier this year. The proposals were made as lawmakers, after facing years of tight budgets, prepared to debate how best to spend higher tax revenues and an influx of more than $2.8 billion in one-time revenue $1.4 billion from federal pandemic aid, $700 million of surplus from the 2021 fiscal year and $853 million higher-than-planned revenue for the current year. As the committee prepared to move the budget legislation to the full House for a planned Thursday debate, chairman Jerome Zeringue, a Houma Republican, touted the education raises along with increased funding for early childhood education initiatives, clean water programs, and a $500 million allocation to refurbish the state unemployment trust fund. That allocation, backers said, will prevent Louisiana businesses from facing a jump in unemployment insurance costs to replenish a fund that was drained when the coronavirus pandemic led to major job losses. But the committee approved an amendment stripping the increase in supplemental pay for parish and municipal police and firefighters. Rep. Jack McFarland, a Jonesboro Republican, said the proposed increase, along with other legislation that could add more local level emergency workers to those already getting supplemental pay, could eventually put financial strains on the state. Granted theyre worth more than what were providing," said Zeringue. "But this is a recurring expense and we need to look at trying to engage and involve local governments as well to support their local fire and police. Rep. Dustin Miller, a Democrat from Opelousas, expressed hope that the supplemental pay increase might be restored to the budget after a state panel, the Revenue Estimating Conference, meets to make its official revenue projection, which could mean more money coming in. As for the bridge, Republican legislative leaders have been slow to back Edwards' proposal, saying the money could sit for years without being used while plans for the bridge take shape. Zeringue said Monday that House and Senate leaders are discussing the issue. Meanwhile, among the legislation the panel advanced Monday was a proposal to create a Revitalizing and Developing Infrastructure in All of Louisiana fund. Zeringue described the RADIAL fund as a place to park the non-recurring revenue Edwards wants to use for the bridge while discussions are underway. Edwards' top financial official, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, repeated the administration's contention that the money needs to be dedicated to the bridge now. He said site recommendations for the bridge are expected in the coming months. He said committing $500 million to the project would help the state seek competitive grants. I like the concept of the RADIAL fund, I just hope that the Mississippi River bridge is not a spare tire, said Dardenne. The executive order mandating masks in Connecticut health care facilities expired Friday, leaving some public health experts concerned amid rising COVID rates. The order, extended in January, required masking in hospitals, outpatient health care settings and some congregant settings such as homeless shelters. Simultaneously, statewide COVID rates have been on a slow if steady incline. Our trajectory is not good. That makes me all very uneasy as masks are coming off, said Scott Roberts, associate medical director of infection prevention at Yale New Haven Hospital. Now is not the time to rescind mask mandates. The state reported Monday that 4,280 new COVID cases had been identified over the previous seven days out of 64,592 tests for a positivity rate of 6.63 percent. COVID-realted hospitalizations increased 41 over the same time period to 145 statewide. The University of Connecticut announced this weekend that students and staff would be required to wear masks in school settings, citing a substantial rise in COVID-19 positivity rates both in the state of Connecticut and on UConns Storrs campus and the potential risk this poses to the remainder of the in-person semester and commencement. Gov. Ned Lamont, speaking Monday at an event in Bridgeport, said while he understands the step UConn is taking, he does not think broader mandates are necessary, either for the state or Connecticuts cities and towns. I think the municipalities know their constituents really well, know what they need to do to make them feel safe and be safe. Well leave that discretion up to them, Lamont said. I understand what UConn is doing and it makes all the sense in the world. A lot of those kids live in very tight congregate settings. When asked if Connecticut towns should follow the example of Philadelphia, which announced earlier this month that a city-wide mask mandate would be reinstated, Lamont said no. I think its their judgment what makes people comfortable. For me, were outside, its springtime, were boostered, he said. I think people know how to keep themselves safe, thats good enough for me. Setting makes the difference, according to Dr. Ulysses Wu, Hartford HealthCares chief epidemiologist In a private bubble such as a college it kind of makes sense, he said. Its kind of a bubble community. Wu said organizations and businesses in where people live, eat, work and recreate in close quarters should consider mandating masks. I do believe there are businesses that could benefit from that, he said. Even churches. Where people are going to be clustered, it would kind of make sense. In mandating masks, UConn joined other colleges and universities in the northeast, including Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. UConn is doing what I think many places should be doing, Roberts said. Yale New Haven Health requires masks in clinical settings, though Yale University has not followed suit, Roberts said. Hartford HealthCare also requires masks. The Friday expiration of the executive order mandating masks in clinical settings could mean a lack of uniformity among health care settings, Roberts said. We have heard that other health care facilities have been similarly frustrated, he said. I think were going to see increased cases over the next couple of weeks, Roberts said, though he believes it wont be nearly as bad as it was over the holidays. We said cases may rise further, in part because of BA.2, the more infectious omicron subvariant, but also because of family gatherings for Easter and Passover. Im curious to see in about seven days what the case positivity is, he said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate FAIRFIELD While the pandemic has seen the price of houses skyrocket, often with bidding wars breaking out over homes, apartments are also seeing a corresponding rise in price, officials say. A desirable location to live and raise a family, officials say Fairfields apartment market is quite competitive. The question of whether that market is affordable though, is a subject of debate. Trey Bickers, a real estate salesperson with William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty, said the median price of a one-bedroom apartment in Fairfield right now is approximately $2,000 a month. A comittee member of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerces Fairfield Emerging Leaders Organization, he said the people who move into apartments in town are often young professionals such as himself. Bickers said the age range of people renting has expanded, as people sell their homes because of the hot housing market, but are waiting to buy elsewhere. In my apartment building, its a new building, and they have people there who never would have imagined themselves in an apartment building again, he said. They needed to live somewhere, but they wanted to unload the house. Carol Martin, the executive director of Fairfields Housing Authority, said the price of apartments in town has grown to a level where it is locking out many people on the lower level of the income scale. The market has just been really crazy, she said. Theres a huge demand and theres not enough supply. Both Bickers and Martin said they have seen an increase in the number of people looking for an apartment because the apartments they previously rented were in houses that were being sold to people who planned to live there. There are a lot of folks in Fairfield who want to stay in Fairfield because they have children, Martin said. Now theyre trying to find another apartment and are nowhere near the price range they need to be in. As Fairfield looks to build more affordable housing, but in a way not governed by state statute 8-30g, which allows developers to ignore certain local zoning rules if building affordable housing, officials say the apartment landscape has been changing. The average costs of an apartment Bicker said the median monthly cost of an apartment in town, from what he has seen, is approximately $2,000 although it varies by location and condition. He noted that his rent is approximately $2,300. But that also includes utilities except for electric, he said. Most rentals in town dont include that. Apartment buildings give you a little bit more as far as thats concerned. Bickers said a lot of the newer apartment buildings have other benefits included such as gyms and rooftop grills, which renters get in return for their cost. But, he said, rent prices are up compared to where they were before the pandemic. Some things are up $500 a month, not necessarily just a one-bedroom, maybe $500 or more over the past couple years, he said. Bickers said rent varies depending on the part of town, adding rent in the north part of Fairfield is going to be a little bit less than the beach area. The closer you are to shopping, commuting, amenities and the beach, the rent is going to go up, he said. Martin said the housing authority runs a voucher program, which subsidizes housing costs for people with low incomes. She said the vouchers allow the families she serves to be more competitive in the housing market, but the program has especially competitive since the pandemic started. The vouchers come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which set the amount their worth based on payment standards recommended to them by local housing authorities. Martin said they requested an increase of 150 percent, but noted HUD gave them 120 percent. If HUD regulates, that, and your market, like here in Fairfield, goes way above what those ceiling limits are that HUD sets, you basically have a piece that you cant use, she said. Martin said her organization has asked HUD to raise that ceiling in light of growing costs. She said they use a master listing service, which shows housing and apartment stock in any given area, to assess what the average costs of housing are. In 2021, Martin said, the authority requested a payment standard of $1,815 for a studio apartment, $2,190 for a one-bedroom and $2,745 for a two-bedroom. Notably, those figures are not the cost of rent, Martin said, but the maximum amount of subsidy HUD would contribute. She said people in the voucher program pay 30 percent of their gross adjusted income. Therefore, she said, if a landlord accepted an applicant with a voucher, the most they could charge is that number plus the 30 percent. The actual average costs of apartments in Fairfield, Martin said, are her payment standards plus hundreds of dollars. Martin said the payment standard data she was referencing was based on the zip code of her office, which is in the east side of town. She said the figures for places like the beach area or Southport are even higher. Of course, Martin said, a landlord could charge any price for the apartment, but if they charged more it would lock out a certain segment of the population. Can people afford it? The authority opened up the wait list for its housing choice voucher program for two weeks in the summer of 2020 the height of the pandemic. In two weeks, we got 7,600 pieces of paper for folks looking for housing, she said. If we were accepting it with people being able to do it from their phone, we would have gotten four times the amount. Martin said 250 applications were accepted for the wait list, adding that corresponds to the amount of vouchers the authority thinks it can put on the street in the next six or seven years. She said families with vouchers are having trouble leasing up apartments. Fairfield has become largely unaffordable for people of lower income, Martin said, adding that pre-COVID, it had a more robust rental market. But, she said, the pandemic has led to more people moving away from New York into Fairfield County, driving prices up. That supply shrunk up, so what happened to the rentals that were remaining? she said. Well, its your classic economics. The people that are still landlords looking to rent are increasing the rent because they can. The market will pay it. Martin said the rising costs means that people like the working middle class cannot afford to live where they are employed. Theyre having a hard time finding an affordable rent in town, she said, adding the pandemic has sort of ended the robust rental market. We are getting to be like Trumbull and Weston and Easton and Westport. Our rental market is shrinking. Bickers said most of the people he sees renting are young working professionals, which he considers a good thing as they might decide to buy a house in town. He said they generally come into town to be in a beach community with good schools, while still being in proximity to New York City. Fairfield exists as a sort of middle ground in terms of rent in the area, Bickers said, adding it is lower compared to Westport but higher compared to Bridgeport. When developers go through the process of applying to build apartment buildings, they often say the project would provide housing for Fairfields workforce, such as its teachers and police officers. Officials say many members of those professions can and do live in Fairfield. Bob Smoler, president of the Fairfield Education Association, said more teachers live in Fairfield than any other town in the state, adding that a third of Fairfields teachers live in town. You probably have a thousand educators overall that live in Fairfield, he said. Its about 300 something that work and live in Fairfield, but theres 120 teachers who live in Fairfield but work in Westport and another bunch that work in Trumbull. Smoler said Fairfield has a unique characteristic of being both affordable and having a good school system. He said it is largely affordable for teachers, although he is not sure how many of them are renting. A lot of teachers have their homes in Fairfield houses, he said. Fairfield police Lt. Mike Paris said traditionally, officers of the Fairfield Police Department have lived outside of the town, but he could not say for certain that it was because of affordability. Most recently, we have seen new officers rent in town for convenience, but it is kind of split down the middle, he said. I have not heard anyone specifically say that they cannot afford the rent in town. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) A co-owner of a Southern California shoe store who allegedly wounded a 9-year-old girl while shooting at shoplifters has been charged with assault with a firearm, authorities said Monday. Marquel Michael James Cockrell, 20, was scheduled for a San Bernardino County Superior Court video arraignment in Rancho Cucamonga, a prosecution press release said. Other charges include discharging a firearm with gross negligence and carrying a loaded firearm that was not registered to the defendant. It was not immediately known if Cockrell has an attorney to speak on his behalf. The shooting occurred April 12 at the Mall of Victor Valley in the high desert city of Victorville. Cockrell chased two shoplifters and fired shots that instead hit the 9-year-old female victim, Victorville police said in a statement. The girl, Ava Chruniak, suffered three gunshot wounds, including two in an arm, said her grandmother, Robin Moraga-Saldarelli. One of the bullets fractured an arm bone. Police said Cockrell fled and was later arrested in Nevada's Clark County. He was subsequently extradited and held in custody in California, the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office said. Ava was released from the hospital April 14 but will require an operation to repair nerve damage, KCBS-TV reported last week. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate About 1,524 people in Connecticut died from drug overdoses in 2021, according to the latest data from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. This is more than the population of the towns of Canaan, Colebrook, Union or Warren. Its 150 more fatal overdoses than in 2020. This increase can be attributed to the prolonged isolation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the rise in the use of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, according to Art Mongillo, a spokesperson for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes fentanyl as a synthetic opioid, 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. While fentanyl is prescribed for pain, the CDC said most cases of fentanyl-related overdoses are linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl, sold through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect. It is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive, and more dangerous, the CDC added. Fentanyl played a factor in 86 percent of Connecticuts overdose deaths last year, putting the states total higher than the national average and prompting officials to stress the need to continue to monitor the drugs prevalence on the illicit market. Fentanyl continues to kill In an April 6 letter to law enforcement agencies, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram addressed a nationwide increase in fentanyl-related mass overdose incidents so far this year, citing examples in Florida, Texas and Colorado in which people thought they were ingesting cocaine. Milgram said at least seven confirmed incidents have been reported across the nation, leading to 59 overdoses and 29 deaths in the last two months. Christopher Boyle, a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health, said while multiple overdoses do occur in Connecticut where two or more people are taking drugs together and overdose the state has not seen anything on a large-scale like what was described in the DEA letter. Milgram called fentanyl highly addictive, adding that it is found in every state in the nation. She said drug traffickers mix fentanyl with other drugs, in powder and pill form, to drive up addiction and attract repeat customers. Pills that may look like Adderall, Xanax or oxycodone could be pressed to resemble the prescriptions, but really contain other chemicals like fentanyl or methamphetamine. As of December 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 20.4 million fake pills that were often laced with fentanyl. Of the pills that contained fentanyl, 42 percent contained a potentially lethal dose. Only a very small amount of fentanyl is considered potentially deadly about 2 milligrams, or enough to fit on the tip of a pencil. DPH is trying to get the message across that when illicit drugs are obtained from the street, it is very likely that those drugs contain fentanyl, Boyle said. We have evidence that drugs such as cocaine and counterfeit pills such as Vicodin or Percocet also have fentanyl in their contents, among other contaminants. Boyle said individuals ingesting illicitly obtained drugs should use harm reduction methods and assume that fentanyl is in their drugs. Milgram said many victims in the mass overdoses incidents thought they were ingesting cocaine. Connecticut is no different. The OCME data showed that 561 deaths were tied to both cocaine and fentanyl last year, up from 447 in 2020. Fentanyl has quickly become the leading cause of fatal overdoses in Connecticut in the past decade. In 2012, fentanyl was involved in about 4 percent of that years 357 overdose deaths. By 2015, overdose deaths rose to 728, fentanyl being involved in about a quarter of them. In the next year, fentanyl was involved in more than half of the years 917 overdose deaths. Rising overdose rates Data from the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics, released in November 2021, indicates there were about 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States between April 2020 and April 2021. That number was a 28.5 percent increase from the 78,056 deaths during the same 12-month period a year prior, the data showed. Statewide, overdoses killed 1,038 people in 2017, 1,017 in 2018, 1,200 in 2019, 1,374 in 2020 and 1,524 in 2021. Fentanyl is the driving force and is overwhelmingly responsible for these increases, said Dr. James Gill, the states chief medical examiner, on Wednesday. Fentanyl is so potent that it is very difficult to dose it accurately. The people who sell drugs on the street are not chemists or pharmacists. Preliminary data from DPH shows there have already been 166 overdose deaths in 2022 144 of which involved fentanyl or a fentanyl analog, accounting for about 87 percent. While the overall number of overdose deaths have risen, Mongillo noted that the percent increase year over year in Connecticut isnt as big as it used to be. From 2019 to 2020, there was a 14.5 percent jump, while the jump from 2020 to 2021 was 11 percent. Overdose events with more than one victim are not entirely uncommon in Connecticut. Boyle cited an incident at a Hartford magnet school earlier this year that led to the death of one student and a similar incident in New Haven at the correctional facility. The Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a request for additional information regarding the overdose incident at a New Haven facility. While the state hasnt seen any mass overdose incidents recently, that wasnt the case a few summers back. One day in August 2018, the New Haven Green turned into a makeshift triage center for scores of individuals overdosing on a batch of synthetic marijuana laced with fentanyl, officials said. At least 71 people overdosed in the Elm City during that mass overdose incident, with first responders scrambling to keep up with everyone falling ill with symptoms. More recently, Sport and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford was closed for several days for decontamination in January after a seventh-grader fatally overdosed on a substance that contained fentanyl. Authorities said the 13-year-old boy died after he was rushed to the hospital in grave condition following his overdose on the drug inside the school during gym class. Two other seventh-grade students were also hospitalized after police said they came into contact with the substance. Those two students recovered. Keeping people alive One expert said the 13-year-old boys death highlighted the importance of making naloxone available at schools. Hartford school officials confirmed after the boys overdose that the district did not have the drug supplied or staff trained in its use prior to the incident. Officials said the district would explore the possibility of getting it in schools. Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is the opioid overdose-reversal drug used by first responders for years. It is administered in cases of suspected opioid overdoses and comes in an easy-to-use nasal spray. The state Department of Education surveyed 178 school districts in February and found that 107 of them or roughly 60 percent had the medication on hand in at least one school within those districts. Seventy-one districts said naloxone was not available in any schools. To combat the rising number of overdoses, DMHAS has prioritized the distribution and access of naloxone. Naloxone can be prescribed by a primary care provider, family doctor, any doctor who is able to prescribe an opioid, and certain pharmacists. The drug can also be provided through certain organizations and harm reduction and needle exchange programs. These needle exchange programs provide sterile needles and syringes as a way to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. They also facilitate the safe disposal of used syringes and connect people to services and programs such as substance use disorder treatment programs. Needle exchange programs additionally provide fentanyl test strips, which use a minuscule amount of the drug to check if it has fentanyl. Medication assisted treatment has provided a more long-term solution. This treatment uses medications such as methadone, Suboxone and Vivitrol to reduce cravings and manage pain and withdrawal symptoms. The treatment also includes counseling and behavioral therapies to help combat opioid use disorder. This treatment approach has been shown to improve survival, increase retention in treatment, decrease illicit opiate use and other criminal activity among people with substance use disorders, increase patients ability to gain and maintain employment, and improve birth outcomes among women who have substance use disorders and are pregnant, Mongillo said. As of Monday, there were 11 beds available at medically monitored withdrawal management facilities, according to the DMHAS Addiction Services Availability website. Mongillo said DMHAS is continuing to expand its harm reduction efforts, which are important in directly lowering the number of overdose deaths. This includes media campaigns and information that address issues related to stigma and asking for help. Whatever we can do to create low-barrier treatment opportunities in the community is also an important strategy, he said. Signs of a possible overdose include loss of consciousness, slowed breathing and narrow pupils. Call 911 if you suspect an individual is suffering from an overdose. To find treatment or other resources, call DMHAS access line at 1-800-563-4086. Help is available 24/7. GUILFORD Police have released the name of a person who was found dead Thursday after an hourslong armed standoff at a Fitch Hill Road home. Guilford police identified the deceased person as 51-year-old Guilford resident Keith Neal in an update Friday morning. The agency said the investigation into the incident remains active. Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad has taken over the probe, Guilford officials said. Firefighters were dispatched to Durham road around 12:30 p.m. that day after a 911 caller reported a structure fire, according to police. But when fire personnel arrived on scene and found smoke coming from the structure, they were confronted by Neal with two long guns, Chief Warren Butch Hyatt said. The fire department kind of backed out of the scene and that male left the area in a vehicle, Hyatt said Thursday morning during a press conference, before Neals identity had been released to the media. Police were notified, and soon after received a phone call from someone stating Neal had gone to an address on Fitch Hill Road, where a relative lived. Police said officers tried to negotiate with Neal to surrender and let the relative, who was being held hostage, go. A regional SWAT team and the state police Emergency Services Unit were also called to the scene. The incident stretched on for 18 hours, and only ended after Guilford police said the captive relative was rescued by state troopers. Neal was found dead inside the home at the time. Guilford police said Thursday the states Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is investigating the cause and manner of Neals death. WASHINGTON (AP) Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during this week's big meetings of global economic leaders in Washington but she'll be trying to avoid most contact with Russian officials who plan to attend some portions of the event virtually. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and how world powers should manage the spillover effects on economies, including food insecurity will take center stage at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. On Tuesday, Yellen will convene a panel of finance ministers, the international development banks and other institutions to talk about how they will use resources to address food insecurity. This year's meetings run through Friday, and include a mix of virtual and in-person events. Russian finance officials are expected to attend several events virtually, according to a senior Treasury official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview plans for the meetings. Yellen will participate if a Russian minister is there for a session or two, but will not attend every session, the official said, adding that the presence of Russian officials should not stop the work the U.S. needs to do with members of the Group of 20 the world's largest economies. There are some sessions the secretary will attend including the opening, which the Ukrainian finance minister also will attend. However, she wont be participating in a number of the G20 sessions if the Russians are participants. President Joe Biden has said Russia should be removed from the G20. Yellen is expected to use this weeks meetings to work with allies on efforts to increase economic pressure on Russia while mitigating spillover effects, to call for the implementation of a global minimum tax deal and to address food security issues. In addition, Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control this week is expected to issue clarifying language to make clear that trade in agricultural products is not barred under existing sanctions, in response to the food security crisis that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused. Roughly 155 million people in 55 countries faced acute hunger in 2020, an increase of 20 million people from the year before, according to the World Food Program. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo is also set to meet with Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko this week. During a discussion Monday at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Adeyemo reiterated the U.S. position that China has a chance to pressure Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine and would thereby avoid subjecting itself to secondary sanctions. China has in the past, and we expect them to continue to follow, the sanctions regimes that have been introduced by us and the coalition" of sanctioning countries, Adeyemo said. China's business with the rest of the world is greater than its business with Russia. The U.S. and its allies have used sanctions to weaponize the global economy against Russia over its war in Ukraine. There arent any countries yet subverting the sanctions, but there are fears among the allies that China, which has criticized the Western effort, could do so, Yellen said in a speech at the Atlantic Council last week. Also of concern is India, which has taken a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and recently made a major purchase of Russian oil, a source of tension as the U.S.. tries to cut off Moscows energy income. ___ Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. STRATFORD A local man was sentenced to 30 months in prison Monday for his role in stealing multiple cars, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for Connecticut. Edwin Cordero, 21, previously pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of a stolen vehicle in September, officials said. After his sentence, he will be subject to supervised release for three years. Officials said state police determined that Cordero and others have stolen numerous motor vehicles, and used the stolen vehicles to travel throughout Connecticut and to neighboring states to steal other vehicles and the valuables inside, including credit cards, cellular telephones, and firearms. Authorities said that Cordero and others frequented upper middleclass neighborhoors to go car-checking, in which they would check if doors were unlocked and then steal cars or items inside the vehicles. Cordero and another man stole a Porsche Panamera from a Westport residence on Dec. 1, officials said, then, after police in Westerly, R.I., saw the stolen vehicle, fled at speeds of 86 miles per hour, officials said. On Dec. 2, officials said, Cordero and the other man stole a Dodge Challenger from a residence in Milford. After being pursued by Stratford police, with the other man driving and Cordero in the passenger seat, the Challenger rammed a car stopped at a red light at an intersection, drove up on the sidewalk and through the red light, and then struck a second vehicle, causing the second vehicle to flip onto its roof, officials said. (The other man) drove the damaged Porsche onto I-95 into Bridgeport, where he and Cordero were apprehended as they attempted to enter another stolen Audi A4 that was parked on Gregory Street. A search of the stolen Audi revealed approximately 13 key fobs for other vehicles, and a search of the Porsche revealed five cellphones, officials said. In addition, Cordero possessed a key fob for the stolen Dodge Challenger, which was subsequently located parked on Main Street in Bridgeport, and the other man) possessed two stolen credit cards. Cordero and the other man have agreed to pay $75,198.45 in restitution to at least seven owners of vehicles they stole and/or damaged, officials said. This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police and the Stratford, Milford, Stonington, Westport, Bridgeport, New Haven, Meriden, Darien, Old Saybrook, and Westerly (R.I.) Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan, officials said. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) An Alabama judge has dismissed a capital murder charge, ruling that a man acted under the state's Stand Your Ground law, which allows people to use deadly force in self-defense. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Alaric May issued an order Saturday tossing the charge against Samuel Bernard Smith, 23, of Birmingham, AL.com reported Monday. Kirby Kermit Davis, 32, was shot to death Dec. 20, 2018, at a Birmingham apartment complex where Smith was living. Smith was arrested in early 2019 and has been out of jail since last year. May ruled that Smith had the right to defend himself because he was robbed and kidnapped by four men, including the one he killed. Under Alabama law, a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and is in any place where he or she has the right to be, has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground, the judge wrote. Prosecutors argued Smith was not eligible for a Stand Your Ground defense because he was engaged in an unlawful activity by selling marijuana at the time of the shooting. They said he did not have the legal right to secure the premises with a loaded gun. The law specifies a person may not use deadly force while engaged in criminal activity. During a Stand Your Ground hearing, Smith testified that he was home when he received a random call from a childhood friend about buying marijuana. He said he told the friend he did not have marijuana to sell. He testified that he hesitantly agreed to sell some marijuana after the friend and other people showed up at his apartment later. The judge wrote that according to testimony, Smith took a pistol and a sample of marijuana to see a person he was told was waiting with money in the parking lot. Smith testified that all four men brandished weapons and the driver said Smith was being robbed. Smith testified that at least two men went through his pockets, taking the marijuana and his gun. The judge wrote that the men discussed taking Smith back to his apartment to rob him of the remaining marijuana. Once at the apartment, three men pushed Smith down and ran downstairs to the waiting vehicle. Smith said he grabbed a gun from someone else in his apartment and went outside to make sure the assailants were gone. He said they were getting into the vehicle and began shooting in his direction. Smith said he returned fire. The shootout continued until the vehicle slowed down, struck an object and stopped. Three men ran away. Davis was pronounced dead at the scene. May wrote that Smith had the right to defend himself but the question regarding this issue hinges on whether the defendant had a legal duty to retreat. May said it could be argued that Smith's intent to sell the marijuana was under duress. Because Smith was robbed at gunpoint and the marijuana forcibly removed from his pockets, the judge ruled Smith was not engaged in an unlawful activity. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIRUT (AP) During a visit to Syria in 2017, Vladimir Putin lavished praise on a Syrian general whose division played an instrumental role in defeating insurgents in the countrys long-running civil war. The Russian president told him his cooperation with Russian troops will lead to great successes in the future. Now members of Brig. Gen. Suheil al-Hassans division are among hundreds of Russian-trained Syrian fighters who have reportedly signed up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, including Syrian soldiers, former rebels and experienced fighters who fought for years against the Islamic State group in Syrias desert. So far, only a small number appears to have arrived in Russia for military training ahead of deployment on the front lines. Although Kremlin officials boasted early in the war of more than 16,000 applications from the Middle East, U.S. officials and activists monitoring Syria say there have not yet been significant numbers of fighters from the region joining the war in Ukraine. Analysts, however, say this could change as Russia prepares for the next phase of the battle with a full-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine. They believe fighters from Syria are more likely to be deployed in coming weeks, especially after Putin named Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, who commanded the Russian military in Syria, as the new war commander in Ukraine. Though some question how effective Syrian fighters would be in Ukraine, they could be brought in if more forces are needed to besiege cities or to make up for rising casualties. Dvornikov is well acquainted with the multiple paramilitary forces in Syria trained by Russia while he oversaw the strategy of ruthlessly besieging and bombarding opposition-held cities in Syria into submission. Russia is preparing for a greater battle in Ukraine and Syrian fighters are likely to take part, said Ahmad Hamada, a Syrian army defector who is now a military analyst based in Turkey. Syria observers and activists say the Russians have been actively recruiting in Syria for the Ukraine war, particularly among Russian-trained combatants. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, reported that so far about 40,000 people have registered -- 22,000 with the Russian military and about 18,000 with the Russian private contractor Wagner Group. Around 700 members of al-Hassans 25th Special Missions Forces Division, known in Syria as the Tiger Force, left Syria over the past weeks to fight along Russian forces, Abdurrahman said. The numbers could not be independently confirmed. Pro-government activists posted videos over the past two weeks on social media showing members of the Tiger Force performing military drills including parachuting from helicopters. Russian officers appeared in one of the videos advising the paratroopers inside a helicopter as al-Hassan praised the young men by tapping on their heads. It was not immediately clear if the videos were new. Abdurrahman said there are also volunteers from the Russian-trained 5th Division; the Baath brigades, which is the armed wing of Assads ruling Baath party; and the Palestinian Quds Brigade, made up of Palestinian refugees in Syria. All have fought alongside the Russian military in Syrias war. The Russians are looking for experienced fighters. They dont want anyone who was not trained by the Russians, Abdurrahman said. The Tiger Force took credit for some of the biggest government victories in the 11-year conflict. It was involved in a monthslong Russian-backed campaign into the rebels last enclave, located in the northwest province of Idlib, which ended in March 2020 with government forces capturing a vital north-south highway -- though rebels remain in control of the enclave. Al-Hassan is one of Russias men and Russia will depend on him, said Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist who runs the DeirEzzor 24, a Syria war monitoring group. Hundreds of fighters from the 5th Division and the Quds Brigade have registered at Russia's Hmeimeem base in western Syria, which is leading recruitment efforts, and are waiting for orders, he said. In late March, a Russian-trained force known as the ISIS Hunters militia, which fought for years against IS, posted an ad calling on men aged 23 to 49 to come forward for screening, saying those who pass the test and are found suitable will be called on later. So far, about 100 men have registered their names in the southern province of Sweida, according to Rayan Maarouf of Suwayda24, an activist collective that covers IS activities in the Syrian desert. He added that they were promised a monthly income of no less than $600, a huge sum of money amid widespread unemployment and the crash of the Syrian pound. Earlier this month, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. had indications that the Wagner Group is trying to recruit fighters, mostly from the Middle East, to deploy in eastern Ukraines Donbas region. But he said there has been no specific information on numbers recruited. We just arent there yet to see anything real demonstrable when it comes to reinforcement, he added. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in early March that so far there are only very small groups trying to make their way from Syria to Ukraine, calling it a very small trickle. Retired Lebanese army general Naji Malaeb, who follows the war in Syria closely, said there is no indication so far of Syrian fighters traveling to Russia, but this could change as the war drags on. This all depends on what the Russians plan to do in the near future, Malaeb said. Syrian and Palestinian officials in Syria have played down reports of fighters heading to Ukraine. The Syrian government is likely wary of having Syrian fighters flock to Ukraine, opening opportunities at the front lines that its many opponents could exploit. In a potentially worrying sign for the Syrian government, Russia has significantly scaled down its operations in Syria since the war in Ukraine started, with fewer airstrikes targeting IS or opposition positions in Idlib. Any change in the posture of Russian forces or pro-regime militias creates security gaps that anti-regime actors including Turkey, ISIS, al-Qaida and Syrian opposition groups can exploit, the ISW report said. Muhannad Haj Ali, a former legislator and a commander with the armed wing of Syrias ruling Baath party said no Syrians have gone to fight in Ukraine and that he didnt expect any to go. He said he was certain Russia will win in Ukraine without any need for Syrians help. The way the operations are going is clear indication that Ukraine will not be another Afghanistan, he said. GREENWICH - After Easter services on Sunday morning, there was something special for the kids at Second Congregational Church in Greenwich. Kids set out to hunt for candy-filled Easter eggs scattered across the church lawn. There were also live bunnies and goats on hand to pet. On Easter, Christians around the world celebrated their belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, returning on the third day after he died on the cross. The Easter bunny and eggs are a common springtime symbol, a motif for new life. STAMFORD - Church members gathered at St. John's Lutheran Church in Stamford on Sunday morning for Easter services, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Churches marked the day with a variety of different Easter services, including sunrise and outdoor services, throughout the city, the nation and the world. The Rev. Dr. Duane Pederson led the service at St. John's. On Easter, Christians around the world celebrate their belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, returning on the third day after he died on the cross. Major lakes in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau see significant water increase Xinhua) 09:21, April 18, 2022 BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Researchers have discovered that the total water volume of ten major lakes across the endorheic region of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau increased by 58.5 cubic kilometers between 1979 and 2016. Rainfall, glaciers and snow meltwater, lake surface evaporation, and soil freezing-thawing are the major contributors to the water increase, according to a recent research article published in the journal Science Bulletin. The endorheic area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau contains more than 60 percent of the total water storage of lakes in the region. The complex topographic conditions and the interactions among the cryosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere in the high altitude area limit understanding of most lake basins of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The researchers selected ten large lakes with an area of more than 500 square kilometers and quantitatively evaluated the variation of lake water storage and its driving factors in the endorheic region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which provides important scientific support for analyzing the hydrological process of the lake basin and the role of the cryosphere in lake expansion. The researchers came from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of California. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) As a non-believer, I am ill-placed to debate Christian ethics with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, so it's best to stick to the facts when responding to his Easter sermon. From his pulpit yesterday, the Archbishop denounced as 'ungodly' the Government's plans to send to Rwanda those migrants landing on our southern shore in dodgy vessels organised by peoplesmuggling gangs. Welby (whom I first met, and immediately liked, when he was an oil company executive) pontificated that the Government's scheme, agreed with the Rwandan authorities, 'cannot carry the weight of the resurrection that was revealed first to the least valued, for it privileges the rich and the strong'. But isn't the main aim of the Government's plan to break the (immensely profitable) business model of the people-smugglers? This is a business that trades in lives without scruple, something that was appallingly demonstrated a few months ago when 27 people drowned after one of those boats sank. Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby spoke in his Easter sermon (pictured) about the Government's new migrant scheme with Rwanda, calling it 'ungodly' and said it was 'sub-contracting our responsibilities' The idea of the Rwanda scheme is to prevent traffickers profiting and dangerously smuggling people into the UK (pictured: migrants sit in a dinghy as they cross the English Channel) Hazardous The Government's idea is that if those paying the traffickers realised they would end up in Central Africa, they would be much less likely to risk that hazardous trip across the Channel. So my text for the day is from the Christian Science Monitor, headlined 'Huge profits fuel smuggling routes across the English Channel'. It argued that 'at a minimum, smuggling organisations this year (2021) have netted 69 million for the crossing. That's 2 million per kilometre.' Since that was published, numbers have only increased, and significantly. As for what Archbishop Welby calls 'the rich and the strong', the fact that those dinghies charge around 7,000 per passenger, and almost 70 per cent of those on board are men between the ages of 18 and 40, suggests they are not the poorest and certainly not the weakest. It does seem a bit, well, random, to choose Rwanda as a destination. But it is certainly less attractive as a refuge for asylum seekers (the Government's unstated point, otherwise it would not have any value as a discouragement). However, the fact is that those in the boats had already safely arrived in France. I know the French can be annoying, but theirs is a civilised country, no less than our own. Asylum seekers, whatever their problems in their country of origin, are as safe in France as they would be here. Archbishop Welby does not address that, nor the fact that his own church has been wilfully naive in this matter. That is partly because it has a special sympathy for refugees, stemming from the Gospel story itself Jesus's family having been warned to leave Bethlehem for Egypt to avoid the child's possible slaughter by the forces of King Herod. How this admirable sympathy can be exploited was demonstrated by the case of Emad Al Swealmeen, who blew himself up very near Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral just before 11am on Remembrance Sunday last year. His bomb had been packed with nails and screws; had it gone off as and when intended, there would have been carnage. People-smugglers advertise claims that converting to Christianity will help lead to a successful asylum claim. Pictured: Emad Al Smealmeen (right) at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral with the bishop Right Reverend Cyril Ashton Swealmeen was one of hundreds of asylum seekers from Muslim countries who had been confirmed as Christians in that cathedral. The Home Office had regarded this as something of a scam: when conversion to Christianity is regarded as genuine by a tribunal, asylum is granted on the grounds that 'apostates' are at deadly risk if they are returned to their country of origin. Not surprisingly, people-smugglers placed advertisements on Instagram claiming that conversion to Christianity is a way of achieving a successful asylum claim 'in the shortest possible time, with the lowest cost'. Swealmeen had arrived here in 2014 claiming to have come from war-torn Syria. This was found not to be true: his family was from Jordan. It was after having lost this case at a tribunal that Swealmeen 'converted' to Christianity in 2017. This, too, didn't convince the Home Office, yet somehow he was able to remain in this country up until the moment he detonated his bomb (and had returned to regular prayer at his local mosque). I am not saying that Swealmeen was anything other than highly unusual and untypical. But his case also demonstrated the extreme difficulty the system has in removing asylum seekers shown to have no legitimate reason to remain. Which, in turn, is a great advertisement for the business model of the people-smugglers. While there has been large amounts of criticism, polls about the Rwanda migrant deal in the UK have found the scheme to be rather popular. Pictured: Home Secretary Priti Patel in Rwanda Popular This is something of which the public seems to be aware. That might explain why the Government's somewhat startling plan is rather popular (at least, judged by polls that have been carried out). And it is less startling than it seems in the sense that Denmark has been negotiating an identical deal with Rwanda. The scheme also has a failed British precedent. In 2003, Tony Blair's administration attempted to negotiate the transfer of asylum seekers here to an African country (Tanzania). The proposal was rejected by the Tanzanian government. Then there is the fact that at the height of the Syrian civil war in 2016, the EU negotiated a scheme in which so-called 'irregular' migrants attempting to reach Greece would be sent back to Turkey. Just as the British Government is proposing to pay Rwanda a fee, so the EU nations combined to pay the Turkish government 6 billion in return for it agreeing to take those seeking asylum within their territory. What do you think about that, Archbishop Justin? Who's actually lost his moral authority? One of the first Tory MPs off the blocks to call for Boris Johnson to resign, after news of the Downing Street 'lockdown parties' emerged, was Andrew Bridgen. This was hardly surprising. Bridgen has a desire for publicity extraordinary even by the standards of his trade. He declared back in January that he didn't need to see the result of any investigation 'to know that for me, Boris Johnson has lost the moral authority to lead the country . . . He should do the honourable thing and depart.' North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen has been found to have 'lied' by a High Court judge Those of us familiar with Bridgen's role in the grotesque attempt (at millions of pounds of public expense) to prove the late Sir Edward Heath to be a child-abuser already knew he was not a person to be taken seriously as a moralist. Now we discover that a High Court Judge, no less, has determined that Bridgen is a liar. This stems from a legal action brought by the MP relating to his family's potato business (which turns over almost 30 million a year). Bridgen had asked Inspector Helena Bhakta, the commander of the neighbourhood policing team for his constituency of North West Leicestershire, to investigate what he claimed was a fraud against him by his brother, Paul. The MP later told the court he had not made such a request 'as it would not have been proper'. But Inspector Bhakta produced her own contemporary notes from October 16, 2017: 'As NPT commander I have regular contact with Andrew Bridgen over constituent matters. Today he asked me to call him. On doing so, he informed me that he suspects his brother is committing fraud.' Judge Brian Rawlings concluded that Bridgen's denial, under oath, of making this call was deliberate dishonesty. He also declared that Bridgen had 'lied' in claiming to have been dismissed as a director of his family company, rather than quitting voluntarily, 'in the hope that this may reduce the settlement that he had to pay his wife in his divorce'. Judge Rawlings's devastating conclusion was that any assertions by Bridgen required confirmation by an independent witness, or documentary evidence, before they could be trusted. Perhaps it is Andrew Bridgen's own unfortunate constituents who should ask him to 'do the honourable thing and depart'. For anyone gauging the true economic carnage caused by the pandemic, look no further than our deserted high streets. One in seven shops around the country now lies empty, many having failed to recover from the ravages of lockdown. Not only has such devastation resulted in painful job losses, it has blighted once- thriving town centres. So government plans to force landlords to let out retail units that have been vacant for longer than six months through compulsory rental auctions is enormously welcome. One in seven shops around the country now lies empty, many having failed to recover from the ravages of lockdown. Shuttered shops are seen above in Manchester in May 2020 Such a move would provide opportunities for thousands of entrepreneurs, create jobs, and provide much-needed income for other small businesses in the area. For years, life has been sucked from our once-bustling town centres, with high street firms crippled by soaring rents and extortionate business rates. Cafes and restaurants which managed to survive Covid are struggling as thousands of workers refuse to return to the office, particularly among the civil service where, we revealed on Saturday, many spend less than 40 per cent of their week in the office. Meanwhile, bricks and mortar traders still face increased competition from online behemoths which not only face fewer overheads, but also pay a pittance in tax. True, shopping at a click of a mouse is now a fact of modern life. But the Government must continue to do all that it can to nurture our traditional retailers or risk Britain becoming a nation of ghost towns. Unholy intervention The Archbishop of Canterbury has once again entered the political arena by using his Easter sermon to denounce the Government's plans to resettle asylum- seekers in Rwanda as 'ungodly'. Justin Welby is, of course, entitled to his opinion. But was it wise to risk alienating conscientious Anglicans by attacking a policy which, as our recent poll showed, has proved popular? Justin Welby is, of course, entitled to his opinion. But was it wise to risk alienating conscientious Anglicans by attacking a policy which, as our recent poll showed, has proved popular? Most reasonable people recognise that if we are to stop the hundreds of migrants who continue arriving here each day aboard unsafe dinghies, there needs to be a powerful deterrent to them doing so. Not only will it prevent drownings, it will help undermine the vile human trafficking gangs who've made millions exploiting these desperate people. The Government needed to act. Doing nothing would have been the real sin. Saving the starving The Kremlin's campaign to starve innocent Ukrainian civilians is an act of true wickedness. But thanks to kind-hearted Mail readers, who have donated an incredible 11million to our Mail Force refugee campaign, hundreds of thousands of aid boxes are now on their way to help feed desperately hungry victims of Putin's evil war. It is not just the Mail which is thrilled by this extraordinary act of generosity. Already Boris Johnson and President Volodymyr Zelensky have praised these donations which for thousands of Ukrainians will come as a godsend. Now Sir Keir Starmer joins the applause, hailing your efforts as 'wonderful'. As the PM pointed out, your compassion is truly humbling. We salute you. Petrochemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, clearly no slouch when it comes to science, has handed ministers evidence which claims fracking could provide enough energy to power the UK for the next 50 years. The Government's attitude toward fracking remains bewilderingly blinkered, cowered by the shrill eco-lobby. But considering our dog's dinner of an energy policy, aren't Sir Jim's proposals at least worth considering? The sister of murdered journalist Lyra McKee has made a fresh appeal for information to bring her killer to justice. Vigils were held in memory of the 29-year-old in Belfast and Londonderry on Monday, the third anniversary of her death. The Irish journalist was shot while covering rioting in Derry in 2019, she had been stood by an armoured police Land Rover when she was wounded in the head. Her friends and family today visited the spot at Fanad Drive in Derry where she died. No one has yet been convicted of her murder. An extremist group styling itself the New IRA has previously claimed it was responsible for killing the journalist and author. Her sister Nichola Corner told the vigil in Derry that her family are still waiting for justice. Lyra McKee's sisters' Nichola Corner (left) and Joan Hunter (right) stand with Ms McKee's partner Sara Canning (centre) during a vigil on the third anniversary of her death Lyra McKee's sister Nichola Corner speaking during a vigil attended by members of the National Union of Journalists and said the family is still waiting for justice The vigil took place on on Fanad Drive in Derry, where Lyra was murdered 'Three years ago our sister Lyra McKee was murdered here in this city, and still three years on, we are waiting for justice for Lyra, the person who pulled the trigger of the gun that led to her death still walks these streets, and while they walk these streets, these streets will not be safe for the people of this city,' she said. 'We appeal to anyone with information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for our sisters' death, we appeal to them to come forward. It's never too late. 'We want to thank all the people who have come to honour Lyra and to remember her as a journalist, as a human being and as a person who loved this city. We hope that you'll continue to keep Lyra in your hearts and in your minds in a very dignified way.' Prayers were said by local priest Father Joseph Gormley at the scene, and wreaths were placed. Ms McKee's partner Sara Canning recalled the night of her death. 'When I think of that night, my memory of being here is very short because we were only here for eight minutes,' she said. Family and friends of Lyra McKee laid wreaths on the spot where Ms McKee was shot three years ago 'If I came here at night-time, I think I would have a massive anxiety attack, but during the day I don't recognise it. It is a different street to me, which is the only reason I can be here. 'I grew up in Northern Ireland, I had seen many a riot and it was no different to most riots. It was just when I heard the crowd make a noise that I had never heard a crowd make before I thought, "There is something going to happen here", and I turned to Lyra to say we need to move and she wasn't there. 'Then I looked down and she was on the ground. From then on, it was a blur of action and getting her into the back of the (police) Land Rover and the Land Rover went tearing off down the street with them working on her. That was the horror of that night. 'It has completely destroyed us, (Ms Canning and Lyra's family). Physically, trauma has an impact. Mentally, trauma has an impact. Lyra is incredibly important to us. She made all of our lives much better. 'I didn't have Lyra in my life for very long, not as long as her sisters, but she made every part of my life better for the time she was in it, and I wanted her in my life for the rest of my life.' In Belfast, a new banner in memory of Ms McKee was unveiled on the steps of St Anne's Cathedral where then Prime Minister Theresa May, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish president Michael D Higgins were among those who attended her funeral in 2019. Police have also made a fresh appeal for information to bring those responsible for Ms McKee's murder to justice. Detectives said they have made 30 arrests and nine people have been charged, three with murder and six with public order offences, in relation to the shooting of the author. As a feminist quite an extreme one at that I should be pleased by the posters suddenly appearing all around the London Underground saying: Intrusive staring of a sexual nature is sexual harassment and is not tolerated. Im sure that Detective Superintendent Sarah White meant well when she said that men who stare at women on trains (its very rarely the other way around) are starting to show behaviours that are unhealthy. I have wholeheartedly supported Transport for Londons ongoing initiative to stamp out sexual harassment on public transport. Their campaign, launched last October, aims to protect women from a litany of horrors, including up-skirting, cat-calling, touching and flashing. All good and necessary. But looking at someone? Really? I have wholeheartedly supported Transport for Londons ongoing initiative to stamp out sexual harassment on public transport. But looking at someone? Really? Picture: Knightsbridge Underground Station How will this be proved? How will it be enforced? Will fellow commuters be called upon to attest to the evil-eye-balling? What about daydreamers like myself whose gaze has fixed randomly on some stranger while my thoughts are miles away on a beach somewhere with my actual squeeze? In an oddly phrased bit of double-think, DS White, talking about the new campaign, explained: Its human nature to stare at things. However, its very different when someone is staring, leering, or theres a sexual motivation. We want to know about that staring because that is the behaviour that suggests to me that someone is thinking about a sexual behaviour that supports that staring. We will record them as crimes and we will investigate them and we have had successful prosecutions in that field. In fact, last month did see the successful prosecution of a man who was jailed for 22 weeks by magistrates in Reading for staring intensely at a woman on a train. The court was told how Dominik Bullock continued to stare at her after she asked him to stop, then barred her exit when she told him to move. After he was identified on CCTV, Bullock was found guilty of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress. His case does sound pretty unpleasant, but why not just try catching actual rapists rather than wasting time on crimes not yet committed? Now, dont get me wrong; Im not saying that protracted leering is a joke and it certainly isnt something women should have to learn to laugh along with. I was not always the brazen broad I now am; as a shy adolescent I would set off for school half an hour early in summer in order to avoid being called out to by men on building sites as I scurried by in my blue gingham school dress. It would be a rare woman indeed who has never felt the fear of being alone in a train or Tube carriage with a strange man. But criminalising the act of looking at someone? How can that be the answer? So-called micro-aggressions simply should not be treated with such magnitude; in a recent book I had to read for work, for example, a young writer put being asked to Give us a smile, love! by a passing man in the same category as being given an STD, when writing about the woes women suffer. Posters (pictured) installed on trains, say: 'Intrusive staring of a sexual nature is sexual harassment and is not tolerated' These should not be matters for the police! Just like misgendering and other internet thought crimes, its far too easy to criminalise events which dont actually harm anybody. The police are not there to prevent offence or hurt feelings they are there to tackle the actual dangers faced by the public. They are there to stand between the lawless and the populace; to clear up the blight of knife crime in our countrys capital which sees the streets run red with the blood of our young people. They are there to hold to account the rapists and abusers many, sadly, from within their own ranks who rarely seem to be properly punished for the outrages they commit against women. It is abundantly clear that their hearts arent really in actually fighting sexual violence. Sexual crimes against women are rocketing, to the point where Dame Vera Baird, the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, told a police association conference last year that sexist police are putting male brotherhood above the protection of women and girls from sexual and physical violence. Police in England and Wales recorded 63,136 rape allegations in the year to September 2021 the highest recorded annual figure to date. So-called micro-aggressions simply should not be treated with such magnitude - these should not be matters for the police. Picture: Commuters on the Jubilee line But these led to just 1,557 prosecutions, compared with 2,102 in the previous 12 months. Over the past four years, rape prosecutions in England and Wales have fallen by 70 per cent. No wonder Dame Vera had claimed in 2020 that we are seeing the decriminalisation of rape due to the dismally low prosecution rates. Meanwhile, the newly elected president of the police Superintendents Association, Paul Fotheringham, has inexplicably stated that police constables should also be allowed to work from home in future in order to improve diversity the belief being it would encourage more women with young children to join the force and rise through the ranks. What a grotesquely surreal situation weve reached when the police could sit at home waiting to hear from women about men looking at them in the wrong way while fellow officers look the other way or even laugh as their colleagues joke about a murdered woman or make vile comments about the sexual allure of female victims of crime. This is the sort of behaviour police need to be looking at. Urgently. Prosecuting men for staring wont make women safer. But prosecuting rapists and sex abusers will. Its time we stopped banging on about rape culture and started pursuing rapists. 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Royal fans went wild over 'adorable' Mia Tindall after she was caught looking shy during yesterday's Easter Sunday service at Windsor. Mia, the eldest daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, was filmed meekly walking forward with a bowed head to shake hands with the Dean of Windsor, The Right Revd. David Conner, following the service at St George's Chapel, Windsor. Mia, who wore a floral dress and dark blue headband, then quickly walked away after her shy moment. Her mother and father smiled as they spoke to the vicar while Mia seemed ready to head home. In the footage, Mia, eight, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, meekly moved forward with a bowed head to shake the Dean of Windsor, The Right Revd. David Conner's hand Mia, who wore a floral dress and dark blue headband, then quickly walked away after her shy moment Mike, Zara and Mia attend the traditional Easter Sunday church service at St George's Chapel yesterday, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family Mia joins her mother and father at yesterday's Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle Mia's shy moment was in stark contrast to her visit to the Burnham Horse International Horse Trials in north Norfolk, where she was seen giggling and tearing across the grass with her little sister Lena in a series of high-spirited photographs (pictured) Mia's shy moment was in stark contrast to her visit to the Burnham Horse International Horse Trials in north Norfolk, where she was seen giggling and tearing across the grass with her little sister Lena in a series of high-spirited photographs. But she was on her best behaviour yesterday as she joined her parents and other members of the Royal Family for the service. Her mother Zara, 40, looked polished in a 350 polka dot navy dress from L.K. Bennett, which she paired with nude heels. She seemed to match with her husband, who donned a blue suit for the important event in the royal calendar. The couple left their younger children Mia, three, and Lucas, one, at home. Mia was on her best behaviour yesterday as she joined her parents and other members of the Royal Family for the service At yesterday's Easter Sunday service, Zara sported a polka dot navy dress from LK Bennett paired with nude heels Zara seemed to match with her husband, who donned a blue suit for the important event in the royal calendar The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by their two eldest children, Prince George, eight, and Princess Charlotte, six. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall chose not to attend after they represented the royals at a Maundy Thursday event at the same chapel. Other royals attending yesterday's service included Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex with their children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. And Princess Eugenie walked alongside Peter Phillips and his children Savannah and Isla. The Queen did not attend the traditional event due to mobility issues, instead marking the occasion in a small chapel inside Windsor Castle. And Meghan and Harry spent the day cheering on athletes at the Invictus Games in The Hague after visiting the Queen in Windsor on Thursday. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by their two eldest children, Prince George, eight, and Princess Charlotte, six Princess Eugenie walked alongside Peter Phillips and his children Savannah and Isla Prince Albert of Monaco appeared 'tense' as he tried to signal his position as 'family protector' while posing with Princess Charlene and their children in their Easter family portrait, a body language expert has claimed. The couple were pictured with seven-year-old twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques in their first appearance together since November. Body language expert Judi James told FEMAIL that the Albert, 64, likely wanted to signal 'resilience and strength' but instead stood 'awkwardly' in the background. Judi pointed out that while Albert was not fully touching his wife, he placed his hand on son Jacques's shoulder as a 'gesture of parental reassurance'. Meanwhile Charlene, 44, demonstrated her 'loving bond' with daughter Gabriella, signalling how her relationship with her children has remained strong despite her spending months apart from her family. Charlene first had a 10-month absence in her native South Africa, where she contracted and was hospitalised for a serious sinus infection that delayed her return to Monaco. After her return to the principality in November, Charlene left almost immediately to receive treatment for 'exhaustion' at a Swiss clinic. The photos were shared just days after Albert tested positive for a second time. Prince Albert of Monaco appeared 'tense' as he tried to signal his position as 'family protector' while posing with Princess Charlene and their children in their Easter family portrait, a body language expert has claimed The portrait, which was released just three days after Albert tested positive for Covid, showed 'relaxed' Charlene, 44, demonstrating her 'loving bond' with daughter Gabriella while Albert places a hand on son Jacques's shoulder as a 'gesture of parental reassurance' The photos were shared by Charlene on her Instagram page with the message 'Happy Easter' 'Here, Alberts tense-looking body position and facial expression suggest a desire to signal strength and to show himself as a protector of his family,' Judi, analysing the image. 'His body language looks rigid, from his incongruent smile to his part-kneeling, part-standing body position and his slightly puffed chest seems to signal resilience and strength. 'Alberts splayed arms look like a partial, encompassing hug. His right hand reaches behind his wife without touching but his left is firmly on his sons shoulder in a gesture of parental reassurance. 'Charlene and her daughter look much more relaxed together, posed in a very loving hug. 'The daughter leans into her mothers lap with a look of natural affection and rapport, looking happy for the cuddle. Even their head tilts and smiles look mirrored to suggest close, loving bonds.' Pictured: The last time the family were pictured together was in November 2021 in Monaco The portrait marks the first time the Monaco royals have been seen together as a family since Charlene returned to the principality following her treatment. She faced a variety of health problems, including what the palace has previously referred to as a 'state of profound general fatigue'. The Monaco palace has consistently denied media reports of a rift between Charlene and the principality's ruler Prince Albert, who were wed in 2011, following the princess' long absence. 'She was clearly exhausted, physically and emotionally. She was overwhelmed and couldn't face official duties, life in general or even family life,' Albert told People magazine in November. Zimbabwean-born Princess Charlene was hospitalised after collapsing in September in South Africa, where she had been living for several months. 'This family pose is similar to the pose they first adopted when Albert took the twins to visit their mother in South Africa', said Judi. Judi James noted the image had the same forced, awkward feel as the family photos taken in South Africa last year, including the one above Pictured: Princess Charlene of Monaco was finally reunited with her husband Prince Albert and her children Twins Jacques and Gabriella after three months apart in August 2021 'Back then it was accompanied by some over-kill poses of intense affection rituals between Charlene and Albert, with her emotional, clinging hugs and head-pressing rituals looking anything but reassuring. 'Here though we have a similar grouping to the family photo taken in SA, with Charlene sitting on the ground with her children, looking playful and tactile as Albert poses awkwardly in the background.' She underwent surgery in October for an ear, nose and throat infection after checking in under a pseudonym in a Durban hospital, a palace source said at the time. Friends previously told Page Six that the mother-of-two 'almost died' while she was in her home country, while her husband spoke out to say she is suffering from 'exhaustion, both emotional and physical'. A palace statement released on December 23 revealed Albert and the couple's children were planning to visit Charlene during the Christmas holidays, as well as asking for the family's privacy to be respected. In Charlene's absence, Albert continued to perform royal duties with their twins Jacques and Gabriella. Pictured, with their aunt Princess Caroline during the Sainte Devote Celebrations in January It added that the princess 'is recuperating in a satisfactory and reassuring manner, although it may take a few more months before her health has reached a full recovery.' Princess Charlene met Prince Albert in 2000 during a swimming competition in Monaco and the pair married in 2011, before welcoming twins Gabriella and Jacques in 2014. Charlene returned to her husband and twins Jacques and Gabriella in November following almost a year in South Africa. While on a solo charity trip to the country, she contracted a severe sinus infection which prevented her from travelling. She subsequently needed surgery to treat the medical condition, which again delayed her return to Monaco. In the weeks after her arrival, Charlene remained absent from public duties. Albert later revealed the family reunion had gone 'pretty well' in the first few hours, but it then became 'pretty evident' that Charlene was 'unwell.' Albert was pictured attending Prince Philip's funeral service alone in Westminster last month He said the former Olympian 'realised she needed help', adding: 'She was overwhelmed and couldn't face official duties, life in general or even family life.' Albert explained: 'I'm probably going to say this several times, but this has nothing to do with our relationship. I want to make that very clear. These are not problems within our relationship; not with the relationship between a husband and wife. It's of a different nature.' He went on to tell a magazine her current state was a result of 'several factors which are private'. Albert continued: 'She hadn't slept well in a number of days and she wasn't eating at all well. She has lost a lot of weight, which made her vulnerable to other potential ailments. A cold or the flu or God help us, COVID.' He said it is 'not cancer-related or personal relationship issue' and later said she is suffering from 'exhaustion, both emotional and physical'. He later confirmed Charlene has been admitted to a treatment facility for undisclosed medical issues, as she works through a period of ill health. The location of the facility was not confirmed, though several sources claim it is in Switzerland. However friends of the princess spoke out to suggest the issues were more physical than Albert appeared to suggest. Speaking to Page Six, a source described as the royal's friend said: 'It is unfair that she is being portrayed as having some kind of mental or emotional issue. 'We don't know why the palace is downplaying that she almost died in South Africa.' The source explained the royal had a severe ear, nose and throat infection, which resulted in 'severe sinus and swallowing issues stemming from an earlier surgery'. Elsewhere friends of Princess Charlene gave Tatler a rare insight into what the royal is really like, insisting that the former swimmer is a force to be reckoned with. One source rubbished any public perception that Charlene is 'naive' and trapped in an unhappy marriage with Albert, saying: 'I don't for one second think she did not know what she was doing when she married him.' But one warned the mother of Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, seven, is not the type to be blindly controlled by the Monaco royal household. 'Charlene is no Princess Di.' one said. 'She may come across as being extremely naive, but nothing could be further from the truth. She is very good at keeping her smarts under wraps.' Doubts about the central relationship of Monaco's royal family are not new. Several residents living in the narrow medieval alleys of Monaco Ville confirmed to MailOnline that before she left for South Africa Charlene was spending most of her time outside the Palace, living in a modest two-bedroom apartment above an old chocolate factory about 300m away, rather than in the 12th Century Palace itself. 'We often saw her outside the Palace and she would usually be alone or with a bodyguard,' said one source, 'but she was never with Albert - it was obvious she chose to spend most of her time in the apartment rather than the palace.' Princess Charlene met Prince Albert in 2000 during a swimming competition in Monaco and the pair married in 2011, before welcoming twins Gabriella and Jacques in 2014. Born in Rhodesia- a previously unrecongised state in Southern Africa colonised by the British, she relocated to South Africa aged 11. She had a successful swimming career and went on to win three gold medals and a silver medal at the 1999 All Africa Games in Johannesburg, as well as representing South Africa at the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games and winning a silver medal in the 4 100 m medley relay in the latter competition. However the pair's marriage has made numerous headlines over the years, with a third paternity suit emerging in December 2020. Soon afterwards Charlene famously shaved half her head in the style of a punk rocker. Months later she left for South Africa. The allegations in December 2020 claimed that Albert had fathered a love-child (which would be his third, if proven) with an unnamed Brazilian woman during the time when he and Charlene were already in a relationship. He has also fathered two other children outside of wedlock. Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, who is now 29 and the result of Albert's affair with an American estate agent, and Alexandre Coste, 18, whose mother is a former Togolese air hostess. Both children were struck off Monaco's line of succession in return for vast financial settlements. Zara Tindall turned to the Duchess of Cambridge for her Easter Sunday style inspiration, opting for a 350 L.K. Bennett frock that looks just like a designer dress owned by Kate. Zara, 40, cut a polished figure in the silk 'Mathilde' dress as she joined husband Mike, daughter Mia, eight, and senior royals at St George's Chapel, Windsor. The dress features a navy and white polka dot print, cream frilled collar, long sleeves and cream buttons, much like the Duchess' 1,750 polka dot dress by Alessandra Rich. The L.K. Bennett style has proved a hit with stars including Amanda Holden, Holly Willoughby and Lorraine Kelly. Meanwhile the original Alessandra Rich design has been spotted on Sarah Jessica Parker, Ivanka Trump and Meghan Markle's actress BFF Abigail Spencer, who wore the sophisticated frock to the Sussexes' wedding in May 2018. Zara Tindall turned to the Duchess of Cambridge for her Easter Sunday style inspiration, opting for a 350 L.K. Bennett frock that looks just like a designer dress owned by Kate L.K. Bennett's 350 silk 'Mathilde' dress features a navy and white polka dot print, cream frilled collar, long sleeves and cream buttons, much like a 1,750 polka dot dress by A-list favourite designer Alessandra Rich. Pictured, Holly Willoughby in the L.K. Bennett dress in January 2021 (left), and Amanda Holden in the high street number in September 2021 The Alessandra Rich design was worn by Kate Middleton, Ivanka Trump and Meghan Markle's actress BFF Abigail Spencer, who wore the sophisticated frock to the Sussexes' wedding in May 2018. Pictured, the Duchess of Cambridge on a visit to Bletchley Park in 2019 Zara joined husband Mike, eight-year-old daughter Mia, an other members of the Royal Family for the Easter service at St George's Chapel, Windsor, yesterday. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were accompanied by their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte for the occasion, which coincided with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's appearance at the Invictus Games in the Netherlands. Kate wore light blue, as did her daughter, who held William's hand as she walked to the chapel in the grounds of the castle. Prince George, like his father, wore a suit and tie. The eight-year-old future king shook hands with the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev David Conner, as they left the service, with William wishing him a happy Easter. Behind the Cambridges were the Earl and Countess of Wessex with their children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Zara joined husband Mike, eight-year-old daughter Mia, an other members of the Royal Family for the Easter service at St George's Chapel, Windsor, yesterday The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by Zara Tindall, the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, and her husband Mike Zara Tindall shakes hands with Dean of Windsor, The Right Revd David Conner (L) as she leaves with Mike Tindall (R) Princess Eugenie walked alongside Peter Phillips and his children Savannah and Isla. The L.K. Bennett style comes in a shorter, midi length, making it a more wearable option than the longer Alessandra Rich design. Holly Willoughby wore the high street frock on This Morning last year, pairing it with classic black pumps. Lorraine and Amanda have both opted for similarly simple styling, allowing the dress to remain the focus of the outfit. Shoppers have been going wild for the 1930s-inspired dress, with several stellar reviews insisting the 'striking' gown was 'beautifully made' from material which feels 'lovely to wear'. ITV host Lorraine Kelly was spotted wearing the dress last week. The frock is inspired by the 1930s 'with a fun Seventies' twist', comes in navy or blue with a classic polka dot print Laura Javid, the wife of Health Secretary Sajid Javid, was seen wearing the L.K. Bennett version at the Tory Party conference in Manchester 'Got so many compliments wearing this dress', wrote one shopper. 'I'm a big fan of L.K.Bennett's dresses, so far the best buy.' Another said: 'Love the material, love the style & love the fit. It feels so lovely to wear and it is very striking. It is makes me feel me feel very feminine.' The dress closely resembles the one made by London-based designer Alessandra Rich who has become one of the royal's favourite designers in recent years. Kate has worn the 1,750 navy and white polka dot midi on a number of previous occasions, including for Prince Charles's official 70th birthday portraits in November 2018. The style was famously worn by Meghan Markle's close friend and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, left, to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in May 2018 (pictured) Christie Brinkley, left, was first to be seen in the dress, in April 2018. Right, Sarah Jessica Parker put her own spin on the style in May 2019, cinching the waist with a crystal-encrusted belt, layering it with a floral print navy edge-to-edge coat and white stiletto heels Ivanka Trump used a white belt to accentuate her trim waist and paired the dress with killer blue heels as she was pictured leaving her home in July 2018 The style was famously worn by Meghan Markle's close friend and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in May 2018 and became an A-list favourite the following summer. One of the first to be seen in the dress, model Christie Brinkley, 64, stepped out in it in April 2018, wearing the shirt-style collar open-necked and teaming it with a trench coat. Sarah Jessica Parker put her own spin on the style, cinching the waist with a crystal-encrusted belt, layering it with a floral print navy edge-to-edge coat and white stiletto heels. Ivanka Trump accompanied her father on a visit to Iowa in July 2018, choosing to woo Mid-West voters with the modest number, accessorising it with a knotted white patent belt. The Queen's right-hand woman has revealed the monarch had a moment of quiet reflection when she returned to Windsor Castle after the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral. Angela Kelly, who has been the Queen's stylist for more than 30 years, shares her insight on the difficult period in Her Majesty's life in an update to her memoirs, The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser And The Wardrobe. 'I helped her off with her coat and hat and no words were spoken. The Queen then walked to her sitting room, closed the door behind her, and she was alone with her own thoughts,' Kelly writes of the moments after the funeral in an extract published by Hello! magazine. Kelly, who is also a personal assistant, was among the trusted aides who formed part of HMS Bubble - the core royal household who stayed with the Queen and Prince Philip during lockdown. The Queen's right-hand woman has revealed the monarch had a moment of quiet reflection when she returned to Windsor Castle after the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, pictured Angela Kelly, pictured in 2018, recounted how the emotionally charged moment unfolded in an update to her memoirs The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser And The Wardrobe, which will be released on May 12 ahead of the Platinum Jubilee It meant they were also by the monarch's side in the days after her husband died, and she said goodbye to him at the small funeral. Writing on the day the Duke of Edinburgh died, Kelly said the atmosphere among staff staying in Windsor was 'sombre,' and that only a few members of staff were told the news, after the members of the royal family were told first. On the day of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in Windsor, members of staff were allowed to stand outside the Augusta Tower door, opposite St George's Hall. 'The Queen's dressers, pages, chefs, housemaids, footmen and Castle attendants all stood to attention as The Duke of Edinburgh's coffin was carefully placed onto the Land Rover that he had specially designed for the day,' Angela recalls. She added that staff members were visibly grief-stricken and that there thoughts must have been with the Queen as she said goodbye to her husband of 73 years. Angela also added that fellow members of staff felt the pain of the valet walking behind the Duke's coffin during the funeral procession, because it was 'it was hard to watch our own friends saying goodbye to their amazing boss.' Angela Kelly was by the monarch's side in the days after her husband died, and she said goodbye to him at the small funeral. Pictured, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2020 The Queen and three-times-divorced Miss Kelly - a Roman Catholic crane driver's daughter from Liverpool - have spent the past 20 years forging an intriguingly close relationship. The dresser's influence now extends to the younger Royals - with Prince George christened in a lengthy robe made by Miss Kelly, who learnt sewing from her mother and aunt. She is so close to the Monarch that she has written two books with the Queen's approval and lives in a grace-and-favour home in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The Queen has been spotted 'nipping in for tea'. Ms Kelly rarely gives interviews but she once disclosed: 'We are two typical women. We discuss clothes, make-up, jewellery.' Kelly was given the Queen's blessing to publish the first edition of The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser And The Wardrobe in 2019 This revised edition, which will be released ahead of the Platinum Jubilee, also covers the first public engagements post-lockdown and looks ahead to the celebrations in June. The title, published on May 12 by HarperCollins, reveals some of the behind-the-scenes tricks used for the monarch's attire. She sews in extra layers of lining to cushion the impact of beading and crystals on the Queen's back when events require glamorous gowns. Tiny weights are also put into day-wear hemlines in case of windy weather and fabrics that crumple or could potentially develop messy loose strands are avoided. Ms Kelly, who has the same size feet as the Queen, wears in the monarch's handmade new shoes to ensure they are comfortable when first used. Advertisement President Emmanuel Macron's campaign to be re-elected as France's president is currently on shaky ground, with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen breathing down the 44-year-old's neck after the nation went to first-round polls on April 10th. As politicians past and present will attest, image is vital in securing the fickle affections of voters, and the Frenchman is clearly using everything in his sartorial arsenal to woo the French into striking a cross for his party - La Republique En Marche! - when the second round takes place on April 24th. Last month, Macron, who is married to wife Brigitte, 69, hit the headlines after he swapped out his usual slick-suited style for a more 'war room' look, with many stating he'd been inspired by the khaki and camouflage fatigues worn by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Some suggested that perhaps the mannerisms of history's most famous leaders had given Macron a few ideas along the way too. During the last French presidential election of 2017, Mr Macron celebrated his first-round voting win by throwing his hands in the air in the 'V for Victory' sign...a gesture made famous by Churchill some 80 years earlier. In one recent photo, Macron has his eyes closed and is rubbing his furrowed brow in a manner that echoes President John F Kennedy's desperate body language during a fraught phone conversation in the early 1960s. A new collection of snaps - as the final walkabouts begin - hint that he's taken more than a little inspiration from some of Hollywood's most macho stars in a bid to present himself as France's most desirable future leader - including Tom Cruise in 80s hit Top Gun and Jamie Dornan during his 50 Shades of Grey era. A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio, three years senior in age to Mr Macron, in particular seems to have provided a muse - Macron was pictured topless on a jet ski pounding through the waves in 2020, a pursuit DiCaprio has often been snapped doing - although often with a twentysomething squeeze tucked behind him... All about the image as polling day - round two - approaches on April 24th: French leader Emmanuel Macron pictured thrashing through the waves around Porquerolles island in the South of France in August 2020. Right; Titanic and The Revenant star Leonardo DiCaprio pictured wearing a similar wetsuit vest on an Italian holiday a year earlier - with American model Camila Morrone tucked behind him Milk Tray Macron! The French leader adopts a suave look in 2019 that Christian Gray - the racy protagonist Jamie Dornan played in Fifty Shades of Gray would have been proud of. Did the polo-necked president catch the 2015 film? Right: Belfast star Dornan, a certified Hollywood hearthrob, pictured sporting a similar sartorial look in Los Angeles in November last year Belfast star Dornan, a certified Hollywood hearthrob, pictured sporting a similar sartorial look in Los Angeles in November last year Macron the Messiah? Raising his hands aloft in victory this month, the 44-year-old Amiens-born French president had more than a whiff of The Wolf of Wall Street about him Jordan Belfort, who inspired The Wolf of Wall Street film after pleading guilty to stock market fraud in 1999, was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2013 blockbuster Macron channel Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. (left in 2009) by lifting his arms up at a rally (right last week in France) Macron Balboa! The President has also been compared to US actor Sylvester Stallone - known for his role as boxer Rocky Balboa Feel the need for speed? The president, with doting wife Brigitte walking close behind him during a beach walk in the glitzy seaside town of Le Touquet last week, donned aviator shades, a high collar-jacket and navy scarf in a look that screamed fighter pilot. Right: Tom Cruise made aviator shades a symbol of macho style after he wore them to play Lt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell in 1986 fighter pilot movie Top Gun Red carpet president? Nothing says global status like a selfie crowd! Macron appears to be revelling in pressing the flesh during this walkabout in Hauts-de-France during an attempt last week to bolster support for his La Republique en Marche (LREM) party - but such celebrity fawning might seem more appropriate in Los Angeles Hollywood leading man Brad Pitt shows Macron how it's done as he mingles with fans during the premiere of the motion dramatic comedy Once Upon A Time ...In America in 2019 A celebratory birthday bottomless brunch took a hilarious turn after a woman ended up getting wedged upside down behind a restaurant sofa - with her friends on hand to capture the moment. Lindsey Clark, 40, from North Shields, ended up offering the ultimate 'bottoms up' after she tried to grab the coat of her friend at the end of the particularly refreshing brunch. Clark had been reaching for the jacket of a pal while out for the 47th birthday of her friend Julie Jackson, who'd chosen a prosecco-filled celebration at the TwelveTwentyFive restaurant in the North Tyneside town. Scroll down for video Easter legs! Lindsey Clark, 40, got wedged, upside down, at the TwelveTwentyFive restaurant in North Shields after leaning over a sofa to retrieve her friend's jacket Characterful Clark, pictured in a vibrant satin shellsuit, was unable to get out from the back of the restaurant sofa...and her pals were on hand to capture the moment There she is! The reveller was put back on her feet - not her head - by two members of staff from the North Shields restaurant Going viral! More than 2,000 people have already viewed the comedy moment, which was filmed by Clark's friends and put on Facebook However, whether it was down to gravity - or just lashings of sparkling wine - the 40-year-old suddenly found herself tipping over, leaving her legs and heeled feet sticking out from the corner of the dining room. Seizing the opportunity to record the hilarious moment, Lindsey's friends snapped away before seeking help from two of the restaurant's staff members. After a battle that involved tugging on her shins, the 40-year-old was eventually placed back on the sofa, fortunately smiling. Lindsey's friend, support worker Julie Jackson, from Newcastle, explained how the birthday bash ended in her friend going head over heels. How it started, how it's going: A glamorous-looking Lindsey Clark at the start of the birthday brunch...and a couple of hours later after losing a fight with the restaurant's sofa How the brunch began: Friend Julie Jackson elegantly takes a sip from her prosecco as she celebrates her 47th birthday And before the brunch was out; the 40-year-old had taken an unexpected sofa dive Right way up: After a battle that involved tugging on her shins, she was eventually placed back on the sofa, fortunately still smiling Although Clark has yet to break her silence on going viral on social media, her friend Julie Jackson said she'd seen the funny side The group reported that the staff 'were all lovely' - and Jackson admitted 'It's not a birthday I'll forget.' Right: An employee goes to retrieve the coat Clark couldn't reach She said: 'We were drinking all sorts but a lot of prosecco. My other friend's jacket fell behind the sofa so Lindsey reached down to get it and fell behind the sofa. 'She was stuck for about ten minutes in total.' The rescue mission saw the group praise the employees for finding a way to free Clark from behind the couch. Jackson went on: 'The staff were all lovely, they could have been funny about it but they were really nice. It's not a birthday I'll forget.' Close: The two friends competing together in the Great North Run Jackson added that her friend didn't mind the attention, saying: 'She's always wanted to be famous, although I don't think this is how she expected it to happen.' Julie shared the hilarious video on her Facebook, where it has already racked up more than 2,000 likes. Although the victim of the sofa dive has yet to break her silence on the matter, Jackson said her friend had seen the funny side. She said: 'I didn't expect to get that reaction. Lindsey finds it hilarious, it's just a bit of a laugh. 'She's always wanted to be famous, although I don't think this is how she expected it to happen.' Viola Davis' portrayal of Michelle Obama is being mercilessly ridiculed by fans - who called her 'constant duck face' in the new Showtime series an 'insult' to the former first lady. Oscar-winning actress Viola, 56, starred as Former President Barack Obama's wife, 58, in the first episode of the brand new 10-part anthology drama The First Lady - which premiered on April 17 and follows the lives of Michelle and other well-known first ladies. However, many people are roasting The Help star for pursing her lips throughout much of the biopic, and some viewers found her constant use of the facial expression disrespectful to the former first lady. Viola is now facing severe backlash for the role, which sparked a firestorm of responses from people on social media. Although Michelle has been known to purse her lips, one viewer called Viola's 'exaggerated' portrayal 'unnecessary and border-line insulting.' Viola Davis' (pictured) portrayal of Michelle Obama is being mercilessly ridiculed by fans - who called her 'constant duck face' in the new Showtime series an 'insult' to the former first lady Oscar-winning actress Viola (left), 56, starred as Former President Barack Obama's wife (right), 58, in the first episode of the brand new 10-part anthology drama The First Lady Many people are roasting Viola (pictured) for pursing her lips throughout the biopic, and some viewers found her constant use of the facial expression disrespectful to the former first lady Another disgruntled social media user claimed that the director 'needed to serve time' for 'making' Viola do the 'duck face' so much in the show, while someone else said the people who worked on it should be 'fired.' 'The director that made Viola Davis do that duck face may need to serve time,' wrote one person. 'I love Viola Davis but the entire team of people behind all of this should get fired,' said another. 'Why didn't anybody stop you? Why could they not even give you an actual make up artist? How will you ever face Michelle Obama after this?' 'Viola Davis needs to be stopped,' agreed another. 'Shes over doing the Michelle Obama face.' 'Viola Davis' face must have been so tired in that movie,' joked a different user. Someone else said: 'I'm embarrassed and legitimately surprised that everyone who saw Viola Davis make that face let it stand. Including Viola Davis! Like... Why?' 'Viola Davis is one of the best actresses to ever hit the scene but that damn Michelle Obama biopic is a comedy simply because of that face she be making,' read another tweet. 'If Viola Davis is making that face the whole movie, idk if Im gonna be able to hold it together,' one user admitted. Viola is now facing severe backlash for the role, which sparked a firestorm of responses from people on social media 'I feel like, they couldve just found someone who looks more like Michelle rather than have Viola Davis contort her face like this,' read another message. '#TheFirstLady is good so far. But I dont understand what Viola Davis is doing. Her acting choices are so distracting,' shared someone else. 'She could be great in that part if she just relaxed her face.' 'Viola Davis was definitely the right choice for the Michelle biopic but they making her do that face Michelle does too often. That makes it seem like a whole joke film...' wrote one user. 'So Viola Davis is gonna do that "something smells funny" face as Michelle Obama through the whole movie?' asked another. A different person said, 'If I were Michelle Obama Id be offended by Viola Davis. At the very least Id think her lips thing was unnecessary and boarder line insulting.' The 10-part series is also set to focus on Betty Ford (who will be played by Michelle Pfeiffer) and Eleanor Roosevelt (who will be played by Gillian Anderson). Before the show came out, Viola - who also produced the series - admitted that she had 'anxiety' and 'stress' over playing Michelle, due to the high expectations that come with portraying a person beloved by so many. Although Michelle (right) has been known to purse her lips, one viewer called Viola's (left) 'exaggerated' portrayal 'unnecessary and border-line insulting' Another social media user claimed the director 'needed to serve time' for 'making' Viola do the 'duck face' so much. Viola is pictured in the show left, while Michelle is pictured right Before the show came out, Viola (pictured in the show) admitted she had 'anxiety' over playing Michelle, due to the high expectations that come with portraying a person beloved by so many 'I'm glad it's over!' she said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week. 'I mean, the stress... Because everybody likes - loves - Michelle Obama. 'They know what she sounds like, they know what she looks like. And I'm like, "I don't want Michelle Obama calling me, cussing me out."' When the talk show host asked Viola if she had reached out to Michelle about the role, she added, 'I am hiding from Michelle. I'm hiding. I'm hiding in my house. I'm not sending her nothing.' 'That's the kind of thing where you have to prostate yourself on the floor and just go, "OK, Michelle, I messed up."' While the 56-year-old didn't speak to Michelle during or after the making of the series, she has spoken her before but she told Deadline that she's keeping most of the contents of their conversation private. 'Whats dramatic about Michelle Obama? Ill tell you whats dramatic,' she told them. 'She is a black woman and the first black woman in the White House built by slaves, someone who literally was perceived to be overly masculine, not feminine, angry, hostile, and I will share one thing that she said to me. When asked if she had reached out to Michelle (right) about the role, Viola (left) said, 'I am hiding from Michelle. I'm hiding. I'm hiding in my house. I'm not sending her nothing' Viola (left) previously said of portraying Michelle (right), 'What I wanted to do was honor her and not the perception of what black women are supposed to be' The 10-part series is also set to focus on Betty Ford - who will be played by Michelle Pfeiffer (left) - and Eleanor Roosevelt - who will be played by Gillian Anderson (right) ''She said, "Im not even an angry person." Isnt that something? Listen, I am sort of an angry person, but shes not. 'And so what I wanted to do was honor her and not the perception of what black women are supposed to be.' Viola said they employed artistic license throughout the show - like when Michelle uses the n-word in a conversation with her husband about racist attacks. 'We use creative license because we all know that Michelle Obama is someone who does not like politics, the viciousness of it,' she explained. 'And so it was an imagined conversation. And I did push for those words to be used because I know that those are the words that black people use in private. 'We do. We use those words in private, especially to drive something home, and Michelle Obama is from the South Side of Chicago. 'So I felt it was imagined but I felt good about it being something that could have happened.' Products featured in this Mail Best article are independently selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, DailyMail.com may earn an affiliate commission. Spring dressing means ditching your heavy knits and padded layers in favor for more lightweight and flirty silhouettes. As we turn towards flirty florals and playful prints, we can also lean into this on-trend shade of mint weve spotted on the always-elegant Kate Middleton. She showed off her fashion prowess on a recent royal tour of the Bahamas wearing this Self-Portrait midi dress that has quickly shot to the top of our wish list! This look has a nipped in waist with a v-neckline that leads to a pleated midi skirt. Perfect for these warmer months! Self-Portrait chiffon midi dress This midi length chiffon dress has a vintage feel with its elegant hemline, nipped in waist and summery short sleeves. Proving this minty shade can dress up any spring ensemble. This midi length chiffon dress has a vintage feel with its elegant hemline, nipped in waist and summery short sleeves. Proving this minty shade can dress up any spring ensemble. Perfectly paired with flats for a casual afternoon, or dressed up for a formal outing with high heels, this is truly a versatile dress. London-based label Self-Portrait has become a go-to for the fashion pack looking for feminine and timeless designs. Shop The Duchess of Cambridge radiated beauty in this Self-Portrait chiffon midi dress while visiting the Bahamas This particular shade of mint has been a strong trend this season as well, with celebrities like Lady Gaga, Doja Cat and Jennifer Lopez all wearing the minty hue. Youll be joining a stylish group! Kates midi length also works so well going from a casual setting to even more formal occasions. Simply style it with flats for a weekend brunch with the girls or elevate it with pumps for a more formal function. But if youre not keen on the $510 price tag, here are six ways to get the look for less. Nora Anis Miquela midi dress Wolf & Badger carries an array of independent brands that pack a punch when it comes to leading fashion trends. We really fell for this puff sleeve belted dress. The feminine silhouette and dramatic sleeves make this a perfect go-to for these warmer months. The sexy neckline ensures you can stand out by adding a glimmering pendant or sparkly earrings and finish the look with espadrille heels. Shop Boohoo woven puff sleeve dress We can always count on Boohoo for a great bargain and this mint colored dress doesn't disappoint. This gauzy dress has a shorter hemline but encompasses the timeless feel of Kate's dress. The cinched in waist ensures you have a form-flattering fit but the billowy sleeves make sure it has that effortlessness we love about Kate's dress. This gauzy dress has a shorter hemline but encompasses the timeless feel of Kate's dress. Shop Ever New puff sleeve dress at Asos One of the best features of this dress is the eye-catching bow detail at the back of the dress that has a thick ribbon strap. The smock dress lends to a more casual vibe that is perfect for those weekends spent enjoying the sunshine. This Asos pick will quickly become your favorite dress this season. The square neckline is very flattering leading to a tiered midi skirt and puff sleeves. Shop Shein puff sleeve midi dress The round neckline accents a short sleeve midi dress with a flared hemline. Priced at a modest $20 this dress will allow you to splurge a bit with your accessories. Elevate the look with gold earrings to nail Kate's effortless style. Fast-fashion giant Shein has aced another dress with this chic look-alike mint dress. Shop Alexia Admor August midi dress The draped sleeves make this dress quite flirty and the midi hem give it the right amount of impact to get Kate's look for less. Style it with a bold clutch bag for the perfect look. The dress has the perfect shade of mint and priced under $80 makes this a no-brainer option this season. A classic draped fit & flare midi dress is a perfect option for brunch with the girls. Shop The course offers a weekend in France's Champagne region and a 500 cash prize for the most stylish lady - with 'vintage sparkle' this year's theme Racegoers were back at the famous course for the event for the first time since before the pandemic The 150th Irish Grand National takes place at 5pm on Easter Monday at the Fairyhouse Racecourse Advertisement Racegoers attending the final day of the Fairyhouse Easter Festival - home to the Irish Grand National - might have been forgiven for taking their eyes off the runners and riders, such was the explosion of spring colour amongst the spectators. The finale of the three-day festival, which began on Saturday, and sees the 150th National play out this afternoon at 5pm, saw race fans at the County Meath course putting on their Easter Monday best. There were groups of sweet schoolchildren in pastel shades, many wearing bonnets and flat caps, as well as all-out glamour from spectators who donned a rainbow of bold colours. Clearly keen to dress up to the nines in the first Irish Grand National meet with a full crowd since before the pandemic, racegoers accessorised their brightly coloured frocks with eye-catching feathered fascinators, wide-brimmed hats and floral headwear. Despite mostly grey skies over the emerald course, there were bursts of sunshine, leaving people reaching for their sunglasses as they posed for selfies. On the notoriously demanding course, the largest event in the Irish racing calendar saw a prize fund of 500,000 euros up for grabs. And when the horses return to their stables, there's a most stylish lady competition in the offing too, with this year's theme 'vintage sparkle'. The winner will waltz away with a weekend in the Champagne region of France and 500 in cash. The Fairyhouse selfie is back! Racegoers at the 150th Irish Grand National appeared delighted to be able to dress up again for the biggest event in the Irish racing calendar on Easter Monday Floral headwear - in vibrant spring colours - caught the eye of spectators at the famous racecourse in County Meath, Ireland We're still off school! Children dressed in pastel colours - accessorised with bonnets and flat caps - on the third day of the Fairyhouse Easter Festival Red is the colour: One racegoer matched her hair shade with her plunging dress for the day out - which offers a prize to the most stylish lady Make mine a Guinness! This reveller goes for a brace of Ireland's favourite tipple Back to work tomorrow: the drinks flowed on the final day of the Easter celebration, with many spectators posing for photographs on social media Iberique Du Seuil, ridden by Jack Kennedy, proved successful during the Donohue Marquees Juvenile Hurdle, ahead of the Irish Grand National this afternoon Despite mostly grey skies over the emerald course, there were bursts of sunshine, leaving people reaching for their sunglasses - including this well-dressed chap Ditching the classic dark suit, many of the male guests at the race opted for more interesting takes on the whistle and flute, with bright colours and checks on the sartorial menu Pretty as a picture: one young spectator dons a horse-themed bonnet - and yellow dress - to mark the occasion Ladies in lavender: Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin mingles with two very glamorous spectators in the sunshine Taoiseach Martin appeared to be enjoying a day meeting those who'd travelled to County Meath for the spectacle Selfie opportunities a go-go: many sharp-suited attendees captured their days out on social media. Right: A spectator outstretches an arm to capture a moment in the sunshine Smile lads! Not all those attending opted for smart clothes - with ripped jeans making an appearance too This lady fulfilled the vintage sparkle brief, with her companion offering up a Peaky Blinders-esque ensemble The event attracts record crowds to the Fairyhouse racecourse, with the winner of the National scooping 500,000 euros Fuchsia flutter: This lady looks radiant in a bright pink trouser suit and completes the look with a nude heel and unique green and pink pillbox hat A feathered fascinator and a red lip - this stylish spectator wore a show-stealing headpiece with her blonde hair neatly braided A rainbow of spring brights: bold colours dominated the event's fashion colour palette with trouser suits also a popular choice Advertisement One Wisconsin couple got a bit carried away hanging cutesy signs around their home, going way beyond the cliched 'live, laugh, love' and erecting a sign that reads 'Welcome to Poundtown' directly above their bed. The unidentified couple is now selling the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in Onalaska, but kept all of their signs including the PG-13 one in place when staging the home for real estate photos. The bizarre design choice particularly in a home with children has left social media users in stitches. One Wisconsin couple got a bit carried away hanging cutesy signs around their home, going way beyond the cliched 'live, laugh, love' and erecting a sign that reads 'Welcome to Poundtown' directly above their bed The master bedroom in the 3,600-square-foot home is otherwise normal-looking, done in grays and whites with a homey feel, although it features several other signs, including one that says 'his only' It's not the only sign in the bedroom - there are several others, including one that reads 'this is us' - but it's the only sexually-charged one in the whole home Signs in the master bathroom read 'where there is imperfection, there is an abundance of beauty,' 'brush your teeth,' and 'please seat yourself' above the toilet The master bedroom in the 3,600-square-foot home is otherwise normal-looking, done in grays and whites with a homey feel. But above the headboard which itself has an intricate carved design is a rectangular black-and-white sign that reads: 'Welcome to POUNDTOWN.' It's not the only sign in the bedroom there are also ones reading 'his only' and 'this is us' but it's the only sexually-charged one in the whole home. While signs that the couple favors can often be found in stores like HomeGoods, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and Michael's, it seems unlikely that the 'poundtown' sign was found at any of these places. Etsy does have several signs with those words but in different fonts. This couple may have had theirs custom-made. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom house has been listed in Onalaska for $420,000 Meanwhile, the rest of the home is positively brimming with similar decor, including lots of signs in the living room The kitchen is chock full of signage as well, including 'eat' and 'the kitchen is for dancing.' The bread box is also labeled 'bread' in big letters They also have the word 'pantry' hanging over the pantry, lest they forget what it is The dining room is decorated with a sign reading: 'Work hard and be nice to people' Meanwhile, the rest of the home is positively brimming with similar decor, including signs in the master bathroom that read 'where there is imperfection, there is an abundance of beauty,' 'brush your teeth,' and 'please seat yourself' above the toilet. The living room appears to have the most signs of all, including 'gather' and 'gather together,' as well as both a sign and a pillow that say 'blessed.' There is another 'this is us' sign, plus ones that read 'welcome to our beautiful chaos,' 'you, me, and the kids,' 'party of five,' and 'welcome to our crazy fun loud happy home.' Also abundant in the home are freestanding ampersands, symbols that stand for the word 'and.' It's unclear what context they are being used in in the home. The kitchen is chock full of signage as well, including 'eat,' 'the kitchen is for dancing,' and the word 'pantry' over the pantry. The bread box is also labeled 'bread' in big letters. In the girls' room is a sign reading 'she has fire in her soul and grace in her eyes' The boy's room has signs that say 'be kind & brave,' 'nap, build, destroy, repeat,' and 'adventure awaits' The young boy's room also features several pieces of art, as well as decorative baskets for toys In the children's playroom there are signs reading 'play' and 'let's eat' Presumably, the children don't understand the sign above mommy and daddy's bed The dining room is decorated with a sign reading: 'Work hard and be nice to people.' The entrance has signs reading 'welcome,' 'welcome home,' and 'we're so glad you are here', as well as a pillow reading 'our nest,' while the mudroom has signs reading 'home sweet home' and 'since little fingers touch our floors, please leave your shoes at the door.' There are also two bedrooms for three children, who presumably don't understand the sign above mommy and daddy's bed. In the girls' room is a sign reading 'she has fire in her soul and grace in her eyes,' while the boy's room has signs that say 'be kind & brave,' 'nap, build, destroy, repeat,' and 'adventure awaits.' The house, which was listed this week by Spencer Hegenbarth of RE/MAX, is already earning quite a bit of attention on social media since images were shared by Zillow Gone Wild. The house, which was listed this week by Spencer Hegenbarth of RE/MAX, is already earning quite a bit of attention on social media since images were shared by Zillow Gone Wild The entrance has signs reading 'welcome,' 'welcome home,' and 'we're so glad you are here', as well as a pillow reading 'our nest' The mudroom has signs reading 'home sweet home' and 'since little fingers touch our floors, please leave your shoes at the door' The guest bedroom also has signs, while ampersands, symbols that stand for the word 'and,' litter the home Plenty of commenters were more in awe of the whole effect than just the poundtown sign 'Love, laugh, poundtown,' wrote one. 'This kitchen is made for dancing, and this bed is made for pounding,' commented another. 'I know a lot of people are fixed on the bedroom sign there, which is of course extremely distasteful, but whole house feels weird and fake to me,' wrote another. In fact, plenty of commenters were more in awe of the whole effect than just the poundtown sign. 'What in the Chip and Joanna Gaines is going here,' wrote one, while another said, 'This house talks too much.' 'I like to think this is the work of a house stager who is going through some sort of crisis,' quipped one more. A socialite who was married four times including to a former Conservative Cabinet minister, his cousin, and two acting legends has died aged 85. Elizabeth Aitken Harris, nee Rees-Williams, passed away at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital at 11.10pm on Good Friday after a long illness, her son Jared Harris has revealed. The daughter of the first Baron Ogmore, a Labour Cabinet minister in the 1945-51 Attlee Government, was married to former Tory minister Jonathan Aitken, his cousin Peter Aitken, Irish acting legend Richard Harris and Oscar-winner Sir Rex Harrison. While she was best known for her many marriages, she ran a highly successful PR firm and often graced the society pages. Elizabeth Harris Aitken (pictured) passed away at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital at 11.10pm on Good Friday after a long illness aged 85 The socialite was married four times. First to Irish acting legend Richard Harris. The pair are pictured here on their wedding day in 1957 She married her first husband Richard best known for playing King Arthur in Camelot and Professor Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films in 1957, aged just 22. Their wedding reception was at the House of Lords and they lived in a one-bedroom flat in Paddington. She had studied at RADA, where she met many future stars, including Peter O'Toole, Alan Bates and Albert Finney. Before this, she attended convent school in Switzerland she was one of the last debutantes to be presented to the Queen at Court in 1954. With Richard she had three sons Damian, Jared and Jamie, who followed in their fathers footsteps to work in Hollywood as actors and directors. Elizabeth proposed to Richard - something considered very progressive at the time - and they were married 11 years, but Richard's wild lifestyle and constant travelling due to work led to infidelity and eventually a divorce in 1969. The actor died aged 72 in 2002 after suffering from Hodgkin's disease. In 1971, she remarried another actor - Sir Rex Harrison - who won an Oscar for his eponymous role in Doctor Dolittle and was himself married six times. Her son Jared, who is known for his role in Mad Men and Chernobyl, later described meals at the dinner table with his step-father, who died in 1990, as 'excruciating'. In 1971, she remarried another actor - Sir Rex Harrison (pictured) - who won an Oscar for his eponymous role in Doctor Dolittle and was himself married six times Here Elizabeth and Rex are pictured at Heathrow airport awaiting a flight to Nice with her son Jamie Harris in 1972 Elizabeth is pictured here with her third husband stockbroker Peter Aitken who she married in the 1980s Her memoir Love, Honour And Dismay published in 1976, when she 40. She cheekily dedicated the book 'to RH', the initials shared by both of her movie-star husbands. Her second marriage also didn't last, and in the 1980s she married stockbroker Peter Aitken, the cousin of cabinet minister Jonathan, with whom she had a steamy affair with in the 1980s. After the the five-year unsuccessful marriage she went on to marry her third husband's cousin - Jonathan Aitken after a chance encounter in 2001, after just nine months of romance. The former Tory Cabinet Minister, who was famously jailed for 18 months after being convicted of perjury in 1999, proposed with a diamond and aquamarine ring to over dinner in 2002. They had met years prior when Elizabeth was single again after her 1975 divorce from Rex Harrison. In those days, Jonathan was a devastatingly handsome politician with a wandering eye, a ruthless streak and ambitions to be prime minister. After five unsuccessful years of marriage to Peter, Elizabeth had a steamy affair with his cousin former Tory Cabinet Minister, Jonathan Aitken, whom she is pictured with here Elizabeth picture at The Royal Court Ball in London, in 1984. Her memoir Love, Honour And Dismay published in 1976, when she 40 They lived together for two years, but she knew that in the end he'd break her heart. He was too driven, too vain and too selfish. 'I had three children, two divorces behind me, and I was older than Jonathan. I wasn't exactly ideal wife material for an up-and-coming young politician. I knew we hadn't a future, so I got out,' she previously said. He married Lolicia Azucki and they had two daughters and a son. He later discovered that he had a third daughter, Petrina, by his affair with Soraya Khashoggi. Jonathan became a glittering political star but in the late Nineties scandal brought him down. In 1999 he was made bankrupt and sent to prison for 18 months for perjury over an unpaid bill at the Ritz in Paris. He was released in 2000 and went to Oxford for two years to study theology. Elizabeth and Jonathan Aitken pictured in 2003 at The New Saatchi Gallery Opening Night party in London After the the five-year unsuccessful marriage she went on to marry her third husband's cousin - Jonathan Aitken after a chance encounter in 2001, after just nine months of romance. They are pictured together in 2003 Meanwhile Elizabeth had also been through traumatic times. She went to live in America and married Jonathan's cousin, Peter Aitken, on the rebound. Four years later, they had an acrimonious divorce. During this time, she lost almost all her money in badly advised investments. She returned to London knowing that she had to get a job. Ultimately, she began her own successful PR company. On the morning of the wedding, Elizabeth had lunch at the Ritz with her three sons, where they gave her a pearl necklace before walking her down the aisle. 'It was so important to me that all our children felt part of the wedding and that nobody was losing anybody. The family was getting bigger. Nobody was going out; everybody was coming in,' she told the Daily Mail in 2002. The couple spent two nights at the Ritz on their honeymoon before flying off to Paradise Island, Nassau, and the house where Richard Harris lived for 30 years. Elizabeth and her sons invariably spent Christmas there, and in his will Richard left the house to the four of them. They are pictured in 2003 Welsh socialite Elizabeth is pictured in 1972 - while harried to Rex Harrison - with her two dogs The wedding invitations were written from their couple's six combined children - Alexandra, Damian, Jamie, Jared, Petrina, Victoria and William,' said the engraved card, 'invite you to the marriage of Elizabeth Harris and Jonathan Aitken. The reception was held at Carlton House Terrace and the guests included an eclectic mix of ex-lovers of both bride and groom. Jonathan's three most famous mistresses, Soraya Khashoggi, Carol Thatcher and Lady Antonia Fraser, were all invited but only Antonia accepted. However, many eminent politicians were there, including Michael Howard, Norman Tebbit, Malcolm Rifkind and Nicholas Soames. There were also a few ex-cons who'd done time with the bridegroom in Belmarsh Prison. They spent two nights at the Ritz before flying off to Paradise Island, Nassau, and the house where Richard Harris lived for 30 years. Elizabeth and her sons invariably spent Christmas there, and in his will Richard left the house to the four of them. While in prison, Jonathan became a born again Christian and after leaving studied theology at Oxford for two years, during which time he rekindled his romance with Elizabeth. While in prison, Jonathan became a born again Christian and after leaving studied theology at Oxford for two years, during which time he rekindled his romance with Elizabeth. The couple are pictured at Emilia Fox's wedding in 2005 Mr Aitken, now a prison chaplain, lead the Easter Sunday service at HMP Pentonville in accordance with his late wife's wishes. The couple are pictured together in 2003 'I'd committed myself to not having any new relationships. I wasn't ready for one. 'Also, I was at Wycliffe Theology College in Oxford, which was full of very keen future Anglican vicars and monks training for the Ministry. 'Having a girlfriend wouldn't exactly have been frowned upon, but it wouldn't have fitted my mood,' he previously said. Writing on social media about his mother's passing this weekend, son Jared wrote: 'She woke up singing, she went quietly in the night, we should all be so lucky for the life lived in between, for the life nurtured, for the families championed, for us it was you, always you, you were always there for us.' Mr Aitken, now a prison chaplain, lead the Easter Sunday service at HMP Pentonville in accordance with his late wife's wishes. Her funeral will be held on a date to be announced at St Matthew's, Westminster. The founder of a charity that supports parents who have lost babies duet to stillbirth or neonatal death has said its 'vitally important' that Cristiano Ronaldo and his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez 'come together' and 'help each other through' such a devastating time after the loss of their son. The Manchester United star, 37, announced in October 2021 that he was expecting twins with his partner Georgina, 28. Today, the couple shared the devastating news that their 'baby boy has passed away'. Founder and Managing Director of the Lily Mae foundation Ryan Jackson said that the couple 'will be in shock' over what happened, and that it's 'vitally important' the pair are 'open with their feelings'. 'The death of a baby is devastating whether that be through stillbirth, neonatal death, during labour, miscarriage or termination for medical reasons,' he said. Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, and his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, 28, have announced the death of their newborn son during birth in a heartbreaking social media post Georgina is pictured alongside Cristiano Jr., clutching his father's Manchester United shirt after his return to Manchester was announced last year. The Lily Mae Foundation has said it is vitally important that they talk and come together to help each through such a devastating experience 'Many of the feelings that Cristiano and Georgina will be feeling at the moment are that of devastation, feeling lost, isolated, alone, feeling that the floor has been pulled away from you and questioning, why us? 'The loss of a baby is a unique experience but differs from the normal grief felt when we lose a close friend or relative. We don't grieve a life that has passed where that individual has fulfilled so much. 'We grieve a lifetime of a missed opportunity and memories that we planned to make with our baby. 'At this moment in time both Cristiano and Georgina will be in shock and disbelief of what has happened. 'They have still got to care for their daughter which I can only imagine is extremely tough following the loss of this son. 'It is vitally important that they talk and come together to help each other through such a devastating experience. A statement from the couple confirmed the death of their baby boy as 'the greatest pain', but said their baby girl survived Georgina shares daughter Alana, three, with Cristiano, and the Manchester United star also has son Cristiano Jr., 11, and twins Eva and Mateo, four 'Being open with each other about their feelings it's really important as everybody grieves differently at a different pace. 'Being in the public eye, I can only imagine how difficult this will be. I would guess that they will have a huge support network around them including the medical staff and bereavement midwife that will allow them to make memories of their baby boy. 'These are memories that they will treasure forever. 'The devastating impact of baby loss and its effects on bereaved parents are still to this day a stigma amongst society. 'Research shows that men grieve loss as intensely as women yet the social stereotype that men should be strong and bottle up their grief is stopping bereaved men accessing and getting the support they need. The Lily Mae Foundation, which supports parents and families who have tragically lost a newborn says that there is still stigma surrounding the devastating impact of baby loss and its effects on bereaved parents In June 2017, the then-Real Madrid star surprised fans with the news he'd welcomed twins Eva and Mateo through a surrogate, and just one month later he and Georgina announced they were expecting their first child together. Alana was born in 2018. Georgina is pictured with Eva, Mateo and Alana, while pregnant with the couple's twins 'The support that we offer as a charity can be found at lilymaefoundation.org where we have a podcast called 'still parents' and other support programmes to help parents and families following the loss of a baby. A statement from the couple confirmed the death of their baby boy as 'the greatest pain', but said their baby girl survived. 'It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel,' the announcement read. 'Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness. 'We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. Georgina is seen while pregnant with twins. Ronaldo and Georgina announced the pregnancy in October 2021, but only one of the twins has survived 'We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time. 'Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you.' Georgina shares daughter Alana, three, with Cristiano. The Portuguese international also has son Cristiano Jr., 11, and twins Eva and Mateo, four. The charity, which supports parents and families who have tragically and traumatically lost a baby to Stillbirth or to Neonatal Death explain that being open with each other about their feelings is really important as everybody grieves differently at a different pace. Manchester United, Ronaldo's current club and the team where he cemented his status as a premier league legend, posted on Instagram: 'Your pain is our pain. Sending love and strength to you and the family at this time.' Meanwhile, Ronaldo's sister Katia Aveiro released an emotional open letter in which she said 'our little angel is already on daddy's lap,' in reference to the pair's father, Denis, who passed away in 2005 after a battle with alcoholism. Since meeting in 2016, Georgina has followed five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo from Madrid to Turin and then Manchester, as he left Real Madrid for Juventus and United.. Ronaldo's oldest son Cristiano Jr. was born in the United States in 2010 but immediately taken back to Madrid to be raised in Spain. The identity of his mother is unknown. In June 2017, the then-Real Madrid star surprised fans with the news he'd welcomed twins Eva and Mateo through a surrogate, and just one month later he and Georgina announced they were expecting their first child together. The support that The Lily Mae Foundation offer as a charity can be found at lilymaefoundation.org where they have a podcast called 'still parents' and other support programmes to help parents and families following the loss of a baby. A 27-year-old woman has revealed how doctors dismissed a three-centimetre growth on her left ovary as unimportant just eight months before she was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Looking back Sophie Pugh realises 'all the signs were there': she had crippling period pain, a sore lower back, a sore upper leg and later severe abdominal pain, bloating and then difficulties going to the toilet. The once passionate weightlifter is now fighting to keep up her positivity after having to stop working, abandon her passion for fitness and face the reality that if she survives the cancer she may never realise her lifelong dream of becoming a mum. Speaking to FEMAIL the disability carer said the initial growth was picked up when she went to the doctor over extremely painful periods. Sophie Pugh, 27, found out she has stage-four ovarian cancer last month Thhe young woman is determined to fight the cancer which has spread to her lungs 'They were so bad that I would drop to the ground, and super heavy, I went to get them checked twice and was told I had polycystic ovaries. 'The second time when they found the growth instead of scarring I was told they didn't act on them until they were over four centimetres,' she said. 'They didn't think it was important.' Before this diagnosis she had been sent home from the ER with 'food poisoning' when she experienced excruciating abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Two months later when her lower back started to hurt, six months before she was diagnosed, she assumed she had 'pulled something' after completing a 100kg dead lift at the gym. 'It would start aching when I was in the car for any longer than 20 minutes,' she explained. But she still assumed it was nothing, as there was no history of cancer in her family and doctors had previously pointed polycystic ovaries as the cause of her pain. Three months before her diagnosis she went back to the doctor when she experienced pain in her left quad, the same side as the growth on her ovary. 'He told me I wasn't stretching after the gym properly, which I knew I was because I stretch for 20 minutes before and after each session, we now know it was a symptom of the cancer,' she said. She put it to the back of her mind and decided not to head to the doctors when the pain escalated. The young woman went from going to the gym every da for about three hours to being breathless walking around the block WHAT SYMPTOMS DID SOPHIE EXPERIENCE? 1 - Excruciating period pain 2 - Lower back pain when sitting 3 - Pain in her upper legs 4 - Extreme bloating 5- Pain in her lower abdomen 6- Discomfort using the toilet 7- 'Stop-go' urination 8- Heavy periods 9- Diarrhoea 10- Breathlessness Advertisement 'I was trying to do some incline crunches at the gym and it felt like hot knives were being pushed into my lower abs,' she said. 'Then I was lying in bed and my cat jumped on my stomach and I just cried in pain and my partner told me I had to go to the doctor.' That same day she noticed she had pain when she used the bathroom and 'stop-go' patterns when she tried to pee. She was rushed from her GP's to the hospital's ER with 'suspected appendicitis' and left four days later with her cancer diagnosis. The cancer has grown rapidly, from the time she was diagnosed to the time doctors cut it out it had gone from ten to 15 centimetres and spread to her lungs. This means the cancer is 'stage-four' which is typically terminal, but this is where Sophie says she is 'one of the lucky ones' because her cancer reacts well to chemo. 'It is very unlikely for me to have this cancer because it is typically found in children,' she said. 'But it also has a much higher cure rate, if I had been diagnosed with normal ovarian cancer I would be a complete mess because it would likely mean I would be terminal,' she said. Although the diagnosis and need for speedy treatment does mean Sophie's lifelong dreams of becoming a mum are at risk. 'I have always dreamed of becoming a mum, since I was like 14, but wanted to do it right. Wanted to have a career and my own house, which I have now,' she said. She said she always wanted to be a mum but thought she should 'do it right' so built her business and got her first home - but now she may never be a mum 'I just hope that my chances for that life aren't ruined.' Sophie will take a special treatment designed to 'put the right ovary to sleep' before she starts chemo. 'Some doctors question whether it will work but if I don't try and then I can't have kids later I will kick myself,' she said. She starts five rounds of chemo next week and says it could take six months of the gruelling treatment to kill the cancer. She won't be able to work much in that time so her friends have started a Go Fund Me to help with costs. THE OFFICIAL SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER: Abdominal bloating Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly Frequent or urgent urination Back, abdominal or pelvic pain Constipation or diarrhoea Menstrual irregularities Tiredness Indigestion Pain during intercourse Unexplained weight loss or gain Source: Cancer Council Advertisement 'At the moment my boyfriend is paying for all my bills but his own house will be finished soon and I don't want him to be paying his mortgage on top of mine,' she said. The couple have been together for seven months but Sophie is convinced 'he is her person'. This is the second time the young woman has faced having to rebuild her life in the face of tragedy. Six years ago she was the passenger in a car accident which killed her best friend and left her with physical injuries and depression. She decided to start her own business as a disability carer after her recovery which involved skin grafts and countless surgeries. Working for herself means she has no sick pay to fall back on now she has lost her ability to work. 'I keep kicking myself because I looked at insurance through my super and thought I would get onto it later, then a month later I was told I had cancer.' Despite all of the obstacles in her way the young woman remains hopeful. She revealed her scar after the operation to remove the 15centimetre tumour from her left ovary and says the disease caused bloating and pain 'I am trying to keep busy, even though I am starting to feel tired,' she said. Just weeks ago she was running 5kms per day with her dog and spending another three hours at the gym. 'I am starting to feel it in my lungs now and get puffed going around the block.' She hopes to recover from chemo quickly so she can 'get back to life' including her clients at work who she has been caring for for over two years. 'I have looked after some of them for five years, they are family,' she said. Looking forward to an afternoon nap this Easter Monday? Try squeezing your muscles first to increase the benefits of your snooze. People who intentionally tensed and then relaxed their large muscle groups before they drifted off had 125 per cent more deep sleep and an improved sleep pattern in their nap compared with those who had instead listened to relaxing music, researchers found. The team, from the University of California, Irvine and Princeton University in the US, studied 50 people as they lay down for a 1pm nap. People who intentionally tensed and then relaxed their large muscle groups before they drifted off had 125 per cent more deep sleep. File image Half followed a ten-minute recording of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). The other half listened to ten minutes of Mozart music. Researchers found the two groups showed different sleeping brain rhythm patterns. Lead author Dr Katharine Simon said: We found that those who engaged in PMR prior to sleep showed greater right-sided sleeping brain rhythm activity from the start which we expect to see in more well-rested individuals. The findings were published in the Journal of Sleep Research. Dr Simon explained: Brain waves can be a proxy for how much restorative sleep your brain needs. So in essence, PMR before the nap supported some of the restorative needs that sleep typically takes care of. This doesnt mean one doesnt need sleep, but instead that PMR can bias the nap to be filled with more deep sleep. Thus PMR may provide pre-sleep restoration benefits typically occurring during sleep and possibly let sleep focus its support on other functions such as memory formation or emotional health. The team, from the University of California, Irvine and Princeton University in the US, studied 50 people as they lay down for a 1pm nap. File image Dr Simon said PMR is something people can easily try at home before their nap. This is why we are so excited by this result, she said. There are numerous scripts that are free online, one can watch videos, or listen to audio versions. All will walk you through the steps of tensing specific muscles in your body i.e. making fists and squeezing them tightly for 10 seconds and then relaxing them. This causes the muscle to become more relaxed than prior to the initial tensing. We hope that our results demonstrate that individuals can easily engage in pre-sleep muscle relaxation which will bias their nap to be filled with deep sleep, benefitting their overall health and cognition. Advertisement Fewer than half of people living in parts of London, Birmingham and Leeds have had their first Covid jab, official statistics show. Harehills South, a neighbourhood of Leeds famed for crime and anti-social behaviour, has the lowest uptake rate. Only 38.5 per cent of over-12s living in the district have already accepted their first dose invite. Rates stand below the 50 per cent threshold in 13 other wards dotted across the country. For comparison, uptake rates are above the 90 per cent mark in a fifth of England's 6,700-plus districts. Experts today claimed the 'disappointing' data which MailOnline has placed into a handy search tool that you can use showed No10's jab strategy did not succeed in persuading the most deprived areas to come forward for a jab. Britain's landmark inoculation drive has been credited with saving tens of thousands of lives, keeping pressure off of the NHS and consigning the darkest days of the pandemic to history. Vaccine data, compiled by the UK Health Security Agency, is based on the percentage of over-12s who've been jabbed. Uptake figures are based on population data from the National Immunisation Management Service, which holds inoculation records for the entire country. UKHSA bosses break the statistics down into several geographical regions, including one known as middle-layer super output areas. MSOAs are home to around 8,000 people each. UKHSA bosses break vaccination uptake statistics into several geographical regions, including one known as middle-layer super output areas. MSOAs are home to around 8,000 people each. Harehills South (shown in top right map) has the lowest first jab uptake rate (38.5 per cent), followed by Waterloo Road in Wolverhampton (bottom left map, 44.4 per cent), and Stamford Hill North in Hackney (bottom right map, 46.1 per cent) WHAT PARTS OF ENGLAND HAVE THE LOWEST COVID VACCINE UPTAKE? Harehills South, Leeds: 38.5% Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton: 44.4% Stamford Hill North, Hackney: 46.1% Headington, Oxford: 46.3% Ayresome, Middlesbrough: 47.9% South Tottenham, Haringey: 47.9% Harehills North, Leeds: 48% Stamford Hill South, Hackney: 48.1% Boston Central & North, Boston: 48.2% Edge Hill, Liverpool: 49.1% Advertisement Harehills South has the lowest first jab uptake rate (38.5 per cent), followed by Waterloo Road in Wolverhampton (44.4 per cent), and Stamford Hill North in Hackney (46.1 per cent). Other areas that fall below the 50 per cent threshold include Headington in Oxford (46.3 per cent), Ayresome in Middlesbrough and South Tottenham in Haringey (both 47.9 per cent). For comparison, first dose uptake rates stand as high as 94.7 per cent in Whickham in Gateshead and Whitley Bay North in North Tyneside. The overall figure for the UK which began rolling out jabs in December 2020 sits at 92.1 per cent, according to No10's coronavirus dashboard. However, the Government itself acknowledges how the uptake rates can be slightly out of sync because the NIMS population statistics are not perfect. Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline it is 'definitely disappointing' that there are still pockets of the country with low uptake, despite 'overall high vaccine coverage'. He said: 'I suspect many of these areas are areas of relatively high deprivation and/or have a high proportion of ethnic minorities. 'It is disappointing that the UK vaccine effort did not manage to do better in persuading these communities to take up the vaccine.' There is not likely to be 'much increase' in vaccine coverage among the least immunised parts of the country in the coming weeks and months, Professor Hunter said. He added: 'Now we are getting past the Omicron peak, the large majority of unvaccinated individuals have already had the infection and will have acquired immunity so we are not at the beginning with these populations. 'I would still encourage people to still come forward for vaccination even if they have had an infection as hybrid immunity does seem to offer the best protection.' Dr David Strain, a medical lecturer at the University of Exeter, told MailOnline the low uptake rate in some parts of the country is likely down to the perception of the vaccine, with 'insufficient efforts' made to make information about the benefit and safety of the jab accessible to all. He said it is 'worrying' that the lowest uptake has occurred in the regions with the most ethnically diverse populations, as these are 'the same populations that appear to have done worse out of acute Covid infections and therefore have the most to gain'. Nearly 53million first Covid jabs have been dished out in the UK since the pandemic began, with 92.1 per cent of over-12s now having had their first dose since the first was administered on December 8 2020 Some 49.6million people, or 86.2 per cent of over-12s, have come forward for their second dose, which is given four weeks after the first injection More than 39million booster doses have been given to Britons, with around 970,000 doses given in a single day in December as the country bolstered its immunity in the face of the Omicron wave Around 45,000 Covid vaccines were dished out per day in the week to April 10, as thousands of Britons continue to come forward for their first, second and third dose, as well as getting jabbed as part of the spring booster campaign and the rollout to five to 11-year-olds More than nine in 10 over-12s in the UK have had their first dose, 86.2 per cent are double-jabbed and over two-thirds are boosted 'As long as the rhetoric continues that 'Covid is over', however, it will remain difficult to persuade these populations that have a historic distrust of rapidly developed treatments that this is both safe, efficacious and remains the best way to keep your entire family safe,' Dr Strain said. With so many cultures celebrating, such as Easter, Ramadan and Passover, it would be 'an ideal time to call on religious and community leaders to remind that Covid it is by no means over and the vaccines are the single best source of protection', he added. Vaccines have been credited for drastically blunting the threat of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus behind the Covid pandemic. Before jabs came onto the scene, Britain suffered numerous days where over a 1,000 people were dying from the virus. But now, even with infection rates hitting pandemic highs, deaths haven't breached 300 a day similar to levels seen with bad flu outbreaks. Top scientists have also credited the numerous waves Britain has had to endure and the milder nature of Omicron for the country being able to drop all restrictions and 'Live With Covid'. Britain is currently rolling out fourth doses to over-75s, care home residents of all ages, and people with weakened immune systems like some cancer patients. These groups are eligible for the spring booster if it has been six months since their first booster shot. Health chiefs are also planning to dish out another round of booster doses this autumn. It could see millions more adults offered an extra vaccine. The vaccination rollout was expanded earlier this month to include five to 11-year-olds in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already offered the jabs to this age group. No10's vaccine advisers said the move will stop 'a very small number of children from serious illness and hospitalisation'. NHS hospitals now have fewer spare beds than at any point of the Covid pandemic, according to an analysis. Just 4,405 beds or 4.8 per cent of England's entire capacity were unoccupied as of April 12. Experts today warned the 'unsustainable pressure' would have a knock-on effect on attempts to tackle the millions of patients waiting for care. Data shows 14,000 beds are occupied by Covid-infected patients, even though half aren't actually unwell with the virus itself and have incidentally tested positive while being treated for other reasons, such as a broken leg. Health chiefs have already called for the return of face masks and social distancing to relieve overwhelmed wards, who are also being hit by staff absences. Another 20,000 beds are being taken up by 'bed-blockers' medically fit patients who have nowhere to be discharged to. The pressure comes as the health service desperately tries to get a grip on the care backlog that has built-up over the pandemic. Just 4,405 beds or 4.8 per cent of England's entire capacity were unoccupied as of April 12, according to NHS England data Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust thinktank, argued that hospitals were currently working at 'an unsustainable level of occupancy'. He told the Financial Times: 'No hospital system can run at that level of occupancy outside of very short periods of crisis.' Mr Edwards warned the newspaper which carried out its own analysis that the pressure would 'certainly mean that planned [operations] will have to be postponed or cancelled at short notice'. The FT found that only 5.4 per cent of beds were kept free in the week ending April 12, on average. This was significantly fewer than the 9.2 per cent seen during the darkest days of the second wave last winter, when hospitals purposely created a space in the event of a virus resurgence. The UK has fewer beds than other major European nations and the vast majority are kept for general and acute care, such as treating illnesses and injuries. Bed capacity dropped during Covid as hospitals were forced to keep patients further apart in an attempt to stop the virus spreading. NHS bed capacity was slightly boosted through Nightingale hospitals and the use of private wards, although both capacity sources were barely utilised. The graph shows the NHS England waiting list for routine surgery, such as hip and knee operations (red line), hit a record high 6.18million in February. The figure is 46 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels and 1.3 per cent more than in January. Official figures also revealed that the number of patients forced to wait more than two years (yellow bars) stood at 23,281 in February, which is 497 patients (two per cent) less than one month earlier NHS England's most up-to-date monthly performance figures show University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust had the worst waiting times in February, with just 41.3 per cent of patients waiting less than 18 weeks. Under the NHS's own rulebook, all patients have the right to start treatment within that timeframe. University Hospitals Birmingham was followed by the Countess of Chester Foundation Trust (42.3 per cent), Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust (45.3 per cent), Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust (46.1 per cent) and University Hospitals Leicester Foundation Trust (47.4 per cent) Volunteers will drive 999 patients to hospital in ambulances under NHS-funded plan Volunteers will be sent to drive patients who call 999 to hospital in a bid to tackle soaring waiting times. The NHS-funded scheme will be piloted by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) within weeks. The plan is aimed at patients who should get an urgent response within two hours, classed as 'category 3', and who need help because of mobility problems. LAS said trained volunteers already respond to 999 calls in their own car alongside ambulances. But it confirmed such volunteers, who are trained to use defibrillators, would now be deployed in ambulances for lower category calls in some instances. Ambulance response times have hit the worst levels on record with average waits of over an hour for heart attack and stroke patients in March, compared to a target of 18 minutes. Advertisement Chris Hopson, head of NHS Providers, an organisation that represents hospital trusts, warned the NHS given 150billion every year before the National Insurance hike of April kicked in was 'facing major difficulties'. '[The] NHS has been working really hard to improve discharge and flow, but finding this difficult,' he wrote on Twitter. Mr Hopson added that trusts need the 'right funding, size of workforce, support for social care, and capacity' to meet growing demand. Health leaders in an NHS Providers board meeting last week said this was the 'most sustained period of pressure they had seen in their careers', he claimed. Waiting lists for elective procedures such as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery soared during the pandemic, hitting a record of 6.2million in February. This included just under 300,000 who were stuck in the queue for over a year, often in agony. Leaked Government forecasts suggest the situation will only get worse, with waiting lists set to keep growing for the next two years to 10.7million, or one in five people in England. At the same as attacking the thousands of patients whose treatment was cancelled in the pandemic, hospitals are having to battle with an influx of virus patients. Up-to-date statistics show, however, that fewer than half of all 'Covid' patients are primarily being treated for the respiratory illness. It means that only 6,400 beds are currently occupied by patients needing medical attention for the virus itself. NHS data shows a record 22,506 people had to wait more than 12 hours in March from a decision to admit to actually being admitted (yellow bars). The number is up from 16,404 in February, signalling a 37 per cent month-on-month jump, and is the highest since records began in August 2010. And just 71.6 per cent of patients in England were seen within four hours at A&Es last month, the lowest percentage in records going back to November 2010 (red line) NHS England statistics laying bare the pressures being felt in A&E show fewer than half of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours in March at the worst-performing trust. North West Anglia Foundation Trust (49.7 per cent) was followed by the East Cheshire Trust (55.2 per cent) and Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (56.2 per cent) NHS England data shows medics took an average of one hour, one minute and three seconds last month to respond to emergency calls, such as heart attacks, strokes, burns and epilepsy, in March. The figure is up from 42 minutes and seven seconds in February and is the longest time on record (red bars). It is also more than triple the NHS target of 18 minutes Admissions have slowed down over the past week, however. The NHS says infected patients still pose a workforce challenge because they need treatment in wards segregated from patients without the virus. Mr Hopson also argued the bed-blocking crisis was 'placing even more strain on bed capacity'. Experts claim the numbers are being driven by the crisis in social care, which Covid has worsened. The sector was already short of 100,000 carers before the pandemic kicked off. Thousands of social care workers were also forced to leave the industry when No10 brought in its own controversial vaccine mandate. Many bed-blockers are elderly patients who cannot go back to their homes because extra support is not available, or find nursing home places. It can have a knock-on effect and cause overcrowding in casualty units because the lack of space means patients cannot be moved onto wards. The most up-to-date statistics also reveal A&E performance plummeted to its worst ever level in March with 22,506 patients left waiting 12 hours to be treated. Ambulance response times have also drastically worsened, leaving heart attack and stroke patients to routinely wait over an hour for paramedics to arrive. Scientists are investigating whether a vaccine for cancer can be developed using the same mRNA technology as in COVID-19 jabs. A team at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has begun testing jabs that can recruit the immune system to latch onto and kill cells that are replicating uncontrollably, stopping the disease in its tracks. The potential vaccines are being heralded as a 'game-changer' that could help overcome America's second-biggest cause of death. Research comes as part of a larger movement to incorporate mRNA technology into more forms of treatment after the long-unused technology emerged during the pandemic due to its ease of development and manufacturing. Zachary Hartman (pictured), an assistant professor in immunology at Duke University, North Carolina, said: 'If we can roll this out in the clinic for cancer, we think it could be a game-changer' 'If we can roll this out in the clinic for cancer, we think it could be a game-changer,' Dr Zachary Hartman, an assistant professor in immunology at Duke, told WGHP. The mRNA shots, manufactured by Pfizer, which partnered with the German-based BioNTech, and Moderna, proved to be one of the most effective developed. While the technology was discovered decades ago, it largely went unused before the pandemic brought it to the forefront of vaccine development. What is a cancer vaccine? Are any available? A cancer vaccine aims to recruit the immune system to fight off the illness. Cancer is not triggered by a virus, but occurs when cells start dividing un-controllably due to a mutation. These cells may have a unique antigen on their surface compared to healthy ones. Cancer vaccines display this to the immune system, sparking an immune response. Scientists say this then leads to the immune system hunting out and killing cancerous cells. Only one cancer vaccine for prostate cancer is available to date. It involves white blood cells being extracted from the body and exposed to antigens from cancerous cells. These are then re-administered where scientists hope they will fight off the illness. But the treatment, available to late stage cancer patients, does not appear to lead to tumors shrinking and only gives men who receive it a few additional months to live. Advertisement Now, companies and scientists are further exploring how to use mRNA, and whether it can hold the answers to solving some of medicines biggest mysteries. ''Remember, people were expecting that a successful vaccine would provide protective immunity to about 50 percent of patients,' Hartman said of the mRNA Covid shots. '(But) the first two mRNA vaccines provided over 90 percent protection, a remarkable achievement.' Currently only a jab against prostate cancer for those with the disease is available, which prolongs patients' lives by a few months. Hartman believes that mRNA could change the way cancer is treated. 'I think that within my lifetime we will see cancer as a more managed disease,' he told the North Carolina-based local news station. 'Were going to turn the dial and be able to treat more and more of these kinds of cancers in the coming years and decades to where its not quite the same sentence it was 20 or 30 years ago. 'I dont think well ever be able to rid the world of cancer, but I think we will be able to prevent a lot of cancers and then a lot of cancers that well be able to catch early and treat, well have very effective treatments.' Duke University scientists are currently testing an mRNA vaccine for breast cancer which leads to the body making many more proteins, potentially triggering a stronger immune response. It is currently in Phase II trials, and being tested on 39 women. Results are expected later this year. Scientists have been developing vaccines to prevent cancer or treat the disease in patients that already have it for years. Unlike Covid, cancer is not triggered by a virus but when cells start dividing uncontrollably due to mutations. These cells may have a unique protein on their surface compared to others that are healthy. Scientists say a jab against cancer would work by exposing the body's immune system to this protein. It is hoped this would lead to the body's defenses hunting out and killing cancer cells, stopping the disease. But some scientists warn a cancer vaccine may never work because for patients their immune system is normally already heavily weakened. They also warn that in some cases cancer cells may not look different from healthy cells in the body, meaning cancer jabs could not be used. Only one cancer vaccine against prostate cancer has been approved for use in the U.S. to date. Vaccine manufacturer Moderna is trialing mRNA vaccines for flu and HIV (stock image) It is specially tailored for each patient, and made by extracting white blood cells and mixing them with proteins from prostate cancer cells. The white blood cells are then re-administered into the body. The treatment is currently only available for late-stage cancer patients. It has has not been shown to stop the illness or lead to tumors shrinking, but can prolong patients' lives by a few months. Scientists hope that by developing mRNA-based shots against cancer they may be able to develop better shots. mRNA jabs use part of a genetic code called messenger RNA, or mRNA, and would work by tricking the body to produce a harmless part of cancer cells. This will help the body to recognize them as a potential danger, and hunt out cells with this. Duke scientists are yet to reveal which cancer they are targeting with their mRNA shots, or whether their jab will aim to prevent or treat cancer. The technology is also being explored elsewhere as well, with leading vaccine manufacturer Moderna entering trials for a flu shot, and even an HIV vaccine with an mRNA base. Cancer is the second biggest killer in the U.S., leading to more than 600,000 fatalities every year. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, behind almost a quarter of fatalities, followed by cancer of the colon and rectum and pancreas. Covid vaccines using mRNA technology have made up the bulk of those dished out across the U.S. Developed by Pfizer and Moderna, the jabs have been given to millions of people across more than 82 countries. Initial studies showed the jabs were up to 95 percent effective at preventing illness with Covid. But protection from them was found to wane over time. Embattled big pharma company Johnson & Johnson (J&J) paid out another large settlement this week, this time shelling out nearly $100 million to settle a West Virginia lawsuit over the firm's role in the opioid epidemic. The payout allows the company to avoid a larger suit filed by state officials against pharmaceuticals companies it alleges played a role in the Mountain State's drug overdose crisis - which is by far the worst in the nation. J&J is alleged to have over-marketed opioid drugs in the state - allegations that follow it and many others around the country - and pushing doctors to over-prescribe the highly addictive drug. This settlement is just a small part of the turmoil the company is currently facing, with it facing nearly 40,000 lawsuits for selling baby powder products with cancer-causing chemicals and allegations that it paid doctors to perform human experiments on prisoners in past decades emerging in recent years. Johnson and Johnson paid a $99 million settlement to West Virginia over its alleged role in exacerbating the state's opioid issue. The company did not admit fault as part of the payout (file photo) J&J, and other major pharma companies, are accused of leveraging their relationships with doctors to over-prescribe highly-addictive opioids (file photo) As part of the settlement, J&J does not admit any liability or wrong-doing for its role in the opioid crisis. The company also paid out a $5 billion settlement earlier this year to clear state and local level lawsuits from around the country. Not included in that suit, West Virginia chose to sue J&J on its own, adding it to a suit that also included Teva Pharmaceuticals and Allergan. West Virginia previously reached a $26 million settlement with Endo International Plc, which had also been a defendant in the ongoing trial. The Mountain state is suffering worse than any other from America's drug epidemic, which kills more than 100,000 people every 12 months, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Most recent CDC data, released earlier this month that includes a 12 month period from November 2020 to 2021, found that 1,519 West Virginia residents died of a drug overdose during that period. At 84.9 deaths per 100,000 residents, West Virginia is recording by far the most deaths per capita - Tennessee coming in second at 56.4 per 100,000 residents - and more than triple the national overdose rate. The embattled J&J has also faced thousands of lawsuits over allegations that its talc-based baby powder product was contaminated with asbestos (file photo) US records more than 106,000 drug overdose deaths in 12 months, CDC reports An estimated 106,854 Americans died of a drug overdose from November 2020 to 2021, according to a CDC report. It is the sixth consecutive monthly report that has set at all-time record, and the eighth straight with over 100,000 deaths reported. Opioids, and specifically synthetic versions of the drug like fentanyl, are most at fault. Just over 80,000 deaths are believed to have been caused by opioids, which synthetic opioids making up around 70,000 of them. The 106,000 mark is a slight increase from the 105,000 deaths recorded from October 2020 to 2021 in a report published last month. It is also a 16 percent increase year-to-year. The overdose crisis, which has been most prominently associated with the opioid epidemic, emerged as a result of a variety of factors over the past two decades. Relationships between doctors and pharmaceutical companies were blamed for a surge in prescriptions of the highly addictive painkilling drugs, leading to many becoming dependent, and turning to the black market to purchase illicit versions. Advertisement West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said on Monday that the settlement, which also resolves lawsuits by local governments, would allow the state to quickly fund programs intended to address opioid addiction and its fallout in the state. 'We can save lives this year, and that's what we're going to do,' Morrisey said at a news conference. J&J finalized a nationwide $5 billion opioid settlement in February, which largely resolved state and local government opioid lawsuits against the healthcare conglomerate. West Virginia was one of five states that did not join that settlement at the time. The state would have received about $50 million had it joined the earlier agreement. Morrisey said the increased recovery from J&J vindicated the decision not to join the nationwide settlement. The New Brunswick, New Jersey, based company, that has since pulled its opioid products from shelves, has been described as the 'Kingpin' behind the opioid epidemic in previous lawsuits. 'We believe that Johnson & Johnson is the Kingpin behind the opioid crisis that has caused the deaths of thousands of Oklahomans and created a generation of people addicted to opioids in our state,' Mike Hunter, former Oklahoma attorney general said. 'The evidence is clear that they must be held accountable for the public nuisance they caused and ordered to abate it.' Its opioids are not the only products J&J has had to remove from shelves after facing a mountain of lawsuits. J&J faced nearly 40,000 lawsuits in recent years over allegations that its talc-based baby powder product was contaminated with asbestos - a cancer-causing chemical tied to mesothelioma and other cancers. It has since been pulled from shelves in the U.S., and the company was able to settle some of the suits by attaching liability to a Texas-based shell company and file for bankruptcy. Mounting suits have not hurt the company much financially, though. According to an analysis by Fierce Pharma, J&J is still the largest pharma company in the world, with revenue even growing by 14 percent last year. The worldwide distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, along with many other consumer products, have proved to be a boon for the company. Global deaths from antibiotic-resistant 'super-bugs' have surged 600 percent in just five years, one expert warns. Scientists have been sounding the alarm over bacterial infections resistant to current treatments for years, and calling on people to use the medicines less often. But now Dr Christopher Murray, a University of Washington physician who co-authored a Lancet paper on the emerging crisis, has warned fatalities are rising. Murray estimated earlier this year that up to 5 million people globally have died with infections resistant to the drugs. This was up from the 700,000 global deaths with the infections estimated five years earlier in a landmark UK report. Dr Christopher Murray estimated earlier this year that up to 5million people died with infections resistant to antibiotics globally in 2019 Speaking on the University of Chicago's 'Big Brains' podcast, Murray said 'even for people in the field' it was a surprise how big the number was. 'There was a very influential study called the O'Neill report for the UK Government on the risks of anti-microbial resistance,' he said. 'And they had started off with some numbers for 2015, they were quite a bit smaller, only 700,000 deaths. WHEN SHOULD YOU TAKE ANTIBIOTICS? Antibiotics may be used to treat bacterial infections that are unlikely to clear up on their own, may infect others, or pose serious risks. They are needed most when someone suffers from sepsis, pneumonia, a urinary tract infections (UTI), sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea or meningococcal meningitis. But they are also frequently being used to treat illnesses such as coughs, earache and sore throats. Experts recommend against this, saying these cases normally clear up by themselves. Taking antibiotics encourages harmful bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. That means that the medicines may not work when you really need them. Research in 2017 showed that 38 per cent of people still expect an antibiotic from a doctor when they visit with a cough, flu or a throat, ear, sinus or chest infection. Advertisement 'Our 5 million number is the one that's comparable to their 700,000 number.' Murray's estimate was based on data from surveillance systems, studies and hospital surveys from more than 200 countries. These were then fed into a statistical model, to estimate the number of people dying with the diseases globally, in a similar way to the report from UK experts. He suggested that around one million deaths were directly triggered by the resistant infections. Murray also suggested that pneumonia deaths may double if the the super-bugs become widespread enough. 'If you take all (pneumonia patients coming) to U.S. hospitals, even the ones who get hospitalized, the case fatality rate is less than 5 percent, depends on the bug, but on average for them all,' he said. 'Whereas in the pre-antibiotic era, it wouldve been a much higher number. 'Look, antibiotics are life saving drugs, they can have or reduce your case fatality rate by 80, 90 per cent, a good antibiotic, and so are truly life saving.' Antibiotic resistance is considered by scientists to be one of the top health threats in the world, alongside climate change and terrorism. This is because it allows bacteria to evade common and once effective medicines, leaving doctors unable to treat once curable diseases. Dr Chris Murray, from Washington University, warned about the rise Antibiotics work by attacking dangerous bacteria such as E.coli which can trigger kidney failure in serious cases and killing them to stop an infection. But if the medicines are used too often, bacteria can become resistant, making the treatments ineffective. Bacteria can also become resistant if incorrect doses are taken or if they are exposed to low levels of the antibiotic. These may be insufficient to kill them but enough for them to adapt to survive the drugs. When this happens stronger antibiotics must be used to stop the illness, but this runs the risk bacteria will also evolve resistance to these as they begin to be used more often. About 2.4 million antibiotic-resistant infections are now thought to occur in the U.S. every year, estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. This leads to about 35,900 deaths from these illnesses, up half from the 23,000 estimated in 2013. Resistant strains health officials are keeping tabs on include C.difficile which can trigger permanent damage to the large intestine and gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease. A primary challenger to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is accusing the outspoken lawmaker of ignoring her constituents while 'throwing bombs' at both parties in Congress -- and Greene's opponent claims to have some support on Capitol Hill. A battle is brewing in Georgia's 14th Congressional District, where two candidates for the House of Representatives are strikingly similar in policy -- but Greene's challenger believes the lawmaker has a 'pattern' of ignoring her voters. And they're competing over who can be a better representative of Donald Trump's values in Congress, setting up an unusual battle in a faction of the GOP outside of the greater war for the party's future. The former president swept the district in 2020 by more than 48 points over Joe Biden. Businesswoman Jennifer Strahan conceded 'there's certainly going to be some overlap in terms of things that we believe or stand for' with the GOP incumbent. But she told DailyMail.com she's heard frustrations from numerous voters within Greene's district who feel largely unattended to -- including multiple former members of the military. 'We have one veteran who's reached out to her office, I think 10 or 11 times, and hasn't been able to get a response. And then obviously, we've heard others,' she said. Greene dismissed Strahan's campaign against her and claimed it was the congresswoman's aides she was insulting. After being accused by her primary opponent of neglecting her constituents, Greene told DailyMail.com: 'No one knows or cares who this naive candidate is but everyone knows and loves my staff. Im proud and truly grateful for all of the hard work my staff has accomplished and couldnt do it without them' Jennifer Strahan is a healthcare advisory firm executive who bills herself as a 'no-nonsense conservative' alternative to Greene's 'celebrity' stunts 'This no-name candidate is not insulting me, shes insulting my staff who are well known and loved by everyone all over our district. My staff have been serving people long before this clueless woman even moved to Georgia,' the representative told DailyMail.com. 'No one knows or cares who this naive candidate is but everyone knows and loves my staff. Im proud and truly grateful for all of the hard work my staff has accomplished and couldnt do it without them.' She accused the first-time candidate of 'spreading lies.' 'This candidate is taking pitiful advice from her DC consultants and not making any friends in NW GA by attacking my well-known and beloved staff in her desperate attempts for attention. She needs to stop lying and she owes my staff an apology,' Greene said. Strahan's campaign blasted Greene for 'hiding behind her staff' through the lengthy statement. 'Rep. Greene's refusal to take responsibility for her own failures is not surprising and is also exactly why Georgians are sick of her embarrassing behavior. She can hide behind her staff, but everyone knows leadership is from the top down. When real people are having problems and not being heard or helped, its something that should be addressed,' Strahan's spokesman said. He added: 'Spare us the drama and do your job.' Strahan's campaign on Thursday shared an audio clip with DailyMail.com from a morning town hall in which she can be heard asking a voter, apparently another veteran, whether he's reached out to Greene's office for aid. 'She will not help,' the man can be heard saying. Strahan said in an interview afterwards, 'It's a pattern. It's not just like one off things here or there. I mean, people aren't able to get what they need.' 'We've heard others that have said they've had to go to -- to their dismay -- the Democrat senators in the state to be able to get the services they need, because they can't get it here in our district. And that's just a shame,' the primary contender said. Greene's office disputed the accusations, claiming she's done multiple town halls with 150 to 200 people in attendance and that she's processed 804 cases for residents of the Peach State's 14th District since being sworn in in January 2021, including more than 100 with the Veterans Affairs Department. Georgia state GOP Rep. Matt Barton said outreach to constituents from Greene's office has been 'outstanding' and 'super responsive' in his experience. Barton told DailyMail.com he has not heard any information about Strahan's outreach. Service provided by members of Congress to constituents who request it is known as casework. Casework is not a required part of a lawmaker's job, but it's commonly an expected part of voters outreach. Both claim to be representatives of Donald Trump's policies. Strahan claimed Greene can't enact them because no one in Congress takes her 'seriously.' Meanwhile Greene secured Trump's endorsement earlier this month 'If this aspiring politician knows of a veteran who needs help, but hasn't attempted to connect them with our office, she's holding their welfare hostage to score political points,' a spokesman from Greene's office told DailyMail.com. But Greene was also blasted recently for comparing military enlistment to 'throwing your life away' because of President Joe Biden's foreign policy. 'I know a lot of young people dont want to have anything to do with that. Its like throwing your life away,' she said on Lou Dobbs' podcast on Saturday. 'Not to mention how theyve been forced to take the vaccine and the ones that didnt want to take it have been discharged. Who wants to be treated that way?' She claimed the Biden administration's Pentagon was a 'disaster' and blamed the 'woke ideology' of the 'sick and satanic left' for its state. To Strahan, whose brother is a Marine and grandfathers served in the military, Greene's comments were 'absolutely' personal. 'I will always support our military and servicemen and women. You know, these are problems that we see across the board, where again, she says one thing, but then she says another, so she speaks out of both sides of her mouth,' she said of her opponent. Frustration with Greene does not end with the heavily rural district's constituents, according to Strahan, who claims to have had 'conversation' about her campaign with federal lawmakers. She told DailyMail.com without naming names that she's seen 'support' among federal lawmakers who she suggested are tired of Greene's public-facing firebrand politics at the expense of working together to pass legislation. Strahan (pictured campaigning in Georgia's 14th District) also said she has 'had a lot of conversation' with current GOP lawmakers who want her to unseat Greene Asked if she gets the sense they would prefer someone like her as a colleague, Strahan said that was 'absolutely' the case. 'I have had a lot of conversation with current representatives and senators -- and a lot of support -- because at the end of the day, again, she throws as many bombs on the Republican as the Democrat side,' Strahan said of Greene. 'She's not there to work with colleagues. And that doesn't mean just by working with individuals -- even if you disagree with them -- doesn't mean you're sacrificing your values or your beliefs, but you have to be able to have those tough conversations around really important issues.' A cornerstone of Strahan's campaign has been Greene's lack of committee assignments -- which outside of House-wide votes, mostly freezes her out of the federal legislative process. House Democrats plus 11 Republicans voted to strip her of her positions on the budget committee as well as the committee on Education and Labor for her history of pushing baseless conspiracy theories online and promoting violence against leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the freshman GOP lawmaker was sworn in. But Greene's office pointed out to DailyMail.com that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in March that he would restore her assignments if Republicans won back the majority in this year's midterms. McCarthy had 'said, multiple times, the 118th Congress will see Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene back on committees, even better ones than she had before,' Greene's spokesman said. 'She is looking forward to serving with Republicans in the majority.' Greene was even asked to take part in an invitation-only Congressional delegation being led by McCarthy, sources on Capitol Hill told DailyMail.com. The congresswoman also clinched Trump's all-important endorsement earlier this month, when he praised her as a 'warrior' who 'doesn't back down.' Strahan, however, doubts that Greene is putting the ex-president's America First policies in action. 'I support President Trump's policies, and I feel like he did a lot of things that were very beneficial,' she said. 'We need to make sure that we're sending someone to Congress who can actually promote and protect those policies that brought a lot of strength and good back to our country. We don't have that right now, because no one takes our current representative seriously.' Like Strahan, Greene had never held elected office when she was elected on a wave of pro-Trump support in areas the former president won during the 2020 election -- which he overall lost to Biden. Marcus Flowers, an Army veteran, is the top fundraising opponent to Greene. He's running as a Democrat to challenge the incumbent Republican in November's midterm elections and has raised nearly $4.7 million toward that goal in 2021 But since then she's managed to rake in a massive war chest, raising nearly $7.5 million during her first year in office and ending 2021 with roughly $3.5 million cash on-hand. Available data for her challenger, however, shows Strahan only just began fundraising in July. In that time she's received $106,561.40 in donations, with the majority in itemized individual contributions. She's ending the year with most of it on-hand, just over $60,000. While the 35-year-old executive is the second-largest Republican fundraiser challenging Greene, four Democrats jostling for the opportunity to face Greene in November outpaced Strahan's efforts. They're led by Democrat Marcus Flowers, who raised nearly $4.7 million last year. A poll conducted earlier this year showed Strahan trailing Greene by a large but not insurmountable gap -- until respondents read some of the incumbent's statements. In January, 450 likely voters in Georgia's 14th district were asked who they would vote for in the May 24 primary by a TargetPoint poll obtained by Jewish Insider. At first, Greene held a large lead with 59 percent of support compared to 30 percent who backed Strahan. Survey participants were then told about 'a number of anti-Jewish statements' made by Greene as well as comments supporting the Nation of Islam, according to the outlet. The statements managed to level out support to 41 percent per candidate. According to internal polling from Greene's re-election campaign, the congresswoman was the leading choice for 73 percent of 'definite voters.' That survey claimed to have only shown 3 percent of support for Strahan. A TikTok star at the centre of a shocking acid attack is a former in-law of one of Sydney's most notorious underworld figures. Jenny Elhassan, 32, had acid thrown in her face by three men as she left a restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown on Friday while live-streaming to followers. Ms Elhassan's sister Alia was formerly married to convicted drug smuggler Steven Elmir, once regarded as of Sydney's most feared underworld figures. Police are also investigating potential links between her attackers and the notorious Alameddine crime family accused of several recent underworld hits. Elmir was recently sentenced to up to 24 years behind bars for his role in a conspiracy to import nearly two tonnes of illicit drugs from the Netherlands in 2017. Jenny Elhassan (pictured) had acid thrown in her face by three men while leaving a restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown precinct on Friday night Known by the codename 'Mr Worldwide', he was one of nine men arrested over the sting which included Michael Ibrahim, the brother of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim. He spent two years in custody in Dubai for a 'civil debt' he was unaware of before he was extradited back home by Australian Federal police. Elmir will spend a minimum 14 years behind bars and isn't eligible for parole for another nine years. It's understood police are planning to question rapper Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes over allegations he was involved in the attack on Ms Elhassan, the Daily Telegraph reported. Younes was previously linked to the Alameddine family. He was also reportedly close friends with Ms Elhassan and invested $200,000 into helping her establish her TikTok fame before a bitter falling out. Younes, who is currently on bail for charges of affray, assault and participate in a criminal group has denied any involvement in the attack on Ms Elhassan. His lawyer claimed police are yet to speak to Younes. 'I have spoken to my client, he vehemently and strenuously denies any involvement in the terrible incident,' Abdul Saddick told the publication. Jenny Elhassan is the former sister-in-law of convicted international drug smuggler Steven Elmir (pictured) It has also emerged Ms Elhassan isn't cooperating with police as she doesn't want her attackers punished, amid fears the incident may escalate. 'In cases like this where the victim is reluctant to assist investigators it makes the job harder,' Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said. 'But we will get to the bottom of this public attack.' The new details emerged after it was revealed Ms Elhassan had taunted an unknown person hours just before the attack, saying 'I'm not scared of you... come for me' The eerie message from a clip filmed earlier that day, she talked about getting threatening phone calls and addressed a person directly. 'Back off, back off I'm not scared of you. I don't give a f***. I'm making sure everything is public. If you wanna come for me, come for me.' TikToker Jenny Elhassan (pictured) taunted an unknown person by saying 'Come for me', just hours before she was attacked in central Sydney In another clip filmed before she was attacked by three masked men who jumped out of a black SUV, Ms Elhassan said she had a 'bounty' on her head. After being attacked at the Old Town Hong Kong restaurant in Haymarket at around 11pm on Friday, she was rushed to hospital with burns to her right eye, forehead and neck. . Before the incident Ms Elhassan also posted another clip containing a recording of her speaking to a police officer, who confirmed 'they are coming after you'. A TikTok star claimed she was threatened with 'an attack' if she did not delete a podcast naming a man before acid was sprayed in her face in a terrifying ambush. He also warned her to stay in busy public areas for her own safety. 'While I was streaming someone came into my life and told me I better take the podcast down of [his] name or there is going to be an order on me,' Ms Elhassan said in a video before the ambush. It understood the 'order' was a targeted attack which may have been arranged for a payment, but the young mum refused to remove the post she was threatened over. 'I will drop your name for the rest of my life ... I could not give a f***,' she fumed. 'Get the po po's [police] involved, get the lawyers involved get the prime f***ing minister involved, nothing is going to stop me.' Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Jenny Elhassan detailed the threat in a video prior to the horrific incident which saw her rushed to hospital with burns to her right eye, forehead and neck late on Friday night Jenny Elhassan, the young mother who had acid thrown in her eyes on Friday, admitted she knows the identity of at least one of her attackers but didn't want to name them Ms Elhassan added that she would take the man to court if the 'order' was carried out - to 'make sure you have nothing'. A far more subdued Ms Elhassan broke her silence on Saturday, hours after a man threw acid in her face, admitting it would be 'better for me' if she did not escalate. 'I feel like I just want it to blow over, I don't want anything to escalate,' she told Channel Ten. 'I feel like if I just let it blow over it will be much better for me.' The young mother said she knew the identity of at least one of her attackers but didn't want to name them. Ms Elhassan was dining at the popular Dixon Street eatery moments before she was set upon Ms Elhassan filmed another video in her hospital bed showing the extent of damage to her face with burn marks on her neck and above her eyebrow Restaurant staff handed Ms Elhassan bottles of water before she poured the liquid over her face Police confirmed a HAZMAT crew attended the scene at 11.15pm and the woman was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment of facial injuries. The day after the attack she showed burn marks on her face and neck and in another video described the excruciating pain in her right eye. 'I still feel like there's a knife stuck in my eye,' Ms Elhassan said. She also added that she was relieved her six year old daughter did not witness the horror unfold, and believes her eyes were only saved by her designer sunglasses. NSW police are on the hunt for three men who fled along Dixon Street. The vicious attack was captured in her livestream, in which she is heard screaming for water seconds afterwards. She also claimed to have needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation administered by her sister, Alia, for 10 minutes because she passed out from the acid attack. Footage shows Ms Elhassan howling for water and begging for help from her terrified sister Alia Jenny Elhassan, 32, was dining at the Old Town Hong Kong restaurant on Dixon Street at Haymarket, in Sydney, at 11pm on Friday Footage shows Ms Elhassan howling for water and begging for help from her terrified sister. 'I can't see,' she says. 'Alia I can't breathe. Come give me mouth to mouth.' Restaurant staff handed Ms Elhassan bottles of water before she poured the liquid over her face. Ms Elhassan filmed another video in her hospital bed showing the extent of damage to her face with burn marks on her neck and above her eyebrow. She said she was wearing sunglasses at the time, but the 'black acid' still managed to get into one of her eyes. 'See the burn marks on my neck, the burn marks across my head and my eyesight,' she said. Police set up a crime scene and called in the NSW Fire and Rescue HAZMAT crews for assistance NSW Ambulance inspector Andrew Bibb said: 'When paramedics arrived, this patient was very distressed and appeared to be struggling to breathe. 'Her face was quite swollen as a result of the chemical substance which was also impacting her vision. 'A chemical burn to any part of the body is extremely concerning let alone to a person's face. 'Of all the injuries paramedics attend, burns can be the most painful and difficult to manage.' Two decades after Hartlepool prison officer John Darwin attempted to fake his own death in a canoeing 'accident', ITV are airing a dramatised version of the bizarre events. The 'Canoe Man' had attempted to disappear in 2002 in order for his wife Anne to claim life insurance money before being caught out in 2007 and jailed for six years for the fraud. After his disappearance in March 2002, a large-scale search involving the scouring of 62 square miles of coastline looked to have confirmed the worst, as only a single paddle and then the wreckage of his kayak was discovered. After they had served half of the six-year jail sentences they were handed for their crimes, the couple divorced - with Darwin remarrying and moving to the Philippines and his ex-wife getting a job with the RSPCA. Above: Darwin with his second wife Mercy Mae, 48 For much of Darwin's missing five years, he had been living in secret in his own home in the seaside resort of Seaton Carew, where he shared a bed with his wife. And when family and friends visited and his sons returned from the inquest into his alleged death Darwin hid in a bedsit next door that was accessed through a passageway hidden behind the door of a fake cupboard. Darwin later admitted that he would carry out DIY on the front of his family home and even walked around his area disguised as an old man even as his two now grown-up sons Anthony and Mark continued to grieve for him thinking he was dead. The couple even lied to their own children as they attempted to claim pension, benefits and insurance to clear nearly 700,000 before they were caught. After her release from prison, Anne Darwin (pictured left this week) moved to a village near York and was able to get a job with the RSCPA thanks to qualifications she gained in prison. Right: Darwin with his second wife on their wedding day After spending five years laying low, John and Anne were rumbled after John pretended to have amnesia when turning himself in at a London police station - only for a photo of him and Anne in Panama to emerge. In 2008, after the scandal made national headlines, John was found guilty on deception charges and jailed for six years and three months. Anne was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail for fraud and money-laundering charges. During their time in prison, the couple divorced with John citing 'unreasonable behaviour' as a reason for the split. John moved to Manila and remarried after the divorce to Filipino woman Mercy Mae Avila Darwin, 48. The couple made headlines earlier this year when Ms Darwin said her husband, who is now 71, was 'on his way' to fight in Ukraine and has 'good life insurance' in case it all goes wrong. The couple live outside Manila, with Darwin continuing to receive the UK state pension. His wife is said make a living running clothes stalls in the capital. After her release from prison, Anne Darwin moved to a village near York. She works for the RSPCA after getting IT and business qualifications while in prison. She was also able to reconcile with her two sons after one had branded her a 'hideous, lying b***h' and has been on holidays with them. John was jailed for six years and three months after admitting eight deception charges, wife Anne was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail for fraud and money-laundering. When Darwin disappeared after taking his canoe out to sea, there was bafflement that he could have got into difficulty because the sea was said to be 'like a millpond'. The former prison officer paddled out to sea in a canoe near his family home at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, before ditching the vessel to give the impression that he drowned. Pictured: The wreckage of the canoe that was discovered in the days following his disappearance For much of Darwin's missing five years, he had been living in secret in his own home (pictured), where he shared a bed with his wife. And when family and friends visited and his sons returned from the inquest into his alleged death Darwin hid in a bedsit next door that was accessed through a passageway hidden behind the door of a fake cupboard Just under a year after he disappeared, Darwin turned up at his family home looking 'an absolute mess', his wife said. She claimed that she had really believed he was dead before he turned up. In 2016, Mrs Darwin penned a tell-all book (pictured) about her life with her husband 'Although I was pleased he was still alive, I think deep down a part of me was always angry,' she said. 'To think of what he put us all through. He had basically come back expecting me to forgive him.' She claimed that she wanted to report what he had done but he then threatened to say she had been involved from the start, so she was 'trapped'. Mrs Darwin then agreed to become complicit in the scam and even agreed not to tell their two sons that their father was alive. At the inquest into his disappearance in April 2003, Mrs Darwin was able to have her husband declared dead, even though the seven years that is usually needed after someone has gone missing had not yet passed. Once their life insurance money was paid out and their mortgage paid off, Darwin spent time either with his wife in their family home or next door in the property they also owned that was split into several bedsits. The couple then decided to move abroad, with Darwin, who had stolen the identity of a dead baby named John Jones, opting for Panama as their destination. The family home was sold and the couple spent several months together in Panama after they had bought a 50,000 two-bed apartment in a suburb of Panama City. They also hoped to open a canoeing centre for eco-tourists. But Darwin then wanted to return to the UK because, Mrs Darwin said, he missed his sons. He said he would claim to have suffered amnesia. Darwin walked into a police station in December 2007 and said he thought he was a 'missing person' but said he could not remember anything that had happened in the past five years. When their two sons were called to the police station to be reunited with their father, the couple had to pretend to be astonished as they too saw each other again. None of the Darwin family were involved in making the drama, though the script was based on court documents, police interviews and media (file photo of John) Anthony (left) and Mark Darwin leave Teesside Crown Court after giving evidence against their mother at her 2008 trial Mrs Darwin said that her husband told her: 'Hello Anne, is that really you, are you all right?' After the couple's fraud was exposed and they were released from prison in 2011 after serving half of their sentences, their marriage came to an end. Mrs Darwin attempted to justify her actions in a book that was released in 2016. She said in an interview with The Guardian that year that deceiving her sons was 'unforgiveable'. She said her sons initially refused to see or talk to her, after one had testified against her at her trial. 'I was totally shocked by how dark and full of anger they were. To see that was absolutely horrendous. It jolted me. I could easily have buckled then and there,' she said. She said she is now reconciled with both of her sons and has been on holidays with them and their families. Asked if her sons were in touch with their father, she said 'that's a private matter for them'. Mrs Darwin was said to live in a 'small but comfortable flat' in a village outside York. Canoe fraudster John Darwin leaves Teesside Crown Court in 2014. A judge previously ordered he should repay 679,073 For much of Darwin's missing five years, he had been living in secret in his own home, where he shared a bed with his wife. Undated handout photo issued by Cleveland Police of CCTV from Kirkleatham Police station when John Darwin was taken into custody Undated handout photo issued by Cleveland Police of CCTV from Hartlepool Police station when Anne Darwin was taken into custody Mrs Darwin is pictured left in 2007, after she had been arrested following her return to Britain. Right: The mother-of-two is seen this week John and Anne Darwin are seen in a family photograph with their sons Mark and Anthony. The couple deceived their sons when they colluded to gain life insurance and pensions payouts She works for the RSPCA after getting IT and business qualifications while in prison. Darwin and his second wife moved last year from Manila to a property around 30 minutes away. Mrs Avila Darwin sub-lets a clothing stall in Manila's market and also runs another retail business, while Darwin lives off his state pension. She told The Mirror last year: 'I have a new business. I've had it for three years now. Boom. Making money. Mrs Avila Darwin told the newspaper this week about her husband allegedly going to Ukraine to join troops fighting against Russian forces. When questioned about the danger, she said: 'Yes, dangerous for the Russian when he shoot them. 'He will have a bullet proof vest and good life insurance, good for me.' Her comments come ahead of an ITV drama about John and Anne Darwin's fraud. The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe airs in April. Coles has been mocked for selling hot cross buns from its bakery over Christmas - but without the cross. A shopper picked up a six-pack of hot cross buns from his local store in Sydney on Saturday and noticed the buns only had a single line down the middle. The man mocked the supermarket giant's holiday fail after posting a photo of the buns with the caption, 'you had one job, Coles'. The Sydney-based shopper opened his six-pack of hot cross buns to find the buns were missing a crucial element - the cross Hot cross bun aficionados pointed out that the man was about to eat a batch of 'not cross buns' instead. Australians offered suggestions on the alternative holiday the baker was celebrating when they created the cross-less buns. Another user suggested Covid was the cause for the baking omission as the person who was meant to pipe the horizontal line called in sick. Bakers were quick to defend the Coles worker and simply said the oversight was due to a 'brain fart' brought on by mass production. 'Definitely brain fart. I always manage one or two trays where I do this around this time of year. Also baker,' one commented. 'I did this job for a while - you end up crossing tens of hundreds in an hour and something goes wrong at some point', another comment read. The Spiced buns with sultanas, currents and raisins are an Easter holiday treat loved by Australian's across the country Coles told Daily Mail Australia it hoped customers were not too 'cross' and could forgive the oversight. 'From Perth to Parramatta, Coles bakers have been working hard to make millions of delicious hot cross buns for Australians to enjoy over the Easter long weekend,' it said. 'With the excitement of an early morning visit from the Easter bunny, it looks like one of our egg-sellent bakers may have forgotten to add the final cross on this tasty pack of buns. 'We hope our customers aren't too 'cross' and can forgive the oversight during this busy period.' Anthony Albanese's election hopes took a hit after a significant blunder during the first week of campaigning, but the margin of error in the latest opinion poll indicates it's not over yet. Both Mr Albanese and Scott Morrison suffered a series of gaffes in recent days but a poll conducted by Resolve Political Monitor found the prime minister's approval rating actually improved. Despite recapturing the lead as preferred PM, analysts said he was not a sure bet and opinions were likely to continue flip-flopping ahead of the May 21 election. There is a 2.6 per cent margin of error within the latest data. Just 1,404 people participated in the polling over the course of one week. The larger the margin of error, the less confidence the general public should have that the poll result would reflect the opinions of the entire population. Anthony Albanese's election hopes took a hit after a significant blunder during the first week of campaigning but the margin of error in the latest opinion poll indicates it's still too close to call Despite Mr Morrison's personal popularity rising, the Resolve Strategic survey indicates Labor would win 51:49 in a two-party preferred vote Poll Who would you prefer to be Prime Minister? Scott Morrison Anthony Albanese Undecided Who would you prefer to be Prime Minister? Scott Morrison 105 votes Anthony Albanese 81 votes Undecided 10 votes Now share your opinion Despite Mr Morrison's personal popularity rising, the Resolve Strategic survey indicates Labor would win 51-49 in a two-party preferred vote. But 27 per cent of voters said they were still not committed to voting for one party over the other despite the election being in just five weeks. These swing voters could throw polling statistics out of the window come election day. Mr Albanese's popularity plunged from 37 per cent to 30 per cent following a string of gaffes in recent days but he still has five weeks left to change voters' minds. 'Every trend has gone the Coalition's way in this latest poll vote, leadership, policy, performance so the electorate is judging that the government won the first week of the campaign,' Resolve director Jim Reed told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'The calling of the election has moved voters from judging the government's term to a choice between the parties and particularly their leaders. It was incredibly damaging for Albanese to trip up on critical issues at precisely that point.' Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese hugs Reverent Rosemary Wynter during a visit to the All Souls' Anglican Church on Day 7 of the 2022 federal election campaign, in Bangalow But Mr Morrison hasn't had a flawless campaign, either. On Sunday, he repeatedly referred to a journalist as Mr Speaker, appearing to forget he was no longer in parliament. About 44 per cent of voters surveyed believed Mr Morrison was doing a good job as prime minister while 47 per cent rated his performance as poor. His performance rating of minus three points is a significant improvement on the minus 14 recorded two weeks ago. When asked about the Opposition Leader, 35 per cent said Mr Albanese was doing a good job while 44 per cent rated his performance as poor, which saw his net rating slump from minus four points to minus nine. Around 44 per cent of voters surveyed believed Mr Morrison was doing a good job as Prime Minister while 47 per cent rated his performance as poor The campaign got off to a bad start last Monday when Mr Albanese admitted to reporters he didn't know the current unemployment or the Reserve Bank cash rate. Several days later, he was forced to clarify that off-shore immigration centres would remain after he earlier declared he would turn back people smuggling boats. According to the TAB, the Labor party is still the most likely to cinch the election, but the odds are widening. The Coalitions odds narrowed from $2.90 on April 1 to $2.25 on Sunday while Labor's odds widened from $1.42 to $1.65. As with the margin of error in polling surveys, voters have been urged not to place too much weight on the odds from betting agencies, The Australian Financial Review reported. The Prime Minister attended church with his family before hitting the campaign trail in the marginal western Sydney seat of Parramatta, which included a visit to The Childrens' Hospital at Westmead The 2019 federal election discredited political betting markets, which strongly predicted Bill Shorten to lead Labor to a victory over Scott Morrison's Coalition. That year, Labor appeared to win the opinion polls, but they still lost where it counts - in the polling booths. Methodologies have changed in that time and appear to be more accurate after correctly predicting the South Australian election, but it's still not a sure bet. Mr Albanese spent Easter Sunday campaigning on the NSW far north coast and later appeared at the Byron Bay Bluesfest to welcome Jimmy Barnes to the stage. He was initially met with deafening boos from revellers before receiving cheers as he promised a funding boost for the arts sector and got Barnes to the stage to perform. The Prime Minister attended church with his family before hitting the campaign trail in the marginal western Sydney seat of Parramatta, which included a visit to The Childrens' Hospital at Westmead. Priti Patel has vowed to overhaul Britains flagship deradicalisation programme after a series of high- profile failures. The Prevent counter-terrorism scheme has faced intense criticism for failing to identify a succession of extremists who went on to commit horrific murders. In the most recent case, it emerged last week that Ali Harbi Ali, the murderer of Sir David Amess, was dismissed as a terrorist threat by experts just months before he bought a knife to hunt down MPs. Sir David's killer Ali Harbi Ali - who was sentenced to a whole life order - had been referred to the programme in 2014 but a year later it was concluded he no longer posed a threat Now Miss Patel has pledged that things need to change once she has been handed the findings of a long-awaited independent review of Prevent. The Prevent review is really important to me, the Home Secretary said. I cant pre-judge that review. But it is quite clear to me from my own observations that there are things that need to change. The review, commissioned by Miss Patel in January last year, is being conducted by William Shawcross, the former Charity Commission chief. It is understood to be near completion. Prevent was set up in 2006, and was designed to combat Islamist extremism as well as other threats, including far-Right fanatics and those with mixed or unstable ideologies. Confidential referrals can be made to Prevent by anyone who is concerned about a persons behaviour, including faith groups, schools, colleges, and even friends and relatives. The UK's flagship anti-terror strategy is being undermined by a politically correct emphasis on right-wing extremism over more dangerous Islamist radicalism, critics have said - as a review prepares to overhaul the 'broken' system A documentary to be shown tonight reveals that out of the 13 terror attacks in the past five years which left 14 dead and 128 injured seven offenders were known to the scheme. A former teacher of Ali told Channel 4s Dispatches she warned the authorities he could pose a risk seven years before he murdered Sir David last October. She said: They just said, We dont think hes a threat. We dont think hes worth taking on any further. We think hes going to be all right. A report by counter-terrorism think-tank the Henry Jackson Society last year found Prevent had been skewed away from the key threat posed by Islamist terrorism. It accused officials who oversee the scheme of allowing its work to be swayed by false allegations of Islamophobia. As a result, it claimed, anti-terror resources were being diverted from the principal terror threat to the UK Islamist extremism. The think-tanks Dr Alan Mendoza said: This shake-up could not come soon enough... Priti Patel should be congratulated for cutting through the Home Office bureaucracy to make it happen. 'Her reforms must be allowed to restore Prevent to its founding purpose cracking down on terrorism. Dispatches: Are We Losing the War on Terror? is on Channel 4 at 7.30pm tonight. The first international cruise ship allowed in Australian waters in two years has sailed into Sydney ahead of a return for the $5 billion cruise industry. P&O Australia's Pacific Explorer arrived in Sydney Harbour on Monday morning in preparation to accept vaccinated guests from May 31. Cruise liners are once again allowed to carry passengers in Australia after a ban put in place in March 2020 as the Covid pandemic began was lifted on Sunday. Ponant cruise line's Le Laperhouse will soon follow and sail between Darwin and Broome from April 28 during the peak Kimberley tourism season. P&O Cruises Australia's flagship Pacific Explorer enters Sydney Harbour displaying a banner emblazoned across her front on Monday (pictured) The first international cruise ship to return to Australia since March 2020, P&O's Pacific Explorer, sails into Sydney Harbour on Monday (pictured) 'This is the culmination of two years of hope and optimism and a lot of hard work,' a tearful Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia chief executive Marguerite Fitzgerald said. The Pacific Explorer was marooned in Cyprus during the pandemic and will spend six weeks being re-provisioned while the 600-strong crew is trained up. The first voyage will be a four-night cruise between Sydney and Brisbane. 'This is a symbolic moment for Australia,' Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond said. 'The pictures of the ship arriving will send the message around the world that Sydney is open for business - not just for cruising but for all tourism.' NSW, Queensland, and Victoria outlined testing and vaccination rules for both international passengers and crew, paving the way for the return of the ships. Tasmania and SA are still reviewing their rules and ships are restricted to smaller domestic vessels carrying up to 99 passengers. Interstate cruise ships with up to 350 passengers are allowed to dock in Western Australian and the Northern Territory with international liners to follow later in 2022. The ship had an escort of three tug boats which sprayed water into the air (pictured) Cruise Lines International Association said the lifting of the ban would be followed by a 'carefully managed resumption of operations'. The industry in 2019 supported about 18,000 jobs and generated about $5billion in direct and indirect revenue for the Australian economy, CLIA managing director of Australiasia Joel Katz said. The cruise industry fell under much scrutiny early in the pandemic. A day before the ban on the ships was brought in on March 19, a group of 2,700 passengers from the Ruby Princess were allowed to disembark in Sydney Harbour. The results of Covid tests on some passengers were still pending with 600 passengers later confirmed to have the virus, many of whom had since travelled interstate. An inquiry found NSW Health had responsibility for the passengers and largely absolved Border Force officials. The ship will spend six weeks being re-provisioned while the crew is trained up before the first voyage on May 31 The Queensland Government is particularly relying on the cruise industry to boost the economy with a number of infrastructure projects. These include a recently completed upgrade at the Port of Brisbane, a $127million project to widen and deepen the Cairns shipping channel, and a $232million upgrade to the Port of Townsville 'It's reassuring that cruise ships have improved their ventilation systems and will follow enhanced cleaning practices onboard,' Tourism Minster Stirling Hinchcliffe said. The re-opening of Australian waters to international cruise ships coincides with more than 41,000 new Covid cases reported across the country on Sunday. Home Secretary Priti Patel has fired back at The Archbishop of Canterbury after he declared in his Easter speech this morning the UK must not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' in reference to the migrant crisis. Writing a joint article in The Times with Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta, the Home Secretary reiterated that her controversial plans were 'bold and innovative' in response to the religious leader who slammed the move. In the joint article, Ms Patel and Mr Biruta said: 'We are taking bold and innovative steps and it's surprising that those institutions that criticise the plans fail to offer their own solutions. 'The UK and Rwanda stand together in their efforts towards promoting a new, fairer and more effective global asylum system... Allowing this suffering to continue is no longer an option for any humanitarian nation.' On Sunday morning, Justin Welby told his Easter sermon congregation that the UK has a duty as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' after anyone who arrived in Britain illegally since January 1 could be relocated to Rwanda under a new deal. Boris Johnson's government said it would help to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the Channel, which has faced immediate and heavy criticism from politicians and charities. Mr Welby said the 'serious' ethical questions' over sending asylum seekers abroad cannot 'stand the judgment of god'. Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured) has fired back at The Archbishop of Canterbury after he declared in his Easter speech this morning the UK must not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' in reference to the migrant crisis The Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured today) blasted the government's Rwanda plan for asylum seekers as the 'opposite of the nature of God' Migrants wait to disembark at the Port of Dover after being rescued while crossing the English Channel, in Dover, Britain, April 15, 2022 On Sunday morning, Justin Welby told his Easter sermon congregation that the UK has a duty as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' after anyone who arrived in Britain illegally since January 1 could be relocated to Rwanda under a new deal He was joined in his sentiments by Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell who called it 'depressing and distressing'. But Tory MPs have called the Archbishop of Canterbury's stinging intervention over the government's plan to send thousands of migrants with a one-way ticket to Rwanda 'clumsy'. Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, a committed Catholic, said the government is not 'abandoning' migrants but taking on a 'very difficult responsibility' with the 'intention' of doing good' which he said is important within Christianity. Other Tory MPs John Redwood, Mike Wood and Tom Hunt also blasted Mr Welby's comments with Mr Hunt saying the Archbishop should be wary of 'clumsily intervening' into political issues. Mr Welby also called for a ceasefire in the Russian war on Ukraine and spoke of his concern for families struggling during the cost-of-living crisis and for those bereaved by Covid-19. In his Easter sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Justin Welby said the UK has a 'national responsibility' as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' In his 8.10am sermon, the Archbishop said: 'The resurrection of Jesus is not a magic wand that makes the world perfect. 'But the resurrection of Christ is the tectonic shift in the way the cosmos works. It is the conquest of death and the opening of eternal life - through Jesus, a gift offered to every human being who reaches out to him. 'Not just for individuals but setting a benchmark for all of society because God is lord of every society and nation.' He will continue: 'Let this be a time for Russian ceasefire, withdrawal and a commitment to talks. 'This is a time for resetting the ways of peace, not for what Bismarck called blood and iron. Let Christ prevail. Let the darkness of war be banished. 'And this season is also why there are such serious ethical questions about sending asylum seekers overseas. 'The details are for politics and politicians. The principle must stand the judgment of God, and it cannot. It cannot carry the weight of resurrection justice, of life conquering death. 'It cannot carry the weight of the resurrection that was announced first to the least valued, for it privileges the rich and strong. 'And it cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility as a country formed by Christian values, because sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures on the cross.' He also said the love of god and hope triumphs over 'nightmares' and 'global power'. Migrants wait to disembark at the Port of Dover after being rescued while crossing the English Channel, in Dover, Britain, April 17, 2022 Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda Echoing Mr Welby over his thoughts on the migrant scheme, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said at York Minster 'we can do better than' the Rwanda scheme. Mr Cottrell said: 'It is so depressing and distressing this week to find that asylum seekers fleeing war, famine and oppression from deeply, deeply troubled parts of the world will not be treated with the dignity and compassion that is the right of every human being, and instead of being dealt with quickly and efficiently here on our soil will be shipped to Rwanda. 'We can do better than this. We can do better than this because of what we see in Jesus Christ, the risen Christ, with a vision for our humanity where barriers are broken down, not new obstacles put in the path. 'After all, there is in law no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker. It is the people who exploit them that we need to crack down on, not our sisters and brothers in their need. We don't need to build more barriers and cower in the darkness of the shadows they create.' Echoing Mr Welby over his thoughts on the migrant scheme, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (pictured) said at York Minster 'we can do better than' the Rwanda scheme The Member of Parliament for Ipswich Tom Hunt said Mr Welby's comments were 'wrong headed' and he should be wary of 'clumsily intervening' into political issues John Redwood, the MP for Wokingham, said could the Archbishop 'forgive and reconcile' instead of 'sharpening political divisions' Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. He said: 'I think he misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve, and that it isn't an abandonment of responsibility, it is in fact a taking on of a very difficult responsibility. 'The problem that is being dealt with is that people are risking their lives in the hands of people traffickers, to get into this country illegally. 'Now, it's not the illegal bit of it, it is the encouragement of people traffickers that needs to be stopped.' He said '90% of people coming are young men who by coming via people traffickers are jumping the queue for others'. The Brexit opportunities minister also suggested the Government's immigration plan creates an 'opportunity for Rwanda'. He said: 'What is being done is providing an opportunity for Rwanda because it will provide Rwanda, a country that needs support and has gone through terrible troubles... and the Rwandan story is almost an Easter story of redemption, isn't it? 'Of a country that suffered the most appalling and horrific genocide and is now recovering and therefore the UK supporting it must be a good thing. 'It helps people come through legitimate routes and I think the aim of the policy - within Christianity intention is always very important - and the intention of the Government is to do good. 'It is to help those in genuine need of asylum and to make it harder for crime to prosper, and that I think, is fundamentally important.' The MP for Ipswich Tom Hunt took to Twitter to blast Mr Welby, saying: 'The leaders of the Church of England should be wary about clumsily intervening into complex political issues at the best of times.' Pictured: So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? Why does he want to live with law breaking and dangerous voyages? And Mr Redwood also wrote: 'So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? Mr Reese-Mogg had previously stated he 'took his whip from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church rather than the [Tory party's] Whip's Office'. The MP for Ipswich Tom Hunt took to Twitter to blast Mr Welby, saying: 'The leaders of the Church of England should be wary about clumsily intervening into complex political issues at the best of times. 'To do so on Easter Sunday feels very wrong. Archbishop of York views particularly wrong headed. Claims he's in tune with majority of the public.' John Redwood, the MP for Wokingham, called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to 'forgive and reconcile' instead of 'sharpening political divisions'. He said in a Tweet: 'I thought the Easter message was love conquers all. We should forgive and reconcile. Could the Archbishop help do that instead of sharpening political divisions? And Mr Redwood also wrote: 'So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? Why does he want to live with law breaking and dangerous voyages?' Mike Wood MP also told GB News: 'They were unwise comments This will help to reduce the tragic losses at sea that we've had.' It comes as an exchange of letters published by the Home Office on Saturday night showed the department's Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft warned Home Secretary Priti Patel, pictured in Rwanda on Thusday, that although the policy was 'regular, proper and feasible', there was 'uncertainty surrounding the value for money of the proposal' It comes as an exchange of letters published by the Home Office on Saturday night showed the department's Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft warned Home Secretary Priti Patel that although the policy was 'regular, proper and feasible', there was 'uncertainty surrounding the value for money of the proposal'. But issuing a rare ministerial direction compelling the plans to go ahead despite the concern, Ms Patel said that 'without action, costs will continue to rise, lives will continue to be lost'. The Home Office insisted the UK has a 'proud history' of supporting those in need and that Rwanda is a 'fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers'. The policy has enjoyed some support from Conservative MPs, who say the issue of small boats crossing the Channel is high on the priority list for constituents. Ms Patel said she expects other countries to follow the UK's example, suggesting Denmark could be among those to reproduce the Government's 'blueprint', while the Home Office insisted its approach is not in breach of refugee agreements. Boris Johnson's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has today been slammed as an 'egregious breach of international law' and 'really unacceptable' by the United Nation's refugee agency. Pictured: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the command room at the 'Maritime rescue coordination centre' in Dover, Britain, April 14, 2022 Speaking about the cost-of-living crisis and the pandemic, the Archbishop Mr Welby also said: 'In the UK we might be waking up to lighter mornings and warmer days. 'But families across the country are waking up to cold homes and empty stomachs as we face the greatest cost-of-living crisis - we have known in our lifetimes. 'And because of this, they wake up with fear. 'Further afield people are waking up to horrors they never imagined possible. 'Last month president Zelensky gave a speech in which he said 'the end of the world has arrived'. 'Ukrainians have woken up to the end of the world as they knew it. 'Now they are awakened by the noises of war and the sickening reality of terror. They wake up to mortal fear.' Reflecting, on Mary waking up when Jesus was crucified, he said she awoke 'grim' with 'anger' at disciples for running away and her 'misery' at the future. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby performs the Washing of The Feet ceremony during the Maundy Thursday service at the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Kent, 'Be strong and have courage in your hearts': Boris Johnson addresses Ukrainians in his Easter message as he highlights triumph of good over evil and life over death By ELMIRA TANATAROVA FOR MAILONLINE Boris Johnson addressed Ukrainians in his Easter message today, remarking that 'Christ's message of hope the triumph of life over death and good over evil will resonate this year perhaps more than any other'. The Prime Minister, who is now banned from entering Russia following the Kremlin's sanctions on a dozen other British government members and politicians, told Christians around the world to 'be strong and have courage in your heart'. He added: 'Easter tells us that there is light beyond the darkness, that beyond the suffering lies redemption.' Moscow has meanwhile accused Britain, with Johnson making a surprise visit to Ukraine last week, of 'deliberately aggravating the situation surrounding Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the behalf of NATO' and threatened to expand its sanctions list 'soon'. The prime minister also tweeted out an Easter message in Ukrainian today, following a post yesterday in which he vowed to send more aid to Volodymyr Zelensky. It said: 'I updated my friend @ZelenskyyUa this afternoon on further military aid we will provide to Ukraine in the coming days. 'The UK will stop at nothing to ensure Ukrainians have the resources they need to defend their country from the ongoing Russian onslaught.' Keir Starmer's message also touched on the conflict and themes of overcoming adversity. The Labour leader said, in his address to 'Christians around the world': 'I know you draw inspiration from the life of Jesus and the Easter story which is a message of overcoming adversity and of hope. Of light overcoming darkness. 'And at this pivotal time, when Europe is at war and people are facing greater poverty at home, hope is more important than ever. 'Thank you and Happy Easter.' Yesterday Pope Francis called for 'gestures of peace in these days marked by the horror of war' in an Easter vigil homily in St Peter's Basilica attended by the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol. Ivan Fedorov was abducted and held for five days by Russian troops after they occupied Melitopol, a strategic southern city. Francis noted that while 'many writers have evoked the beauty of starlit nights...nights of war, however, are riven by streams of light that portend death'. He did not refer directly to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but he has called for an Easter truce in order to reach a negotiated peace. Francis also addressed Mr Fedorov and Ukrainian legislators Maria Mezentseva, Olena Khomenko and Rusem Umerov, who sat all together in the front row. He said: 'In this darkness of war, in the cruelty, we are all praying for you and with you this night. We are praying for all the suffering. 'We can only give you our company, our prayer.' Francis added that 'the biggest thing you can receive: Christ is risen'. He spoke the last three words in Ukrainian. The messages of hope come as Zelensky last night warned that Russia is willing to use nuclear weapons to bring a catastrophic end to its invasion of Ukraine. He urged the world to 'prepare' for the worst by stocking up on anti-radiation medicine and building air raid shelters. The comedian-turned-war time leader made the doomsday warning during an interview with national media, before sharing the clip via his Telegram channel. He made a similar announcement on Friday, when he said it could not be ruled out that Vladimir Putin would use tactical nukes, as his war against Ukraine continues to stall. On Saturday Russia resumed missile and rocket attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond in a stark reminder that the whole country remains under threat. Today Ukraine and Russia failed to agree about humanitarian convoys for the evacuation of civilians from war-affected areas, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said. 'We have not been able to agree...about ceasefires on evacuation routes. That is why, unfortunately, we are not opening humanitarian corridors today,' she said on her Telegram account. She added that the Ukrainian authorities have asked for humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and wounded Ukrainian troops from the besieged port of Mariupol. Advertisement He added: 'Such a sense of helplessness will have been common this morning. 'Many will be awakened in refugee camps separated from loved ones on the front line, grieving for those missing, raped, abused or killed wondering how to cope. 'For many in this country, the news from Ukraine is terrible but the rising cost of power and fuel, of basic foods, will be the first and overwhelming thought of the day. 'For others it will be the continued deep sense of loss of someone from Covid, or during Covid, to whom they could not say a proper farewell. 'The news might move on but grief does not. 'Others will be struggling at work or feel a deep sense of injustice at the way they've been mistreated by friends, families or employers.' Reflecting on what the resurrection means for us as individuals, the Archbishop will say: 'In dying for us, [God] sees and knows the wounds that cause us so much pain. 'He hears the cry of the mothers in Ukraine, he sees the fear of boys too young to become soldiers, [and] he knows the vulnerability of the orphans and refugees. 'Closer to home, he sees the humiliation of the grandparent visiting the food bank for the first time, the desperate choice of parents in poverty and the grief and weariness of the pandemic.' On Saturday, a peer suggested that the Government's plan may breach the Geneva conventions, a peer has suggested. Former child refugee and Labour peer Alf Dubs said ministers would face opposition in the Lords over the plan unveiled by Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week. In an interview with The Guardian, Lord Dubs said the Government was attempting to 'ride roughshod' over international agreements. He said: 'I think it's a way of getting rid of people the Government doesn't want, dumping them in a distant African country, and they'll have no chance of getting out of there again. 'I think it's a breach of the 1951 Geneva conventions on refugees. You can't just shunt them around like unwanted people.' It comes as it was reported that Ms Patel took the rare step of issuing a ministerial direction to overrule concerns of civil servants about whether the concept will deliver value for money. As part of the plan designed to curb migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, those who are deemed to have entered Britain by unlawful means since January 1 may be sent to Rwanda where they will be permitted to apply for asylum in the African country. According to the Daily Telegraph, the claimed use of the ministerial direction by the Home Secretary was only the second deployment of the power within the Home Office in the past 30 years. The Home Office declined to comment on the matter when approached by the PA news agency. Speaking to Times Radio on Saturday, shadow prisons minister Ellie Reeves said: 'The UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) has come out really, really strongly condemning the Government's proposals, as have many organisations, and it seems the Government's own civil servants have expressed huge misgivings about the plans, which seem to be completely misguided.' The Labour politician said: 'The Government is going to be paying 120 million upfront before any asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda. 'Asylum seekers are saying it won't deter them from crossing the Channel. 'We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis so it doesn't seem the right way to be spending money on an unethical and unworkable scheme that won't deter people from coming over.' She later added: 'The whole system needs looking at again, so rather than making sweeping statements - these announcements that are completely unworkable and incredibly expensive - what the Government actually needs to do is get to grips with the system and put in place a system that actually works, increase prosecutions and clamp down on criminal gangs.' But Ms Patel said Denmark could be among those to reproduce the UK Government's 'blueprint'. 'There is no question now that the model we have put forward, I'm convinced is world class and a world first, and it will be used as a blueprint going forward, there's no doubt about that,' Ms Patel said. 'I would not be surprised if other countries start coming to us direct on the back of this as well.' The Home Secretary said Copenhagen was in talks with Rwanda as well, adding the Council of Europe 'have also basically said they are interested in working with us'. The Home Office denied its approach was in breach of refugee agreements. But Lord Dubs, who came to the UK from then Czechoslovakia on one of the Kindertransport trains in 1939, told The Guardian there would be legal challenges and opposition by peers. 'If (Ms Patel) says she'll get rid of the lefty lawyers' claims, well, I think she may have another thing coming. My understanding is that they're going to have real difficulties in getting this through anyway,' he said. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (left) carries a wooden cross during the Walk of Witness at St Mary's Church, Sellindge, Kent, as he carries out his Holy Week engagements Migrants travelling to the UK on small boats will be put on jets and sent to Rwanda while their applications are processed. Pictured: A map detailing the plan proposed by the Prime Minister On Friday, the United Nations also criticised the proposal as an 'egregious breach of international law'. Gillian Triggs, a UNHCR assistant secretary-general, said the agency 'strongly condemns outsourcing the primary responsibility to consider the refugee status.' Put to her that Australia had effectively deployed a similar tactic to cut migration numbers, Ms Triggs said: 'My point is, just as the Australian policy is an egregious breach of international law and refugee law and human rights law, so too is this proposal by the United Kingdom Government. 'It is very unusual, very few states have tried this, and the purpose is primarily deterrent - and it can be effective, I don't think we're denying that. 'But what we're saying at the UN refugee agency is that there are much more legally effective ways of achieving the same outcome.' She said attempting to 'shift responsibility' for asylum seekers arriving in Britain was 'really unacceptable'. A view of facilities at Hope House, a hostel in Nyabugogo, the Gasabo district of the capital city Kigali, in Rwanda - where migrants shipped from Britain will initially be taken Ms Triggs pointed out that Israel had attempted to send Eritrean and Sudanese refugees to Rwanda, but that they 'simply left the country and started the process all over again'. 'In other words, it is not actually a long-term deterrent,' she added. In response to the UNHCR, the Home Office insisted to the MailOnline that 'Rwanda is a fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers.' It noted that the UNHCR has previously sad the country is safe for refugees. 'Under this agreement, Rwanda will process claims in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention, national and international human rights laws, and will ensure their protection from inhuman and degrading treatment or being returned to the place they originally fled,' the Home Office's statement said. 'There is nothing in the UN Refugee Convention which prevents removal to a safe country,' it added. More migrants arrive in UK on Easter Sunday despite risk they face being deported to Rwanda as Priti Patel slams 'synthetic outrage' at plan Ms Patel announced plans to deport failed asylum seekers to Rwands this week But a boat with around 20 migrants aboard was brought into Dover, Kent, today Men, women and young children were brought ashore wearing life jackets It comes a day after a further 252 migrants attempting to make the journey Home Secretary slammed 'synthetic hysteria' amid criticism of the new plans By Jamie Philips More migrants have arrived in the UK today, despite the risk of being deported to Rwanda - as Priti Patel slams 'synthetic outrage' at the plans. The Government announced this week it plans to provide failed asylum seekers, including those crossing the Channel in small boats, with a one-way ticket to the African country, where they will have the right to apply to live permanently. But a boat with around 20 migrants on board was brought ashore into Dover, Kent, on Easter Sunday after being intercepted by Border Force officers. Men, women and young children were all wearing lifejackets as they were brought into the port this morning to be processed. Windy conditions in the Channel are expected to prevent large numbers attempting the treacherous crossing today. It comes a day after the Royal Navy and Border Force intercepted a further 252 migrants attempting to make the treacherous journey. Despite choppy conditions in the 21-mile wide Dover Straits, seven flimsy dinghies made the dangerous voyage and were rescued in British waters. As of Saturday, the latest figures now mean 6,263 migrants have already been detained so far this year in 193 small boats. Men, women and children were brought ashore in Dover, Kent, by Border Force officials on Easter Sunday Three men are escorted off a boat on Sunday. Around 20 are understood to have been intercepted in the Channel Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured speaking to the media in Rwanda), has slammed 'synthetic outrage' at her plans A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel on Easter Sunday Latest figures now mean 6,263 migrants have already been detained so far this year in 193 small boats Young children were among the migrants intercepted as they tried to make the Channel crossing today The migrants were pictured in life jackets and wearing face masks as they were escorted off the boat by Border Force officers A woman and young child are helped off a boat after attempting to cross the Channel on Sunday How will the new Rwanda migrant scheme work? Cross-channel arrivals assessed and anyone deemed an economic migrant rather than a refugee is sent to Rwanda Initial agreement worth 120million over five years Failed immigrants urged to start new life in Africa Initially based at hostel in Kigali Hope House is currently being used as budget accommodation for tourists Privately owned, the East African nation's government is understood to be in negotiations to lease the property Memorandum of understanding (MOU) says Government will screen asylum seekers 'without delay' after arrival in the UK All requests will require approval from Rwanda before relocation Nation can refuse to take people with criminal records People who cross the Channel in small boats will undergo initial checks at the Western Jet Foil facility in Dover Further checks at a processing site in Manston, Kent. Where their claim is deemed inadmissible, they may be removed to a 'third safe country'. Royal Navy to lead Channel policing role, helping Border Force from today PM attacked 'a formidable army of politically motivated lawyers' who have thwarted previous action PM: 'Our compassion may be infinite but our capacity to help people is not. We can't ask the British taxpayer to write a blank cheque to cover the costs of anyone who might want to come and live here.' Advertisement In 2021 that figure was not reached until July 10, while 1,713 people have been arrived this month alone. Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday slammed the 'synthetic outrage' over the Rwanda plans. She also accused political opponents of treating exploited migrants with contempt and slammed 'shameful' human rights lawyers for profiting from traffickers sending groups to the UK in flimsy dinghies, The Sun reports. Ms Patel said: 'All I've heard the last couple of days is a typical hysterical reaction from the Left, particularly through their social media echo chamber. 'All they have to offer is synthetic outrage. Labour doesn't have a plan. They don't care about Britain's interests or UK taxpayers who foot the bill. 'They are showing complete contempt for democracy and the wishes of the British people who have been crying out for years for action to fix our broken asylum system and tackle illegal migration.' A Government source told the Mail on Sunday that after striking a dramatic deal, the Home Secretary wants to spread the word internationally and let 'people know the rules have changed and if you arrive illegally to the UK, you can be deported to Rwanda'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also warned that 'anyone entering the UK illegally, as well as those who have arrived illegally since 1 January, may now be relocated to Rwanda'. A 100,000 information campaign will use social media to reach people in 'source countries' in their own languages. Jacob Rees-Mogg also suggested today that migrants crossing the Channel in small boats are 'supporting organised crime'. The Cabinet minister, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. In his Easter sermon, Justin Welby earlier said 'sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well, like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God'. Reacting to the sermon, Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'I think he misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve, and that it isn't an abandonment of responsibility, it is in fact a taking on of a very difficult responsibility. 'The problem that is being dealt with is that people are risking their lives in the hands of people traffickers, to get into this country illegally. Now, it's not the illegal bit of it, it is the encouragement of people traffickers that needs to be stopped.' He added that '90 per cent of people coming are young men who by coming via people traffickers are jumping the queue for others'. Mr Rees-Mogg continued: 'They are in doing so not only risking their lives but supporting organised crime. What we need to do is focus on legal routes into this country of which there are quite a number.' The new deal expected to be the subject of legal challenges was presented to Cabinet Ministers on Wednesday by Ms Patel and the Prime Minister. The Rwandan government will receive 120 million in investment from the UK with the cost of housing each migrant for three months estimated at 20,000 to 30,000. Ms Patel issued a ministerial direction, only the second in the department for 30 years, to force through the policy after objections from Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft. A man is escorted at a port in Dover after being intercepted attempting to illegally cross the Channel Senior Home Office civil servants have expressed dismay at the cost. One said: 'It will be astronomical. The legal bill alone will be huge.' Last night, the Home Office published an exchange of letters between Ms Patel and Mr Rycroft in which he called for a ministerial direction as he could not justify the policy's value for money. The package also includes a new immigration centre for 500 men at a former RAF base in Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire. Speaking after Saturday's crossings, Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration Tom Pursglove MP said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. 'Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough. 'Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we're cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.' One of the suspects who allegedly opened fire in a South Carolina shopping mall as part of a gunfight that left 14 people injured will be allowed to return to work with an ankle monitor while on house arrest after being released on bail. Jewayne Price, 22, was arrested Sunday and charged with unlawfully carrying a pistol in connection with the shooting at Columbia's Columbiana Centre mall. Columbia police said on Twitter that a judge agreed to let Price leave jail on a $25,000 surety bond. He is currently on house arrest with an ankle monitor and may go to work at certain times - though authorities did not say where he is employed. Price's attorney, Todd Rutherford, admitted Sunday that his client fired a gun at the mall, but said it was in self-defense. Price was only charged because he did not have a permit to carry a weapon, Rutherford said. Price is one of three suspects arrested in the aftermath of the shooting. The other two men were released after it was determined they weren't involved, police said. Victims at the shooting Saturday ranged in age from 15 to 73. Nine people were shot and five others suffered injuries, including broken bones lacerations and a head injury, while attempting to flee the mall for safety. The US has been rocked by three mass shootings during Easter weekend - two of them in South Carolina - that have left two fatalities. South Carolina authorities are investigating a shooting at a nightclub early Sunday that wounded at least nine people. A shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which two minors were killed early Sunday, left at least 31 people wounded. Jewayne Price, 22, was arrested Sunday and charged with unlawfully carrying a pistol in connection with the shooting at Columbia's Columbiana Centre mall. His bond was set at $25,000 on Sunday Victims at the Clumbiana Centre Mall shooting Saturday ranged in age from 15 to 73. Nine people were shot and five others suffered injuries, including broken bones lacerations and a head injury, while attempting to flee the mall for safety Columbia police said on Twitter that a judge agreed Sunday to let Price leave jail on a $25,000 surety bond. He was to be on house arrest with an ankle monitor and allowed to go to work at certain times Following his arrest on Sunday, Price was held in custody at the Lexington County Detention Center before his 2 p.m. bond hearing at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. He was later released from custody and will be forced to wear an ankle monitor. DailyMail.com has reached out to the City of Columbia Police Department for comment. Price's lawyer added on Sunday that his client had been set a relatively low $25,000 bond because he was cooperating with authorities. 'It was unprovoked by him. He called the police, turned himself in, turned over the firearm that was used in this, and gave a statement to the Columbia Police Department,' Rutherford said, according to WMBF-TV. Police said the judge will allow Price to travel from home to work during certain hours each day and that he is forbidden from contacting the victims and anyone else involved in the shooting incident. Nine people were shot and five other people sustained injuries while trying to flee the scene at Columbiana Centre, Columbia Police Chief W.H. 'Skip' Holbrook said. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73. None faced life-threatening injuries. The 73-year-old victim continues to receive medical treatment, but the other victims have been released from local hospitals. Officials are still looking for two other suspects believed to be connected to the shooting. 'We don't believe this was random,' Holbrook said. 'We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire.' Police said the judge will allow Price to travel from home to work during certain hours each day and that he is forbidden from contacting the victims and anyone else involved in the shooting incident Columbia Police Chief W.H. 'Skip' Holbrook said officials 'don't believe this was random' and alleged the suspects knew each other People could be seen sitting in the mall in the aftermath of the shooting (left), and blood was left on the floor (right) Price was detained as one of three people initially identified as persons of interest in Saturday's shooting at Columbiana Centre. Shopper Daniel Johnson said that he and his family were eating in the food court when they first heard shots ring out and started seeing people running. Johnson said people were screaming for their children and spouses, knocking over tables in the food court as they fled. 'Everybody was trying to get outside,' Johnson said. 'When I was coming out, you could see baby strollers turned over, people's phones and left keys. It was kind of a hectic situation.' A preliminary examination of ballistic evidence collected from the scene indicated that at least two different firearms were used by two suspects. Police believe the shooting was an isolated incident between the suspects and likely stemmed from an ongoing conflict. After turning himself in on Sunday, Price was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon, and his pistol was seized. South Carolina residents age 21 or older can get a weapon permit that, as of last year, allows them to carry weapons openly or concealed. They must have eight hours of gun training and pass a background check that includes fingerprinting. Price's lawyer said he legally owned his gun, although he did not have a permit to carry it. In 2018, Price had been previously arrested and charged in connection with the murder of 17-year-old Amon Rice, who was shot dead in Hopkins, South Carolina. It is unclear whether those charges have been dropped. At least two mass shootings happened in South Carolina over the weekend: One in Columbia at a shopping mall and another at a restaurant in Hampton County In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, two minors were killed and at least eight people when shots were fired during an Airbnb party, where the 'vast majority' of the hundreds of people were underage. The shooting occurred at around 12:30 a.m. at the intersection of Sussman Street and Madison Avenue Video posted online showed underage partygoers in an argument before shots were fired at an Airbnb early Sunday morning in Pittsburgh The South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division is also investigating a shooting at Cara's Lounge in Hampton County, roughly 80 miles west of Charleston, early Sunday. It was the second mass shooting in the state and the third in the nation during the Easter holiday weekend. Nine victims were shot while the venue hosted an 'Easter Bash' featuring exotic dancers and live music, according to an event flyer posted on Facebook. There are no reported fatalities and information about the victims, the shooter, or a motive has not been released. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, two minors were killed and at least eight people were injured when shots were fired during an Airbnb party at the intersection of Suismon Street and Madison Avenue early Sunday. Police said there were more than 200 people inside the Airbnb at the time, many of whom were underage, when multiple gunmen opened fire. As many as 50 shots were fired inside the apartment, authorities initially said, prompting some attendees to jump out the windows. At least two of those partygoers sustained broken bones and lacerations from the jump, according to WTAE. Officials said at a news conference later they now believe there were a total of 90 shots fired in what Police Chief Scott Schubert described as a 'very chaotic scene.' The three Easter weekend mass shootings are the most recent in a string of shootings in the US. Last week, a gunman opened fire inside a New York subway car, injuring 10 people. A suspect was arrested the next day. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the head Wednesday outside Brooklyn's Atlantic Terminal Mall. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Officials said he was with a group of boys when they got into a dispute with a second group. On Tuesday, a Southern California shoe store owner mistakenly shot a 9-year-old girl while firing at two shoplifters at the Mall of Victor Valley, police said. One week ago, a shooting inside a crowded nightclub in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, left a man and a woman dead and 10 people wounded, authorities said. Earlier this month, police said six people were killed and 12 others wounded in Sacramento, California, during a gunfight between rival gangs as bars closed in a busy area near the Downtown Commons shopping mall and the state Capitol. And last month, 10 people were shot at a spring break party in Dallas and several others were injured as they tried to escape the gunfire, police said. The adult son of famed author Paul Auster admitted to giving his 10-month-old baby Narcan after a prosecutor said the infant died because it had ingested enough heroin and fentanyl to 'render an adult unconscious. Daniel Auster, 44, said he woke up on November 1 to see daughter Ruby's 'lips blue and eyes stiff' and tried to save her using the opioid overdose treatment. Officers later arrived to find the baby lifeless, transporting her to a local hospital before doctors there pronounced her dead. He said he had been using heroin that day and gave the baby the treatment 'in case I f--ked up' according to Assistant DA Tien Tran, who spoke at Daniel's arraignment in Brooklyn Sunday. Auster faces charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and child endangerment in connection with her death. Tran said that Ruby was found with the alarming amount of fentanyl and heroin in her body, though police have yet to determine how they got in her system. Daniel Auster also admitted to authorities that he kept 'glassine packets of heroin' in his bathroom. Daniel Auster's daughter, Ruby (pictured above), was found lifeless in his Park Slope home In many of the photos, Auster can be seen posing with his little girl, or cuddling her Daniel's father, Paul Auster, is probably America's best-known postmodern novelist known for The New York Trilogy, The Book of Illusions and Moon Palace, but the pair's relationship appears to be estranged An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found Ruby died of acute intoxication caused by the combined effects of fentanyl and heroin. The case was later ruled a homicide after police conferred with the Kings County District Attorneys office. Auster is currently awaiting arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court. His Instagram page is full of pictures of his daughter and her mother, and in many of the photos he can be seen posing with his little girl, or cuddling her. Daniel Auster, 44, was arrested on Friday night on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide Auster's Instagram page is full of pictures of his daughter and her mother Daniel Auster was taking care of his 10-month-old daughter Ruby at his Park Slope home when 911 was called It is not the first time Daniel Auster has had a brush with the law. During his teenage years, Daniel started going to clubs in New York City and became heavily involved with drugs, according to The New Yorker. At the age of 18, in 1996, when he was eighteen, Daniel was present in the apartment when a drug dealer by the name of Andre 'Angel' Melendez was famously murdered by Club Kid Killer' Michael Alig, who was a former nightclub promoter, and his roommate, Robert Riggs. Daniel was given $3,000 of Melendez's money in exchange for his silence. He later pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property and was given five years probation. Club Kid Killer' Michael Alig, who was a former nightclub promoter is pictured. On Christmas Eve, 2020, Alig died from an accidental heroin overdose at the age of 54 Daniel Auster is pictured in a photo with his father Paul, in a shot from his teenage years Daniel is pictured with his father as a young boy in a touching photo posted to his Instagram, entitled 'Me and pops' The troubled son of New York author Paul Auster, Daniel, has been charged in relation to his infant daughter's drug overdose death Daniel would regularly post photos of his wife and daughter, Ruby, before her death last year The trio dressed up for Halloween in a scene from the Wizard of Oz with Daniel as the heartless Tin Man and his wife as Dorothy He also has a string of other arrests including several drug possession in 2008 and 2010. In 2009 he was charged with petit larceny and possession of stolen property. Daniel's father, Paul Auster, is probably America's best-known postmodern novelist known for The New York Trilogy, The Book of Illusions and Moon Palace, but the pair's relationship appears to be estranged. Daniel's mother, Paul Auster's first wife, is writer Lydia Davis. During Auster's 1995 film, Smoke, which starred Harvey Keitel and William Hurt, about the lives of people who frequented a Brooklyn tobacconist shop, Paul's son Daniel played the role of a book thief. Paul Auster's second wife Siri Hustvedt, left, who is also a writer, never speak about their stepson, Daniel. The pair are pictured in 2016 Although real-world contact between Daniel and his father appear to be non-existent, Auster has written Daniel into his work. In his 2004 novel, Oracle Night, the book is narrated by a writer called Trause whose son is a drug addict who terrorizes his stepmother. During a 2006 Guardian interview, Paul Auster's second wife Siri Hustvedt who is also a writer, declined to speak about her stepson. 'Yes. You know, I'm not going to talk about any of that, no. No.' she said with her eyes beginning to water. 'You know, I am married to a writer, and this - writing - is an odd enterprise. It's something we both support very strongly. I've always been behind Paul, and he's always been behind me. I have a very strong family.' It appears that the family deal with Daniel's troubled past and uncertain present by writing about him in their own fiction. Father and son farmers Norman and Chris Bell are hoping theyve got their paws on a fine sheepdog after shelling out a record 2,600 at auction for Silver the collie a new record for an unbroken, unweaned pup. The pedigree pup will eventually work on the farm near Skipton, North Yorkshire. Silver the superpup was sold recently at an auction at just two weeks of age and is still with her mother and siblings in the village of Garth, mid-Wales. Breeder David Bevan, 45, said Silver would remain with her Collie family until about nine or 10 weeks of age and then head off north to live in Yorkshire. Silver the superpup was sold recently at an auction at just two weeks of age and is still with her mother and siblings in the village of Garth, mid-Wales The new owners will soon be training Silver to herd their cows and lambs on the 165-acre farm at Cowling, near Skipton. They bought the tiny puppy as a long-term investment. The odds are that there money has been well spent as Silver comes from the very best stock. Her father also sired Kim, a border collie who last year smashed the world record for the most expensive sheep dog when she was sold for 27,100 aged one. The new owners will soon be training Silver to herd their cows and lambs on the 165-acre farm at Cowling, near Skipton Silver will start to be trained at six months of age and by her first birthday should be a fully-fledged working dog enjoying life in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. Chris Bell, 34, said: We have an old working dog who is ready for retirement and so she will take over. We bought her so young because of her very good pedigree, but its still a bit of a gamble. The farmers hope Silver will work with them for a decade before its time for the next generation to take over. A Nasa plan to beam Earths location into outer space could inadvertently trigger an alien invasion, Oxford scientists have warned. The binary-coded Beacon In The Galaxy message will broadcast information about the solar system, Earths surface and humanity to a part of the Milky Way identified as the most likely home of extraterrestrial civilisations. It is an updated version of the Arecibo message, which sent similar information into space in 1974 using a radio telescope in Puerto Rico. Researchers fear the risk of a hostile alien invasion outweighs the opportunities of the probe However Anders Sandberg, a senior research fellow at Oxfords Future of Humanity Institute (FHI), warned sharing such information presents a risk. He told The Daily Telegraph that, although the chance of the message reaching an alien civilisation was low, it has such a high impact that you actually need to take it rather seriously. He said the giggle factor surrounding the search for extraterrestrial intelligence meant that many people just refuse to take anything related to it seriously, which is a shame because this is important stuff. Dr Sandberg also said given the difficulty of traversing interstellar space, a message received even by a very advanced civilisation might amount to little more than a postcard saying, Wish you were here. Oxford researcher Anders Sandberg said hostile aliens could send more than just a postcard The message will be beamed to a part of the Milky Way where extra-terrestrial life is likeliest Toby Ord, Dr Sandbergs colleague at the FHI, made similar arguments in The Precipice, a book published in 2020 in which he analysed the existential risks and future of humanity. Dr Ord said the main question is over the ratio of peaceful civilisations compared to hostile ones. He added: We have very little evidence about whether this is high or low, and there is no scientific consensus. Given the downside could be much bigger than the upside, this doesnt sound to me like a good situation in which to take active steps toward contact. A region of the Milky Way containing a rich collection of nebulas (image captured in 2019) The planned message, which will end with an invitation for aliens to respond, includes basic mathematical and physical concepts to establish a universal means of communication, followed by information on the biochemical composition of life on Earth. It will also broadcast the solar systems location in relation to major clusters of stars, as well as digitised depictions of the solar system, the Earths surface and male and female humans. Nasa does not plan to send the message itself but proposes instead that it be broadcast from Chinas Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope and the SETI Institutes Allen Telescope Array in northern California. The projects team of researchers said that communication is an incredibly intriguing development in the scientific exploration of the cosmos. Fallen TV star Andrew O'Keefe is struggling to adjust to his new life behind bars and has become a demanding 'prima donna', prison staff claim. The disgraced host of Deal or No Deal was labelled 'self-entitled' as he grapples with his new lifestyle at Silverwater Correctional Complex, in western Sydney. O'Keefe is on remand after he allegedly grabbed an ex-sex worker by the throat in January. He is expected to remain behind bars until his case is heard on July 28. The 50-year-old is being held in a two by three-metre cell, confined to his room between 3pm and 7am, given one hot meal a day, and forced to share the prison with warring bikies and other criminals as he awaits trial. Andrew O'Keefe is struggling to adjust to his new life behind bars and has become a demanding 'prima donna', prison staff claim The disgraced host of Deal or No Deal was labelled 'self-entitled' as he grapples with his new lifestyle at Silverwater Correctional Complex, in western Sydney 'He's demanding,' a prison source told Daily Telegraph. 'Constantly asking for this and for that he's a real prima donna. 'I don't think he's come to terms with the fact that he's (on remand).' His dinner is heated up from a chill pack and given to him at 3pm. It is the only hot meal O'Keefe eats during the day. The 50-year-old, like the rest of the inmates, is given his night 'rations' of milk, cereal, seven slices of bread and sachets of coffee and prison-issue tea bags. His prison cell includes a metal bunk, open steel toilet, jug and sandwich maker. O'Keefe is only allowed to spend $150 buying goods from the prison every month. He can buy basic necessities including stationery, toiletries and hygiene products and some groceries. Confectionary, drinks and snacks and 'culturally friendly' food are also among the options. NSW Police allege the former White Ribbon ambassador attacked a 38-year-old woman on January 25 after meeting her at his unit on Kent Street in Sydney's CBD. The 50-year-old is currently being held in a 2m by 3m cell, confined to his room between 3pm to 7am, given one hot meal a day and forced to share the prison with warring bikies and other offenders waiting for trial (pictured, a shared cell in Silverwater) O'Keefe has pleaded not guilty to six charges including intentionally choking a person without consent, three counts of common assault and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm O'Keefe pleaded not guilty to six charges including choking a person without consent, three counts of common assault, and one count of assault occasioning bodily harm. The one-time Channel Seven star entered a guilty plea in February to a single possession charge over 1.5g of marijuana. The drug charge relates to the January incident in which police allege a violent struggle, but O'Keefe claims he acted in self-defence. Over a 17-year career with Seven, O'Keefe hosted Weekend Sunrise and game shows The Chase Australia and Deal or No Deal. He was axed by the network in January 2021. Ministers will introduce legislation this week to protect shoppers' money in savings clubs. It will prevent scandals like Farepak a Christmas savings club that collapsed in 2006, owing 37million to around 100,000 consumers. Savings clubs allow shoppers to pay for goods in instalments throughout the year, instead of in one go. These savings are currently not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. But new laws will mean the clubs must safeguard the cash, so even if the company goes bust, shoppers' money will still be protected. Consumer Minister Paul Scully, pictured, is set to announce plans that would safeguard money invested in savings clubs by consumers Consumer minister Paul Scully said: 'Now more than ever, families' hard-earned savings need to be protected. 'New laws will crack down on dodgy dealers who have no plans in place to protect shoppers' savings if their business goes to the wall.' He added: 'We're seeing rising costs caused by global pressures around the world, which is why we're taking action worth over 22billion this year to help UK families with the cost of energy bills and ensure people keep more of their money. 'We'll make sure scandals like Farepak never happen again, where thousands of families, many on low incomes, lost all they had saved for Christmas.' Many UK supermarkets and other businesses have a Christmas savings club, allowing customers to top up an account throughout the year and receive products and services in time for Christmas. Analysis from the Bank of England has shown the average family spending around 740 extra in December. The law will apply to Christmas savings clubs and other prepayment schemes that are forms of savings club. Ministers will also explore if there are other sectors posing risks to shoppers making prepayments, and whether similar protections are needed. When Farepak went bust in 2006 it owed 37million to around 100,000 consumers who had to wait years for partial payment Shoppers frequently make substantial prepayments in advance of events or work taking place, leaving them exposed to risks if the organisation they are doing business with becomes insolvent. Examples of things frequently pre-paid for include weddings and home improvements. When the Christmas savings club Farepak collapsed in 2006 it owed 37million to around 100,000 consumers. The consumers, many of them on low incomes, had saved an average of 400 with Farepak, and some had saved 2,000. They waited six years for payment. Although they eventually obtained around 50 pence in the pound, 70 per cent of this came from compensation funds set up to meet hardship. The number of unemployed men aged 50-64 is at its highest since records began 30 years ago, research suggests. Between December 2021 and February this year 1.47million were 'economically inactive', according to a study by Rest Less. Since the pandemic 179,000 have left the jobs market entirely but one in five would not rule out returning. Rest Less dubbed the findings a 'wake-up call for employers'. Stuart Lewis, Rest Less chief executive, said the findings 'should send much-needed alarm bells ringing amongst those who can help'. The number of unemployed men aged 50-64 is at its highest since records began 30 years ago, research suggests He said since the pandemic some 'have chosen to leave the workforce before they reach state pension age' and others 'have fallen out of the jobs market unexpectedly due to poor health, caring responsibilities or redundancy', leaving them financially and emotionally unprepared for retirement. With soaring cost of living, he said he is 'particularly worried' about the latter group. He said older workers face challenges including less workplace training, age discrimination in the recruitment process and being 'significantly more likely to end up in long term unemployment' once unemployed. Mr Lewis added that offering flexible working, all-age apprenticeships and training 'are most likely to attract this experienced generation back into the workplace and tap into all the benefits of a multigenerational workforce'. Mr Lewis said: 'Progressive employers who invest in measures such as flexible working, all age apprenticeships and retraining and upskilling for employees of all ages are most likely to attract this experienced generation back into the workplace and tap into all the benefits of a multigenerational workforce.' A Government spokesman said: 'Older workers are a huge asset to our economy and there are currently over nine million workers aged over 50 on employer payrolls - an increase of more than 370,000 compared to a year ago. 'Our Plan for Jobs is helping hundreds of thousands of older workers to retrain, build new skills and get back into work, including through our '50 Plus: Choices' offer. 'Across our Jobcentres we're helping people take stock of their skills, health and wealth when planning their next career move, with our 400,000 funding boost for midlife MOTs, and the advice and support of our older worker champions.' Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy blasted the Biden administration's handling of the war in Ukraine, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'probably' wouldn't have invaded the country if America had sent arms to Kyiv sooner. During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, McCarthy, who was part of a group of bipartisan House members who traveled to Poland earlier this month, said he witnessed the Ukrainian people's 'fortitude' in the face of the 'devastation' that Russia is causing in Ukraine. 'This is going to get stronger and rougher, and what really needs to happen is Ukraine is not asking for American men and women to fight,' the California Republican said on Fox News Sunday. 'All theyre asking for is the weapons to defend themselves.' 'If we would have taken those actions earlier instead of waiting until after Russia invaded, they probably never would have invaded, had we done that sooner,' he said. Scroll down for video Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, pictured, blasting the Biden administration's handling of war in Ukraine during an appearance on Fox News Sunday McCarthy, pictured, claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'probably' wouldn't have invaded the country if America had sent arms to Kyiv sooner Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a video conference call with permanent members of the Russian Security Council Last week, the Biden administration announced it was delivering $800 million in additional military assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total amount to $2.6 billion, Fox News Washington correspondent Mike Emanuel said on Sunday. McCarthy added that he didn't feel that Putin respected the sanctions the US and its allies have threatened to impose on Russia prior to the invasion on February 24. 'Ukraine was craving the ability to defend themselves. Had we moved the weapons to Ukraine earlier, that they could defend themselves, it would have saved thousands of lives and probably the decision of Putin not to enter,' McCarthy told Emanuel. 'And then after Putin entered, we had President Biden tell us, "Well, the sanctions take a long time to work,"' McCarthy said. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy thanks Army soldiers from California for their service in Poland The Defense Minister of Poland Mariusz Baszczak, left, welcomes Leader McCarthy, right, and US lawmakers to his residence in Warsaw US President Joe Biden speaks at the Alumni-Foundation Event Center of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina on April 14, 2022 McCarthy also took Biden to task for turning down an offer from Poland to ship MiG-29 fighter jets to a US air base in Germany, so that the US could transport them to Ukraine. The Republican House leader also slammed the president for refusing to protect Ukrainian airspace with a NATO no-fly zone. Meanwhile, the Biden administration said both actions would have likely escalated the war. McCarthy also pointed out how the US could learn from its experience in dealing with the invasion, and noted how Taiwan is facing similar pressure from mainland China. 'What we need to do is learn from here, provide the weapons to Ukraine, but also look to the future of what China is doing,' he said. A cemetery worker takes a rest from working on the graves of civilians killed in Bucha during the war with Russia, in the outskirts of Kyiv A woman carries her belongings as she walks pasts destroyed buildings following bombardment in Ukrainian town of Borodianka, in the Kyiv region The body of a civilian lies covered in the street after a Russian rocket attack hit a residential building on April 17, 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine 'Taiwan has been waiting more than a year for weapons they've already purchased to defend themselves. Let democracies defend themselves.' China has recently began ramping up its military presence in the South China Sea, with the belief that Taiwan, which is democratically governed, is a part of its territory. Earlier this month, the State Department approved a sale of $95 million worth of military equipment to Taiwan. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, that would make for the third arms package since Biden took office in January 2021. Healthy Australians under 65 will not need to get a second Covid booster before winter but may have to get one by Christmas, virus experts predict. Latest studies out of Israel, where much of the population has two boosters, found a fourth dose restored waning antibodies from the third shot. However, it only provided a modest increase in immunity against Covid infection with the main benefit being protecting against severe illness. Eligibility for a fourth vaccine dose is being considered by nations worldwide with the US drug regulator only approving the second booster shot for people aged over 50 last month. New data from infectious disease experts show a fourth Covid vaccine only offers a small and fleeting increase in protection against Covid for people under 65 Australia so far recommended the fourth dose to people over 16 who are severely immunocompromised, Australians over 65, indigenous Australians over 50, and residents in aged or disability care facilities. However, former co-chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and infectious disease physician Professor Allen Cheng said that was unlikely to be expended any time soon. Data from recent testing showed mixed results with some indicating the effects of a second booster shot fade quickly while others showed it offered vital extra protection to the elderly. Dr Cheng recommended people over 65 should receive the booster but said it was unlikely the fourth dose would be of much use to anyone else yet. 'For everyone else, what the evidence suggests so far is that giving another dose in the younger people protects them a little bit more, but that effect is probably quite short term,' he told The Age. Dr Cheng believed about 30 per cent of Australians have been infected with Covid since the beginning of the pandemic and those who received their third shot between December and January would be protected this winter. Former co-chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and infectious disease physician Professor Allen Cheng recommended people over 65 receive the booster However, a second booster could be rolled out to all Australians by the end of the year as immunity wanes further. Australian infectious diseases expert Professor Paul Griffin said a fourth dose would likely be recommended if a new Covid variant emerged or a massive increase in cases again depleted medical supplies. 'At the moment the fourth dose is being recommended for those highest risk groups for very good reason because of their higher risk of severe disease, but also their ability to not respond as strongly to the vaccine so far,' he said. 'But for most of the population, those things don't hold true and they're still benefiting from very good protection from a third dose.' Associate Professor James Trauer, who leads the epidemiological modelling team at Monash University, said a fourth dose, if offered, should not be mandatory. 'At some point with the vaccine mandates we've really got to say that it's like three doses is enough to be considered fully vaccinated,' he said. Advertisement Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russian forces are carrying out 'torture and kidnappings' - and called on Western allies to reinforce Ukraine's weapons arsenal. In a nine-minute video address shared on Facebook tonight, Zelensky said southern Ukraine had been ravaged by Russian torture squads. He said: 'Torture chambers are built there. They abduct representatives of local governments and anyone deemed visible to local communities.' Zelenskyy said humanitarian aid has been stolen, creating famine. In occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, he said, the Russians are creating separatist states and introducing Russian currency, the ruble. Intensified Russian shelling of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, has killed 18 people and wounded 106 in the last four days alone, Zelenskyy said. 'This is nothing but deliberate terror. Mortars, artillery against ordinary residential neighborhoods, against ordinary civilians,' he said. On an offensive in the east, Zelensky added: 'We are doing everything to ensure defense. We are in constant contact with partners. We are grateful to those who really help with everything they can. 'But those who have the weapons and ammunition we need and delay their provision must know that the fate of this battle also depends on them. The fate of people who can be saved. Earlier, in a CNN interview, he said it was vital Ukraine held Donbas, or Russia could press on to take Kyiv. He said: 'This is why it is very important for us to not allow them, to stand our ground, because this battle ... it can influence the course of the whole war.' Zelensky again called for increased sanctions against Russia, including its entire banking sector and oil industry. 'Everyone in Europe and America already sees Russia openly using energy to destabilize Western societies,' Zelenskyy said. 'All of this requires greater speed from Western countries in preparing a new, powerful package of sanctions.' His words come as the last defenders of Mariupol ignored Russia's 'surrender or die' warning and vowed to fight until the end. The Ukrainian MP for Odesa, Oleksiy Goncharenko, told BBC News: 'I spoke with them [the last fighters] yesterday, and I know that they're going to fight until the end.' Russia gave Ukrainian soldiers an ultimatum to 'surrender or die', urging them to lay down their arms by 6:00 am Moscow time (0300 GMT) and to evacuate before 1:00pm, on Sunday after the Russian Defence Ministry claimed their troops had cleared the urban area of the city - with only a small unit of Ukrainian fighters remaining in the giant Azovstal steelworks in the south-eastern port. The fighters ignored the demand. Earlier on Sunday Zelensky told CNN he hopes Biden will visit Kyiv to see the war for himself Earlier on Sunday Zelensky had called for US President Joe Biden to visit his country and said he believes the commander-in-chief will make the trip. The wartime leader also said his government had 'substantial evidence' that Russia's troops are committing genocide in Ukraine, as more and more western leaders accuse autocrat leader Putin of war crimes. Zelensky was asked by CNN State of the Union host Jake Tapper whether there are 'any plans' for Biden to come see the situation for himself. 'I think he will,' the Ukrainian president answered. He added on CNN of Biden's potential visit: 'It's his decision of course, and about the safety situation.' 'But I think he's the leader of the United States, and that's why he should come here to see.' Late last week Biden confirmed that his administration was discussing a possible Kyiv trip by a senior official and was 'making that decision now.' He told reporters that he wanted to go himself. Russia warned of 'unpredictable consequences' after the U.S. announced the latest in a series of aid packages for Ukraine this time including helicopters, 155 mm howitzer long-range artillery, and Switchblade drones as part of the $800 million effort. The Russian embassy in Washington fired off a two-page diplomatic note or demarche, dated Tuesday, to the State Department in protest. It was titled, 'On Russia's concerns in the context of massive supplies of weapons and military equipment to the Kyiv regime.' Zelensky said: 'Those who have weapons we need and delay must know fate depends on them' Autocrat Russian leader Putin is reeling from a series of humiliating losses in Ukraine Meanwhile the situation in war-torn Mariupol became ever bleaker over the weekend as local forces ignored Russia's chilling 'surrender or die' ultimatum. Kremlin forces told Kyiv fighters to lay down their arms by 6:00 am Moscow time (0300 GMT) and evacuate before 1:00pm, on Sunday. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed their troops had cleared the urban area of the city - with only a small unit of Ukrainian fighters remaining in the giant Azovstal steelworks in the south-eastern port. MP Goncharenko referred to the continuing siege of Mariupol as 'a real genocide' and said it was considered that 'more than 20,000 people' have been killed in the port city. President Zelensky said the Kremlin 'is deliberately trying to destroy everyone who is there' and asked the West for more heavy weapons immediately to have any chance of saving the port city on the Sea of Azov as Russian air strikes continue. 'Either our partners give Ukraine all of the necessary heavy weapons, the planes, and without exaggeration immediately, so we can reduce the pressure of the occupiers on Mariupol and break the blockade,' he said, 'or we do so through negotiations, in which the role of our partners should be decisive.' Were it to fall, it would be the the first major city to be taken by Russian forces since the invasion began on February 24. In Kyiv, renewed Russian air strikes hit an armaments factory, despite Moscow shifting its military focus to gaining control of the eastern Donbas region and forging a land corridor to already-annexed Crimea. 'During the night, high-precision, air-launched missiles destroyed an ammunitions factory near the settlement of Brovary, Kyiv region,' Russia's defence ministry said, the third such air strike near the capital in as many days. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk urged Russian forces to allow evacuations from Mariupol, which Moscow's forces claim to have brought under their control, though Ukrainian fighters remain holed up in the city's fortress-like steelworks. Earlier, Mr Zelensky had told Ukrainian journalists that the situation in Mariupol, which has come at a horrific cost to trapped and starving civilians, could scuttle attempts to negotiate an end to the war. A Russian Defence Ministry spokesman said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had been driven out of most of the city and remained only in the Azovstal steel mill, where tunnels allow the defenders to hide and resist until they run out of ammunition. The Russians already control what is left of the city after weeks of bombardment. Striking the steel plant to take the rest is part of Russia's preparations for the anticipated assault in eastern Ukraine. President Zelensky has admitted the situation in Mariupol remains 'extremely severe' and called on the west to provide the country with heavy weaponry Moscow gave Ukrainian soldiers an ultimatum to 'surrender or die' by 3am GMT on Sunday after the Russian Defence Ministry claimed their troops had cleared the city - with only a small unit of Ukrainian fighters remaining in the giant Azovstal steelworks in the south-eastern port. Pictured: Illich Steel and Iron Works in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine Experts say the fall of Mariupol, seen as strategically vital for Russian plans to attack eastern Ukraine , is inevitable. But holdouts in their underground bases hope to make conquering the Sea of Azov port as hard as possible for the attackers. Pictured: An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian's army tank fires in Mariupol Ukrainian fighters are putting up a hellish last stand in tunnels under an abandoned Stalingrad-esque Azovstal steel plant (pictured) in Mariupol as Russian forces close in on the besieged port city. Pictured: The Azovstal Steel and Iron Works facility Experts say the fall of Mariupol, seen as strategically vital for Russian plans to attack eastern Ukraine , is inevitable. But holdouts in their underground bases at the steelworks (pictured) hope to make conquering the Sea of Azov port as hard as possible for the attackers . Pictured: The view from inside the Azovstal Steel and Iron Works facility The Ukrainian MP for Odesa, Oleksiy Goncharenko (pictured), told BBC News that the last defenders in Mariupol won't surrender to Russia. He said: 'I spoke with them yesterday, and I know that they're going to fight until the end' But despite the offer, there have been no reports of soldiers laying down their arms with Kyiv yet to respond to the statement - as Russian air strikes continue on Mariupol, according to Ukraine's military Russian servicemen (pictured) on Tuesday secured Mariupol's Drama Theatre which was destroyed in a missile strike on March 16 At least 300 people died when Mariupol's drama theatre (pictured, Russian servicemen secure the destroyed building) was targeted in a Russian missile strike, despite being marked 'children' Mariupol's partially destroyed drama theatre which was hit on March 16 by a Russian airstrike as part of an intense campaign by Moscow's forces who are trying to take the city Service members of pro-Russian troops load rocket-propelled grenades into an infantry combat vehicle amid fighting near the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol Crosses are placed at a burial site of local residents killed in Mariupol as Russian forces continue a brutal siege of the city Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov in southeastern Ukraine, has seen the worst fighting of the seven-week-long war. Home to 400,000 people before Russia's invasion, the city has been reduced to rubble by Russian shelling An adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andriushchenko, said on Telegram that despite Russia's ''surrender corridor' for the remaining troops' in the city, 'our defenders continue to hold the defence'. Andriushchenko added: 'During the fighting, the occupiers shelled private residential houses with heavy artillery again.' Experts say the fall of Mariupol, seen as strategically vital for Russian plans to attack eastern Ukraine, is inevitable. But holdouts in their underground bases hope to make conquering the Sea of Azov port as hard as possible for the attackers. The urban landscape of the Azovstal steelworks where Ukrainian forces, who took refuge at the site following reports Russia had used chemical weapons, plan to take on the invaders seems almost tailor-made for guerrilla warfare, with sprawling rail lines, warehouses, coal furnaces, factories, chimneys and tunnels. The maze-like area is a metal works complex, Azovstal, owned by Metinvest, which has been the focus of urban fighting in Mariupol, just like the nearby Azovmash factory which makes rail components, cranes and other large metal structures. Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov in southeastern Ukraine, has seen the worst fighting of the seven-week-long war. Home to 400,000 people before Russia's invasion, the city has been reduced to rubble by Russian shelling. Over 20,000 civilians are believed to have been killed, tens of thousands remain trapped in the city, and countless numbers have fled. It is one of a number of sites were international investigators believe war crimes have taken place - including the bombing of a maternity war and of a theatre sheltering hundreds of people. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russian forces in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to fully link up with troops in the Donbas region, Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland and the focus of the anticipated offensive. Ukraine's deputy defence minister, Hanna Malyar, said on Sunday that Mariupol's defenders have tied up significant Russian forces besieging the city. She described the city as a 'shield defending Ukraine' that prevents the Russian troops encircling the city from advancing to other areas of the country. Ms Malyar said that the Russians have continued to hit Mariupol with airstrikes and appeared to be preparing an amphibious landing to beef up their forces in the city. Meanwhile, scattered Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine were an explosive reminder to Ukrainians and their Western supporters that the whole country remains under threat from an invasion now in its eighth week. A view shows a residential building, which was destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol A woman sits on a bench at a bus stop, which was damaged during a Russian assault in the southern port city of Mariupol People take belongings out of a residential building, which was destroyed during the conflict in the port city of Mariupol People walk past a residential building, which was destroyed during a Russian assault in the southern port city of Mariupol Tanks of pro-Russian troops drive along a road during Ukraine-Russia conflict near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine In Kyiv, renewed Russian air strikes hit an armaments factory, despite Moscow shifting its military focus to gaining control of the eastern Donbas region and forging a land corridor to already-annexed Crimea Russia says it blew up a Ukrainian munitions factory near Kyiv overnight using cruise missiles fired from ships in the Black Sea (pictured being launched) Moscow says the factory was used to manufacture the same kinds of missiles that were used to sink the Moskva, its Black Sea flagship, on Thursday After failing to capture Ukraine's capital and the humiliating loss of the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet, Russia's military command vowed to step up missile strikes on the capital, Kyiv. The Russians said they hit an armoured vehicle plant on Saturday, a day after targeting a missile plant. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Saturday's strike killed one person and wounded several. He advised residents who fled the city earlier in the war not to return. 'We're not ruling out further strikes on the capital,' he said. 'If you have the opportunity to stay a little bit longer in the cities where it's safer, do it.' Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the plant was among multiple Ukrainian military sites hit with 'air-launched high-precision long-range weapons'. Meanwhile, it was claimed that Vladimir Putin believes he is winning the war in Ukraine according to Austrian leader Karl Nehammer, whose comments were published this weekend as more rockets rained down on Kharkiv on Easter Sunday. The latest barrage of missiles to hit the besieged city of Kharkiv has left at least five people dead and more than a dozen injured, Ukrainian officials have said. The bombardment of rockets slammed into blocks of flats and left broken glass, debris and the part of at least one rocket scattered on the street. Firefighters and residents scrambled to douse flames in several buildings that caught fire. Maksym Khaustov, the head of the Kharkiv region's health department confirmed the deaths following a series of strikes that AFP journalists on the scene said had ignited fires throughout the city and tore roofs from buildings hit in the attacks. Like Mariupol, the north-east city of Kharkiv has been an ongoing target of Russian aggression since the early days of the invasion and has seen conditions deteriorate ahead of the eastern offensive. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who met Putin last week in Moscow, said he thinks the Russian president believes the war is necessary for his country's security. 'I think he is now in his own war logic,' Nehammer said in an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press', portions of which were released Saturday. I think he believes he is winning the war.' Bring our boys home: Family of British man paraded on Russian TV after he was captured defending Mariupol call on Kremlin to 'ensure his rights' as they pray for quick release for him and fellow Brit PoW BY WILL STEWART AND KAYA TERRY FOR MAILONLINE The family of a British prisoner of war captured in Mariupol have pleaded with the Kremlin to secure his rights after he was seen being taunted by a Russian TV reporter. Ex-British Army soldier Shaun Pinner, 48, who is a Royal Anglian veteran, was today paraded on propaganda TV in Russia in a heavily-edited clip and was told his Ukrainian commanders wanted him to be killed as he fled a factory hideout in Mariupol. Now, his family have released a statement in response to his capture, explaining how he became involved in the defence of Ukraine against the Russian invasion while calling for Shaun's Russian captors to adhere to the Geneva Convention's regulations regarding the treatment of POWs. 'Shaun was a well-respected soldier within the British Army serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment for many years. He served in many tours including Northern Ireland and with the United Nations in Bosnia,' the statement read. 'In 2018 Shaun decided to re-locate to Ukraine to use his previous experience and training within the Ukraine Military. 'Shaun enjoyed the Ukrainian way of life and considered Ukraine as his adopted country over the last four years. During this time, he met his Ukrainian wife who is very focussed on the humanitarian needs of the country. 'He progressed into the Ukrainian Marines as a proud member of his unit. At the end of 2022 his 3 year contract is due to end and he was planning to enter a humanitarian role within Ukraine.' The statement continued: 'We would like to make it clear he is not a volunteer nor a mercenary, but officially serving with the Ukrainian Army in accordance with Ukrainian Legislation. 'Our family is currently working with the Foreign Office along with the family of Aiden Aslin who is also being held by the Russian Army to ensure their rights as Prisoners Of War are upheld according to the Geneva Convention. 'Shaun is a funny, much loved well intentioned Husband, Son, Father, Brother and Friend to many. We are hoping for a quick resolution to allow Shaun and Aiden to return safely to their families and we ask for privacy at this difficult time. 'Our hearts go out to all those caught up in this horrific conflict.' Shaun Pinner, who served with the Royal Anglians and enlisted in the Marines in Ukraine after marrying a woman from the country, was captured by Russian forces while he was defending the besieged city of Mariupol The 48-year-old was interviewed by Andrey Rudenko (left) who is a pro-Kremlin journalist Pinner, who enlisted in the Marines in Ukraine after marrying his wife Larysa who is from the country, was told he could now be seen as an anti-Putin hero by the outside world. He is heard saying there was 'panic' as he was held after ending their siege in an industrial area of the blitzed city. His capture comes after Russia seized 28-year-old former care worker Aiden Aslin on Tuesday. He had also been fighting in Ukraine in the same trenches outside Mariupol as Pinner. 'We were in the factory area of Mariupol,' he said in a newly released clip of an interview made in captivity. 'It was Tuesday morning. It was decided we move from the factory, but we did not know exactly where. At about 4am we left the factory.' There was 'not much time to think,' said Pinner. After this, his words were subtitled in Russian but his original speech was not audible. Shaun Pinner, 48, was serving as a Marine in Ukraine, defending the key strategic port of Mariupol Pinner served with the Royal Anglians and enlisted in the Marines in Ukraine after marrying his wife Larysa (pictured right), who is from the country According to the subtitles, Pinner said: 'It was very dark. We took the injured with us. 'Mortar and artillery shelling began, military aviation worked. Panic began. Everyone started running in different directions. 'My commander seems to have disappeared. I still don't know what happened to those who were there with me.' Interviewer Andrey Rudenko - a well-known Russian war reporter on pro-Kremlin state TV - claimed without citing direct evidence that his Ukrainian commanders wanted him and others killed by Vladimir Putin's forces so they could be hailed as heroes in the propaganda battle against Moscow. 'The servicemen of the 36th brigade say their command specially sent them to be killed in order to make heroes out of them later,' Pinner was told. Rudenko told an exhausted-looking Pinner: 'You didn't have a single chance to reach this settlement Zachatovka, since Russian and DPR troops were everywhere.' In the event, he and other defenders were captured. He reportedly told his Russians captors that 'he doesn't want war and wants to go home' During the interview, Pinner was told he could be seen as an anti-Putin hero by the outside world According to the subtitles, Pinner said: 'It was very dark. We took the injured with us. 'Mortar and artillery shelling began, military aviation worked. Panic began. Everyone started running in different directions' (Pictured: Pinner with his wife Larysa) Pinner is heard replying to the claim that his Ukrainian commanders wanted him and others fleeing the factory to die: 'I had no idea. You know more than me. I don't particularly know anything' The report also quoted Pinner as saying - though his words were not audible in this broadcast: 'I had no idea, we were abandoned. 'I do not know who took such a decision. I do not know anything about the fate of the injured, who were left there. 'I do not know what happened to the dead bodies.' In an earlier interview, Pinner had identified himself and said: 'I am a citizen of the United Kingdom. 'I was captured in Mariupol. I am part of 36th brigade, 1st Battalion Ukrainian Marines 'I was fighting in Mariupol for five to six weeks and now I am in the Donetsk People's Republic.' Brit fighter Shaun Pinner has been captured by Russian forces after surrendering in Mariupol. He was paraded on Russian television looking clean-shaven with no visible wounds. He said on the broadcast: 'I am Shaun Pinner' In another clip suggesting he is caught up in Russia's propaganda campaign against Ukraine and the West, he reportedly said that 'he doesn't want war and wants to go home'. Pinner now faces interrogation by the Russian Investigative Committee. The committee is seen as an equivalent of the FBI and is run by Alexander Bastrykin, a university classmate of Vladimir Putin. 'This is the second Englishman caught in Mariupol.' His fate in the hands of the Russians and the separatist authorities in Donetsk remains uncertain. Prior to being captured in Ukraine, friends and family left well-wishes on Shaun's Facebook page, where he had snapped a selfie in which he was dressed in combat garb, adorned with the Ukrainian flag. 'Stay safe bro, love you,' read one comment from sister Cassandra. Other well wishers commented: 'Thinking of you brother and those with you,' while another one said: 'Respect matey, stay safe, move fast keep low.' His capture comes after Russia seized 28-year-old former care worker Aiden Aslin on Tuesday. He had also been fighting in Ukraine in the same trenches outside Mariupol as Pinner. There is concern for his safety amid fears that he could treated as a spy by the Kremlin. An image uploaded to his social media shows Aiden, 28, bruised, beaten and in handcuffs A second image, posted by a pro-Russia Telegram account, was closer to captured Aiden's cut In early March, around a week after Vladimir Putin launched his brutal invasion of Ukraine, Pinner gave a hard-hitting dispatch from near the front line, describing the situation as 'chaos'. At the time, he said he had endured a 'week of intense fighting'. Pinner also confirmed a number of his squad had died in the early days of the war, saying : 'We've lost a couple of guys today'. Mr Pinner filmed the dispatch as Vladimir Putin's men laid siege to Kyiv and other major Ukranian cities. In the video he does not reveal his location for security reasons. Since then, Russian forces have pulled back from the Kyiv region to refocus their efforts on the east of the country. The first British fighter captured in Mariupol was former care worker Aiden Aslin. Russia's state TV channels have broadcast suspect footage of Aslin being questioned by his captors after he was also forced to surrender in Mariupol. Mr Aslin, 28, joined the Ukrainian marines four years ago. He has dual UK-Ukrainian citizenship and a Ukrainian fiancee, yet Russia appears determined to brand him an enemy agent rather than a prisoner of war. The distinction is significant as under Russian law, those suspected of espionage face interrogation and lengthy prison sentences. Whereas POWs are released at the end of hostilities, convicted spies may remain behind bars, perhaps until an exchange of agents can be arranged. Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov in southeastern Ukraine, has seen the worst fighting of the seven-week-long war. Home to 400,000 people before Russia's invasion, the city has been reduced to rubble by Russian shelling Experts say the fall of Mariupol, seen as strategically vital for Russian plans to attack eastern Ukraine , is inevitable. But holdouts in their underground bases hope to make conquering the Sea of Azov port as hard as possible for the attackers. Pictured: An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian's army tank fires in Mariupol Service members of pro-Russian troops load rocket-propelled grenades into an infantry combat vehicle amid fighting near the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol Mr Aslin, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, was paraded on TV with his face bruised. It is thought he is being held in a military detention facility. Footage shows him being questioned by one of his captors off camera and he supposedly agrees with the suggestion that 'those who stood with you [in Ukraine], they are killers'. It remains unclear whether the recording was doctored for political purposes. But last night Mr Aslin's brother Nathan Wood said: 'People should not believe anything the Russians say or are making my brother say. He is being held against his will and forced to say whatever they tell him to. 'Anything that comes out of my brother's mouth now, and the mouths of his Russian captors, are lies.' Both Pinner and Aslin are believed to have been captured while fighting with Ukrainian soldiers to defence Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov in southeastern Ukraine. The city has seen the worst fighting of the seven-week-long war. Home to 400,000 people before Russia's invasion, the city has been reduced to rubble by seemingly indiscriminate Russian shelling. Russian forces have in recent days made advances in Mariupol and issued a chilling warning to the final troops defending the besieged city. Russian servicemen (pictured) on Tuesday secured Mariupol's Drama Theatre which was destroyed in a missile strike on March 16 At least 300 people died when Mariupol's drama theatre (pictured, Russian servicemen secure the destroyed building) was targeted in a Russian missile strike, despite being marked 'children' Russia gave Ukrainian soldiers an ultimatum to 'surrender or die', urging them to lay down their arms by 6:00 am Moscow time (0300 GMT) and to evacuate before 13:00pm, on Sunday after the Russian Defence Ministry claimed their troops had cleared the urban area of the city - with only a small unit of Ukrainian fighters remaining in the giant Azovstal steelworks in the south-eastern port. In a statement, the defence ministry said: 'The Russian Armed Forces offer the militants of nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries from 6am (Moscow time) on April 17, 2022, to stop any hostilities and lay down their arms. All who lay down their arms are guaranteed that their lives will be spared.' But with the last Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol refusing to surrender and accept Russia's now-expired ultimatum, the Ukrainian MP for Odesa, Oleksiy Goncharenko, told BBC News the last defenders will 'fight until the end'. He said: 'I spoke with them yesterday, and I know that they're going to fight until the end.' It comes as there was deadly shelling in Kharkiv over the weekend, which led to five people being killed and 13 injured, according to regional health officials. Connerjack Oswalt had gone missing from Clearlake, California in September 2019 at the age of 16-years-old Police bodycamera footage captured the emotional moment a mother from California was told her autistic teenage son had been found alive three years after he was reported missing. Connerjack Oswalt disappeared from Clearlake, California on September 28, 2019 at the age of 16 - but he was found earlier this month outside a gas stations store near Park City, Utah, more than 700 miles away from his old home. It's unclear what the teen had been up to for the three years he was missing - and the situation remains under investigation. Oswalt, who was diagnosed with autism in 2014, was spotted by Summit County Sheriff's officers, who saw him shivering late at night in the cold. They had received reports from residents that the boy had been wandering the area with a shopping cart for several weeks. The young man initially refused help, but he changed his mind when police revisited him last Saturday. Oswalt was found shivering outside a store gas station earlier this month Police offered to let him warm up by sitting in the front of their patrol car The boy was picked up by police in Utah 700 miles away from where he went missing 'You look like you're shivering,' the officers said as they approached. 'You cold? You want to come sit in his car and warm up for a minute? We can't have you sitting in front of the door here all night.' The officers offered the teen a seat in their patrol vehicle to warm up while they asked questions as to his identify. He also agreed to have his fingerprints scanned. Oswalt tells the officers that he doesn't want to be taken anywhere but to sit in the car to warm up. For whatever reason, the Connerjack 'either refused or was unable to give them his name' but the Summit County police force made sure he got the care he needed. One of the officers also set about searching the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database. Utah police then searched through missing persons records and found a match Another of the photos original shared by worried parents in 2019 Days later, the boy's stepfather made the journey to Utah to verify his identify for himself. Bodycam footage shot by the police shows the man sitting in a police interview with the boy's mother on speaker phone. She describes a 'very distinctive birthmark on his neck', which police confirm they found. Police show then show the man a picture of the original missing poster from three years earlier and ask him to compare it to an image shot the previous week. Mother, Suzanne, and stepfather Gerald Flint, are overjoyed at finding their son A police bodycam captured the moment the boy's stepfather confirmed it was him The stepfather's reaction is visceral and he immediately becomes emotional at realizing it is the teenage boy they lost years earlier. On the other end of the line, the Oswalt's mother asks, 'Is it him?' ''A little bit older, but yeah!', he responds. 'Oh wow! My sweetheart's alive!' she cries the mother can be heard shouting before breaking down in tears of joy, knowing her son has finally been found. 'Oh my God!' Oswalt is now receiving care and is expected to reunite with his mother soon. 'My sweetheart's alive!' Oswalt's mother, Suzanne exclaimed before breaking down in tears Mother, Suzanne, told CBS: 'We searched all over California. Were just grateful that hes safe and hes alive and we have our son back. Thats the most important thing ever for us.' Oswalt's stepfather, Gerald Flint, added: 'Honestly, Im still dumbstruck by the situation. We've had a lot of false hope over the last two-and-a-half years.' Flint drove from Idaho Falls, where the family had moved to since his disappearance, to Park City to carry out the in-person identification. Commenting on the moment Oswalt was reunited with his family, Sheriff Justin Martinez said: 'There wasnt a dry eye in the room. Theyve been reunited with this individual they havent seen for three years when he was 16. Hes now 19.' 'As weve dealt with this individual he has never been aggressive towards law enforcement but hes been resistant towards law enforcement,' Martinez told FOX 13 News. A TikTok star who was allegedly sprayed with acid while livestreaming claims she was asked sinister questions on social media just before the attack. Jenny Elhassan, 32, said a fake account demanded to know where she was before she was attacked outside Old Town in Haymarket, Sydney, on Friday. Three masked men jumped out of a black car before one of them allegedly threw acid onto her and the group fled. Ms Elhassan suffered burns to her right eye, forehead, and neck and was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital. 'I still remember when I was live streaming there was someone in my comments, a fake account, that was asking me where I was,' she said in a TikTok video on Sunday. 'They were also asking me why I had my sunglasses on indoors and they were telling me to take my sunglasses off and I said no to them.' Jenny Elhassan, 32, said a fake account sent her sinister questions before she was sprayed with corrosive liquid outside Old Town in Haymarket, in Sydney, on Friday Ms Elhassan went on to recount her experience and believed God was looking down on her during the attack. 'I do feel like God was watching down on me,' she said in the video. 'Number one: my daughter wasn't with me, she was in my mother's care. Number two: I was wearing sunglasses for some odd reason at 11 o'clock at night. 'Number three: there was a paramedic onsite that was off-duty. Number four: my sister was telling me to wash my face. She knew exactly what was happening.' The social media star did not address revelations she is a former in-law of one of Sydney's most notorious underworld figures. Ms Elhassan's sister Alia was formerly married to convicted drug smuggler Steven Elmir, once regarded as one of Sydney's most feared underworld figures. Police are also investigating potential links between her attackers and the notorious Alameddine crime family accused of several recent underworld hits. A TikTok star who was livestreaming before she was sprayed in the face with acid revealed she was asked on social media for her whereabouts before the attack Elmir was sentenced to up to 24 years behind bars for his role in a conspiracy to import nearly two tonnes of illicit drugs from the Netherlands in 2017. Known by the codename 'Mr Worldwide', he was one of nine men arrested over the sting which included Michael Ibrahim, the brother of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim. He spent two years in custody in Dubai for a 'civil debt' he was unaware of before he was extradited back home by Australian Federal police. Elmir will spend a minimum 14 years behind bars and isn't eligible for parole for another nine years. It's understood police are planning to question rapper Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes over allegations he was involved in the attack on Ms Elhassan, the Daily Telegraph reported. Younes was previously linked to the Alameddine family. Three masked men then jumped out of a black car before one of them allegedly threw acid onto her and the group fled (pictured, Old Town at Haymarket in Sydney) Jenny Elhassan (pictured) had acid thrown in her face by three men while leaving a restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown precinct on Friday night He was also reportedly close friends with Ms Elhassan and invested $200,000 into helping her establish her TikTok fame before a bitter falling out. Younes, who is currently on bail for charges of affray, assault and participate in a criminal group has denied any involvement in the attack on Ms Elhassan. His lawyer claimed police are yet to speak to Younes. 'I have spoken to my client, he vehemently and strenuously denies any involvement in the terrible incident,' Abdul Saddick told the publication. It has also emerged Ms Elhassan isn't cooperating with police as she doesn't want her attackers punished, amid fears the incident may escalate. 'In cases like this where the victim is reluctant to assist investigators it makes the job harder,' Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said. 'But we will get to the bottom of this public attack.' The new details emerged after it was revealed Ms Elhassan had taunted an unknown person hours just before the attack, saying 'I'm not scared of you... come for me' Jenny Elhassan is the former sister-in-law of convicted international drug smuggler Steven Elmir (pictured) The eerie message from a clip filmed earlier that day, she talked about getting threatening phone calls and addressed a person directly. 'Back off, back off I'm not scared of you. I don't give a f***. I'm making sure everything is public. If you wanna come for me, come for me.' In another clip filmed before she was attacked by three masked men who jumped out of a black SUV, Ms Elhassan said she had a 'bounty' on her head. After being attacked at the Old Town Hong Kong restaurant in Haymarket at around 11pm on Friday, she was rushed to hospital with burns to her right eye, forehead and neck. . Before the incident Ms Elhassan also posted another clip containing a recording of her speaking to a police officer, who confirmed 'they are coming after you'. A TikTok star claimed she was threatened with 'an attack' if she did not delete a podcast naming a man before acid was sprayed in her face in a terrifying ambush. He also warned her to stay in busy public areas for her own safety. 'While I was streaming someone came into my life and told me I better take the podcast down of [his] name or there is going to be an order on me,' Ms Elhassan said in a video before the ambush. It understood the 'order' was a targeted attack which may have been arranged for a payment, but the young mum refused to remove the post she was threatened over. 'I will drop your name for the rest of my life ... I could not give a f***,' she fumed. 'Get the po po's [police] involved, get the lawyers involved get the prime f***ing minister involved, nothing is going to stop me.' Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Jenny Elhassan detailed the threat in a video prior to the horrific incident which saw her rushed to hospital with burns to her right eye, forehead and neck late on Friday night Jenny Elhassan, the young mother who had acid thrown in her eyes on Friday, admitted she knows the identity of at least one of her attackers but didn't want to name them Ms Elhassan added that she would take the man to court if the 'order' was carried out - to 'make sure you have nothing'. A far more subdued Ms Elhassan broke her silence on Saturday, hours after a man threw acid in her face, admitting it would be 'better for me' if she did not escalate. 'I feel like I just want it to blow over, I don't want anything to escalate,' she told Channel Ten. 'I feel like if I just let it blow over it will be much better for me.' The young mother said she knew the identity of at least one of her attackers but didn't want to name them. Ms Elhassan was dining at the popular Dixon Street eatery moments before she was set upon Ms Elhassan filmed another video in her hospital bed showing the extent of damage to her face with burn marks on her neck and above her eyebrow Restaurant staff handed Ms Elhassan bottles of water before she poured the liquid over her face Police confirmed a HAZMAT crew attended the scene at 11.15pm and the woman was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment of facial injuries. The day after the attack she showed burn marks on her face and neck and in another video described the excruciating pain in her right eye. 'I still feel like there's a knife stuck in my eye,' Ms Elhassan said. She also added that she was relieved her six year old daughter did not witness the horror unfold, and believes her eyes were only saved by her designer sunglasses. NSW police are on the hunt for three men who fled along Dixon Street. The vicious attack was captured in her livestream, in which she is heard screaming for water seconds afterwards. She also claimed to have needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation administered by her sister, Alia, for 10 minutes because she passed out from the acid attack. Footage shows Ms Elhassan howling for water and begging for help from her terrified sister Alia Jenny Elhassan, 32, was dining at the Old Town Hong Kong restaurant on Dixon Street at Haymarket, in Sydney, at 11pm on Friday Footage shows Ms Elhassan howling for water and begging for help from her terrified sister. 'I can't see,' she says. 'Alia I can't breathe. Come give me mouth to mouth.' Restaurant staff handed Ms Elhassan bottles of water before she poured the liquid over her face. Ms Elhassan filmed another video in her hospital bed showing the extent of damage to her face with burn marks on her neck and above her eyebrow. She said she was wearing sunglasses at the time, but the 'black acid' still managed to get into one of her eyes. 'See the burn marks on my neck, the burn marks across my head and my eyesight,' she said. Police set up a crime scene and called in the NSW Fire and Rescue HAZMAT crews for assistance NSW Ambulance inspector Andrew Bibb said: 'When paramedics arrived, this patient was very distressed and appeared to be struggling to breathe. 'Her face was quite swollen as a result of the chemical substance which was also impacting her vision. 'A chemical burn to any part of the body is extremely concerning let alone to a person's face. 'Of all the injuries paramedics attend, burns can be the most painful and difficult to manage.' Anthony Albanese could not answer exactly how many nurses would be needed to fulfil his election promise of 50 urgent care clinics across Australia - just hours before Scott Morrison failed to answer a basic economy question correctly. When put on the spot during a press conference in Brisbane on Monday morning, the Labor leader gave a vague answer about every clinic having different needs. 'Each place is different. We know for example the melanoma institute will use that funding of $14 million to employ additional nurses. That will allow them to employ 35 additional nurses,' Mr Albanese said. Mr Albanese has promised all 50 clinics will be up and running in 2023 if he is elected prime minister on May 21. 'We know that it's a challenge but we also know that we have an obligation regardless of who's in government to train more nurses, to train more doctors,' he said on Monday as he kicked off the second week of official campaigning. A local reporter accused him of failing to provide the 'finer details' of the plan. He argued clinics would be run by GPs and nurses who would be able to determine their exact staffing needs at a later date. Anthony Albanese could not answer exactly how many nurses would be needed to fulfil his election promise of 50 urgent care clinics across Australia Labor critics are seen near where Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese holds a press conference after inspecting a street affected by recent flooding Mr Albanese wasn't the only politician to make a blunder on Monday. Just hours later, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was talking to reporters in Perth about the cost of living when he wrongly stated that Australians on welfare get $46 a week. The actual figure is $46 a day. Jason Clare, Labor's housing and homelessness spokesman, highlighted the gaffe on Twitter. 'Today Scott Morrison got the Jobseeker rate wrong,' Mr Clare wrote. 'Not by a little - he was out by $276 a week.' Despite Mr Albanese's blunder, he did have the facts at hand regarding the Coalition's perceived failings during natural disasters and crises. 'What we saw from the federal government, whether it be bushfires, floods or the pandemic... a real pattern of behaviour,' the opposition leader said. When put on the spot during a press conference in Brisbane on Monday morning, the Labor leader gave a vague answer about every clinic having different needs 'Scott Morrison, after the election in the 2019-20 bushfires, went missing. And he failed to act soon enough, and he only acted when the political pressure was really put on. 'On floods we saw again a political response rather than a human response. Rather than looking at people who were going through a really tough time and saying, 'What can we do to help?' Mr Albanese was in Brisbane meeting with flood victims who have not yet been able to return to their homes. Labor senator Murray Watt, who stood by Mr Albanese's side during the conference in Brisbane, also addressed Queenslanders directly saying residents in the Sunshine State had more reasons than most to abandon the Coalition. 'Why is it [that] wherever Queenslanders need Scott Morrison the most, he always turns his back whether it's Covid, whether it's floods, whether it's infrastructure or anything else,' Mr Watt said. 'It's about time Queenslanders and all of Australians had a prime minister who's prepared to work with the whole country, bring the whole country together, not pit state against state and mate against mate.' Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese greets local kids as he inspects a street affected by recent flooding On the first official day of campaigning last week, the Labor leader was asked if he knew what the interest rate was, but dodged the question. The rate has been at a historic low of 0.1 per cent since November 2020. Mr Albanese was later asked what the national unemployment rate was. He tried to guess but got it wrong. 'The national unemployment rate at the moment is... I think it's 5.4... sorry. I'm not sure what it is,' he said. The unemployment rate is 4 per cent, the lowest since 2008. Shadow Finance Minister Katy Gallagher was able to answer both questions correctly. On Monday, Ms Gallagher came to Mr Albanese's defence again, saying he was determined to have 'real interactions' ahead of the May 21 poll. 'I think that this election campaign, you have to keep it real,' she told ABC TV. 'You can't just have stage-managed, controlled events like the prime minister is having where nobody gets to see anybody.' She said her advice to Mr Albanese was to stay focused on the things that matter. 'We've got a nine-year-old tired government who has let aged care fall into disrepair, who haven't acted on climate, who have had a series of rorts and waste. 'Our plan is about dealing with all of the waste and rorts and mismanagement and focusing on what matters... Medicare, helping people with cost of living pressures and actually dealing with the climate crisis.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison's popularity is back on the rise as he and his wife Jenny greeted children at The Children's Hospital at Westmead Meanwhile in Perth on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was asked to rule out future cuts to Medicare if he is re-elected. 'I thought Anne Ruston, who I announced [as health minister] yesterday, should we be successful at the election... said yesterday there would not be any cuts. And I would repeat that today,' he said. 'I was clear about that yesterday. And why can I say that? Because under our government, we went from $19.1 billion in expenditure on Medicare to $31.4 billion. So we took a bulk-billing rate from 82.2 per cent to 88.8 per cent. 'The reason we have been able to achieve that is the same reason we can invest in the ships behind us. Because we have been running a strong economy, and we know how to manage a budget.' Labor jumped on comments Ms Ruston made back in 2014 about the viability of Medicare to express concerns her appointment as health minister could spell the end for subsidised public healthcare. 'This is a health minister now designate, if they're successful in the election, who we know will undermine Medicare,' Mr Albanese said in Brisbane. Ms Ruston was quick to assure the public there was no threat to Medicare. Anthony Albanese's election hopes took a hit after a significant blunder during the first week of campaigning but the margin of error in the latest opinion poll indicates it's still too close to call Mr Albanese's election hopes took a hit after a significant blunder during the first week of campaigning, but the margin of error in the latest opinion poll indicates it's not over yet. Both Mr Albanese and Scott Morrison suffered a series of gaffes in recent days but a poll conducted by Resolve Political Monitor found the prime minister's approval rating actually improved. Despite recapturing the lead as preferred PM, analysts said he was not a sure bet and opinions were likely to continue flip-flopping ahead of the May 21 election. There is a 2.6 per cent margin of error within the latest data. Just 1,404 people participated in the polling over the course of one week. The larger the margin of error, the less confidence the general public should have that the poll result would reflect the opinions of the entire population. Despite Mr Morrison's personal popularity rising, the Resolve Strategic survey indicates Labor would win 51-49 in a two-party preferred vote. But 27 per cent of voters said they were still not committed to voting for one party over the other despite the election being in just five weeks. These swing voters could throw polling statistics out of the window come election day. A current candidate for Brooklyn district leader - and outspoken 'rapper' - has reiterated his anti-police stances after an expose revealed his long history of verbal attacks on the NYPD. Thirty-seven-year-old Noah Weston, also known by the stage name 'Soul Khan,' doubled down on his remarks calling NYPD officers 'useless pigs' after the New York Post published a story on his anti-cop views. '[E]verything I said was accurate and I would say it again,' Weston tweeted on Sunday evening. The Post article dove into Weston's many comments criticizing the New York City Police Department, including tirades that branded officers as 'f****** pigs' and 'sacks of s***' who have failed egregiously to solve the Big Apple's incessant crime woes. Weston, a California native who is part of a rap group known as Brown Bag All Stars, has also hinted that NYC Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, is exacerbating the city's homelessness crises with his policies. 'The greatest threats in this city are Eric Adams and the NYPD,' Weston tweeted on Saturday in response to a post about officers clearing a homeless encampment. Weston has also called Adams a 'morally grotesque piece of s***.' The rapper, who is running for a district leader position in Brooklyn's 46th Assembly District, has also blamed cops for spreading COVID among vulnerable populations by refusing to wear masks, as well as the department's alleged use of violent and racist tactics. 'It is genuinely more productive to wipe your a** with money than to spend it on cops,' Weston tweeted in May, while another tweet read 'f*** the f****** pigs til the day their misbegotten lives end abolish these ogrish sacks of s***.' Thirty-seven-year-old Noah Weston, known artistically as 'Soul Khan,' doubled down on his remarks calling NYPD officers 'useless pigs' after the New York Post published an article on his anti-police views Weston, a California native who is part of the hip-hop group Brown Bag All Stars, also hinted that NYC Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, was exacerbating the spike in crime The Post article dived into Weston's many comments criticizing the New York City Police Department, blaming officers for failing egregiously to solve the Big Apple's incessant crime woes The rapper, who is running for leader in the 46th Assembly District, has largely blamed cops for refusing to wear masks, spreading COVID among vulnerable populations and using violent and racist policing 'cw: police brutality. F*** the f****** pigs til the day their misbegotten lives end abolish these ogrish sacks of s***,' Weston has also tweeted Weston has also called Adams a 'morally grotesque piece of s***' In a video posted late February announcing his bid for office, Weston ventured to say that the Democratic party had to be built from the ground up. 'From the indifferences and broken promises of Joe Biden, to the callousness and cruelty of Mayor Eric Adams, the Democratic Party has failed us, and we deserve better,' Weston said in the video. Long before dabbling in politics, Weston opened up about his mental health struggles and urged his followers to vote for Bernie Sanders. 'I've been thinking a lot about my daily routine, which usually includes taking a pill that keeps me from getting too hopeless...so a sad day doesn't turn into my last.' 'People like me need Medicare for all. The fact of the matter is that there is one person who has the vision and, yes, the plan to get us there and that's Senator Bernie Sanders....Vote Bernie,' Weston said in 2020 ahead of the Democratic Presidential nominee primaries. The very opinionated rapper often shares his views on social media and has said in the past that he does not believe the police department can be reformed and must instead be abolished. 'Bless the jury, f*** the pigs, and keep fighting [to] abolish, not reform,' he tweeted after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for the 2020 murder of George Floyd. After the Post's piece was published on Sunday, Weston, who identifies as queer, claimed to have received threatening messages telling him to 'pray for his gay to go away or else.' '[O]kay we need to talk about the police's toxic fandom,' he tweeted along with a picture seemingly showing the messages. Weston has ventured to say that the Democratic party has to be built from the ground up More recently, Weston took issue with the NYPD's response following a shooting in which 23 people were shot or otherwise injured when suspect Frank James, 62, opened fire and detonated gas devices inside a subway car last Tuesday '[S]eems like a more reliable and involved mental health care system would have done more to prevent this shooting than 11 billion dollars in wasted police funding,' Weston also said on Twitter Weston alluded that cops 'helped the shooter escape,' because they didn't have working radios 'It is genuinely more productive to wipe your a** with money than to spend it on cops,' Weston tweeted in May More recently, Weston took issue with the NYPD's response following a shooting in which 23 people were shot or otherwise injured when suspect Frank James, 62, opened fire and detonated gas devices inside a subway car last Tuesday. Weston alluded that cops 'helped the shooter escape,' because they didn't have working radios. 'We do bring up NYPD being useless at a time like this because the cops helped the shooter escape, didn't have working radios, and didn't prevent this but will use it as a pretext to hurt and kill people,' Weston tweeted Tuesday. After the shooting, a witness told The New York Times that a uniformed officer at the Sunset Park subway station where the victims were found said his radio was not working and asked passengers to call 911. Weston also claimed that 'Frank James did more than the NYPD to locate Frank James.' James had evaded officers for nearly 30 hours before calling cops on himself roughly 12 minutes before his arrest at a First Avenue McDonald's on Wednesday. '[S]eems like a more reliable and involved mental health care system would have done more to prevent this shooting than 11 billion dollars in wasted police funding,' Weston also said on Twitter. The district leader hopeful credited 'real community members' for James' arrest. 'Real New York community members, not cops, supported each other in meaningful, healing ways through this. Remember that,' he wrote. Meanwhile, southern Brooklyn assemblyman Peter Abbate Jr., told the Post Weston's verbal attacks made him a less than ideal candidate. 'He's not fit to be an elected party official using language like that. More than 99 percent of police officers are trying to help our community,' Abbate told the outlet. 'He should remain a rapper. On second thought, I don't think he's fit to be a rapper. He's smearing society.' New York City Assembly primaries will be held on June 28, while the general election is set for November 28. In the aftermath of the shooting last week, it was revealed that New York City Mayor Eric Adams had been warned multiple times there were not enough cops on the subway (File photo) A New York Police Officer of the anti terrorism unit patrols the 36th St. subway station, a day after a shooting incident took place in the Brooklyn borough of New York City In the aftermath of the shooting last week, it was revealed that New York City Mayor Eric Adams had been warned multiple times there were not enough cops on the subway. After 10 people were shot in the most recent attack to rock the city, Adams vowed to double the number of police out patrolling the system. The number of crimes in the subway has jumped 55 percent from the same period last year, according to data. As of last week, workday ridership on the subway is still at about 60 percent of what it was before the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020 with 3.3 million riders using the system. The mayor pledged to ramp up the uniformed cops out and about as he spoke from COVID isolation. Adams, a former cop, has vowed to reduce violence in the city with a crime-fighting plan that includes bringing back a version of the plainclothes anti-gun unit. Earlier this year, more than 200 cops from the NYPD's Neighborhood Safety Team were sent to patrol 30 key areas where shootings have risen alarmingly. Previous iterations of the unit were disbanded in 2020 by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio amid anger at policing sparked by the murder of George Floyd and concerns they accounted for a disproportionate number of shootings and complaints. The surging crime wave, which according to the latest NYPD statistics shows no signs of abating, has seen an uptick in almost all major crimes this year. For the year through April 10, major crimes are up 44 percent from the same period in 2021, with felony assault up 19 percent and robberies rising 48 percent, the latest NYPD data show. Murders have ticked down 11 percent, but other crimes are well up, with shooting incidents rising 8 percent, burglary up 31 percent, and grand larceny auto soaring 77 percent. Major crimes, meanwhile, are up overall, by nearly 50 percent. Two men are dead and another pair were hospitalized in critical condition after their boat capsized on the Long Island Sound on Sunday, with rescuers reporting that a language barrier initially prevented them from locating the distressed vessel. Authorities received a distress signal off Shippan Point in Stamford, Connecticut around 10:30 a.m. Easter morning, according to the Stamford Fire Department. Officials said they pulled two unconscious and unresponsive men from the water, alongside another two, who were semi-conscious. None of the four boaters were named as of Sunday night. Officials said a language barrier and conflicting reports of the boat's location prevented first responders from determining the exact location of the boat at first. Scroll down for video Pictured: the location in the Long Island Sound, off Shippan Point in Stamford, Connecticut, where the boat and boaters were eventually located on Easter Sunday The Long Island Sound, pictured, where two men were killed and another two hospitalized after their boat capsized on Sunday Two of the men were rushed by fireboat to an ambulance waiting onshore in nearby Darien, while the other two boaters were taken to several Stamford EMS ambulances waiting at West Beach in Stamford. One victim was taken to Norwalk Hospital, where he was pronounced dead 'after lengthy life-saving efforts were made,' while the other three were transported to Stamford Hospital, officials said. A second boater was later pronounced dead at a still-undisclosed hospital. The boaters were reportedly unable to return to shore in their 12-foot long vessel because of rough 3-4 foot swells and strong northwesterly winds. Officials said the boat was still being carried off shore by the wind and tide when one of the boaters made their last cell phone call to a family member prior to the vessel capsizing. The vessel was eventually located after Stamford Emergency Communications Center personnel tracked that call by usual 911 cellular tracking software. Authorities deployed five marine rescue boats to the area in response to the incident. Emergency responders quickly found the four men in the water and debris believed to be from the capsized boat once arriving in the area where the last phone call was tracked. The surviving boaters were reported to be in critical but stable condition, according to the Stamford Fire Department. The rescue was a coordinated effort from several local police and fire departments, including Darien, Noroton, Greenwich as well as the US Coast Guard, authorities said. The incident is currently under investigation by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Conservation Police. A North Carolina medical school put one of its students 'on leave' after she tweeted about purposefully missing a man's vein while drawing his blood - an act apparently meant to punish the patient, who mocked her for wearing a pronoun badge that said 'She/Her.' In a statement, Wake Forest University simply claimed the trainee doctor, Kychelle Del Rosario, had made an 'inaccurate statement' on social media. 'Wake Forest School of Medicine has completed a thorough review of the patient encounter with our medical student who recently made an inaccurate statement on social media,' the school wrote in a statement to 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' producer Gregg Re on Friday. 'The review determined that the student had no intention to harm the patient and followed Medical Center protocols The School and the student have agreed upon her taking an extended leave. During this time the student will not participate in any patient care activities.' The university has not stated how long the 'extended leave' will be nor have they explained how they determined nature of the stabbing of the patient was accidental. Wake Forest has also refused to state if the patient involved had been contacted about the incident. Wake Forest University School of Medicine defended Kychelle Del Rosario (pictured) despite her apparent admission to purposefully missing a man's vein during a blood draw The university has not elaborated on length of leave but the medical school said a probe found her claims on Twitter did not accurately reflect the incident The trainee doctor sparked outrage last month after she implied she had deliberately injured a man who mocked her by missing his vein during a blood draw. She now claims she did so accidentally, and says a more qualified medical professional made the second blood draw attempt in line with existing procedures. Wake Forest said an investigation found Del Rosario's claims on Twitter did not reflect the incident, adding she had followed the guidelines correctly. They did not comment further on how they had established the facts of the case. Meanwhile, a statement by the student hinted she would be back working after she had 'reflected' on her 'social media use as a professional'. The school was condemned for its slowness to respond to the scandal, and has yet to comment on the liability issues it could face if it does let Del Rosario loose again. Wake Forest University School of Medicine said an investigation found Del Rosario's claims on Twitter did not reflect the incident, adding she had followed the guidelines correctly. Above, the school's Dean, Julie Freischlag The institution said an investigation found her claims on Twitter (pictured) did not reflect the incident, adding she had followed the guidelines correctly It comes as fellow students rallied around her and slammed the victim, with another future doctor, Ewen Liu, even claiming the missed injection was 'karma-tic' for him mocking her. Del Rosario, a fourth-year student, was widely condemned for claiming on Twitter to have purposefully missed the patient's vein so she would have to jab him twice. She suggested her attack was justified because the victim - who has not been named - laughed 'loudly' at her She/Her pronoun pin. Wake Forest University School of Medicine said it reviewed the incident as soon as it was made aware of her tweet. It said in an updated statement from earlier in April: 'Our documentation verifies that after the student physician was unsuccessful in obtaining the blood draw, the student appropriately deferred a second attempt to one of our certified professionals. 'The student did not attempt to draw blood again.' The spokesman said she had followed the guidelines correctly after an investigation. Del Rosario added: 'I am writing this as an apology for a very irresponsible tweet that I sent on Twitter that I highly regret. 'For the event mentioned in the tweet, I was performing a blood draw on a patient and during our conversation they had shown dismay at my pronoun pin. 'I calmly shared my thoughts about pronouns and did not escalate the situation further. 'When I was doing the blood draw, I missed the first time due to my inexperience as a student, and per our policy, my supervisor performed the successful blood draw the second time. 'During this encounter, I never intended to harm the patient. I am truly sorry for poorly representing our school and our health system. 'I will reflect on responsible social media use as a professional and my duty to care for all my patients, regardless of any differences of belief.' Del Rosario was slammed online last month after tweeting she had messed up the injection on purpose due to the patient mocking her Wake Forest School of Medicine (pictured) did not respond to request for comment. DailyMail.com was also unable to reach Del Rosario The medical school said it was aware of the incident and would address it with Del Rosario Del Rosario was slammed online last month after tweeting she had messed up the injection on purpose due to the patient mocking her. She wrote: 'I had a patient I was doing a blood draw on see my pronoun pin and loudly laugh to the staff 'She/Her? 'Well of course it is! What other pronouns even are there? It?' I missed his vein so he had to get stuck twice.' The medical student wiped all her social media pages when the university said it was looking into the post. Despite the malpractice, students from Wake Forest University backed Del Rosario and hit out at the victim. Ewen Liu, also a medical student, said: '[I] heard this story firsthand weeks ago and [it] seems like [people] are misinterpreting (understandably from the phrasing). 'To clarify, the missed stick was COMPLETELY an accident and just seemed 'karma-tic'. 'She is kind and professional and would never harm anyone intentionally.' She later deleted the post. Ewen Liu, also a Wake medical student, said: '[I] heard this story firsthand weeks ago and [it] seems like [people] are misinterpreting (understandably from the phrasing)' Meanwhile in an op-ed for student publication Old Gold and Black, Sophie Guymon - a psychology sophomore from San Francisco - claimed the response was 'excessive'. She wrote: 'Twitter users were quick to condemn Rosario for purportedly violating the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm and ''assaulting'' a patient over ''[differences] in political beliefs'', while failing to offer any substantive or nuanced criticism of the bigotry expressed by her patient. 'The crux of the issue at hand is not the conduct of Del Rosario, but the bigotry expressed by her patient.' She added: 'Alleging that she attacked her patient simply because she disagreed with a remark they made and chose to tweet about it is an unwarranted logical fallacy.' But Guymon was blasted in the comment section of her post, with former alumni who went on to become doctors saying it was 'a disgrace'. One woman, called Christina, posted: 'She is a disgrace to the profession of medicine. 'She certainly alluded to purposefully missing the draw so he would be stuck twice. Her apology is very staged and hollow. 'She should be dismissed. We physicians will always encounter people who are not kind and we need to treat them equally. 'The person making excuses for her obviously has an agenda and is displaying poor judgement as well. Truly disgusting.' Meanwhile in an op-ed for student publication Old Gold and Black, Sophie Guymon (pictured) - a psychology sophomore from San Francisco - claimed the response was 'excessive' Del Rosario's original tweet was made in response to a post from Ghanaian-American physician, cartoonist and author Shirlene Obuobi MD addressing transphobia. Obuobj, who identifies as cisgender, said she has worn a she/her pronoun badge for a year to help patients and colleagues. In a thread addressing transphobia, Obuobj wrote those 'who fall under the trans umbrella feel a little more comfy.' She added: 'In the last few weeks, several cis patients have berated me for it.' Del Rosario appears to have been an active advocate for the trans community. Last year, she wrote an essay arguing against the 'Bathroom Bill' that sought to get people to use public restrooms corresponding to their gender assigned at birth. The medical student argued 'policies like these have consequential impacts on the health of transgender people'. She also shared how she was a leader for Safe Zone in Medicine, which she said was 'an organization run by health care trainees whose goal is to educate health professionals about the needs and disparities in LGBTQ+ healthcare.' She went on: 'This role prepares me to become a trustworthy doctor and advocate for the transgender communitya population which the medical field has harmed greatly in the past.' 'It also allows me to train other health care professionals who aim to improve their practice to be more welcoming and gender-affirming.' She argued she was 'outraged and disheartened' by the 'countless horrors' trans patients experience in the health care system, alleging many will not seek medical care 'due to fear of discrimination and mistreatment'. Del Rosario appears to have deleted all her social media accounts apart from her LinkedIn profile since her post sparked outrage across the country. It says she graduated in 2017 from the University of Virginia with a bachelor's degree in cognitive science with concentrations in neuroscience and biology. She was 'aspiring to become a medical doctor.' Her biography also indicated she worked as a Scribe for ScribeAmerica in several general pediatrics clinics through Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia, as well as at two dental facilities. Former Olympian Zali Steggall has dodged questions on transgender women competing in female sport. The bronze medal-winning skier turned politician holds the seat of Warringah on Sydney's north shore and is competing with local lawyer Katherine Deves. Ms Deves, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's hand-picked challenger, is under heavy pressure after numerous anti-transgender comments resurfaced. Ms Steggall was asked by reporters on Monday if she would have raced against transgender competitors during her ski event in Japan in 1998. The Independent MP brushed aside the question saying there were 'bigger issues' to focus on, including harassment and equal pay and media coverage. Warringah MP and ex-Olympian Zali Steggall has remained silent on transgenders competing in female sport as Katherine Deves is slammed over more tweets Her comment comes as Liberal candidate Katherine Deves draws more backlash from unearthed tweets comparing trans rights to Nazism and the Stolen Generation 'Sporting bodies from national federations to clubs, support (existing legislation and rules) as providing the right flexibility and framework to respond sensitively and carefully, prioritising the wellbeing of all involved and fairness for all athletes,' Ms Steggall told Daily Telegraph. 'We are talking of an incredibly small number of athletes.' Ms Deves hours earlier drew more backlash from unearthed tweets comparing transgender rights to the Nazis and the Stolen Generation. Senior government officials have already begun to distance themselves from Ms Deves including Foreign Minister Marise Payne, and she may be dis-endorsed from running for the marginal seat. In April 2021, Ms Deves tweeted about a trial where a Canadian father was taken to court for not supporting his teenager transitioning. 'This will go down in history as akin to the grudge trials of the Third Reich,' she wrote. 'I do not like to invoke Nazism but the parallels are remarkable and deeply sinister. 'We can only hope that when society comes to its senses, it's redeemed by trials similar to the Nazi wife and the border guards.' The father was arrested after violating a court order by publicly speaking about the transition of his child. The teenager was born female, but transitioned to being identified by male pronouns. In April 2021, Ms Deves tweeted about an overseas trial where a Canadian father was taken to court for not supporting his teenager transitioning In September 2021, Ms Deves criticised a decision by a Western Australia court to dismiss an appeal by parents whose transgender child was put into foster care NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Darren Bark and Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief Peter Wertheim attacked Ms Deves over the tweet. 'It appears Ms Deves has a history of making inappropriate and ill-considered statements comparing modern day events to the horrors of the Nazi era,' they said. 'While Ms Deves' recent apologies are welcome, it is well and truly time Ms Deves declares that such comparisons have no place in public debate in Australia. 'We invite her to visit the Sydney Jewish Museum to learn what life under Nazism was really like, and to understand how her comments trivialise some of the worst evils in history.' Ms Deves in September 2021 criticised a decision by a Western Australia court to dismiss an appeal by parents whose transgender child was put into foster care. 'Australia has a very dark history of children being taken from their families by the state (because) bureaucrats thought they knew better,' she wrote. 'Don't we owe it to lessons of the past, such as our shameful Stolen Generation scandal, to stop the destruction of families for flawed beliefs?' Foreign minister Marise Payne has distance herself from Ms Deves, saying she does not share her views Ms Deves also authored a submission to Save our Women's Sport where she suggested trans children diagnosed with 'gender dysphoria' were simply on the autism spectrum. 'There is a growing group of concerned parents who have suffered already due to this policy - ordinary, caring, diligent parents whose children have come to believe 'transitioning' is a solution to their problems,' she wrote. 'Many children 'diagnosed' with 'gender dysphoria' have pre-existing mental health issues; are on the autism spectrum; or are simply gender non-conforming and would likely grow up to be gay or Lesbian if they are left alone.' Ms Deves' views have caused friction within the Liberal party with Prime Minister Scott Morrison facing mounting pressure to dump the candidate. Foreign Minister Marise Payne distanced herself from Ms Deves, saying she did not share her views. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Darren Bark and Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief Peter Wertheim attacked Ms Deves over the tweet 'As the prime minister said yesterday, in public life, we do have to be very careful about the way we express our opinions. Most importantly, we have to exercise sensitivity and respect,' Payne said on Sunday. 'And in this case, in the case of the massively complex and extremely challenging issues that accompany any individual's decisions about transition and transgender issues, overwhelmingly that has to be the approach that we take one of sensitivity and one of respect. And that is my view.' South Australian senator Anne Ruston joined in to slam the 'absolutely unacceptable' comments made by Ms Deves. 'We are a broad church and people are entitled to their points of view,' she said. 'We don't live in an echo chamber. We need to accept that people have differing views, but the views that were expressed by Ms Deves were clearly unacceptable.' A charity kitchen in Ukraine run by celebrity chef Jose Andres' was struck and destroyed by a Russian missile strike Saturday - but the blast apparently won't stop the organization's workers from cooking. The World Central Kitchen in the Kharkiv, a northeastern Ukrainian city, was hit and four of the workers at the kitchen were wounded, according to the nonprofit. Andres, 52, who founded the World Central Kitchen in 2010 during the Haiti earthquakes, addressed the strike on Twitter. 'The @WCKitchen team and our fellow Ukrainians are unnerved but safe after a missile attack on a restaurant in Kharkiv,' he wrote. While members of their team were wounded, Andres reiterated the organization's commitment to feeding the hungry in Ukraine. 'Giving food in the middle of a senseless war is an act of courage, resilience, resistance and we will continue cooking,' Andres added. Another leader for WCK said Sunday that injured staffers were 'doing well' and that the team was already planning its move to a different location in Kharkiv. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine heads toward its third month, a charity kitchen run by celebrity chef Jose Andres' (pictured) organization was struck by a missile Saturday The World Central Kitchen in the Kharkiv, a northeastern Ukrainian city, was hit and four of the workers at the kitchen were wounded, according to the nonprofit Several workers are wounded while the rest immediately begin to rebuild and return to cooking No one was killed at the restaurant, but chief executive Nate Mook was on site and confirmed that one person had been killed from the missile strike. 'Just a tremendous amount of carnage left behind for no reason. In this area, there are offices there are residences. People live here. People work here people cook here and it's absolutely horrific brutality,' Mook said in a video he posted from the area. The video showed devastation all over the neighborhood, including cars that had been burned and other destruction. No one was killed at the restaurant, but chief executive Nate Mook (pictured) was on site and confirmed that one person had been killed from the missile strike U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with chef Jose Andres from World Central Kitchen as he visits Ukrainian refugees at the PGE National Stadium, in Warsaw, Poland March 26 'Truly in awe at the bravery of our @WCKitchen partners!' he wrote. 'The work doesn't stop!' The World Central Kitchen is currently operating in close to 30 Ukrainian cities and they say they've been serving about 30,000 meals per day. A professor at Boston University called Republicans 'the party of white supremacy' and not the 'party of parents,' despite the GOP 'branding' themselves as such. Ibram X. Kendi, Boston University's Andrew W. Mellon professor in the Humanities and Director of the Center for Antiracist Research, took aim at the GOP in an op-ed for The Atlantic, citing Republican opposition to critical race theory as a reason why they're 'clearly' not the party of parents. 'This Republican Party is not the party of any group of parents, but the party of white supremacy,' Kendi wrote. 'The Republican Party is clearly not the party of parents. The Republican Party is certainly not the party of parents of color. But is the Republican Party even the party of white parents?' '(They are) not the party of parents raising white kids. The Republican Party is not the party of parents raising girls, raising trans kids, raising kids of color, raising queer kids, raising poor kids, raising immigrant kids.' 'The Republican Party is making it harder for all of these kids to learn about themselves and their histories,' Kendi went on to write. Pictured: Ibram X. Kendi took aim at the GOP, citing Republican opposition to critical race theory as a reason why they're 'clearly' not the party of parents Kendi, pictured, called Republicans' efforts to 'brand' themselves as the 'party of parents' based on a 'myth' A protest against critical race theory at Scottsdale Unified School District (above), which took place before a digital school board meeting at Coronado High School in Arizona '(The GOP) is stripping parents and educators of their collective ability to protect vulnerable children from being indoctrinated byor victimized bythe scourge of white supremacy.' Kendi called Republican efforts to 'brand' itself as the 'party of parents' a 'myth,' on the scale of 'the great lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.' He added that the party has built that reputation on 'false conceptual building blocks.' Kendi also noted in his editorial that it's a common refrain among Democrats that 'Republican politicians care about white children,' though he claims that '[banning] anti-racist education is harmful to white children' as well. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, pictured, promotes the 'Stop Woke Act' on December 15, 2021 DeSantis displays the signed Parental Rights in Education, aka the Don't Say Gay bill, flanked by elementary school students during a news conference on March 28, 2022 According to Kendi, if Republican politicians indeed care about white children, 'they would not be ignoring or downplaying or defending or bolstering the principal racial threat facing white youth today.' That threat, according to Kendi? 'White supremacy.' 'Instead of focusing on this very real threat, Republican politiciansto justify Floridas Dont Say Gay lawhave cited QAnon conspiracy theories about public schools being overrun by child predators who are "grooming" children to be gay,' Kendi wrote. 'A spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis reframed the "Dont Say Gay" bill as an "anti-grooming" bill. But if QAnon Republicans really cared about white children, then they would be worried about white-supremacist grooming.' 'This is the grooming that parents of all children should be worried about.' Opponents of the academic doctrine known as Critical Race Theory protest outside of the Loudoun County School Board headquarters, in Ashburn, Virginia A person wears a QAnon sweatshirt during a pro-Trump rally on October 3, 2020 in the borough of Staten Island in New York City Kendi went on to say that 'anti-racist education' based on frameworks like critical race theory ultimately protect 'all children' and not just white children.' 'The Republican Party is making it difficult for individuals to learn about history,' he added. 'This is anti-racist education, and it protects white childrenall childrenagainst the growing threat of white supremacists, as I demonstrate in my upcoming book,' Kendi wrote. Last month, Florida legislature passed the controversial 'Stop WOKE Act,' a bill introduced by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in December in an effort to ban the teaching of critical race theory in schools and workplaces across the state. The bill codified a ban put in place by the state Department of Education earlier last year on the controversial topic in K-12 schools, as well as enacting new restrictions on private workplaces. Jon Mark Wilson, 58, from Missouri has been jailed for ten years after admitting to trying to hire a hitman to murder a boy hes accused of molesting A man from Missouri who was accused of molesting a child has now been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for attempting to hire a hitman to kill the victim in advance of any possible trial. Jon Mark Wilson, 58, pleaded guilty last September for setting up a murder-for-hire plot, according to the Department of Justice. Unbeknownst to Wilson, he was dealing with an undercover agent the entire time and ended up paying $2,000 to an ATF officer to 'carry out the murder.' Wilson decided to have his alleged victim murdered after the young boy's family had brought a child abuse case against him in Pettis County, Missouri. The case is still making its way through the courts, according to the Department of Justice. But instead of waiting to face justice, Wilson decided he would rather have his alleged victim killed in the hope the molestation prosecution would be dropped with the victim unable to testify. He set about contacting a hitman to carry out the murder, prosecutors said. The person whom Wilson contacted went straight to the police. Authorities then went and helped arrange a fake 'setup' meeting between Wilson and an undercover officer which saw him driving almost 100 miles from Sedalia, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas in January 2019. Unbeknownst to Wilson, he was dealing with an undercover agent the entire time and ended up paying $2,000 to an ATF officer to carry out the murder He agreed to front $2,000 in advance of the killing and a further $5,000 in cash once the job was complete. Wilson also gave the undercover officer a photo of the victim according to court documents seen by Fox News. Wilson told the undercover agent he would like to kill the victim's mother also, but did not have the money. 'It's the only choice I got,' he lamented to the agent. He also said that following the child's death, he hoped the mother would end up taking her own life too. Wilson bought 25 shotgun shells which he gave to the undercover officer to carry out the killing. No sooner was the meeting complete, Wilson was arrested when a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who had been lying in wait pulled him over as he drove away. Australian families living in Shanghai are becoming increasingly fearful of Covid lockdown policies that include separating children from their parents. The policy - described by some expats as 'inhumane' - is part of a draconian elimination strategy by the Chinese Communist Party. People who test positive to Covid, including children, are removed from their homes and placed into government quarantine centres - even if they're asymptomatic. Shanghai has been in a strict lockdown since March, but reported 24,820 new cases on Sunday. That number accounts for about 95 per cent of all cases identified in China in the 24 hour reporting period. The city of 25 million people has reported more than 300,000 cases since late March. Covid-infected children are being separated from their parents in Shanghai amid a fresh outbreak of the virus Australian father-of-two Norman Lau, who has lived in Shanghai for almost two decades, said he's terrified of the separation policy In the same month, health authorities in Shanghai reported 305 infected children aged six and under in their quarantine facilities. Australian father-of-two Norman Lau, who has lived in Shanghai for almost two decades, told ABC he is terrified of the separation policy. 'The risks of quarantine, separation from family... are even scarier than the risk of contracting Covid itself,' Mr Lau said. He has two children aged 11 and 14. For Ender Waters, a dual Australian-American citizen, the hardline stance is driving expats away from China. He arrived in September 2020 after spending six months enduring lockdowns in Melbourne. Several children in a metal-barred cot are wheeled through the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre as they are separated from their families after having contracted Covid Shanghai health officials have defended a policy of separating babies and young children from their parents if they test positive for Covid-19 , amid growing frustration at the city's zero-Covid policies Unlike Melbourne's on-again-off-again lockdowns, Mr Waters has noticed food scarcity in Shanghai. 'That was never the case in Melbourne, we [could] always go to the grocery store and get food,' he said. The English-language teacher was among a group of expats that signed a petition against the separation of Covid-infected families. The petition was removed from the internet within two days. 'I think it's a very inhumane policy,' he said. In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, people with mild and symptomatic cases of COVID-19 quarantine at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Shanghai, Friday, April 1, 2022 Wu Qianyu, an official from the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, brushed aside the fears of local parents. 'If the child is younger than seven years old, those children will receive treatment in a public health centre,' he said last week. 'For older children or teenagers... we are mainly isolating them in centralised (quarantine) places.' Ms Wu claimed the policy was integral to virus 'prevention and control work'. 'We have made it clear that children whose parents are also positive... can live in the same place as the children,' she added. A Covid patient inside one of the quarantine centres filmed the reported inhumane conditions in their facility in a bid to raise public awareness. In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a medical worker conducts antigen testing for an elder resident in Shanghai, China, on Sunday, April 3, 2022 More than 200 patients, including young children, shared four toilets with no showers at the makeshift isolation hub on a vacant office floor. President Xi Jinping insisted China sticks to the elimination policy, known as 'dynamic Covid clearance'. For Shanghai, the policy means converting schools, recently finished apartment blocks and exhibition halls into quarantine centres, the largest of which can hold 50,000 people. Diplomats from more than 30 countries have written to the Chinese foreign ministry urging authorities not to continue the brutal policy. 'We request that under no circumstances should parents and children be separated,' said a letter written by the French consulate in Shanghai that was addressed to the foreign affairs office of Shanghai on March 31. Those residents who test positive to Covid are being forced to remain in quarantine warehouses until they can produce two consecutive negative PCR tests In a separate letter to the Chinese foreign ministry dated the same day, the British embassy in Beijing said it was concerned by 'recent instances when local authorities have sought to separate minors who tested positive for Covid-19 from their parents' and requested assurances that this would not happen to diplomatic staff. The French consulate and British embassy both said they were writing the letters on behalf of other countries, including including Australia and New Zealand, after hearing about difficulties caused by Shanghai's lockdown. Australian Ambassador to China Graham Fletcher described the situation as 'very upsetting'. 'Along with other governments with [a] presence in Shanghai, Australia has raised our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities, including about access to food, medical services, or the airport,' he said. Advertisement Images have emerged which appear to give a first glimpse at Russia flagship Moskva after it was blown up by Ukrainian missiles last week before it sunk to the bottom of the Black Sea. The pictures, which seem to have been taken from a rescue vessel alongside the stricken Russian warship, show damage its left side along with flames burning below deck and a thick pall of black smoke rising into the sky. Moskva is shown sitting low in the water, leaning to the port side, and appears to have deployed its lifeboats with no crew visible on board. Its rear helicopter door is also open, suggesting the aircraft has taken off. There also seems to be a firefighting ship behind the vessel which is spraying jets of water into the air. Multiple black marks scar the port-side of the ship, including several near deck-level where smoke appears to have streamed out of portholes and left marks on the paint. But there are also dark marks close to the waterline that don't match the position of portholes and suggest the ship has sustained external damage. The images are largely consistent with Ukrainian descriptions of the sinking - that the Moskva was hit by two missiles on its port side which sparked a fire and caused it to roll - and contradict Russia's account which was that the ship suffered a fire and internal explosion in rough seas. Video has also since emerged which appears to show two rescue vessels approaching the burning ship - one to the left side and one to the right - in which a Russian voice can be heard speaking. One man says 'what the f*** are you doing?' before the short clip ends. Analysts and experts who reviewed the images say they do appear genuine. It is unlikely that Russia will confirm the authenticity of the pictures, amid a near-total information blackout around the sinking which is a huge embarrassment to Vladimir Putin's beleaguered armed forces. Moscow did stage what appeared to be a parade of crew members in the port of Sevastopol - in occupied Crimea - on Sunday, during which the captain of the warship and between 150 and 250 members of its crew were shown on camera alongside Black Sea Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov. The Moskva typically carries up to 510 sailors, and there was no word on the whereabouts of the remaining crew or their condition. But horror accounts of the sinking have started to emerge from conscripts serving on board the ship, with one telling his parents that at least 40 members of the crew were killed with 'many' left missing or maimed with lost limbs after the strike. Hundreds are thought to have died as the vessel went down. Images have emerged which appear to show the Russian warship Moskva heavily damaged and on fire in the Black Sea shortly before it sank last week The pictures seem to contradict Russian accounts of the sinking, after Moscow claimed the warship sank in choppy seas while being towed to the port of Sevastopol following an explosion on board A short video clip also appears to show the listing battleship, with a voice heard saying - in Russian - 'what the f*** are you doing?' before the seconds-long clip cuts out The images show what appears to be damage to the left-hand side of the vessel close to the water line, smoke and fire damage along its left-hand side, missing lifeboats and open helicopter bay doors - suggesting the aircraft has taken off. A rescue ship also appears to be behind the stricken ship, spraying water jets Moskva (pictured last leaving port on April 10) got into trouble on April 14 while sailing around 60 miles off the coast of Odesa - Ukraine's largest port - before Moscow confirmed she had sunk on April 15 Parents of another conscript say they have found out some 200 were wounded - many with horrific burns and other major injuries. Elsewhere in Ukraine today, at least six people were killed and another eight wounded - including a child - after five Russian cruise missiles struck the western city of Lviv in the early hours. Two people also died and four were wounded in Monday attacks on the towns of Marinka and Novopol, west of Donetsk - regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram - and an air strike hit an armaments factory in the capital Kyiv. In the country's second city of Kharkiv, at least five people were killed and 20 wounded in a series of strikes just 13 miles from the Russian border. Russia's defence ministry said it had destroyed four arms and military equipment depots in Ukraine overnight with Iskander missiles, the TASS news agency reported on Monday. Russian forces had hit 315 Ukrainian targets in total overnight, it added. To the south of Kharkiv, Ukraine also claimed to have carried out several successful counter-attacks near the city of Izyum, where Russia is mounting its forces for an anticipated assault on the wider Donbas region. Attacks pushing east out of Kharkiv seized territory around the towns of Bazaliyivka, Lebiazhe, and Kutuzivka - Ukrainian officials said - which would cut off an important Russian supply route from Belgorod to Izyum. Another attack further to the east claimed to have captured territory around Borova, also cutting supply lines and leaving Russian forces at Izyum in danger of encirclement. Street battles were also reported in Kreminna, near the city of Severodonetsk, as Russian forces try to push out from occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. Speaking about the sinking of the Moskva, one mother who spoke to Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta - which is now operating outside the country having been gagged by Putin - said: 'I first heard from him only on 15 April, two days after the incident.' 'My son said the cruiser was hit from the land, from the Ukrainian side, because the fire on board would not have started without a reason. There are people who were killed, wounded and missing. 'My son called me as soon as they were given phones [after being rescued]. Their documents and phones were on the cruiser. He called me, and he cried over what he had seen. It was horrendous. Clearly not everyone survived.' She said: 'Most of the wounded have limbs torn off, because of the explosions from both the missiles and the detonated ammunition. My son was crying when he called me on 15 April. 'He said: 'Mamochka (tender for mum), I never thought I'd get into such a mess during supposedly peaceful times. I won't even tell you the details of what I've seen, it was so horrendous.' The mother said: 'I don't want to share his name because I am scared to damage my son. They signed non-disclosure agreements before boarding the cruiser. Please understand me, I am terrified. I am petrified, and I don't know how I will wait for my son to return.' Mark Tarasov, 24, a conscript who went missing after the Moskva cruiser was taken out by Ukrainian missiles last week Mark Tarasov (left), 24, a Russian conscript who went missing after the Moskva cruiser was sunk last week. He is seen here posing with his mother Ulyana and father at the railway station, when he left for the service Yegor Shkrebets (first from the right), 20, a conscript who is missing after the Moskva cruiser sank. He is seen here posing with other sailors at Moskva cruiser, 4 days before the tragedy. Among them is another missing conscript, Mark Tarasov, 24 Yegor Shkrebets, 20, a conscript who went missing after the Moskva cruiser was destroyed last week Russia has remained tight-lipped about the fate of Moskva's crew, but on Sunday released this footage which it claimed showed the ship's complement on parade in Sevastopol Footage showed the ship's captain - Anton Kuprin (centre) - parading in front of his men, which were estimated to number between 150 and 250. Moskva typically carries up to 510 men, and Russia did not say what had happened to them Anton Kuprin (left), captain of the Moskva, salutes Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the commander in charge of Russia's Black Sea Fleet which the vessel led as the flagship 2014: Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on-board the Moskva with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Moskva was a Soviet-era guided missile destroyer that was designed to taken on US aircraft carriers with large amounts of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles She indicated that the Defence Ministry is stopping the survivors from going home, perhaps to prevent accounts of the calamity for Putin reaching the outside world. 'How the hell did you allow the Moskva to be sunk?': TV anchor dubbed 'Putin's voice' rages at Russian navy A leading Russian TV presenter known as 'Putins voice' expressed cold fury at the sinking of the Black Sea flagship Moskva. It appeared that Vladimir Solovyov was articulating the Kremlin leaders own anger when he launched a full-frontal attack on the Navy in a nationwide broadcast. 'I am furious about what happened to the Black Sea Fleets flagship, Moskva,' said the state TV anchor, sanctioned for his links to Putin. 'I am simply furious.' 'And yes, we say it was quite old, and went through repairs and, yes, this series of ships has vulnerabilities. 'I get it. 'But tell me this: how did you manage to lose it Explain me, why the hell you were in that particular area of the Black Sea, at that time?' The loss of the Moskva is the biggest single humiliation for the Russian war effort in a campaign that Vladimir Putin hoped would see Ukraine roll over and submit to his hegemony in a matter of days. Solovyov raged: 'And I dont care what exactly happened - if indeed [it was] the two Neptune missiles as the Ukrainians said. 'Anyway, since when was a combat ship scared of a missile strike, since it has a defence system? 'So, was something not activated? 'Okay. Even if it was hit with two missiles, and it ignited the ammunition 'What happened to your fire fighting system?' His rant contrasted with recent Sunday evening where he has lauded the Russian war machine and heaped blame on the West, for example accusing Britain of choreographing the massacre in Bucha, claiming the horrors were staged and had nothing to do with Putins forces. His blast echoes other whispers that Putin was left incandescent by the loss of the Moskva. The Kremlin went into denial over the sinking and it is still unclear how many perished, with estimates that it runs into the hundreds. Footage of some of the rescued crew lining up on a Sevastopol parade ground - broadcast on Saturday - failed to clarify the matter. It showed perhaps 150 sailors, including an officer who closely resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking. Yet the date the Defence Ministry footage was filmed was unclear. So too was the fate of sailors not present from a crew which is believed to number 510. Solovyov appeared to have been given license to hit out at the navy - indicating that the Kremlin is seeking to find a culprit for the catastrophic loss of the cruiser. There are suggestions that Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, has been detained or suspended over the loss of the flagship. Advertisement 'I've no idea how I'll live through this while waiting for my son to return, waiting for him to finish his service. It's awful. And the [state] media, of course, doesn't give any details. Why? Because the Ministry of Defence doesn't want to admit defeat by Ukraine. It doesn't want to admit that such a cruiser sank.' Separately, a father has vowed to find out the truth about his conscript son Yegor Shkrebets, 20, a ship's cook on the Moskva, now missing presumed dead. Dmitry, from Yalta in annexed Crimea, said: 'It was reported [by Russian state media] that the entire crew had been evacuated. It is a lie. A blatant and cynical lie. My son is a conscript, and as I was informed by the immediate commanders of the cruiser Moskva, he is not among the dead and wounded and is included in the list of missing. 'A conscript who was not supposed to take part in hostilities is listed as missing.missing on the high seas. After my attempts to clarify the data on the incident, the cruiser commander and his deputy stopped communicating. 'I asked directly: How come you, the officers, are alive, and my son, a conscript soldier, died?' The father said: 'They tried to tow the cruiser to Sevastopol, but on the way it suddenly sank. Keep thinking for yourselves. I, Dmitry Shkrebets, the father of this conscript Yegor Shkrebets ask everyone who is not afraid and not indifferent. 'Spread this appeal of mine wherever you have the opportunity so that the bastards do not hush up this terrible tragedy. Take care of your children, take care of each other. And I will devote my whole future life to ensuring that the truth wins in this story. A man whose son was taken away in such a vile way is not afraid of anything. 'Thank you for not being indifferent. Soon they will delete this post again, so copy it.' He implies that his earlier post was deleted by the VK - Russian social media - administration. Yegor's mother Irina Shkrebets told The Insider and said that she and her husband had been to a hospital in Skalistaya Bay, where they brought the wounded from the cruiser. According to her, there were about 200 injured sailors. Irina said: 'We looked at every burned [young sailor]. I cannot express how hard it is, but I didn't find mine. There were only 200 there, and there were more than five hundred on the cruiser. 'Where are the others? We turned to Krasnodar, and other [cities], called everyone, but we couldn't find him.' Her son had been conscripted in August and was involved in the incident when the Moskva took Snake Island early in the war. After the Moskva was sunk, she said: 'We went to the unit. The commander came out, threw up his hands and said: "I won't tell you anything." 'I said: "Where is my son?", and he said: "Well, somewhere in the sea." My husband began to argue: "What does it mean in the sea? Where have you been?" But unit commander refused to answer. These commanders were not on the ship.' The parents tried to get an answer from the FSB - the Russian Federal Security Service, the main domestic security agency. 'We arrived at the FSB in Sevastopol, where even a man refused to come out - they were standing behind the fence,' she said. 'My husband shouted: "Come out and call the police. Let me punch you in the face." 'He didn't even come out, behind bars he showed his hands criss-cross, to say goodbye, that's all. This is the service of the navy and the FSB of Sevastopol.' They tried to get the authorities to show them the list of the dead and missing, but were refused. A commander who was on the ship also contacted Irina. She recalled: 'I said: "Can you at least tell me how my son died?" And he said: "I don't know anything, they were at the supply post. We had missiles all over the cruiser." He could not say and somehow did not say that a missile had actually hit the cruiser.' Media outlet Agentstvo identified another conscript Mark Tarasov, 24, who was called up after studying at university. His mother Ulyana Tarasova, 47, posted on her social media accounts on April 17: 'My son, Tarasov Mark, went missing on the Cruiser Moskva.' Her son graduated from St. Petersburg State Transport University and was called up in autumn 2021, she said. She posted pictures from the railway station when she saw him off to military service. Taras himself posted pictures with the caption: 'See you in a year'. Agentsvo got in touch with the woman - a friend - who was pictured with Taras on one of the farewell pictures. She confirmed that he had gone to service in the navy. Earlier, Taras - now presumed dead - had travelled to Portugal, Sweden and Greece. Naval chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, 60, admitted at the weekend that there had been conscripts on board - despite assurances from the Kremlin that they would not fight in the war. LVIV: Five 'powerful' Russian missile strikes hit the city early Monday, in a rare attack on a western city that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the Russian invasion began. Pictured: Smoke rises after 5 aimed missile strikes hit Lviv, Ukraine on April 18, 2022 Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko shared this picture from Lviv on Monday, showing thick black smoke rising from a burning building near a railway track Firefighters at work in the immediate aftermath of a Russian shelling in Kharkiv, 17 April 2022 MARIUPOL: A view shows a residential building, which was destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says it's vital not to lose sight of how to pay for health and welfare as voters head to the polls on May 21. The incoming federal government will have a role in assessing at least three coal mines in Queensland. Renewable energy and phasing out fossil fuels are key issues in many seats, with a new wave of independents arguing for stronger action on carbon emissions cuts. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce (pictured) has said Australia needs more coal mines to pay for the rising cost of Medicare, social security, and welfare The Greens are also aiming to pick up a number of new Senate seats by campaigning on more ambitious climate action. Throwing his support behind more coal development, Mr Joyce said a coalition government would invest in 'the things that make us money'. 'Medicare and social security have to be paid for,' he told the Seven Network on Monday. 'We are the side that is brave enough to say that we make it from iron and coal and gas, and if we lose sight of that we're not making the money that can support all of the vital economic and social infrastructure so important to this nation.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned that a vote for the so-called teal independents was a vote for instability. 'You just don't know what you are going to get,' he told reporters in Perth. 'The great risk of voting for an independent in one of those contests is that you throw the parliament into chaos and uncertainty.' Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese (pictured) said his party's position on mining development was clear. If coal mines 'stack up' environmentally and commercially, Labor would welcome the jobs new mines would create Mr Morrison, who is due to address the mining industry in Perth on Tuesday, said he would continue to back the industry. 'It's why I'm always here (in WA) trying to ensure we're cutting the red tape and green tape that can frustrate the resources industry,' he said. Labor leader Anthony Albanese said his party's position on mining development was clear. 'You have appropriate environmental approvals and if coal mines stack up environmentally and then commercially, which is a decision for the companies, then they get approved,' he told reporters in Brisbane. 'Labor would welcome any jobs that would be created from that. 'It's important because of the way that the (environmental protection) act works that we don't pre-empt the environmental approvals process, and that that is able to take place independently of government intervention because that's what the act requires.' The incoming federal government will have a role in assessing at least three coal mines in Queensland's Galilee Basin Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek said her party would welcome a debate on economic management. 'This is a government that actually doubled the debt before COVID-19 hit,' she said. 'The Morrison government and the Howard government are the two highest taxing governments in the last 30 years.' She said the Morrison government had admitted low wages were a deliberate design feature of its economic management. 'We want to lift that (cost of living) burden to make sure that they have good jobs and a pay rise and cheaper childcare and cheaper healthcare and an easier life.' Greens leader Adam Bandt said the decision on three new coal mines in Queensland's Galilee Basin would be a key test for the next government. 'If you open new coal mines, you're not serious about climate,' he said. The Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook, which provides independent updated information on the economy and budget ahead of the election, is due to be released this week. Ben Fordham has blasted a 'knucklehead' Labor MP after he shared a clip of himself holding an edited photo of Scott Morrison on fire. Julian Hill posted a video on social media to push young Australians to enrol to vote for the upcoming election before targeting the Liberal party's track record on issues such as climate change, housing affordability and education. Hill held up a poster of Scott Morrison throughout the clip before flipping it over to an edited image of the Prime Minister with flames underneath, telling viewers to vote if they want to 'burn the Morrison government'. 2GB radio host Ben Fordham called out Hill for the video message on his radio show on Easter Monday. Ben Fordham has blasted a Labor MP, referring to him as a 'knucklehead,' after he shared a clip of himself holding an edited photo of Scott Morrison on fire 'I think people need to be aware of the some of the language they use around election time and some of the images they use as well because we've noticed something that's been posted by the Labor MP Julian Hill,' Fordham began. The broadcaster urged the person 'overseeing the media campaign that's been pushed by out there by Julian Hill' to check his 'social media feeds this morning'. 'Julian Hill has put out a social media message encouraging people to enrol [to vote], but he's used an image of Scott Morrison on fire,' he continued. Fordham then played out the Labor MP's video message on the radio and proceeded to slam the edited picture of Scott Morrison. 'Julian Hill thinks it's appropriate to show a politician seemingly on fire. He has a very strange sense of what's right and what's wrong.' 'We don't need knuckleheads like Julian Hill promoting this kind of thing,' Fordham added. Ben Fordham (pictured) slammed Hill for the video message on his 2GB radio show on Easter Monday, saying, 'We don't need knuckleheads like Julian Hill promoting this kind of thing' Hill (pictured) posted the original video to his personal Twitter to encourage young Australians to enrol to vote before targeting the Liberal party's track record on issues such as climate change, housing affordability and education Hill posted the original video to his personal Twitter where he is seen holding up an image of Scott Morrison smiling on one side. 'Here's one way to wipe the smirk off Smirko's face over Easter. There's one thing this bloke is terrified of. And that's young Australians enrolling to vote,' he said. The politician told his followers the Morrison government has 'attacked and neglected young people' and listed areas where the government has dropped the ball. 'No action on climate change; wrecking housing affordability; making education and TAFE and university harder and more expensive; wage cuts; wage theft; casualised and insecure work,' Hill claims. The politician tells his followers that the Morrison government has 'attacked and neglected young people' as he lists areas where the government has dropped the ball He concludes his video message by encouraging his viewers to vote against the Morrison government as he flips his placard over to the picture of Morrison on fire. 'If you think Australia deserves a better future. If you want to wipe the smirk off this bloke's face on election day. If you want to burn the Morrison government, don't delay, vote today'. Around 600,000 Australians are not enrolled to vote, according to the Australian Electoral Commission. Australians have until 8pm on Easter Monday to enrol to vote. Advertisement Vladimir Putin sent up strategic nuclear-capable bombers into the skies over Western Russia today amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the calamitous sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea last week. Videos from today and Saturday caught four of the aircraft - used to carry nuclear bombs - over the Kaluga region, between Moscow and the Ukrainian border. The planes are believed to be Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, and appeared to be flying in striking distance of Ukraine. The Defence Ministry in Moscow had not immediately announced the purpose of the mission. The Tu-95s have been used a number of times to strike targets in Ukraine with non-nuclear weapons, notably Kh-55 and Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles. The super-loud Tu-95 is the only propeller-powered strategic bomber still in operational use today, and the plane first flew 70 years ago. Putin has deployed the Tu-95s to buzz Britain at moments of high tension, for example in February this year when the Royal Air Force scrambled Typhoon fighters to escort two Bears off northern Scotland. In February, Putin ordered Russia's nuclear forces to be put on high alert, and threatened NATO allies with 'consequences greater than any you have faced in history' should they intervene in the Ukraine conflict. The show of force came as five 'powerful' Russian missile strikes left at least seven people dead and eleven more injured in Lviv early Monday, the regional governor has said, as multiple Russian attacks rocked Ukraine overnight. The strikes were a rare fatal attack on the city 40 miles from the border with Poland that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the Russian invasion began almost two months ago, on February 24. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin sent up his strategic bombers in the skies over Western Russia today amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea. Videos from today and Saturday caught four of the aircraft - used to carry nuclear bombs - over the Kaluga region, between Moscow and the Ukrainian border. The planes are believed to be Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, and appeared to be flying in striking distance of Ukraine. In Lviv, footage showed plumes of thick, black smoke rising over the city after a series of explosions shattered windows and started fires, while one video filmed by a civilian appeared to show a cruise missile flying overhead. 'At the moment, we are able to confirm that seven people have died. We also know that 11 people are injured. A child is among them,' the Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytsky said in an update on the strikes on social media. 'Three victims are in critical condition,' he added. A hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled fighting further east was among the buildings badly damaged in overnight missile strikes, according to Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, who put the toll at six dead and 11 wounded. 'The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv,' said Lyudmila Turchak, 47, who fled with two children from the eastern city Kharkiv. 'There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe.' Two people also died and four were wounded in Monday attacks on the towns of Marinka and Novopol, west of Donetsk - regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said - and an air strike hit an armaments factory in the capital Kyiv. In the country's second city of Kharkiv, at least five people were killed and 20 wounded in a series of strikes just 13 miles from the Russian border. Scroll down for video Vladimir Putin sent up his strategic bombers in the skies over Western Russia today amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea. The planes are believed to be Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, and appeared to be flying in striking distance of Ukraine The Tu-95s have been used a number of times to strike targets in Ukraine with non-nuclear weapons, notably Kh-55 and Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles. The super-loud Tu-95 is the only propeller-powered strategic bomber still in operational use today, and the plane first flew 70 years ago Pictured: A Russian Tu-95 'Bear' aircraft, pictured near Britain in February this year when the Royal Air Force scrambled Typhoon fighters to escort two of the aircraft away from northern Scotland Five 'powerful' Russian missile strikes hit Lviv early Monday, in a rare attack on a western city that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the Russian invasion began. Pictured: Locals watch on as firefighters battle a blaze after a civilian building was hit by a Russian missile on April 18, Lviv Pictured: Smoke rises from the destroyed building in Lviv on Monday, which was struck by a Russian missile attack Pictured: Responders work to fix a railway line in Lviv after a nearby building was destroyed in a Russian missile strike, April 18 Pictured: Smoke rises after 5 aimed missile strikes hit Lviv, Ukraine on April 18, 2022 Smoke rises after missile strikes, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Lviv, Ukraine April 18, 2022 Smoke rises after five aimed missile strikes hit Lviv, Ukraine on April 18, 2022. The region's governor said that the strikes had killed at least six people Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko shared this picture from Lviv on Monday, showing thick black smoke rising from a burning building near a railway track Smoke is seen on the horizon after Russian missiles struck the area on April 18, 2022 in Lviv Russia's defence ministry said its forces had destroyed four arms and military equipment depots in Ukraine overnight with Iskander missiles, and hit 315 Ukrainian targets in total overnight, the TASS news agency reported. The military said missiles struck more than 20 military targets across Ukraine overnight - including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. Meanwhile, it said warplanes conducted 108 strikes on Ukrainian troops and military equipment. The claims couldn't be independently verified. However, according to Euan MacDonald - a reporter for the New Voice of Ukraine - one of the Lviv strikes hit a tire servicing centre, and another landed near a railway station. He said it appeared Russia was trying to stop the flow of western weapons being delivered to Ukraine to bolster its resistance. Russia has insisted it is not targeting civilians in its invasion - despite thousands of deaths and mounting evidence on the contrary. On April 1, a double-Russian missile strike hit Kramatorsk train station, killing dozens of evacuees. The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of wanting to 'destroy' the entire eastern region of Donbas, as the remaining forces in Mariupol prepared Monday for a final defence. Monday also saw reports of a Ukrainian counter-attack near the eastern city of Izyum, close to the Russian border and where Moscow's forces are said to be building up in preparation for an assault on Donbas. Military analysts say Russia is increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railways and other infrastructure targets across Ukraine to wear down the country's ability to resist a major ground offensive in the Donbas, Ukraine's mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial heartland. General Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News the strikes were part of a 'softening-up' campaign by Russia ahead of a planned ground offensive in the Donbas. Russia is bent on capturing the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists already control some territory, after its attempt to take the capital, Kyiv, failed. 'We are doing everything to ensure the defense' of eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation on Sunday. The president vowed to 'fight absolutely to the end' in Mariupol - a strategically vital port city and where the last known pocket of resistance was holed up in a sprawling steel plant laced with tunnels. Moscow is pushing for a major victory in the city as it works to win control of Donbas and forge a land corridor to already-annexed Crimea. But Ukraine has pledged to fight on and defend the city, defying a Russian fight-or-die ultimatum Sunday that called on the remaining fighters inside the encircled Azovstal steel plant to lay down their arms and surrender. Elsewhere, the first images of the sunken Russia flagship Moskva after it was blown up by Ukrainian missiles last week and before it sunk to the bottom of the Black Sea have emerged. The pictures, which appeared to have been taken from a rescue vessel alongside the stricken warship, showed damage its left side along with flames burning below deck and a thick pall of black smoke rising into the sky. The images are largely consistent with Ukrainian descriptions of the sinking - that the Moskva was hit by two missiles on its port side which sparked a fire and caused it to roll - and contradict Russia's account which was that the ship suffered a fire and internal explosion in rough seas. MARIUPOL: Tanks of pro-Russian troops drive along a road during Ukraine-Russia conflict near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 MARIUPOL: A view shows a residential building, which was destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 The first images of the sunken Russia flagship Moskva after it was blown up by Ukrainian missiles last week and before it sunk to the bottom of the Black Sea have emerged Yehor, 7, stands holding a wooden toy rifle next to destroyed Russian military vehicles near Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 17, 2022 Ukrainian interior ministry sappers collect unexploded shells, grenades and other devices in Hostomel, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 18, 2022 A Ukrainian interior ministry sapper collects unexploded shell in Hostomel, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 18, 2022 People take shelter after an air raid siren sounded on April 18, 2022 in Lviv, Ukraine People take shelter after an air raid siren sounded on April 18, 2022 in Lviv, Ukraine A view of sandbags placed at windows for further protection as civilians take refuge in shelters after the second siren has sounded following the multiple Russian missile strikes hit Liviv, Ukraine on April 18, 2022 After the humiliating sinking of the Moskva, the Kremlin had vowed to step up strikes on Kyiv - with Russia saying on Sunday that it had attacked an ammunition plant near the capital overnight with precision-guided missiles, the third such strike in as many days. Explosions were also reported in Kramatorsk, the eastern city where rockets earlier this month killed at least 59 people at a train station crowded with civilians trying to evacuate ahead of the Russian offensive. In Lviv, twenty-one-year-old resident Andrei said he was sleeping when the sirens began wailing at around 8:00 am (0600 GMT). 'I slept through the first three strikes, but then when the last one hit, it was like my windows were about to break, and the furniture moved,' he said. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak wrote on Twitter: 'Five powerful missile strikes at once on the civilian infrastructure of the old European city of Lviv. The Russians continue barbarically attacking Ukrainian cities from the air, cynically declaring to the whole world their 'right' to kill Ukrainians,' he added. The head of Ukraine's national railways Alexander Kamyshin said that some of the site's infrastructure had been damaged and there would likely be delays to services, but no passengers or staff were injured. Lviv in late March was hit by series of Russian strikes that targeted a fuel depot and injured five people. On March 18, bombardments hit an aircraft repair factory near Lviv's airport. No injuries were reported. Russian cruise missiles on March 13 targeted a major military base about 25 miles north west of Lviv, killing at least 35 people and injuring 134. A view of graves for people killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at a cemetery in Irpin, Kyiv region, Ukraine April 18 Oleg, 48, holds a candle during the funeral of his brother-in-law, Roman Vered, 53, who according to his family was killed by Russian soldiers and recently identified in Kyiv's morgue, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the cemetery in Irpin, Kyiv region, Ukraine April 18, 2022 The coffin of Roman Vered, 53, who according to his family was killed by Russian soldiers and recently identified in Kyiv's morgue, is seen before his burial, as a gravedigger drinks water amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the cemetery in Irpin, Kyiv region, Ukraine April 18, 2022 Relatives and friends attend a funeral ceremony for a man who was killed by Russian soldiers in Bucha on March 17, at the municipal cemetery in the recaptured city of Bucha of Kyiv area, Ukraine, 18 April 2022 In recent weeks, Ukrainian authorities have urged people in the eastern Donbas region to move west to escape the expected large-scale Russian offensive to capture its composite regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. 'Russian troops are preparing for an offensive operation in the east of our country in the near future. They want to literally finish off and destroy Donbas,' Zelensky said in an evening statement. CNN anchor Jim Sciutto reported on Monday morning that a Ukrainian official had said the eastern town of Kreminna, near Luhansk, had been lost to Russian forces. He said the official told him that Russian soldiers had opened fire on a civilian car as they tried to flee the area, killing four people. Further south, Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraine's unexpectedly fierce resistance since Russian troops invaded the former Soviet state. 'The city still has not fallen,' Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. 'There's still our military forces, our soldiers. So they will fight to the end,' he told ABC's 'This Week'. 'We will not surrender.' While several large cities were under siege, he said, not one - with the exception of Kherson in the south - had fallen, and more than 900 towns and cities had been re-captured. Ukraine's government said it had halted humanitarian evacuations for the second day, saying Russian forces were targeting civilian evacuation corridors. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Monday that Russia was shelling and blocking the humanitarian evacuation routes. The humanitarian evacuations have been repeatedly paused since the war began after civilian convoys came under shelling. According to Vereshchuk, the government had been negotiating passage from Mariupol and Berdyansk, among other towns, as well as from the Luhansk region. The Luhansk government said four civilians trying to flee the region were shot to death by Russian forces. Lugansk governor Gaiday said he had proceeded with evacuations. 'At our own peril and risk, we took out several dozen people anyway, but it's already dangerous,' he told Ukrainian media. The UN World Food Programme says that more than 100,000 civilians in Mariupol are on the verge of famine and lack water and heating. And Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said the city was on 'the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe', saying they were compiling evidence of alleged Russian atrocities there. 'We will hand everything over to The Hague. There will be no impunity.' People walk past a destroyed tank during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 A woman cries while walking down a street, which was damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 A man walks near a residential building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 Service members of pro-Russian troops drive an armoured vehicle during Ukraine-Russia conflict near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 In Mariupol, there appeared to be little hope of military rescue. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CBS' 'Face the Nation' on Sunday that the remaining Ukrainian troops and civilians there are basically encircled. He said they 'continue their struggle,' but that the city effectively doesn't exist anymore because of massive destruction. The relentless bombardment and street fighting in Mariupol have killed at least 21,000 people, by Ukrainian estimates. A maternity hospital was hit by a lethal Russian airstrike in the opening weeks of the war, and about 300 people were reported killed in the bombing of a theater where civilians had taken shelter. An estimated 100,000 people remained in the city out of a prewar population of 450,000, trapped without food, water, heat or electricity. Drone footage carried by the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti showed mile after mile of shattered buildings and, on the city's outskirts, the steel complex, from which rose towering plumes of smoke. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar described Mariupol as a 'shield defending Ukraine.' He said the Russians were pounding Mariupol with airstrikes and could be preparing for an amphibious landing to reinforce their ground troops. Firefighters at work in the immediate aftermath of a Russian shelling in Kharkiv, 17 April 2022 Smoke rises from a building as first responders arrive at the scene of Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine on April 17, 2022 A man walks into his burning building after a Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 17, 2022 The mayor of Bucha - a town near Kyiv where the discovery of dead civilians sparked international condemnation and war crimes accusations - said Russian troops had raped men as well as women and children there. Zelensky said he had invited his French counterpart to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence that Russian forces have committed 'genocide' - a term President Emmanuel Macron has avoided. 'I talked to him yesterday,' Zelensky told CNN in an interview recorded on Friday but broadcast Sunday. 'I just told him I want him to understand that this is not war, but nothing other than genocide. I invited him to come when he will have the opportunity. He'll come and see, and I'm sure he will understand.' Zelensky, describing the situation in Mariupol as 'inhuman', has called on the West to immediately provide heavy weapons. But Russia has warned the United States this week of 'unpredictable consequences' if it sent its 'most sensitive' weapons systems to Ukraine. Its defence ministry claimed Saturday to have shot down a Ukrainian transport plane in the Odessa region, carrying weapons supplied by Western nations. On Sunday, spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian missiles had destroyed ammunition, fuel and lubricant depots in eastern Ukraine and 44 Ukrainian military facilities, including command posts. Russian air defence systems shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft in the Kharkiv region and a drone near the city of Pavlograd, he added. Maksym Khaustov, the head of the Kharkiv region's health department, confirmed the five deaths there following a series of strikes that AFP agency journalists on the scene said had ignited fires throughout the city and torn roofs from buildings. 'The whole home rumbled and trembled,' 71-year-old Svitlana Pelelygina told AFP as she surveyed her wrecked apartment. 'Everything here began to burn. I called the firefighters. They said, 'We are on our way, but we were also being shelled.'' Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov, in an impassioned address marking Orthodox Palm Sunday, lashed out at Russian forces for not letting up the bombing campaign on such a sacred day. A man walks near a residential building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 People take belongings out of a residential building, which was destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 A view shows the bodies of civilians killed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 Service members of pro-Russian troops gather in a street during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 The Ukrainian flag flutters between buildings destroyed in bombardment, in the Ukrainian town of Borodianka, in the Kyiv region on April 17, 2022 UN food agency seeks safe access in Ukraine war zones The United Nation appealed Friday for access to Ukrainians trapped in war zones, saying those besieged were starving to death. The Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP), which has been operating in Ukraine since the start of the conflict, says it has delivered food assistance to 1.4 million people. It has not been allowed access to conflict zones, including the southern port city of Mariupol whose population of 100,000 is surrounded by Russia's army, and the heavily-shelled Mykolaiv east of Odessa. 'We're calling on everyone to give us the access we need to reach the people in besieged cities,' WFP Executive Director David Beasley said in a statement. 'It's one thing when people are suffering from the devastation of war. It's another thing when they're being starved to death.' WFP said it was preparing to deliver food to 2.3 million people this month, but needed safe access. In areas around the capital Kyiv where the Russian army has retreated, such as Bucha and Irpin, the agency is distributing pasta, rice, cooking oil and canned meat to civilians. More than 7 million people are displaced inside Ukraine with the normal supply chains to deliver food to the population 'broken down in many areas,' WFP said. Reporting by AFP Advertisement Zelensky called the bombing in Kharkiv 'nothing but deliberate terror.' In his nightly address to the nation, Zelenskyy also appealed for a stronger response to what he said was the brutality of Russian troops in parts of southern Ukraine. 'Torture chambers are built there,' he said. 'They abduct representatives of local governments and anyone deemed visible to local communities.' He again urged the world to send more weapons and apply tougher sanctions against Moscow. In the eastern city of Kramatorsk, Orthodox Palm Sunday granted its residents some respite before the expected Russian onslaught. In the Orthodox Svyato-Pokrovsky church, around 40 people - mostly women wearing colourful headscarves - attended the service. 'It's very hard and scary right now,' said a congregant as she arrived at the red-brick church topped with four gleaming domes. One young mother, Nadia, said she refused to be evacuated for fear of travelling alone with her two children and leaving her relatives in Kramatorsk. 'We don't go to the basement each time there's a (bomb) siren. It's too stressful for them (the children),' she said. 'We have our spot in the basement just in case, but we prefer to stay in the house if possible. We dim the lights.' And in Kharkiv, the city's metro stations are now home to residents of the eastern metropolis fearful of the battle raging above. Those impromptu living spaces have become host to makeshift stages, where poets and puppeteers work to lift spirits. 'A person cannot live only with war,' Serhiy Zhadan - a literary celebrity in poetry-obsessed Ukraine - said. 'It is very important for them to hear a word, to be able to sing along, to be able to express a certain emotion.' The looming offensive in the east, if successful, would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a badly needed victory to sell to the Russian people amid the war's mounting casualties and the economic hardship caused by Western sanctions. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who met with Putin in Moscow this past week - the first European leader to do so since the invasion Feb. 24 - said the Russian president is 'in his own war logic' on Ukraine. n an interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Nehammer said he thinks Putin believes he is winning the war, and 'we have to look in his eyes and we have to confront him with that, what we see in Ukraine.' Boris Johnson's government is embroiled in a deepening battle with the Church of England today over his plan to send Channel migrants to Rwanda. Former archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams today became the latest high-profile ecclesiastical leader to attack the 120million programme that would see economic migrants arriving in the Uk illegally sent to Africa. He joined his successor and the incumbent Archbishop Justin Welby, and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell in questioning the morality of the plan, labelling it 'sinful'. However ministers have hit back at the church leaders, accusing them of throwing criticism without suggesting a viable alternative to halt the small boats carrying thousands of people across the Straits of Dover. Dr Williams was today asked about the scheme in a Times Radio interview. 'Is the policy sinful? I think, in a word, yes,' he told the broadcaster. 'I think that without commenting on the motivation, or moral standing, of any individual involved, the policy itself seems to me to be not in accord with, with what I understand about God.' Archbishop Justin yesterday used his Easter Sunday sermon to launch a scathing criticism of Home Secretary Priti Patel's deal, signed in Kigali last week. On Sunday morning, the Archbishop told his Canterbury congregation that the UK has a duty as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' after anyone who arrived in Britain illegally since January 1 could be relocated to Rwanda under a new deal. But it sparked a hardline response from Ms Patel and other ministers, who invited him to come up with with a better idea or stop carping from the sidelines. Ms Patel resurrected the row on Easter Monday, using an opinion piece in the Times to attack her critics. Without naming the head of the Church of England in a joint article with Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta, she wrote: 'We are taking bold and innovative steps and it's surprising that those institutions that criticise the plans fail to offer their own solutions.' Minister Greg Hands was even more direct on a round of interviews today. Asked about Welby's intervention he told Sky News: ''I think what others, the critics of this plan, need to do is to show what their solution would be.' The Government has said the 120million, five-year plan would help to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the Channel, which has faced immediate and heavy criticism from politicians and charities. It would see economic migrants who arrive in the Uk illegally handed a one-way ticket to Rwanda to start a new life there . Mr Welby said the 'serious' ethical questions' over sending asylum seekers abroad cannot 'stand the judgment of god'. Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured) has fired back at The Archbishop of Canterbury after he declared in his Easter speech this morning the UK must not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' in reference to the migrant crisis The Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured today) blasted the government's Rwanda plan for asylum seekers as the 'opposite of the nature of God' Dr Williams was today asked about the scheme in a Times Radio interview. 'Is the policy sinful? I think, in a word, yes,' he told the broadcaster. Migrants travelling to the UK on small boats will be put on jets and sent to Rwanda while their applications are processed. Pictured: A map detailing the plan proposed by the Prime Minister Minister Greg Hands was even more direct on a round of interviews today. Asked about Welby's intervention he told Sky News: ''I think what others, the critics of this plan, need to do is to show what their solution would be.' Migrants wait to disembark at the Port of Dover after being rescued while crossing the English Channel, in Dover, Britain, April 15, 2022 On Sunday morning, Justin Welby told his Easter sermon congregation that the UK has a duty as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' after anyone who arrived in Britain illegally since January 1 could be relocated to Rwanda under a new deal Non-EU migration to UK soars after Brexit The number of non-EU migrants coming to Britain to work and study has rocketed since the implementation of post-Brexit immigration rules, Home Office figures have shown. From 1 January 2021, following the end of the Brexit transition period, those coming to the UK from the EU to work or study have required a visa. In total in 2021, there were 239,987 work-related visas granted. This was a 110 per cent increase on 2020 (114,528 visas) and 25 per cent higher than 2019 (192,559), which was the final full year before the Covid pandemic. However, of those work-related visas granted in 2021, only 30,514 (or 13 per cent) were granted to EU nationals, as well as those from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The highest number of work visas granted in 2021, by nationality, were to Indians (70,099 visas), Ukrainians (20,783), Filipinos (14,281) and Nigerians (11,589). The top EU nationalities granted work visas in 2021 were French (4,618), German (3,693) and Italians (2,921). Last year also saw a huge increase in the number of foreign students granted UK visas. Advertisement He was joined in his sentiments by Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell who called it 'depressing and distressing'. But Tory MPs have called the Archbishop of Canterbury's stinging intervention over the government's plan to send thousands of migrants with a one-way ticket to Rwanda 'clumsy'. Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, a committed Catholic, said the government is not 'abandoning' migrants but taking on a 'very difficult responsibility' with the 'intention' of doing good' which he said is important within Christianity. Other Tory MPs John Redwood, Mike Wood and Tom Hunt also blasted Mr Welby's comments with Mr Hunt saying the Archbishop should be wary of 'clumsily intervening' into political issues. Mr Welby also called for a ceasefire in the Russian war on Ukraine and spoke of his concern for families struggling during the cost-of-living crisis and for those bereaved by Covid-19. In his 8.10am sermon, the Archbishop said: 'The resurrection of Jesus is not a magic wand that makes the world perfect. 'But the resurrection of Christ is the tectonic shift in the way the cosmos works. It is the conquest of death and the opening of eternal life - through Jesus, a gift offered to every human being who reaches out to him. 'Not just for individuals but setting a benchmark for all of society because God is lord of every society and nation.' He will continue: 'Let this be a time for Russian ceasefire, withdrawal and a commitment to talks. 'This is a time for resetting the ways of peace, not for what Bismarck called blood and iron. Let Christ prevail. Let the darkness of war be banished. 'And this season is also why there are such serious ethical questions about sending asylum seekers overseas. 'The details are for politics and politicians. The principle must stand the judgment of God, and it cannot. It cannot carry the weight of resurrection justice, of life conquering death. In his Easter sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Justin Welby said the UK has a 'national responsibility' as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' Migrants wait to disembark at the Port of Dover after being rescued while crossing the English Channel, in Dover, Britain, April 17, 2022 Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda Echoing Mr Welby over his thoughts on the migrant scheme, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (pictured) said at York Minster 'we can do better than' the Rwanda scheme The Member of Parliament for Ipswich Tom Hunt said Mr Welby's comments were 'wrong headed' and he should be wary of 'clumsily intervening' into political issues John Redwood, the MP for Wokingham, said could the Archbishop 'forgive and reconcile' instead of 'sharpening political divisions' Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's previous forays into politics The Most Reverend Justin Welby used his Easter Sunday sermon to launch a scathing criticism of Home Secretary Priti Patel's deal to deter Channel migrant crossings by packing them off to Africa. His remarks sparked a hardline response from Ms Patel and other ministers, who invited him to come up with with a better idea or stop carping from the sidelines. But it is not the first time Welby has used a sermon to wade into political debate in recent years: Welby warns MPs over language Welby clashed with Boris Johnson and other MPs when he called on the Commons to avoid using inflammatory language. He said it was 'extraordinarily dangerous for politicians to use careless comments' in a polarised and volatile' society after the Prime Minister was criticised for using words such as 'surrender' over Brexit. Archbishop speaks on Covid rules Welby warned MPs against Covid restrictions being imposed centrally and said he was 'deeply concerned' about the impact of the 'rule of six' on family life. He said the Government had 'determined the daily details of our lives' during lockdown in a way 'few of us have experienced', as he argued instead for localism. Welby leads colleagues against Brexit Internal Market Bill Mr Johnson was again on a collision course with Welby over Brexit as he led five Anglican archbishops in warning that the proposed Internal Market Bill would ride roughshod over the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU in 2019 and potentially put peace in Northern Ireland at risk. Calls for public inquiry into handling of the pandemic The archbishop piled the pressure on Boris Johnson to launch a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid pandemic, saying the time for an independent probe 'must be coming close'. Blasts Government plans for NI rise Welby blasted ministers' plans to increase national insurance, saying it could pose a 'serious problem' for low-income workers. He said that privileging wealthy pensioners over the poorest young people posed 'a very serious moral question'. And he slammed the policy as one that was not 'people-centred'. Speaks out against Assisted Dying Bill Welby also spoke out against the Assisted Dying Bill - tabled by the independent peer Baroness Meacher to give patients of sound mind with six months or less left to live the right to die by taking life-ending medication. Urges leaders to reach climate change agreement And just a month earlier, at the COP26 Summit, he said leaders would be 'cursed' if they did not reach an agreement on climate change. Called for support for refugees He used his Christmas sermon last year to preach a message of support to volunteers helping refugees. He said that the Christmas story of Joseph and Mary searching for shelter demonstrates the need to treat those 'who risk everything to arrive on the beaches' with compassion. Advertisement 'It cannot carry the weight of the resurrection that was announced first to the least valued, for it privileges the rich and strong. 'And it cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility as a country formed by Christian values, because sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures on the cross.' He also said the love of god and hope triumphs over 'nightmares' and 'global power'. Echoing Mr Welby over his thoughts on the migrant scheme, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said at York Minster 'we can do better than' the Rwanda scheme. Mr Cottrell said: 'It is so depressing and distressing this week to find that asylum seekers fleeing war, famine and oppression from deeply, deeply troubled parts of the world will not be treated with the dignity and compassion that is the right of every human being, and instead of being dealt with quickly and efficiently here on our soil will be shipped to Rwanda. 'We can do better than this. We can do better than this because of what we see in Jesus Christ, the risen Christ, with a vision for our humanity where barriers are broken down, not new obstacles put in the path. 'After all, there is in law no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker. It is the people who exploit them that we need to crack down on, not our sisters and brothers in their need. We don't need to build more barriers and cower in the darkness of the shadows they create.' Mr Rees-Mogg, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. He said: 'I think he misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve, and that it isn't an abandonment of responsibility, it is in fact a taking on of a very difficult responsibility. 'The problem that is being dealt with is that people are risking their lives in the hands of people traffickers, to get into this country illegally. 'Now, it's not the illegal bit of it, it is the encouragement of people traffickers that needs to be stopped.' He said '90% of people coming are young men who by coming via people traffickers are jumping the queue for others'. The Brexit opportunities minister also suggested the Government's immigration plan creates an 'opportunity for Rwanda'. He said: 'What is being done is providing an opportunity for Rwanda because it will provide Rwanda, a country that needs support and has gone through terrible troubles... and the Rwandan story is almost an Easter story of redemption, isn't it? 'Of a country that suffered the most appalling and horrific genocide and is now recovering and therefore the UK supporting it must be a good thing. 'It helps people come through legitimate routes and I think the aim of the policy - within Christianity intention is always very important - and the intention of the Government is to do good. 'It is to help those in genuine need of asylum and to make it harder for crime to prosper, and that I think, is fundamentally important.' Mr Rees-Mogg had previously stated he 'took his whip from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church rather than the [Tory party's] Whip's Office'. The MP for Ipswich Tom Hunt took to Twitter to blast Mr Welby, saying: 'The leaders of the Church of England should be wary about clumsily intervening into complex political issues at the best of times. 'To do so on Easter Sunday feels very wrong. Archbishop of York views particularly wrong headed. Claims he's in tune with majority of the public.' John Redwood, the MP for Wokingham, called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to 'forgive and reconcile' instead of 'sharpening political divisions'. He said in a Tweet: 'I thought the Easter message was love conquers all. We should forgive and reconcile. Could the Archbishop help do that instead of sharpening political divisions? And Mr Redwood also wrote: 'So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? Why does he want to live with law breaking and dangerous voyages?' Mike Wood MP also told GB News: 'They were unwise comments This will help to reduce the tragic losses at sea that we've had.' The MP for Ipswich Tom Hunt took to Twitter to blast Mr Welby, saying: 'The leaders of the Church of England should be wary about clumsily intervening into complex political issues at the best of times.' Pictured: So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? Why does he want to live with law breaking and dangerous voyages? And Mr Redwood also wrote: 'So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? It comes as an exchange of letters published by the Home Office on Saturday night showed the department's Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft warned Home Secretary Priti Patel, pictured in Rwanda on Thusday, that although the policy was 'regular, proper and feasible', there was 'uncertainty surrounding the value for money of the proposal' It comes as an exchange of letters published by the Home Office on Saturday night showed the department's Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft warned Home Secretary Priti Patel that although the policy was 'regular, proper and feasible', there was 'uncertainty surrounding the value for money of the proposal'. But issuing a rare ministerial direction compelling the plans to go ahead despite the concern, Ms Patel said that 'without action, costs will continue to rise, lives will continue to be lost'. The Home Office insisted the UK has a 'proud history' of supporting those in need and that Rwanda is a 'fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers'. The policy has enjoyed some support from Conservative MPs, who say the issue of small boats crossing the Channel is high on the priority list for constituents. Ms Patel said she expects other countries to follow the UK's example, suggesting Denmark could be among those to reproduce the Government's 'blueprint', while the Home Office insisted its approach is not in breach of refugee agreements. Boris Johnson's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has today been slammed as an 'egregious breach of international law' and 'really unacceptable' by the United Nation's refugee agency. Pictured: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the command room at the 'Maritime rescue coordination centre' in Dover, Britain, April 14, 2022 Speaking about the cost-of-living crisis and the pandemic, the Archbishop Mr Welby also said: 'In the UK we might be waking up to lighter mornings and warmer days. 'But families across the country are waking up to cold homes and empty stomachs as we face the greatest cost-of-living crisis - we have known in our lifetimes. 'And because of this, they wake up with fear. 'Further afield people are waking up to horrors they never imagined possible. 'Last month president Zelensky gave a speech in which he said 'the end of the world has arrived'. 'Ukrainians have woken up to the end of the world as they knew it. 'Now they are awakened by the noises of war and the sickening reality of terror. They wake up to mortal fear.' Reflecting, on Mary waking up when Jesus was crucified, he said she awoke 'grim' with 'anger' at disciples for running away and her 'misery' at the future. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby performs the Washing of The Feet ceremony during the Maundy Thursday service at the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Kent, 'Be strong and have courage in your hearts': Boris Johnson addresses Ukrainians in his Easter message as he highlights triumph of good over evil and life over death By ELMIRA TANATAROVA FOR MAILONLINE Boris Johnson addressed Ukrainians in his Easter message today, remarking that 'Christ's message of hope the triumph of life over death and good over evil will resonate this year perhaps more than any other'. The Prime Minister, who is now banned from entering Russia following the Kremlin's sanctions on a dozen other British government members and politicians, told Christians around the world to 'be strong and have courage in your heart'. He added: 'Easter tells us that there is light beyond the darkness, that beyond the suffering lies redemption.' Moscow has meanwhile accused Britain, with Johnson making a surprise visit to Ukraine last week, of 'deliberately aggravating the situation surrounding Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the behalf of NATO' and threatened to expand its sanctions list 'soon'. The prime minister also tweeted out an Easter message in Ukrainian today, following a post yesterday in which he vowed to send more aid to Volodymyr Zelensky. It said: 'I updated my friend @ZelenskyyUa this afternoon on further military aid we will provide to Ukraine in the coming days. 'The UK will stop at nothing to ensure Ukrainians have the resources they need to defend their country from the ongoing Russian onslaught.' Keir Starmer's message also touched on the conflict and themes of overcoming adversity. The Labour leader said, in his address to 'Christians around the world': 'I know you draw inspiration from the life of Jesus and the Easter story which is a message of overcoming adversity and of hope. Of light overcoming darkness. 'And at this pivotal time, when Europe is at war and people are facing greater poverty at home, hope is more important than ever. 'Thank you and Happy Easter.' Yesterday Pope Francis called for 'gestures of peace in these days marked by the horror of war' in an Easter vigil homily in St Peter's Basilica attended by the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol. Ivan Fedorov was abducted and held for five days by Russian troops after they occupied Melitopol, a strategic southern city. Francis noted that while 'many writers have evoked the beauty of starlit nights...nights of war, however, are riven by streams of light that portend death'. He did not refer directly to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but he has called for an Easter truce in order to reach a negotiated peace. Francis also addressed Mr Fedorov and Ukrainian legislators Maria Mezentseva, Olena Khomenko and Rusem Umerov, who sat all together in the front row. He said: 'In this darkness of war, in the cruelty, we are all praying for you and with you this night. We are praying for all the suffering. 'We can only give you our company, our prayer.' Francis added that 'the biggest thing you can receive: Christ is risen'. He spoke the last three words in Ukrainian. The messages of hope come as Zelensky last night warned that Russia is willing to use nuclear weapons to bring a catastrophic end to its invasion of Ukraine. He urged the world to 'prepare' for the worst by stocking up on anti-radiation medicine and building air raid shelters. The comedian-turned-war time leader made the doomsday warning during an interview with national media, before sharing the clip via his Telegram channel. He made a similar announcement on Friday, when he said it could not be ruled out that Vladimir Putin would use tactical nukes, as his war against Ukraine continues to stall. On Saturday Russia resumed missile and rocket attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond in a stark reminder that the whole country remains under threat. Today Ukraine and Russia failed to agree about humanitarian convoys for the evacuation of civilians from war-affected areas, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said. 'We have not been able to agree...about ceasefires on evacuation routes. That is why, unfortunately, we are not opening humanitarian corridors today,' she said on her Telegram account. She added that the Ukrainian authorities have asked for humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and wounded Ukrainian troops from the besieged port of Mariupol. Advertisement He added: 'Such a sense of helplessness will have been common this morning. 'Many will be awakened in refugee camps separated from loved ones on the front line, grieving for those missing, raped, abused or killed wondering how to cope. 'For many in this country, the news from Ukraine is terrible but the rising cost of power and fuel, of basic foods, will be the first and overwhelming thought of the day. 'For others it will be the continued deep sense of loss of someone from Covid, or during Covid, to whom they could not say a proper farewell. 'The news might move on but grief does not. 'Others will be struggling at work or feel a deep sense of injustice at the way they've been mistreated by friends, families or employers.' Reflecting on what the resurrection means for us as individuals, the Archbishop will say: 'In dying for us, [God] sees and knows the wounds that cause us so much pain. 'He hears the cry of the mothers in Ukraine, he sees the fear of boys too young to become soldiers, [and] he knows the vulnerability of the orphans and refugees. 'Closer to home, he sees the humiliation of the grandparent visiting the food bank for the first time, the desperate choice of parents in poverty and the grief and weariness of the pandemic.' On Saturday, a peer suggested that the Government's plan may breach the Geneva conventions, a peer has suggested. Former child refugee and Labour peer Alf Dubs said ministers would face opposition in the Lords over the plan unveiled by Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week. In an interview with The Guardian, Lord Dubs said the Government was attempting to 'ride roughshod' over international agreements. He said: 'I think it's a way of getting rid of people the Government doesn't want, dumping them in a distant African country, and they'll have no chance of getting out of there again. 'I think it's a breach of the 1951 Geneva conventions on refugees. You can't just shunt them around like unwanted people.' It comes as it was reported that Ms Patel took the rare step of issuing a ministerial direction to overrule concerns of civil servants about whether the concept will deliver value for money. As part of the plan designed to curb migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, those who are deemed to have entered Britain by unlawful means since January 1 may be sent to Rwanda where they will be permitted to apply for asylum in the African country. According to the Daily Telegraph, the claimed use of the ministerial direction by the Home Secretary was only the second deployment of the power within the Home Office in the past 30 years. The Home Office declined to comment on the matter when approached by the PA news agency. Speaking to Times Radio on Saturday, shadow prisons minister Ellie Reeves said: 'The UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) has come out really, really strongly condemning the Government's proposals, as have many organisations, and it seems the Government's own civil servants have expressed huge misgivings about the plans, which seem to be completely misguided.' The Labour politician said: 'The Government is going to be paying 120 million upfront before any asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda. 'Asylum seekers are saying it won't deter them from crossing the Channel. 'We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis so it doesn't seem the right way to be spending money on an unethical and unworkable scheme that won't deter people from coming over.' She later added: 'The whole system needs looking at again, so rather than making sweeping statements - these announcements that are completely unworkable and incredibly expensive - what the Government actually needs to do is get to grips with the system and put in place a system that actually works, increase prosecutions and clamp down on criminal gangs.' But Ms Patel said Denmark could be among those to reproduce the UK Government's 'blueprint'. 'There is no question now that the model we have put forward, I'm convinced is world class and a world first, and it will be used as a blueprint going forward, there's no doubt about that,' Ms Patel said. 'I would not be surprised if other countries start coming to us direct on the back of this as well.' The Home Secretary said Copenhagen was in talks with Rwanda as well, adding the Council of Europe 'have also basically said they are interested in working with us'. The Home Office denied its approach was in breach of refugee agreements. But Lord Dubs, who came to the UK from then Czechoslovakia on one of the Kindertransport trains in 1939, told The Guardian there would be legal challenges and opposition by peers. 'If (Ms Patel) says she'll get rid of the lefty lawyers' claims, well, I think she may have another thing coming. My understanding is that they're going to have real difficulties in getting this through anyway,' he said. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (left) carries a wooden cross during the Walk of Witness at St Mary's Church, Sellindge, Kent, as he carries out his Holy Week engagements On Friday, the United Nations also criticised the proposal as an 'egregious breach of international law'. Gillian Triggs, a UNHCR assistant secretary-general, said the agency 'strongly condemns outsourcing the primary responsibility to consider the refugee status.' Put to her that Australia had effectively deployed a similar tactic to cut migration numbers, Ms Triggs said: 'My point is, just as the Australian policy is an egregious breach of international law and refugee law and human rights law, so too is this proposal by the United Kingdom Government. 'It is very unusual, very few states have tried this, and the purpose is primarily deterrent - and it can be effective, I don't think we're denying that. 'But what we're saying at the UN refugee agency is that there are much more legally effective ways of achieving the same outcome.' She said attempting to 'shift responsibility' for asylum seekers arriving in Britain was 'really unacceptable'. A view of facilities at Hope House, a hostel in Nyabugogo, the Gasabo district of the capital city Kigali, in Rwanda - where migrants shipped from Britain will initially be taken Ms Triggs pointed out that Israel had attempted to send Eritrean and Sudanese refugees to Rwanda, but that they 'simply left the country and started the process all over again'. 'In other words, it is not actually a long-term deterrent,' she added. In response to the UNHCR, the Home Office insisted to the MailOnline that 'Rwanda is a fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers.' It noted that the UNHCR has previously sad the country is safe for refugees. 'Under this agreement, Rwanda will process claims in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention, national and international human rights laws, and will ensure their protection from inhuman and degrading treatment or being returned to the place they originally fled,' the Home Office's statement said. 'There is nothing in the UN Refugee Convention which prevents removal to a safe country,' it added. More migrants arrive in UK on Easter Sunday despite risk they face being deported to Rwanda as Priti Patel slams 'synthetic outrage' at plan Ms Patel announced plans to deport failed asylum seekers to Rwands this week But a boat with around 20 migrants aboard was brought into Dover, Kent, today Men, women and young children were brought ashore wearing life jackets It comes a day after a further 252 migrants attempting to make the journey Home Secretary slammed 'synthetic hysteria' amid criticism of the new plans By Jamie Philips More migrants have arrived in the UK today, despite the risk of being deported to Rwanda - as Priti Patel slams 'synthetic outrage' at the plans. The Government announced this week it plans to provide failed asylum seekers, including those crossing the Channel in small boats, with a one-way ticket to the African country, where they will have the right to apply to live permanently. But a boat with around 20 migrants on board was brought ashore into Dover, Kent, on Easter Sunday after being intercepted by Border Force officers. Men, women and young children were all wearing lifejackets as they were brought into the port this morning to be processed. Windy conditions in the Channel are expected to prevent large numbers attempting the treacherous crossing today. It comes a day after the Royal Navy and Border Force intercepted a further 252 migrants attempting to make the treacherous journey. Despite choppy conditions in the 21-mile wide Dover Straits, seven flimsy dinghies made the dangerous voyage and were rescued in British waters. As of Saturday, the latest figures now mean 6,263 migrants have already been detained so far this year in 193 small boats. Men, women and children were brought ashore in Dover, Kent, by Border Force officials on Easter Sunday Three men are escorted off a boat on Sunday. Around 20 are understood to have been intercepted in the Channel A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel on Easter Sunday Latest figures now mean 6,263 migrants have already been detained so far this year in 193 small boats Young children were among the migrants intercepted as they tried to make the Channel crossing today The migrants were pictured in life jackets and wearing face masks as they were escorted off the boat by Border Force officers A woman and young child are helped off a boat after attempting to cross the Channel on Sunday How will the new Rwanda migrant scheme work? Cross-channel arrivals assessed and anyone deemed an economic migrant rather than a refugee is sent to Rwanda Initial agreement worth 120million over five years Failed immigrants urged to start new life in Africa Initially based at hostel in Kigali Hope House is currently being used as budget accommodation for tourists Privately owned, the East African nation's government is understood to be in negotiations to lease the property Memorandum of understanding (MOU) says Government will screen asylum seekers 'without delay' after arrival in the UK All requests will require approval from Rwanda before relocation Nation can refuse to take people with criminal records People who cross the Channel in small boats will undergo initial checks at the Western Jet Foil facility in Dover Further checks at a processing site in Manston, Kent. Where their claim is deemed inadmissible, they may be removed to a 'third safe country'. Royal Navy to lead Channel policing role, helping Border Force from today PM attacked 'a formidable army of politically motivated lawyers' who have thwarted previous action PM: 'Our compassion may be infinite but our capacity to help people is not. We can't ask the British taxpayer to write a blank cheque to cover the costs of anyone who might want to come and live here.' Advertisement In 2021 that figure was not reached until July 10, while 1,713 people have been arrived this month alone. Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday slammed the 'synthetic outrage' over the Rwanda plans. She also accused political opponents of treating exploited migrants with contempt and slammed 'shameful' human rights lawyers for profiting from traffickers sending groups to the UK in flimsy dinghies, The Sun reports. Ms Patel said: 'All I've heard the last couple of days is a typical hysterical reaction from the Left, particularly through their social media echo chamber. 'All they have to offer is synthetic outrage. Labour doesn't have a plan. They don't care about Britain's interests or UK taxpayers who foot the bill. 'They are showing complete contempt for democracy and the wishes of the British people who have been crying out for years for action to fix our broken asylum system and tackle illegal migration.' A Government source told the Mail on Sunday that after striking a dramatic deal, the Home Secretary wants to spread the word internationally and let 'people know the rules have changed and if you arrive illegally to the UK, you can be deported to Rwanda'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also warned that 'anyone entering the UK illegally, as well as those who have arrived illegally since 1 January, may now be relocated to Rwanda'. A 100,000 information campaign will use social media to reach people in 'source countries' in their own languages. Jacob Rees-Mogg also suggested today that migrants crossing the Channel in small boats are 'supporting organised crime'. The Cabinet minister, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. In his Easter sermon, Justin Welby earlier said 'sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well, like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God'. Reacting to the sermon, Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'I think he misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve, and that it isn't an abandonment of responsibility, it is in fact a taking on of a very difficult responsibility. 'The problem that is being dealt with is that people are risking their lives in the hands of people traffickers, to get into this country illegally. Now, it's not the illegal bit of it, it is the encouragement of people traffickers that needs to be stopped.' He added that '90 per cent of people coming are young men who by coming via people traffickers are jumping the queue for others'. Mr Rees-Mogg continued: 'They are in doing so not only risking their lives but supporting organised crime. What we need to do is focus on legal routes into this country of which there are quite a number.' The new deal expected to be the subject of legal challenges was presented to Cabinet Ministers on Wednesday by Ms Patel and the Prime Minister. The Rwandan government will receive 120 million in investment from the UK with the cost of housing each migrant for three months estimated at 20,000 to 30,000. Ms Patel issued a ministerial direction, only the second in the department for 30 years, to force through the policy after objections from Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft. A man is escorted at a port in Dover after being intercepted attempting to illegally cross the Channel Senior Home Office civil servants have expressed dismay at the cost. One said: 'It will be astronomical. The legal bill alone will be huge.' Last night, the Home Office published an exchange of letters between Ms Patel and Mr Rycroft in which he called for a ministerial direction as he could not justify the policy's value for money. The package also includes a new immigration centre for 500 men at a former RAF base in Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire. Speaking after Saturday's crossings, Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration Tom Pursglove MP said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. 'Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough. 'Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we're cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.' Security personnel keep vigil after clashes broke out between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday, at Jahangirpuri in New Delhi, Sunday, April 17, 2022. (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan) New Delhi: A day after clashes broke out during the Hanuman Jayanti procession at Jahangirpuri C Block in north Delhi, an uneasy calm prevailed Sunday in the violence-hit area. The police claimed the situation is now completely under control and adequate forces have been deployed to avert any untoward incident. Further investigations in the case are under way. The Delhi police has, meanwhile, arrested 21 people for the clashes, and two juveniles have also been apprehended over the violence. The police said the 21-year-old man who allegedly fired the bullet that hit a sub-inspector was also among those arrested. Of the 21 people arrested, five are Hindus and the remaining 16 are from the Muslim community. The Delhi police also arrested Ansari, a 35-year-old resident of Jahangirpuri, for alleged involvement in the conspiracy over the communal clashes. The police said Ansari was arrested after his name came up during the investigation. The accused were identified as Salim alias Chikna (36), Zahid (20), Anshar (35), Shahjad (33), Mukhtyaar Ali (28), Mohammad Ali (18), Amir (19), Aksar (26), Noor Alam (28), Mohammad Aslam (21), Zakir (22), Akram (22), Imtyaz (29), Mohd Ali (27), Ahir (37), Sheikh Saurabh (42), Suraj (21), Neeraj (19), Suken (45), Suresh (43) and Sujeet Sarkar (38). All are residents of Jahangirpuri. Three firearms and five swords have also been recovered from the possession of the arrested persons, said Usha Rangnani, Northwest district deputy commissioner of police. The accused were booked under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon),149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 427 (mischief causing damage), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy), 307 (attempt to murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 27 of the Arms Act. The police also recovered a country-made weapon from Mohammad Aslam, a resident of Jahangirpuris CD Park slum cluster, which he allegedly used to open fire during the clashes on Saturday evening. One of the accused persons, identified as Aslam, opened fire that hit a sub-inspector of the Delhi police. The pistol used by the accused during the commission of crime has been recovered from his possession, said Ms Rangnani. She added that Aslam was also found to be involved in a case registered at the Jahangirpuri police station in 2020 under Sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. During the investigation, another accused, Salim, was also arrested. Salim was found to be previously involved in a robbery and attempt to murder case in Jahangirpuri. The DCP also said overall nine people, including eight police personnel and one civilian, were injured during the clashes and are being treated at the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital. The police sub-inspector who received the bullet injury is said to be now stable, recuperating at the hospital. The senior police officer said further investigations were under way. In order to maintain law and order and area domination, foot patrolling and deep deployment have been employed by the police in the area. To carry out intensive rooftop surveillance through aerial patrolling in the communally sensitive areas, the police has been using drones since Sunday morning. The Delhi police also beefed up security in and around C and D blocks near the mosque. Most Hindus live in D block while most Muslim live in C block. Barricades have been put up and police personnel are deployed at every 200 metres. Despite the security arrangements, the shops around the mosque were all shut. But the shops and markets near the Jahangirpuri Metro station were functioning as usual on Sunday. According to Deependra Pathak, special commissioner of police, law and order (Zone 1), efforts are being made to identify the other accused with the help of CCTV cameras and other video footage. Drones and facial recognition software are being used to identify those involved in creating the ruckus. All mobile footage and CCTV cameras installed in and around the vicinity are being scanned to identify the culprits and trace them, said Mr Pathak. According to the first information report (FIR) filed at Jahangirpuri police station, at around 6 pm the Shobha Yatra procession was passing off peacefully but when they reached outside a mosque, a man, Anshar, came there with his associates and started arguing with the participants of the yatra. The argument soon turned violent and both the sides started pelting stones at each other. Inspector Rajiv Ranjan Singh, tried to pacify the situation and separated the two groups, however, within some time, they again started pelting stones after which the inspector informed the police control room about the development, reads the FIR. According to the police, there was stone-pelting and arson during the clashes between the two communities. At least nine people, including eight policemen, were injured while one vehicle was torched and around five to six cars were vandalised in the clashes in Jahangirpuri Saturday evening. To contain the situation and disperse the crowd, the police fired 40-50 teargas shells. C Block locals said the participants in the Hanuman Jayanti procession were chanting Jai Shri Ram and raised other provocative slogans. Some of the people forcibly entered the mosque and tried to install flags in the premises. They were threatening us with swords and even pelted stones. They were not from the area. Here everyone knows each other and we live in peace, said Shamsad, who lives near the mosque. Wahid, a resident of C Block, said people in the procession were carrying weapons, including guns, swords and sticks. A video of the incident, in which members of the yatra can be seen carrying swords and sticks, was also doing the rounds of the social media. Mukesh, a shopkeeper from C Block near the mosque, said those who tried to disrupt the peace in the area must have been outsiders. I have been living here for the last 35 years but have never seen such violence in this area. Hindus and Muslims live here peacefully. The people who were in the procession must be outsiders, and not Jahangirpuri locals, Mukesh said. China has at last confirmed deaths from its biggest Covid-19 outbreak since the virus first appeared in Wuhan over two years ago, stating only three elderly people have died so far, all aged 89 to 91 with underlying health issues. Beijing insists that its zero-Covid policy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines has curbed fatalities and avoided the public health crises that have engulfed much of the rest of the world. But some have cast doubt on official figures in a nation with low vaccination rates among its vast elderly population. Hong Kong, in comparison, has attributed nearly 9,000 deaths to Covid-19 since Omicron first surged there in January. Unverified social media posts have also claimed unreported deaths - typically before being scrubbed from the internet. The three reported victims 'deteriorated into severe cases after going into hospital', according to an official Shanghai government account. China has released figures stating that only three elderly residents have died so far in its latest Shanghai Covid-19 outbreak which has seen millions placed into strict lockdown China insists its zero-covid policy is working, justifying the lockdown. Hong Kong by comparison has attributed nearly 9,000 deaths to Covid-19 since Omicron surged in January Clips soon emerged on social media of residents scuffling with hazmat-suited police and bursting through barricades demanding food The city's health commissioner on Sunday noted that 62 percent of residents aged over 60 had two vaccine doses, while only 38 percent in the demographic had three. The eastern business hub has groaned under a patchwork of restrictions since March, with many of the city's 25 million residents confined to their homes as daily caseloads topped 25,000 - a modest figure by global standards but virtually unheard of in China. Many inhabitants have chafed under the curbs, flooding social media with complaints of food shortages, spartan quarantine conditions and heavy-handed enforcement, and circulating footage of rare protests faster than government censors can delete them. But officials have remained inflexible, vowing to continue isolating anyone who tests positive regardless of whether they show signs of the disease. Asymptomatic infections have driven the surge, with nearly 90 percent of the more than 22,000 new cases on Monday displaying no illness, according to the municipal health commission. China last reported new Covid-19 deaths on March 19 - two people in the northeastern rustbelt province of Jilin - the first such acknowledged deaths in more than a year. China's ruling Communist Party has touted its hardline pandemic approach as proof that it places human life above material concerns - unlike many Western democracies, which it argues have sacrificed lives by failing to stop the virus. Beijing has also acknowledged that dropping restrictions could let the pathogen run amok through its creaking and under-resourced healthcare system, potentially causing millions of deaths. The fast-ageing nation's hundreds of millions of elderly are a particular concern. Official figures show vaccination rates lag significantly among those over 60 - a group more likely than others to develop severe disease if they contract the virus. But experts say political considerations are also at play, with the party staking a degree of its legitimacy on crushing emerging outbreaks in a year that will likely see President Xi Jinping secure a precedent-busting third term in office. 'This is a sensitive and critical year for the regime,' said Lynette Ong, associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. 'China has always given so much prominence to social stability, and a health crisis is a potentially big disrupter.' The bleak footage was recorded by an older woman staying at the cramped quarantine centre Those concerns may have continued to motivate officials in Shanghai, who have zealously implemented lockdown curbs 'to the point that it becomes silly' even as the highly transmissible Omicron strain refuses to be quelled, Ong said. Videos on social media have illustrated creeping desperation in the city, with clips showing residents scuffling with hazmat-suited police and bursting through barricades demanding food. Internet users have also blasted the filmed killing of a pet corgi by a health worker and a now-softened policy of separating infected children from their virus-free parents. Other posts - not verified by AFP - and overseas media outlets have previously said that elderly patients in the city had died after contracting Covid-19 even as no fatalities appeared in official figures. City health official Wu Qianyu said at a Monday press conference that the 'direct cause' of the three confirmed deaths was 'underlying disease'. Authorities ordered 39 households in one development to leave their homes so their flats could be used to house infected patients, according to Zhangjiang Group, the developer of the housing complex Dozens of buildings in the city have been converted to make-shift isolation hubs as local officials struggle to contain record daily infection rates, which have breached 25,000 in recent days. Separate clips posted online seems to show police pinning angry protestors to the ground and forcibly restraining them in both Shanghai and Haining, located 125km southwest. Residents stuck in Shanghai, which has been locked down since April, have flooded social media with complaints of food shortages and over-zealous officialdom which has forced them into an ineffective state quarantine. Footage has even shown desperate citizens bursting through barricades demanding food. Cases began rising in Shanghai in late March and have surpassed 25,000 in recent days. The city first implemented a phased lockdown from March 28, with just parts of the city being shutdown. Chilling clips show people being dragged to the ground by PPE-clad police after being ordered to leave their homes, according to social media posts A full city-wide lockdown was implemented on April 3 as cases continued to rise. Despite the drastic action, the vast majority of virus cases detected each day are in people with no symptoms. Shanghai, often described as China's economic engine room, has officially reported no deaths in this outbreak. Social media has been flooded with complaints of food shortages, while protests have kicked off against the strict measures. Videos circulating online show residents outside a compound shouting at ranks of officials holding shields labelled 'police', as the officers tried to break through their line. In one clip, police appear to make several arrests as the residents accuse them of 'hitting people'. The incident was triggered after authorities ordered 39 households to move from the compound 'in order to meet the needs of epidemic prevention and control' and house virus patients in their apartments, according to Zhangjiang Group, the developer of the housing complex. An elderly man in Haining, Zhejiang, around 125km from Shanghai, is pinned to the ground by PPE-clad police for going outside, in breach of Covid restrictions Some Shanghai residents have poured their anger at the handling of the virus onto the internet. They have ripped into authorities for allowing food shortages as well as heavy-handed controls, including a now-softened policy of separating infected children from their virus-free parents. Other videos and audio clips have indicated increasing desperation among city inhabitants, including some showing residents bursting through barricades demanding food. In one unverified viral video, a drone flying through a residential area broadcast a message urging residents to 'control your soul's desire for freedom'. Shanghai health official Wu Qianyu said on Thursday that there were only nine severe Omicron cases, mostly among older patients with underlying health conditions. Yet authorities have vowed the city 'would not relax in the slightest', preparing over a hundred new quarantine facilities to receive every person who tests positive. Pressure on the city to bring its outbreak under control is mounting from above, with President Xi Jinping warning on Wednesday that strict virus measures 'cannot be relaxed' and proclaiming that 'persistence is victory,' in a speech published by state media. An 18-month-old girl was allegedly punched out of her mother's arms by a woman who then tried to stomp on her in a horror incident at an Easter Show festival in Perth. Police were called to the event in Wanneroo the city's north on Sunday where it's alleged a woman punched the young girl from her mother before attempting to hit her again on the ground. The mother, Natalie Linthorne, told The West 'thankfully we pulled her back up' before she the woman could attack her again. 'Her little boy was told he wasn't allowed to go on the bumper car ride because he was too young and they had no one to go with him,' Ms Linthorpe said. An 18-month-old girl was allegedly punched out of her mother's arms by a woman who then tried to stomp on her in a horror incident at an Easter Show festival in Perth 'And it was the end of the day and (staff) said 'no we're sorry'. 'Then she started up at the carnival worker, yelling and screaming at him. . . saying every swear word under the sun at him and some very racist remarks as well. . . then she punched him in the face.' The incident allegedly occurred near the festival's dodgem car ride on Sunday afternoon in front of shocked guests. 'She jumped the barrier then approached me saying don't touch my kids... every swear under the sun... she then smacked my 18-month-old daughter out of my arms and punched her to the ground,' the mother said. 'She just ran at me screaming 'don't you touch my daughter your stupid slag'. . . and then she saw Sienna. 'Hit her out of my arms, punched her in the stomach, she's fallen to the ground, thank god it was soft grass. And then she went to step on her but thank god another woman pulled her back. '(The attacker) attempted to step on (my daughter). Thankfully we pulled her back up before she could.' Police were called to the event in Wanneroo (pictured) the city's north on Sunday where it's alleged a woman punched the young girl from her mother Police are urging anyone who was in attendance to come forward as they continue their investigations. 'Wanneroo Police are investigating an incident at the Wanneroo Showground on Saturday,' a police spokeswoman said. 'The incident is believed to have occurred around 2.25 pm. An unknown woman allegedly struck a child.' Heartbreaking audio has emerged of the moment a mum realised her young son had been killed in a horror house fire. Max Chirila, 6, was unable to escape the blaze that engulfed his family's home in Clayfield in Brisbane's north in the early hours of Monday morning. His life was tragically cut short two weeks shy of his seventh birthday. His parents and little brother managed to escape in time as neighbours woke to the sound of 'deafening screams'. Chilling footage of the flames ripping through the home captured the desperate cries of Max's mum Karen after she realised she couldn't go back in to save her son still trapped in his bedroom at the back of the home. 'No! No!' she's heard screaming. 'He's gone! He's gone! He's gone!' Her shattered husband Ovidiu was also seen at the scene in a wheelchair being comforted by firefighters and friends before breaking down in tears. He had managed to escape the blaze on a broken leg suffered in a recent scooter accident. A tragic house blaze in Brisbane's north claimed the life of six-year-old Max Chirila (pictured with mum Karen) A six-year-old boy has died after a fire ripped through a home in Brisbane 's north Max was just two weeks from celebrating his seventh birthday before he was killed in the blaze at the Barlow Street home in Clayfield at 4am on Monday Another distressed family member was seen collapsing to the ground in grief and shouting, 'Maxie, Maxie my boy'. Max's devastated father returned to the scene on Monday afternoon, where he was consoled by family and friends. He inspected bouquets of flowers and heartfelt tributes left by locals, including a school hat left by one of Max's classmates at Ascot State School. 'Hope you sleep well in heaven Max,' a gutwrenching note read. Max has been remembered by friends and family as a bright and lovely young boy who loved Lego. The family told Nine News they feel like they've lost their entire world in a split second. Neighbour Jenn Davidson recalled Ms Chirila's confronting screams and her harrowing devastation when she realised she was unable to go back in to rescue her son. 'When she realised she couldn't go back in to save him, it's something that I'll never, ever forget,' she told reporters. The tragedy has rocked the tight-knit community which have rallied around the heartbroken family. 'They're a lovely local family,' a shocked neighbour told the Courier Mail. 'The flames were metres and metres in the air and then we heard screaming. It was a bit confronting. Really awful.' Another added: 'They were very nice people, quiet and beautiful neighbours.' Max's heartbroken dad Ovidiu sobbed for his son as he was consoled by firefighters at the scene Six-year-old Max, pictured with his father Ovidiu has been remembered as a bright and lovely young boy who loved Lego. Max's mum was heard screaming for her son still trapped inside the burning Clayfield home An online fundraiser has already raised more than $20,000 within hours. An unimaginable tragedy has occurred with the loss of young,' the page states. 'Hoping to raise as much money as possible to assist the family and show that our community is with them at this terrible time.' Firefighters battled the blaze for 45 minutes before extinguishing the flames and discovering Max's body in a bedroom. Firefighters are still trying to ascertain the cause of the blaze. It's understood the fire may have been sparked by a possible electrical fault with charging batteries. 'The crews did the best they could when they arrived, and we had 26 firefighters here who worked tirelessly to get it under control,' Superintendent Paul Durston said. 'The fire developed and gets very hot internally and then the windows fail and all the air comes in and the fire starts to enrage quite quickly.' Karen Chirila and her husband (pictured) were gearing up for Max's seventh birthday Superintendent Durston said fire crews were 'distraught'. 'They [the crews] made their way down the hallway to the back of the house where the fire is believed to have started, and then from there worked their way back extinguishing the fire,' he said. Neighbours said they heard 'deafening screams' and sounds of explosions as the fire ripped through the house. 'The fireball was metres, and metres, and metres in the air,' one said. 'We heard the screaming and it was a bit confronting, and really awful.' Another added: 'I looked out and all I could see was smoke. It was thick'. Neighbours said they heard 'deafening screams' and sounds of explosions as the fire ripped through the house The mother and four-year-old were treated for minor injuries while the father was treated for burns to his hands The family were described as 'nice people' and 'beautiful neighbours'. The mother and four-year-old were treated for minor injuries while the father was treated for burns to his hands. None of the family members required treatment at hospital. Queensland Police launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. 'At this stage due to the damage of the house, we haven't been able to ascertain any cause of the fire,' Superintendent Durston said. Boris Johnson will try to claim he did not break lockdown rules this week, despite paying a 50 Partygate police fine for breaking lockdown rules, as he faces an explosive confrontation with MPs. The Prime Minister is expected to address the Commons tomorrow in his first appearance in Parliament since he became the first serving prime minister to break the law while in office. But ahead of a statement likely to provoke uproar from the opposition and unhappy Tories alike, friends have suggested he will continue to insist that he did not break his own laws, despite apologising and paying the fixed-penalty notice (FPN) last week. Mr Johnson has been accused of misleading the Commons over the lockdown-busting gatherings in Downing Street after he was fined for attending a birthday party thrown in his honour in the Cabinet Room in June 2020. Yet he is expected to press on in defence of the gatherings in the Commons, reiterating that in his view no restrictions were broken while seeking to sweep Partygate under the rug by focusing on the war in Ukraine and the government's new energy strategy. A Downing Street source told The Times that Johnson would 'of course apologise again' in his statement before MPs tomorrow, but will say 'we need to continue to focus on the huge priorities we need to deliver for our people,' in reference to the energy plan and Ukraine. A close ally of the Prime Minister said that while he accepted 'mistakes were made' he would tell MPs there was 'always an exemption for work and people were working in close proximity in No 10 for very long hours'. But Mr Johnson's allies fear the worst is yet to come, with the June 2020 event thought to be the least problematic of those being investigated by police - raising concerns there is a 'low bar' that could see him face further fines. It comes amid further worry that Mr Johnson was pictured drinking at other events being probed - including 'instigating' one session by pouring the booze himself. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries waded into the row today, accusing the PM's critics of focusing on 'uneaten cake' at a time when there were major events happening around the world. But Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: 'This appears to be the PMs latest pathetic attempt to defend the indefensible. 'Boris Johnson defied his own law and then lied and lied and lied. While the British public were making huge sacrifices, he was rule-breaking.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson is defiant in his position that he did not break coronavirus rules according to his closes allies, despite being slapped with a fine from the Met Police for his involvement in the Partygate scandal Mr Johnson (pictured with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky) is expected to press on this week in defence of the gatherings in the Commons, asserting that no rules were broken while seeking to sweep Partygate under the rug by focusing on the war in Ukraine and the government's new energy strategy A group of police officers walk through Downing Street, in Westminster, London, during a protest outside the gates A protester holds up a placard of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak outside Downing Street Energy minister Greg Hands said Boris Johnson will 'have his say' on Partygate in Parliament this week. He told Sky News: 'The Prime Minister will be speaking to Parliament ... this week. 'I do strongly back the Prime Minister,' he said. 'I think the Prime Minister is getting on with the job, he's delivered, and the Government has delivered, in anything from the vaccination programme through (to) the strong support for Ukraine. 'There is a police investigation going on and we'll have to see what develops, but as I say the Prime Minister will be in Parliament this week, explaining and facing questions from MPs about what has happened.' Understood to be of particular concern is the gathering to send off then director of communications Lee Cain on November 13, 2020 - an occasion the Prime Minister is understood to have been at the forefront of. The PM is believed to have gathered staff around the press office table, which contained bottles of alcohol, before toasting Mr Cain - all captured by a photographer. His presence at the forefront of the event would likely contradict statements made to the Commons. Another insider said: 'This was the usual press office Friday evening wash-up drinks. Boris came fumbling over, red box in tow, and he gathered the staff around the press office table, which did have bottles of alcohol on it. 'He said he wanted to say a few words for Lee and started pouring drinks for people and drinking himself. He toasted him.' Downing Street said it will not be commenting on the pictures, but denied the Prime Minister had organised the leaving drinks. A Cabinet Minister told The Mail on Sunday that Tory MPs might not 'hold the line' if Mr Johnson was fined again, adding: 'If he gets two, three or four fines, people can lose their nerve quickly.' MPs are expected to vote on Thursday on whether a parliamentary committee should look into claims that he misled Parliament over Partygate. Sources say Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is likely to allow two requests from opposition MPs for a so-called contempt motion into Mr Johnson's conduct. But Mr Johnson is expected to push his colleagues to ignore Partygate and focus on the upcoming local elections which take place on May 5. Meanwhile, Jacob Rees-Mogg played down allegations that Mr Johnson breached the ministerial code over Partygate amid criticism of the Prime Minister from a respected historian. Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, pictured, has played down allegations that Boris Johnson breached the ministerial code over Partygate Cabinet minister Mr Rees-Mogg insisted that the ministerial code has little 'constitutional significance'. 'The Ministerial Code is not a legislative part of our constitution it is a set of guidelines produced by the Prime Minister (pictured),' he told the BBC. 'I think that the Prime Minister spoke to Parliament in good faith' Lord Hennessy, a crossbench peer, claimed Mr Johnson had 'shredded the ministerial code' and was 'unworthy' of the Queen, 'her Parliament, her people and her kingdom'. The professor of contemporary British history at Queen Mary, University of London also said he 'cannot remember a day where I've been more fearful for the wellbeing of the constitution'. But Cabinet minister Mr Rees-Mogg insisted that the ministerial code has little 'constitutional significance'. 'The Ministerial Code is not a legislative part of our constitution it is a set of guidelines produced by the Prime Minister,' he told the BBC. 'I think that the Prime Minister spoke to Parliament in good faith.' The code states: 'Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister.' At the weekend, Caroline Nokes became the latest Tory backbencher to insist the PM should go, revealing she has not withdrawn the letter of no confidence she submitted earlier this year. Sue Gray will not publish her report into lockdown parties at Downing Street until all police fines have been handed out. The Met will not confirm the interview stage of its investigation is complete in case new evidence makes further interrogations necessary and yet more fines are issued Mr Johnson will face MPs once more tomorrow and is still planning to visit India at the end of the week for defence, security and economic talks with the country's prime minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile it emerged that Sue Gray will not publish her report into lockdown parties at Downing Street until all police fines have been handed out. The Met will not confirm the interview stage of its investigation is complete in case new evidence makes further interrogations necessary and yet more fines are issued. As a result, the Gray report is unlikely to be released before May 5, the date of the local elections. The former ethics chief wants to publish the potentially explosive dossier as soon as possible after April 26, when the House of Lords returns from its Easter break. Today an exclusive poll for the MoS has Labour 11 points ahead of the Tories the highest lead Deltapoll has recorded since the 2019 Election. Alex Jones' InfoWars website has filed for bankruptcy after he was found liable for damages in a trio of lawsuits last year for falsely claiming 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre that left 28 dead was a hoax. The far-right website and Jones' two other companies on Sunday filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in the face of multiple defamation lawsuits. Chapter 11 bankruptcy procedures put a hold on all civil litigation matters and allow companies to prepare turnaround plans while remaining operational. Jones claimed the shooting, in which 20 children and six school employees were shot dead at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, was fabricated by gun-control advocates and mainstream media. Sandy Hook families in late March rejected Jones' offer to settle their defamation lawsuit and reopened the case. Jones had offered to pay $120,000 to each of the 13 plaintiffs to settle the case. Each of the plaintiffs turned down the settlement offer in court documents, saying, 'The so-called offer is a transparent and desperate attempt by Alex Jones to escape a public reckoning under oath with his deceitful, profit-driven campaign against the plaintiffs and the memory of their loved ones lost at Sandy Hook.' Alex Jones' InfoWars website has filed for bankruptcy after he was found liable for damages in a trio of lawsuits last year for falsely claiming 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre that left 28 dead was a hoax Sandy Hook families in late March rejected Jones' offer to settle their defamation lawsuit and reopened the case. Jones had offered to pay $120,000 to each of the 13 plaintiffs to settle the case According to Sunday's court filings, InfoWars listed its estimated assets in the range of $0-$50,000 and estimated liabilities in the range of $1 million to $10 million. In the aftermath of the massacre, Jones said on his InfoWars platform that the shooting was 'completely fake' and a 'giant hoax.' The platform claimed the families involved were all 'crisis actors' hired to perpetuate a government agenda to increase gun control. On December 14, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people in Newtown, Connecticut, at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Twenty of those killed were between the ages of six and seven years old. Lanza fatally shot his mother at their home before going to the school, and later killed himself as police arrived. Families of the victims launched a defamation lawsuit against Jones in 2018, claiming that he profited by spreading lives about the murders of their loved ones. The Texas-based host has since said that he believes the shooting took place. Jones has disputed their claims, but failed to turn over documents and financial records to support his stance after ordered todo so in court leading judges in Connecticut and Texas to return default judgements against him. Jones' lawyers have claimed the suits were filed strategically to silence his and his entities' right to freedom of speech on matters of public interest. Adam Lanza, who authorities said opened fire inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., killing 20 first-graders, six educators and himself in December 2012 Connecticut State Police lead a line of children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, December 14, 2012 after the shooting Jones was ordered to pay damages to the families in October 2021 and a trial will be held in August to decide how much he will need to pay to the families. Jones was due to sit for a deposition March 23 and 24 in Austin, Texas, where his InfoWars empire is based. He did not show. Judge Barbara Bellis in Westbury, Connecticut, did not accept Jones' excuses for missing the deposition. Jones said that he was suffering from medical issues including vertigo. Doctors were concerned that his health issues could be a heart condition. Jones said he was merely suffering from a sinus infection. Bellis' opinion was that Jones was not too sick to sit for the deposition. Records show that Jones recorded episodes of his InfoWars show on March 23 and March 24. Both episodes were close to four hours in length. Jones paid a $25,000 fine for missing a deposition on April 1. On April 4, he paid a further $50,000. Lawyers for the Sandy Hook families asked Bellis to issue an arrest warrant due to Jones' no show. Eventually, Jones sat for the deposition in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on April 5 and 6. Following those appearances, Bellis decreed that the $75,000 should be repaid to Jones Pictured: firearms and ammunition found on or in close proximity to shooters body at Sandy Hook Elementary School following the December 14, 2012 shooting rampage People gather at the scene of a mass school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut Earlier in April 2022, some of the families involved in the lawsuit launched a new legal claim against Jones. In this suit, the families are accusing Jones of attempting to hide assets in shell companies that are operated by family members. The purpose of this move is to make Jones appear broke, the suit alleges. During a break in his deposition for the lawsuit, Jones spoke to News12 Connecticut about 'cancel culture' and alleged that he was a victim of the 'corporate media.' He accused the 'media' of not publicizing his apologies to the families of the Sandy Hook victims. Jones said that 'powerful Democrat law firms' were attempting to shut down InfoWars. One of the plaintiffs' lawyers in the Sandy Hook story is the son of Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Matt Blumenthal. Matt Blumenthal, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan, is also an elected member of the Connecticut House. In a 2019 deposition in the case, Jones alleged that he was suffering from a form of 'psychosis' when he made claims that Sandy Hook was staged. He said that he was in a place where he felt every news event was staged because of the 'trauma of the media and the corporations lying so much.' Jones, a vocal supporter of former US President Donald Trump, was previously subpoenaed by the House of Representatives committee probing the January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Priti Patel has vowed to overhaul Prevent in the wake of David Amess' murder amid concern the flagship anti-terror strategy focuses too much on right-wing extremism instead of its more dangerous Islamist equivalent. The initiative has faced intense criticism for failing to identify a succession of extremists who went on to commit horrific murders. In the most recent case, it emerged last week that Ali Harbi Ali, the murderer of Sir David Amess, was dismissed as a terrorist threat by experts just months before he bought a knife to hunt down MPs. Critics have repeatedly said Prevent had been skewed away from the key threat posed by Islamist terrorism. As a result, it claimed, anti-terror resources are being diverted from the principal terror threat to the UK Islamist extremism. Home Secretary Priti Patel has vowed to overhaul the much criticised Prevent strategy Sir David's killer Ali Harbi Ali - who was sentenced to a whole life order - had been referred to the programme in 2014 but a year later it was concluded he no longer posed a threat Ian Acheson, Senior Advisor at the Counter Extremism Project, agreed Prevent needed to change. He tweeted today: 'As the Home Secretary says and some of us have been saying for a while, Prevent has morphed into a strategy that awards a (convenient) completely false equivalence between Islamist and XRW threat and is swamped by mission creep. Time for a reset.' Meanwhile, Lord Carlile of Berriew, a former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation who previously led the review of Prevent, told the Times that Prevent had an 'overemphasis on right-wing extremism' because of an 'overemphasis on not being anti-Muslim'. The Henry Jackson Society's Dr Alan Mendoza said: 'This shake-up could not come soon enough... Priti Patel should be congratulated for cutting through the Home Office bureaucracy to make it happen. 'Her reforms must be allowed to restore Prevent to its founding purpose cracking down on terrorism.' Reading attacker Khairi Saadallah, 27, (left) was assessed by Prevent officials but found to have 'no fixed ideology', according to reports. Sudesh Amman, who stabbed two people in Streatham, south London, last February. However, a panel decided his case did not require intervention Usman Khan, 28, (left) who stabbed two young graduates to death after a prisoner rehabilitation event on London Bridge, had come into contact with Prevent officers who had 'no specific training' in handling terrorists, an inquest heard. Parsons Green bomber Ahmed Hassan was also referred to the anti-terror scheme 20 months before he planted a device on the Tube that injured 50 people during rush hour in 2017 Now Miss Patel has pledged that 'things need to change' once she has been handed the findings of a long-awaited independent review of Prevent. 'The Prevent review is really important to me,' the Home Secretary said. 'I can't pre-judge that review. But it is quite clear to me from my own observations that there are things that need to change.' The review, commissioned by Miss Patel in January last year, is being conducted by William Shawcross, the former Charity Commission chief. It is understood to be near completion. Prevent was set up in 2006, and was designed to combat Islamist extremism as well as other threats, including far-Right fanatics and those with 'mixed or unstable' ideologies. The UK's flagship anti-terror strategy is being undermined by a politically correct emphasis on right-wing extremism over more dangerous Islamist radicalism, critics have said - as a review prepares to overhaul the 'broken' system Confidential referrals can be made to Prevent by anyone who is concerned about a person's behaviour, including faith groups, schools, colleges, and even friends and relatives. A documentary to be shown tonight reveals that out of the 13 terror attacks in the past five years which left 14 dead and 128 injured seven offenders were known to the scheme. A former teacher of Ali told Channel 4's Dispatches she warned the authorities he could pose a risk seven years before he murdered Sir David last October. She said: 'They just said, 'We don't think he's a threat. We don't think he's worth taking on any further. We think he's going to be all right'.' Dispatches: Are We Losing the War on Terror? is on Channel 4 at 7.30pm tonight. A leading Russian TV presenter known as 'Putins voice' has expressed cold fury at the sinking of the Black Sea flagship Moskva. It appeared that Vladimir Solovyov was articulating the Kremlin leaders own anger when he launched a full-frontal attack on the Navy in a nationwide broadcast. 'I am furious about what happened to the Black Sea Fleets flagship, Moskva,' said the state TV anchor, sanctioned for his links to Putin. 'I am simply furious.' 'And yes, we say it was quite old, and went through repairs and, yes, this series of ships has vulnerabilities. 'I get it. 'But tell me this: how did you manage to lose it Explain me, why the hell you were in that particular area of the Black Sea, at that time?' Leading Russian TV presenter known as 'Putins voice' said he was 'simply furious' after the sinking of Russia's flagship, the Moskva Russian state media has officially stated the Moskva sunk during rough seas despite reports it was attacked by Ukrainian missiles while close to the shoreline in Sevastopol Russia released an undated video claiming to show survivors of the attack over the weekend. It is still unclear how many perished, with estimates that it runs into the hundreds. Ukraine claimed the missile attack on the warship killed all 500 on board including captain The first images of the sinking of the Moskva emerged on Monday capturing the moments after the Ukrainian missiles sunk the cruiser The loss of the Moskva is the biggest single humiliation for the Russian war effort in a campaign that Vladimir Putin hoped would see Ukraine roll over and submit to his hegemony in a matter of days. Solovyov raged: 'And I dont care what exactly happened - if indeed [it was] the two Neptune missiles as the Ukrainians said. 'Anyway, since when was a combat ship scared of a missile strike, since it has a defence system? 'So, was something not activated? 'Okay. Even if it was hit with two missiles, and it ignited the ammunition 'What happened to your fire fighting system?' His rant contrasted with recent Sunday evening where he has lauded the Russian war machine and heaped blame on the West, for example accusing Britain of choreographing the massacre in Bucha, claiming the horrors were staged and had nothing to do with Putins forces. His blast echoes other whispers that Putin was left incandescent by the loss of the Moskva. The Kremlin went into denial over the sinking and it is still unclear how many perished, with estimates that it runs into the hundreds. Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the current commander of the Russian navy, met with surviving members of the Moskva's crew in Sevastopol An officer of the Russian Navy, Vice Admiral Igor Osipov holds the rank of admiral since 2021, and is commander in chief of the Black Sea Fleet since 2019. Rumors began circulating of his arrest following the attack on the flagship A mourning ceremony for those killed aboard the Moskva cruiser was held in Sevastopol on April 15, 2022 Footage of some of the rescued crew lining up on a Sevastopol parade ground - broadcast on Saturday - failed to clarify the matter. It showed perhaps 150 sailors, including an officer who closely resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking. Yet the date the Defence Ministry footage was filmed was unclear. So too was the fate of sailors not present from a crew which is believed to number 510. Solovyov appeared to have been given license to hit out at the navy - indicating that the Kremlin is seeking to find a culprit for the catastrophic loss of the cruiser. There are suggestions that Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, has been detained or suspended over the loss of the flagship. Vladimir Putin is pictured next to president of Egypy Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on board the Moskva cruiser in August 2014 Putin was said to have been enraged upon hearing of the destruction of the ship The sinking of the flagship has been called the biggest single humiliation for the Russians since the war in Ukraine began Yesterdays parade was overseen by the head of the navy Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, 60, with Osipov nowhere to be seen. Highly-paid Solovyov is sanctioned by the West and his two Italian villas targeted by protesters. The open air pool at one of his Lake Como retreats was filled with red dye to resemble blood. Paving stones and walls were also smeared red. Graffiti reading 'Solovyov killer' was sprayed at the entrance. His other villa was targeted with burning tyres hurled over the exterior wall. The attack on the Russian Navy is in stark contrast to his earlier invective concerning the Bucha horror. In this case, he told state-funded Rossiya 1: 'It's primarily the British who are working there. The Moskva cruiser was shown on video during the mourning ceremony. Russian media said it sank as it was being towed to port after a fire broke out on board 'Apparently this whole provocation was planned by the British.' The scene was contrived to send a message saying look at the atrocities of Russian troops, here are civilians shot and killed, he claimed. 'And the corpses are lying right along the road, but for some reason only one road.' He warned Russian viewers that 'we are blatantly being led to the Yugoslav scenario. 'We are now being played the Srebrenica scenario. 'We will be accused of genocide very soon. 'Everything is being done for that. 'Now they are using a plot that is unfolding before our eyes.' Seeking to divert blame for Putins forces, he claimed that in Bucha 'there was no permanent control of Russian troops - it changed hands all the time.' Grant Shapps has become the second MP to host a Ukrainian family, as thousands of refugees continue to grapple with Home Office red tape in a bid to make it to the UK. The Transport Secretary revealed yesterday that he had taken in a 'three-generation' family, as well as their dog named Max, to live with him in his Hertfordshire home. The Tory MP previously said he was taking in a six-year-old boy, his mother and his 75-year-old grandmother. The family will make use of one his children's bedrooms while they are away at university. Mr Shapps wrote on Twitter: 'Whilst their country goes through the turmoil of Putin's war, our country stands resolutely with the people of Ukraine.' Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has become the second MP to host Ukrainian refugees, after he welcomed a three-generation family and their dog in his Hertfordshire home yesterday. Pictured: Grant Shapps, his wife Belinda and their three children It comes as Home Office figures reveal 56,500 visas had been issued to Ukrainians as of last Wednesday, with 25,100 of those coming through the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme while the remaining 31,400 have family members already living in the UK. Of the 25,100 visas issued after Brits offered to open their doors to fleeing families, only 3,200 - 13 percent - had arrived in the UK as of last week. Meanwhile, a larger proportion - 42 percent, or 13,200 - of visa-holders from the parallel scheme had arrived, possibly due to fewer background checks needing to be done when the visa sponsor is a family member as opposed to a stranger. The first MP to welcome a Ukrainian refugee into their home, Robert Jenrick, criticised Home Office red tape, complaining that the visa-approval process had been too lengthy. Mr Jenrick, the MP for Newark, told Choppers Politics, The Daily Telegraphs podcast: Truth be told, it has been a bumpy start. 'It has taken too long to get visas. For us it took about three weeks to get all three visas approved. Mr Jenrick is hosting 40-year-old Mariia and her two children Khystyna, 11, and Bohdan, 15, in his constituency home in Newark, Nottinghamshire. He continued: I do think the process has been overly bureaucratic and I think the Home Office often falls into this trap. There were simple things that we could and should have done from the outset, like having the form in Ukrainian, for example.' Some 13,200 people had arrived under the Ukraine family scheme but only 3,200 had made it to the UK under Homes for Ukraine sponsorship since Monday, April 11, provisional data published on the Home Office's website showed The first MP to welcome a Ukrainian refugee into their home, Robert Jenrick, 40, said that he found it emotional and humbling when he finally met the refugees on Monday 11 April Last month, the Government announced the launch of the Homes for Ukraine scheme which will pay families 350-a-month to take in those fleeing Russian brutality for at least six months. Within hours of launching, the website for registering interest had crashed and subsequently more than 200,000 people signed up to the programme. Some 13,200 people had arrived under the Ukraine family scheme but only 3,200 had made it to the UK under Homes for Ukraine sponsorship since Monday, April 11, provisional data published on the Home Office's website showed. A MailOnline investigation last week revealed how kind-hearted Brits' attempts to take in a Ukrainian had been frustrated by senseless bureaucracy. Revealed: Home Office forms asking Ukrainian fathers on front line to give consent for children to go to UK and seven-year-olds if they are a threat to national security as families reveal red tape nightmare EXCLUSIVE: Brits share their frustrations with bureaucratic sponsorship forms Schoolgirls, as young as seven, were asked if they are national security threats Fathers conscripted to fight were made to fill out consent forms for their kids Furious row has erupted over delays for Homes for Ukraine scheme's progress Has your application been delayed? Email Jacob.Thorburn@mailonline.co.uk British families frustrated by Home Office red tape have revealed their fury at a 'broken' Homes for Ukraine application process that sees children asked if they are security threats and fathers fighting on the front line made to fill out consent forms. Kind-hearted hosts from across the UK have told MailOnline of how their efforts to open their homes have been hit with snags as thousands of desperate refugees remain stuck in limbo. Has your Homes for Ukraine application been hit with delays? Email Jacob.Thorburn@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement The Government has come under fire for the slow processing of visa applications as Ukrainian evacuees, some as young as seven and travelling just with their siblings, are stuck in neighbouring countries with little money and no food or spare clothes. Of further concern to hosts is the cumbersome 50-page application process, which asks schoolchildren to divulge if they have ever been considered a threat to the national security of the United Kingdom. Some hosts claim their sponsorship forms were 'lost', while other horror stories reveal visa applications for the same family saw one half allowed to come to the UK, while the other half were left waiting for a reply for a week. Meanwhile, another host from Manchester told MailOnline how the pair of Ukrainian girls his family hope to sponsor were asked, as part of the visa application, to attach a letter of consent from their father - who was conscripted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the start of the war. Of further concern to hosts is the cumbersome 50-page application process, which asks schoolchildren to divulge if they have ever been considered a threat to the national security of the United Kingdom Another host from Manchester told MailOnline how the pair of Ukrainian girls his family hope to sponsor were asked, as part of the visa application, to attach a letter of consent from their father - who was conscripted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the start of the war Dr Paul Murray, a consultant scientist based in Bristol, hopes to house Ukrainian lawyer Yevheniaa Filippova, her son Lev, nine, and daughter Nelly, two, who are fleeing from port city of Odessa. Dr Paul Murray, a consultant scientist based in Bristol, has called on senior ministers and civil servants to quit He thinks senior ministers and civil servants should offer their resignations in the face of the 'national embarrassment' that is the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme. 'These are women and children who are vulnerable and need protecting', he told MailOnline. 'The incompetence is astounding. It is time for some senior civil servants and ministers to go. Dont they understand the situation for these refugees? 'The constant messaging of "we are simplifying the process", and "they dont need to go to a visa centre" is all bull****. This family break down in tears every time they call me because theyre stuck. This system is broken, and it's absolutely ridiculous. People must lose their jobs over this.' Ukrainian lawyer Yevheniaa Filippova, 39, and her daughter Nelly, 2, fled the port city of Odessa on the Black Sea, which has come under fire from Russian rockets in recent weeks Lev, nine, and Nelly have fled invading Russian troops in the west of Ukraine Other examples of the bureaucratic web that has delayed countless Homes for Ukraine applications have come to light in recent days. Compliance manager Andy Johnston and his family first submitted their applications to house two Ukrainian girls, Oleksandra, aged 15 and Anastasiia, 19, in their Manchester home four weeks ago. The girls' father was signed up to stay and fight for the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the start of the Russian invasion, meaning the sisters had to travel to Poland alone. Because Oleksandra doesn't own a passport, she was asked to travel to a visa processing centre hundreds of miles away in Warsaw, where she provided her evidence on March 31. Compliance manager Andy Johnston (pictured) and his family first submitted their applications to house two Ukrainian girls in their Manchester home four weeks ago Ukrainian refugees Oleksandra, and Anastasiia, 19, (right) are stuck in Poland with their supply of money, food and clothes rapidly running out Included within Oleksandra's forms was a question asking her to provide a letter of consent for her travel, authorised by a parent or guardian, before she could come to the UK. But as they wait for the results of her application, the girls are now stuck in Poland with no money, food or spare clothes, Andy explains. 'It's a really worrying situation', he tells MailOnline. 'We sent them some money to help them get to Poland, and now we're going to have to send them some more to help support them with the essentials. 'It has been 26 days since our initial priority application was submitted and we've not had any updates on their applications at all. It's shocking really.' Responding to the parental letters of consent, a Government spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The safety and wellbeing of asylum seeking children is paramount. Due to safeguarding requirements, unaccompanied minors are not currently eligible for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.' Home Secretary Priti Patel has been forced to apologise over delays to the visa scheme. Earlier this week, Environment Secretary George Eustice said the Home Secretary was 'looking very closely at this to look at whatever else can be done to remove any barriers'. He told Sky News: 'Well obviously it's different for countries that are bordering the Ukraine, because people fleeing a war like this obviously will cross the nearest land border, and that's why countries like Poland and Hungary obviously are getting more of those refugees coming in. 'We've made some changes already, making clear for instance that those with a Ukrainian passport don't need to attend an appointment in person, and I know that Priti Patel's looking very closely at this to look at whatever else can be done to remove any barriers as and when those arise.' In only six weeks of war in Ukraine, close to five million children have been forced to flee their homes and immigrate as refugees to neighbouring countries. Pictured: Ukrainian mothers in Krakow, Poland attend a protest against the killing of children in Ukraine Home Secretary Priti Patel last week apologised 'with frustration' over the amount of time it was taking for Ukrainians to arrive in the UK under current visa schemes Ruth Girardet, a leadership coach who lives in London, faced multiple hurdles before her refugees' claims were accepted and describes the application system as 'utterly broken'. She filled out sponsorship forms for a Ukrainian mother and her two daughters, aged seven and 11 on March 21. Within one of the pages on the 50-page application, the questionnaire asks the schoolchildren if they have ever been considered a threat to the UK's national security. 'I was astonished. The system is utterly broken', she told MailOnline. To compound her frustration, Ruth was told by the office of her MP, Emily Thornberry, that documentation for the third and final visa had been 'lost'. After enquiring about this, the final visa was eventually processed and accepted five days later, but the group only had one permission to travel form for the children. That delay meant they were stuck in Poland and were told by border officials that their UK visas were ready to go, but they were not authorised to print them. Ruth Girardet, a leadership coach who lives in London, faced multiple hurdles before her refugees' claims were accepted and describes the application system as 'utterly broken' Several of those who offered their homes to Ukrainians within the first few days of the Homes for Ukraine scheme opening say they feel left behind as they claim more recent applications appear to be fast-tracked ahead of theirs. Senior civil servants, including Second Permanent Secretary Simon Ridley, who worked on the Government's Covid Task Force, and policy expert Louise Horton were understood to have been parachuted in to help streamline the process. A Home Office hotline and separate email address were initially set up to deal with the thousands of incoming requests, but have since become less responsive, several hosts have said. In some cases, hosts say that their applicants' visas letters were due to arrive within two days - but are still yet to materialise weeks later. The first four days appear to be the biggest hurdle, people who applied when the scheme first launched are being left behind, while those applying now are getting through quicker', Ruth adds. Thats shocking because those applying first were the ones who are most in need and in danger.' Her frustration is being shared by other prospective hosts hundreds of miles away. Businessman David Steward slammed the government's 'failed' efforts to house Ukrainian refugees - comparing their plight to the 1940s generation of Brits who leapt into action to save more than 330,000 British soldiers stranded at Dunkirk. He says conversations with the Ukrainian family he had been trying to sponsor have become more difficult to face as he hears the deafening blare of air raid sirens in the background. 'The opportunity to help those fleeing a land war in Ukraine is this generation's Dunkirk Little Ships moment. 'The government are either hindering it with an under-resourced, hopeless system, or are actively obstructing it.' A government spokesman told MailOnline: 'We continue to process visas for the Homes for Ukraine scheme as quickly as possible, but accept progress has not been quick enough. 'The Home Office has made changes to visa processing the application form has been streamlined, Ukrainian passport holders can now apply online and do their biometrics checks once in the UK, and greater resource has gone into the system. 'UK Visa and Immigration caseworkers are working as quickly as possible to process applications, but it is absolutely essential to ensure that issues of human trafficking are addressed and that safeguarding processes are in place to ensure children are travelling with their parents.' An ex-army soldier talks to a Ukrainian refugee mother and child at the Polish/Ukraine boarder. (His face has been pixelated to protect his privacy) Pictured: Suspected sex traffickers at the border with Ukraine, who could be looking for women. (Their faces have been pixelated for legal reasons) It comes as the United Nation's refugee agency warned Ukrainian women and children should not be matched with single male hosts over fears they could be exploited. A spokesperson for the UNHCR said: 'Matching done without the appropriate oversight may lead to increasing the risks women may face, in addition to the trauma of displacement, family separation and violence already experienced.' Those concerns were echoed by the UK's Charity Commission who want to 'raise awareness of the risk of sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment of those in need of assistance'. Unbound Now, a network of anti-human trafficking agencies, say they had seen lone men try to lure women into vehicles at the Ukraine-Poland border. 'It's a challenging situation at the moment,' concedes a spokesman for the charity. A young mother has been left desperately searching for a new home after becoming 'stranded' when her partner was killed in a crash. Tomeeka Tomlinson was 16 weeks pregnant when she was left with no house and no transport following the death of her partner from a motorbike accident in June last year. The 19-year-old soon had to find a new home and began the arduous journey of applying for a rental across Brisbane, Queensland. She has called Queensland's rental crisis 'shocking' and claims she's been rejected from 280 rental properties so far. Young mother Tomeeka Tomlinson (pictured) claims she's been rejected for a rental 280 times as she desperately searches for a new home in a market crucially short on rental properties Tomlinson told the Courier Mail she 'started looking for rentals' eight months ago but was 'continuously knocked back'. 'I have applied for over 280 houses around Redbank Plains, Redbank, Goodna, Augustine Heights, Springfield, Riverview, Yamanto, Brassall and so many more including [National Rental Affordability Scheme] NRAS applications,' she revealed. Tomlinson currently lives at her overcrowded family home with her young son, now six-months-old, as she continues sending out applications. She said the 'state of the rental crisis' in Brisbane is 'shocking' and has made her feel worried about her future. 'The amount of house inspections I've had to drag myself and my son to, it seems the rental market at the moment is leaving struggling families with children in need of housing on the streets,' she added. It comes just weeks after a homeless single mum revealed she was at her wits' end after also being rejected from rentals almost 300 times. Tomlinson says the 'state of the rental crisis' in Brisbane is 'shocking' and has made her feel worried about her future It comes just weeks after a homeless single mum Shikera Maher (pictured) revealed she was at her wits' end after also being rejected from rentals almost 300 times House rent rises during the past year SYDNEY: Up 17.1 per cent to $766.70 a week MELBOURNE: Up 6.5 per cent to $547.10 a week BRISBANE: Up 19.5 per cent to $570.80 a week PERTH: Up 13.7 per cent to $575.70 a week ADELAIDE: Up 15.6 per cent to $494.40 a week CANBERRA: Up 16.4 per cent to $768.30 a week DARWIN: Up 4.7 per cent to $611.10 a week HOBART: Up 4.5 per cent to $511 a week Source: SQM Research median weekly house rents data showing annual increases in the year to March 12, 2022 Advertisement Shikera Maher and her four teenage children from Ipswich spent March and February living in her car while they searched for somewhere to live. Before that, Ms Maher and her children - aged 13, 15-year-old twins, and 18 - were living with friends for weeks at a time. But the domestic violence survivor said the constant moving was too hard given the size of the family and how most of her friends live in small houses or units. The family use friends' bathrooms to take daily showers 'I don't wish the situation on anyone, not even my worst enemy,' Ms Maher told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's not a way to live, driving from one park to another because we can't stay in the same place.' 'I've asked countless time whether it's because my application.' The hundreds of rejections have mostly not been explained to her. Owners and agencies just had other, preferred applicants who could pay higher rent for their properties. She said it's not a lack of funds that is the problem. 'I have the money to pay the rent and bond,' Ms Maher said. 'It's a very hard situation. We have to hang blankets on the car windows at night so people don't look in,' she said. 'I sleep in the driver's seat, the 18 year-old is in the front with me while the other three sleep in the back seat with all of our belongings.' 'There are many meltdowns a day and constant fighting being stuck in the car all day.' The family lived in their car (pictured) after being rejected almost 300 times for rental properties in the Ipswich region The family is looking for a four-bedroom house in Ipswich, which on average costs $430 per week to rent in the area, with a bonds of around $1043. Ms Maher is not eligible for public housing, she said, because she owes a debt she has not yet paid after one of her children, who was then aged 8, 'smashed' their last place provided by the department in 2012. Ms Maher and her family are on a waiting list for crisis accommodation but are yet to secure anything. She pleaded for landlords and real estate agents to have empathy for single parents and low income earners 'All we want is a roof over our heads and for our family to be safe again, even if the kids have to switch schools,' she said. Purple Cow Real Estate Springfield Lakes director Andy Nutton told the Courier Mail that the number of homes available for rent is far outweighed by the number of people looking for a home. 'Some factors influencing the shortage in supply is a reduction of investors entering the market or investment properties being sold to owner-occupiers in the recent property boom, as well as pressures in the building industry causing delays to new builds being available,' he said. Nutton claims that a 'high level of migration' into the sunshine state has also pushed demand as well. Widespread flooding in Queensland has been a major factor in the critical shortage of homes. (Pictured: Flood affected properties in Ipswich in March) Another major factor in the critical shortage of homes is the recent flooding and wild wet weather that devastated Brisbane and parts of Queensland. Many residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the floods have either moved into, or are seeking, new places to live temporarily. 'Flooding in big cities like Brisbane, as well as in regional areas, mean that many homes have become uninhabitable or require a lot of work,' says Ray White's chief economist Nerida Conisbee. 'More people will require rental accommodation, as well as there now being fewer rental properties.' Conisbee added that Australia's rent costs were also now increasing at the fastest pace since the Global Financial Crisis 14 years ago. May's Stormont election is a 'battle for Northern Ireland' itself, with a Sinn Fein win likely to lead to a reunification referendum, the Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has warned. In an Easter message to party colleagues, he repeated a claim that if the republicans become the largest party it would help it deliver on its objective of a vote on joining the republic. Sinn Fein has said that its focus in the election is on pressing health and economic issues in Northern Ireland, such as the cost-of-living crisis and spiralling hospital waiting lists. Sir Jeffrey has, however, maintained that the republican party will be emboldened to press for a referendum if it displaces the DUP as the largest party following the May 5 poll. Opinion polls suggest that Sinn Fein will become the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly after May's vote, amid divisions within unionist ranks and within the DUP itself. Unionist rivals have accused him of trying to scare the unionist electorate into voting DUP to consolidate his party's support in the wake of a series of opinion polls that have indicated it is trailing behind Sinn Fein. But yesterday, in a tweet to mark the 106th anniversary of the Easter Rising, Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, said: 'We must look beyond the division of our island, and seize the opportunities ahead of us to build a new and united Ireland. 'Now is the time to build a new Ireland, that ensures equality and prosperity for all.' In an Easter message to party colleagues, he repeated a claim that if the republicans become the largest party it would help it deliver on its objective of a vote on joining the republic. Yesterday, in a tweet to mark the 106th anniversary of the Easter Rising, Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, said: 'We must look beyond the division of our island, and seize the opportunities ahead of us to build a new and united Ireland' In his message to DUP members, Sir Jeffrey claimed the election will 'set the direction of the country for the next decade'. 'This election is the most important for a generation,' he wrote. 'Voters have a clear choice between our plan for fixing health, helping working families with the cost-of-living crisis, and growing our economy within the Union, and Sinn Fein's divisive border poll plan. 'The election outcome will decide if Northern Ireland goes in the right direction or the wrong direction. 'Over the last week, I have been focusing on constituencies where unionism is only chasing one seat. 'I have been reminding the people in those areas that voting for parties that can't win will risk the seat. Despite what some people say, you can split the vote too thinly in a PR election. 'I am also reminding them that this is a battle for Northern Ireland.' Last month the DUP warned Boris Johnson he had 40 days to save the Union ahead of the May 5 poll. The call came from MP Ian Paisley Jnr, who said he must use the time to get rid of the Brexit Northern Ireland protocol altogether, not simply pause it by invoking article 16 of the agreement. The protocol avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland by effectively keeping the North inside the EUs single market. But it requires checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea, fuelling tensions in Unionist ranks. HYDERABAD: The alumni association of Mahbub College conducted an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the state of affairs in the college, as reported in these columns on April 14, and resolved to fight to save the institution. They held the meeting outside the secretarys office in the college. The association expressed shock over members of the college managing committee locking the office of the secretary and the conference hall attached to it, and also instructing their staff not to cooperate with the alumni. Even the local police were alerted to disrupt the scheduled meeting. It proved that they are on the wrong side and caused financial irregularities leading to huge loss of revenue to Mahbub College, they said. During the meeting, the alumni expressed dissatisfaction over the state of affairs of the college administration. They resolved to protect the institution and its members, who they said were arbitrarily removed without following due constitutional provisions and procedure of law. The move amply speaks of their (impugned members) mala fide intention to capture power with an eye on the prime properties of Mahbub College, including its centenary campus in Secunderabad, stated the alumni. They said they would vehemently fight with the illegitimate members of the managing committee until the institution got justice. Meanwhile, the college claimed that the report which appeared in this newspaper on April 14 was not true. A GMB debate on government plans to send migrants to Rwanda descended into chaos today after a minister was bizarrely grilled on whether he would send Jesus to the African country. Presenter Adil Ray posed the weird question to Tory MP Greg Hands on Good Morning Britain as more migrants have flocked to the UK after dangerous journeys over the Channel on the bank holiday weekend. That is despite the risk of being deported to Rwanda, a scheme the Government hopes will stop migrants falling victim to people smugglers and instead use legal methods to gain entry. The Government announced last week it plans to provide failed asylum seekers, including those crossing the Channel in small boats, with a one-way ticket to the African country more than 4,000 miles away. It has said the 120million five-year plan would help to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the Channel, which has faced immediate and heavy criticism from politicians and charities. Although migrants will be able to apply to live in Rwanda permanently, there has been huge backlash against the plans to send migrants to the country. Just four years ago Rwandan police shot dead 12 refugees as they protested a UN cut to food rations and the country is marred by the 1994 genocide that saw 800,000 people murdered, many of them hacked to death in their own homes. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, branded the scheme as 'ungodly', while the UN called it 'unacceptable'. Minister Greg Hands previously told Sky News of Welby's intervention: 'I think what others, the critics of this plan, need to do is to show what their solution would be.' As Brits across the country celebrate Easter, Good Morning Britain's Adil Ray (left) reminded the Tory minister Jesus was also a migrant, meaning if he arrived illegally in the UK he would likely face being sent to Rwanda Greg Hands was faced with a bizarre question as to whether the Tories would send Jesus to Rwanda if he arrived in the UK Members of the Border Force escort migrants back to dover after they was picked up in the English Channel this morning Border Force officials helped migrants who were desperate to reach Britain's shored GMB's Adil Rey said on the show this morning: 'Here we are celebrating Easter this weekend. 'The life and times of Jesus Christ who himself was a refugee. 'Under this scheme, Priti Patel's and Boris Johnson's government scheme, if he arrived in the UK today, Jesus would be sent to Rwanda.' He asked Mr Hands: 'Would you send Jesus to Rwanda?' The Minister replied: 'We can debate the Easter story and what happened or did not happen to Jesus. 'The point is this is the government's policy 2,000 years later.' He added : '2,000 years later 28 thousand people have made an illegal journey from France to the UK, between two entirely safe countries, and 27 people have died'. Twitter users were quick to hit out at the presenter. Social media user Stephanie said: 'Would you send Jesus to Rwanda lol, what a stupid question.' Meanwhile Martyn Murphy said: 'JESUS to Rwanda is the deal I wasn't expecting to hear this morning' and Andrew Poyntz-Roberts criticised Ray's 'ridiculous questioning'. The Rwanda plan is a move similar to an approach adopted in Australia and Home Secretary Priti Patel has defended the plans, using an opinion piece in the Times to attack her critics. In a joint article with Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta, she wrote: 'We are taking bold and innovative steps and it's surprising that those institutions that criticise the plans fail to offer their own solutions.' While Priti Patel said criticism of her plans was 'synthetic outrage', two boats with dozens of migrants on board were brought ashore into Dover, Kent, on Monday after being intercepted by Border Force officers. Two large dinghies were detected with around 90 people crammed on board and were brought into Dover Harbour on the Border Force vessel Hurricane. Men, women and young children were wearing life jackets as they were brought into the port this morning to be processed. Migrants travelling to the UK on small boats will be put on jets and sent 4,000 miles away to Rwanda while their applications are processed. Pictured: A map detailing the plan proposed by the Prime Minister A young child was among a group of migrants brought in to Dover, Kent, after a small boat incident Under a scheme designed to crack down on migrants landing on British shores after crossing the Channel in small boats, the UK intends to provide those deemed to have arrived unlawfully with a one-way ticket to Rwanda A group of migrants were saved from a small boat in the Channel today and brought to Dove More than 6,000 migrants have been detained after making the dangerous journey this year Each migrant was given a life jacket and taken to Dover, Kent, for processing These migrants face being sent with a one-way ticket to Rwanda, which is more than 4,000 miles away The UN has branded the proposed scheme as 'unacceptable' while the Archbishop of Canterbury said it was 'ungodly' A record 28,395 migrants reached the UK illegally last year by taking small boats across the Channel, a 200 per cent increase on 2020's tally A view of facilities at Hope House, a hostel in Nyabugogo, the Gasabo district of the capital city Kigali, in Rwanda - where migrants shipped from Britain will initially be taken Windy conditions in the Channel were expected to prevent large numbers attempting the treacherous crossing over the Easter weekend. On Saturday the Royal Navy and Border Force intercepted a further 252 migrants attempting to make the treacherous journey. Despite choppy conditions in the 21-mile wide Dover Straits, seven flimsy dinghies made the dangerous voyage and were rescued in British waters. So far this year 6,342 people have been rescued in 195 boats. A total of 28,526 migrants made the treacherous crossing 2021 - significantly higher than the 8,410 who arrived in 2020. In 2021 that figure was not reached until July 10, while 1,713 people have been arrived this month alone. Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, Tom Pursglove MP, has said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. 'Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough. 'Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we're cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.' The Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured today) blasted the government's Rwanda plan for asylum seekers as the 'opposite of the nature of God' On Sunday morning, Justin Welby told his Easter sermon congregation that the UK has a duty as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' after anyone who arrived in Britain illegally since January 1 could be relocated to Rwanda under a new deal In his Easter sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Justin Welby said the UK has a 'national responsibility' as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured speaking to the media in Rwanda), has slammed 'synthetic outrage' at her plans How will the new Rwanda migrant scheme work? Cross-channel arrivals assessed and anyone deemed an economic migrant rather than a refugee is sent to Rwanda Initial agreement worth 120million over five years Failed immigrants urged to start new life in Africa Initially based at hostel in Kigali Hope House is currently being used as budget accommodation for tourists Privately owned, the East African nation's government is understood to be in negotiations to lease the property Memorandum of understanding (MOU) says Government will screen asylum seekers 'without delay' after arrival in the UK All requests will require approval from Rwanda before relocation Nation can refuse to take people with criminal records People who cross the Channel in small boats will undergo initial checks at the Western Jet Foil facility in Dover Further checks at a processing site in Manston, Kent. Where their claim is deemed inadmissible, they may be removed to a 'third safe country'. Royal Navy to lead Channel policing role, helping Border Force from today PM attacked 'a formidable army of politically motivated lawyers' who have thwarted previous action PM: 'Our compassion may be infinite but our capacity to help people is not. We can't ask the British taxpayer to write a blank cheque to cover the costs of anyone who might want to come and live here.' Advertisement Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday slammed the 'synthetic outrage' over the Rwanda plans. She also accused political opponents of treating exploited migrants with contempt and slammed 'shameful' human rights lawyers for profiting from traffickers sending groups to the UK in flimsy dinghies, The Sun reports. Ms Patel said: 'All I've heard the last couple of days is a typical hysterical reaction from the Left, particularly through their social media echo chamber. 'All they have to offer is synthetic outrage. Labour doesn't have a plan. They don't care about Britain's interests or UK taxpayers who foot the bill. 'They are showing complete contempt for democracy and the wishes of the British people who have been crying out for years for action to fix our broken asylum system and tackle illegal migration.' A Government source told the Mail on Sunday that after striking a dramatic deal, the Home Secretary wants to spread the word internationally and let 'people know the rules have changed and if you arrive illegally to the UK, you can be deported to Rwanda'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also warned that 'anyone entering the UK illegally, as well as those who have arrived illegally since 1 January, may now be relocated to Rwanda'. A 100,000 information campaign will use social media to reach people in 'source countries' in their own languages. Jacob Rees-Mogg also suggested today that migrants crossing the Channel in small boats are 'supporting organised crime'. The Cabinet minister, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. In his Easter sermon, Justin Welby earlier said 'sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well, like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God'. Reacting to the sermon, Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'I think he misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve, and that it isn't an abandonment of responsibility, it is in fact a taking on of a very difficult responsibility. 'The problem that is being dealt with is that people are risking their lives in the hands of people traffickers, to get into this country illegally. Now, it's not the illegal bit of it, it is the encouragement of people traffickers that needs to be stopped.' He added that '90 per cent of people coming are young men who by coming via people traffickers are jumping the queue for others'. Mr Rees-Mogg continued: 'They are in doing so not only risking their lives but supporting organised crime. What we need to do is focus on legal routes into this country of which there are quite a number.' The new deal expected to be the subject of legal challenges was presented to Cabinet Ministers on Wednesday by Ms Patel and the Prime Minister. The Rwandan government will receive 120 million in investment from the UK with the cost of housing each migrant for three months estimated at 20,000 to 30,000. Ms Patel issued a ministerial direction, only the second in the department for 30 years, to force through the policy after objections from Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft. Three men are escorted off a boat on Sunday. Around 20 are understood to have been intercepted in the Channel A woman and young child are helped off a boat after attempting to cross the Channel on Sunday Senior Home Office civil servants have expressed dismay at the cost. One said: 'It will be astronomical. The legal bill alone will be huge.' Last night, the Home Office published an exchange of letters between Ms Patel and Mr Rycroft in which he called for a ministerial direction as he could not justify the policy's value for money. The package also includes a new immigration centre for 500 men at a former RAF base in Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire. Speaking after Saturday's crossings, Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration Tom Pursglove MP said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. 'Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough. 'Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we're cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.' What's your plan then, Archbishop? Ministers continue to berate Church of England leader Justin Welby after he branded Rwanda migrant removal plan 'ungodly' BY DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR AND CHARLOTTE MCLAUGHLIN AND CHRIS JEWERS AND DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE Boris Johnson's government was locked in a furious battle with the Archbishop of Canterbury today after he blasted plans to send economic migrants to Rwanda. The Most Reverend Justin Welby used his Easter Sunday sermon to launch a scathing criticism of Home Secretary Priti Patel's deal to deter Channel migrant crossings by packing them off to Africa. But it sparked a hardline response from Ms Patel and other ministers, who invited him to come up with with a better idea or stop carping from the sidelines. On Sunday morning, the Archbishop told his Canterbury congregation that the UK has a duty as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' after anyone who arrived in Britain illegally since January 1 could be relocated to Rwanda under a new deal. Ms Patel resurrected the row on Easter Monday, using an opinion piece in the Times to attack her critics. Without naming the head of the Church of England in a joint article with Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta, she wrote: 'We are taking bold and innovative steps and it's surprising that those institutions that criticise the plans fail to offer their own solutions.' Minister Greg Hands was even more direct on a round of interviews today. Asked about Welby's intervention he told Sky News: ''I think what others, the critics of this plan, need to do is to show what their solution would be.' The Government has said the 120million, five-year plan would help to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the Channel, which has faced immediate and heavy criticism from politicians and charities. It would see economic migrants who arrive in the Uk illegally handed a one-way ticket to Rwanda to start a new life there . Mr Welby said the 'serious' ethical questions' over sending asylum seekers abroad cannot 'stand the judgment of god'. Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured) has fired back at The Archbishop of Canterbury after he declared in his Easter speech this morning the UK must not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' in reference to the migrant crisis The Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured today) blasted the government's Rwanda plan for asylum seekers as the 'opposite of the nature of God' Minister Greg Hands was even more direct on a round of interviews today. Asked about Welby's intervention he told Sky News: ''I think what others, the critics of this plan, need to do is to show what their solution would be.' Migrants wait to disembark at the Port of Dover after being rescued while crossing the English Channel, in Dover, Britain, April 15, 2022 On Sunday morning, Justin Welby told his Easter sermon congregation that the UK has a duty as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' after anyone who arrived in Britain illegally since January 1 could be relocated to Rwanda under a new deal Non-EU migration to UK soars after Brexit The number of non-EU migrants coming to Britain to work and study has rocketed since the implementation of post-Brexit immigration rules, Home Office figures have shown. From 1 January 2021, following the end of the Brexit transition period, those coming to the UK from the EU to work or study have required a visa. In total in 2021, there were 239,987 work-related visas granted. This was a 110 per cent increase on 2020 (114,528 visas) and 25 per cent higher than 2019 (192,559), which was the final full year before the Covid pandemic. However, of those work-related visas granted in 2021, only 30,514 (or 13 per cent) were granted to EU nationals, as well as those from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The highest number of work visas granted in 2021, by nationality, were to Indians (70,099 visas), Ukrainians (20,783), Filipinos (14,281) and Nigerians (11,589). The top EU nationalities granted work visas in 2021 were French (4,618), German (3,693) and Italians (2,921). Last year also saw a huge increase in the number of foreign students granted UK visas. Advertisement He was joined in his sentiments by Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell who called it 'depressing and distressing'. But Tory MPs have called the Archbishop of Canterbury's stinging intervention over the government's plan to send thousands of migrants with a one-way ticket to Rwanda 'clumsy'. Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, a committed Catholic, said the government is not 'abandoning' migrants but taking on a 'very difficult responsibility' with the 'intention' of doing good' which he said is important within Christianity. Other Tory MPs John Redwood, Mike Wood and Tom Hunt also blasted Mr Welby's comments with Mr Hunt saying the Archbishop should be wary of 'clumsily intervening' into political issues. Mr Welby also called for a ceasefire in the Russian war on Ukraine and spoke of his concern for families struggling during the cost-of-living crisis and for those bereaved by Covid-19. In his 8.10am sermon, the Archbishop said: 'The resurrection of Jesus is not a magic wand that makes the world perfect. 'But the resurrection of Christ is the tectonic shift in the way the cosmos works. It is the conquest of death and the opening of eternal life - through Jesus, a gift offered to every human being who reaches out to him. 'Not just for individuals but setting a benchmark for all of society because God is lord of every society and nation.' He will continue: 'Let this be a time for Russian ceasefire, withdrawal and a commitment to talks. 'This is a time for resetting the ways of peace, not for what Bismarck called blood and iron. Let Christ prevail. Let the darkness of war be banished. 'And this season is also why there are such serious ethical questions about sending asylum seekers overseas. 'The details are for politics and politicians. The principle must stand the judgment of God, and it cannot. It cannot carry the weight of resurrection justice, of life conquering death. In his Easter sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Justin Welby said the UK has a 'national responsibility' as a 'Christian country' to not 'sub-contract our responsibilities' Migrants wait to disembark at the Port of Dover after being rescued while crossing the English Channel, in Dover, Britain, April 17, 2022 Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda Echoing Mr Welby over his thoughts on the migrant scheme, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (pictured) said at York Minster 'we can do better than' the Rwanda scheme The Member of Parliament for Ipswich Tom Hunt said Mr Welby's comments were 'wrong headed' and he should be wary of 'clumsily intervening' into political issues John Redwood, the MP for Wokingham, said could the Archbishop 'forgive and reconcile' instead of 'sharpening political divisions' Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's previous forays into politics The Most Reverend Justin Welby used his Easter Sunday sermon to launch a scathing criticism of Home Secretary Priti Patel's deal to deter Channel migrant crossings by packing them off to Africa. His remarks sparked a hardline response from Ms Patel and other ministers, who invited him to come up with with a better idea or stop carping from the sidelines. But it is not the first time Welby has used a sermon to wade into political debate in recent years: Welby warns MPs over language Welby clashed with Boris Johnson and other MPs when he called on the Commons to avoid using inflammatory language. He said it was 'extraordinarily dangerous for politicians to use careless comments' in a polarised and volatile' society after the Prime Minister was criticised for using words such as 'surrender' over Brexit. Archbishop speaks on Covid rules Welby warned MPs against Covid restrictions being imposed centrally and said he was 'deeply concerned' about the impact of the 'rule of six' on family life. He said the Government had 'determined the daily details of our lives' during lockdown in a way 'few of us have experienced', as he argued instead for localism. Welby leads colleagues against Brexit Internal Market Bill Mr Johnson was again on a collision course with Welby over Brexit as he led five Anglican archbishops in warning that the proposed Internal Market Bill would ride roughshod over the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU in 2019 and potentially put peace in Northern Ireland at risk. Calls for public inquiry into handling of the pandemic The archbishop piled the pressure on Boris Johnson to launch a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid pandemic, saying the time for an independent probe 'must be coming close'. Blasts Government plans for NI rise Welby blasted ministers' plans to increase national insurance, saying it could pose a 'serious problem' for low-income workers. He said that privileging wealthy pensioners over the poorest young people posed 'a very serious moral question'. And he slammed the policy as one that was not 'people-centred'. Speaks out against Assisted Dying Bill Welby also spoke out against the Assisted Dying Bill - tabled by the independent peer Baroness Meacher to give patients of sound mind with six months or less left to live the right to die by taking life-ending medication. Urges leaders to reach climate change agreement And just a month earlier, at the COP26 Summit, he said leaders would be 'cursed' if they did not reach an agreement on climate change. Called for support for refugees He used his Christmas sermon last year to preach a message of support to volunteers helping refugees. He said that the Christmas story of Joseph and Mary searching for shelter demonstrates the need to treat those 'who risk everything to arrive on the beaches' with compassion. Advertisement 'It cannot carry the weight of the resurrection that was announced first to the least valued, for it privileges the rich and strong. 'And it cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility as a country formed by Christian values, because sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures on the cross.' He also said the love of god and hope triumphs over 'nightmares' and 'global power'. Echoing Mr Welby over his thoughts on the migrant scheme, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said at York Minster 'we can do better than' the Rwanda scheme. Mr Cottrell said: 'It is so depressing and distressing this week to find that asylum seekers fleeing war, famine and oppression from deeply, deeply troubled parts of the world will not be treated with the dignity and compassion that is the right of every human being, and instead of being dealt with quickly and efficiently here on our soil will be shipped to Rwanda. 'We can do better than this. We can do better than this because of what we see in Jesus Christ, the risen Christ, with a vision for our humanity where barriers are broken down, not new obstacles put in the path. 'After all, there is in law no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker. It is the people who exploit them that we need to crack down on, not our sisters and brothers in their need. We don't need to build more barriers and cower in the darkness of the shadows they create.' Mr Rees-Mogg, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. He said: 'I think he misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve, and that it isn't an abandonment of responsibility, it is in fact a taking on of a very difficult responsibility. 'The problem that is being dealt with is that people are risking their lives in the hands of people traffickers, to get into this country illegally. 'Now, it's not the illegal bit of it, it is the encouragement of people traffickers that needs to be stopped.' He said '90% of people coming are young men who by coming via people traffickers are jumping the queue for others'. The Brexit opportunities minister also suggested the Government's immigration plan creates an 'opportunity for Rwanda'. He said: 'What is being done is providing an opportunity for Rwanda because it will provide Rwanda, a country that needs support and has gone through terrible troubles... and the Rwandan story is almost an Easter story of redemption, isn't it? 'Of a country that suffered the most appalling and horrific genocide and is now recovering and therefore the UK supporting it must be a good thing. 'It helps people come through legitimate routes and I think the aim of the policy - within Christianity intention is always very important - and the intention of the Government is to do good. 'It is to help those in genuine need of asylum and to make it harder for crime to prosper, and that I think, is fundamentally important.' Mr Rees-Mogg had previously stated he 'took his whip from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church rather than the [Tory party's] Whip's Office'. The MP for Ipswich Tom Hunt took to Twitter to blast Mr Welby, saying: 'The leaders of the Church of England should be wary about clumsily intervening into complex political issues at the best of times. 'To do so on Easter Sunday feels very wrong. Archbishop of York views particularly wrong headed. Claims he's in tune with majority of the public.' John Redwood, the MP for Wokingham, called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to 'forgive and reconcile' instead of 'sharpening political divisions'. He said in a Tweet: 'I thought the Easter message was love conquers all. We should forgive and reconcile. Could the Archbishop help do that instead of sharpening political divisions? And Mr Redwood also wrote: 'So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? Why does he want to live with law breaking and dangerous voyages?' Mike Wood MP also told GB News: 'They were unwise comments This will help to reduce the tragic losses at sea that we've had.' The MP for Ipswich Tom Hunt took to Twitter to blast Mr Welby, saying: 'The leaders of the Church of England should be wary about clumsily intervening into complex political issues at the best of times.' Pictured: So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? Why does he want to live with law breaking and dangerous voyages? And Mr Redwood also wrote: 'So what is the Archbishop's proposal on how to stop the lucrative and illegal trade by people traffickers? It comes as an exchange of letters published by the Home Office on Saturday night showed the department's Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft warned Home Secretary Priti Patel, pictured in Rwanda on Thusday, that although the policy was 'regular, proper and feasible', there was 'uncertainty surrounding the value for money of the proposal' It comes as an exchange of letters published by the Home Office on Saturday night showed the department's Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft warned Home Secretary Priti Patel that although the policy was 'regular, proper and feasible', there was 'uncertainty surrounding the value for money of the proposal'. But issuing a rare ministerial direction compelling the plans to go ahead despite the concern, Ms Patel said that 'without action, costs will continue to rise, lives will continue to be lost'. The Home Office insisted the UK has a 'proud history' of supporting those in need and that Rwanda is a 'fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers'. The policy has enjoyed some support from Conservative MPs, who say the issue of small boats crossing the Channel is high on the priority list for constituents. Ms Patel said she expects other countries to follow the UK's example, suggesting Denmark could be among those to reproduce the Government's 'blueprint', while the Home Office insisted its approach is not in breach of refugee agreements. Boris Johnson's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has today been slammed as an 'egregious breach of international law' and 'really unacceptable' by the United Nation's refugee agency. Pictured: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the command room at the 'Maritime rescue coordination centre' in Dover, Britain, April 14, 2022 Speaking about the cost-of-living crisis and the pandemic, the Archbishop Mr Welby also said: 'In the UK we might be waking up to lighter mornings and warmer days. 'But families across the country are waking up to cold homes and empty stomachs as we face the greatest cost-of-living crisis - we have known in our lifetimes. 'And because of this, they wake up with fear. 'Further afield people are waking up to horrors they never imagined possible. 'Last month president Zelensky gave a speech in which he said 'the end of the world has arrived'. 'Ukrainians have woken up to the end of the world as they knew it. 'Now they are awakened by the noises of war and the sickening reality of terror. They wake up to mortal fear.' Reflecting, on Mary waking up when Jesus was crucified, he said she awoke 'grim' with 'anger' at disciples for running away and her 'misery' at the future. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby performs the Washing of The Feet ceremony during the Maundy Thursday service at the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Kent, 'Be strong and have courage in your hearts': Boris Johnson addresses Ukrainians in his Easter message as he highlights triumph of good over evil and life over death By ELMIRA TANATAROVA FOR MAILONLINE Boris Johnson addressed Ukrainians in his Easter message today, remarking that 'Christ's message of hope the triumph of life over death and good over evil will resonate this year perhaps more than any other'. The Prime Minister, who is now banned from entering Russia following the Kremlin's sanctions on a dozen other British government members and politicians, told Christians around the world to 'be strong and have courage in your heart'. He added: 'Easter tells us that there is light beyond the darkness, that beyond the suffering lies redemption.' Moscow has meanwhile accused Britain, with Johnson making a surprise visit to Ukraine last week, of 'deliberately aggravating the situation surrounding Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the behalf of NATO' and threatened to expand its sanctions list 'soon'. The prime minister also tweeted out an Easter message in Ukrainian today, following a post yesterday in which he vowed to send more aid to Volodymyr Zelensky. It said: 'I updated my friend @ZelenskyyUa this afternoon on further military aid we will provide to Ukraine in the coming days. 'The UK will stop at nothing to ensure Ukrainians have the resources they need to defend their country from the ongoing Russian onslaught.' Keir Starmer's message also touched on the conflict and themes of overcoming adversity. The Labour leader said, in his address to 'Christians around the world': 'I know you draw inspiration from the life of Jesus and the Easter story which is a message of overcoming adversity and of hope. Of light overcoming darkness. 'And at this pivotal time, when Europe is at war and people are facing greater poverty at home, hope is more important than ever. 'Thank you and Happy Easter.' Yesterday Pope Francis called for 'gestures of peace in these days marked by the horror of war' in an Easter vigil homily in St Peter's Basilica attended by the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol. Ivan Fedorov was abducted and held for five days by Russian troops after they occupied Melitopol, a strategic southern city. Francis noted that while 'many writers have evoked the beauty of starlit nights...nights of war, however, are riven by streams of light that portend death'. He did not refer directly to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but he has called for an Easter truce in order to reach a negotiated peace. Francis also addressed Mr Fedorov and Ukrainian legislators Maria Mezentseva, Olena Khomenko and Rusem Umerov, who sat all together in the front row. He said: 'In this darkness of war, in the cruelty, we are all praying for you and with you this night. We are praying for all the suffering. 'We can only give you our company, our prayer.' Francis added that 'the biggest thing you can receive: Christ is risen'. He spoke the last three words in Ukrainian. The messages of hope come as Zelensky last night warned that Russia is willing to use nuclear weapons to bring a catastrophic end to its invasion of Ukraine. He urged the world to 'prepare' for the worst by stocking up on anti-radiation medicine and building air raid shelters. The comedian-turned-war time leader made the doomsday warning during an interview with national media, before sharing the clip via his Telegram channel. He made a similar announcement on Friday, when he said it could not be ruled out that Vladimir Putin would use tactical nukes, as his war against Ukraine continues to stall. On Saturday Russia resumed missile and rocket attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond in a stark reminder that the whole country remains under threat. Today Ukraine and Russia failed to agree about humanitarian convoys for the evacuation of civilians from war-affected areas, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said. 'We have not been able to agree...about ceasefires on evacuation routes. That is why, unfortunately, we are not opening humanitarian corridors today,' she said on her Telegram account. She added that the Ukrainian authorities have asked for humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and wounded Ukrainian troops from the besieged port of Mariupol. Advertisement He added: 'Such a sense of helplessness will have been common this morning. 'Many will be awakened in refugee camps separated from loved ones on the front line, grieving for those missing, raped, abused or killed wondering how to cope. 'For many in this country, the news from Ukraine is terrible but the rising cost of power and fuel, of basic foods, will be the first and overwhelming thought of the day. 'For others it will be the continued deep sense of loss of someone from Covid, or during Covid, to whom they could not say a proper farewell. 'The news might move on but grief does not. 'Others will be struggling at work or feel a deep sense of injustice at the way they've been mistreated by friends, families or employers.' Reflecting on what the resurrection means for us as individuals, the Archbishop will say: 'In dying for us, [God] sees and knows the wounds that cause us so much pain. 'He hears the cry of the mothers in Ukraine, he sees the fear of boys too young to become soldiers, [and] he knows the vulnerability of the orphans and refugees. 'Closer to home, he sees the humiliation of the grandparent visiting the food bank for the first time, the desperate choice of parents in poverty and the grief and weariness of the pandemic.' On Saturday, a peer suggested that the Government's plan may breach the Geneva conventions, a peer has suggested. Former child refugee and Labour peer Alf Dubs said ministers would face opposition in the Lords over the plan unveiled by Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week. In an interview with The Guardian, Lord Dubs said the Government was attempting to 'ride roughshod' over international agreements. He said: 'I think it's a way of getting rid of people the Government doesn't want, dumping them in a distant African country, and they'll have no chance of getting out of there again. 'I think it's a breach of the 1951 Geneva conventions on refugees. You can't just shunt them around like unwanted people.' It comes as it was reported that Ms Patel took the rare step of issuing a ministerial direction to overrule concerns of civil servants about whether the concept will deliver value for money. As part of the plan designed to curb migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, those who are deemed to have entered Britain by unlawful means since January 1 may be sent to Rwanda where they will be permitted to apply for asylum in the African country. According to the Daily Telegraph, the claimed use of the ministerial direction by the Home Secretary was only the second deployment of the power within the Home Office in the past 30 years. The Home Office declined to comment on the matter when approached by the PA news agency. Speaking to Times Radio on Saturday, shadow prisons minister Ellie Reeves said: 'The UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) has come out really, really strongly condemning the Government's proposals, as have many organisations, and it seems the Government's own civil servants have expressed huge misgivings about the plans, which seem to be completely misguided.' The Labour politician said: 'The Government is going to be paying 120 million upfront before any asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda. 'Asylum seekers are saying it won't deter them from crossing the Channel. 'We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis so it doesn't seem the right way to be spending money on an unethical and unworkable scheme that won't deter people from coming over.' She later added: 'The whole system needs looking at again, so rather than making sweeping statements - these announcements that are completely unworkable and incredibly expensive - what the Government actually needs to do is get to grips with the system and put in place a system that actually works, increase prosecutions and clamp down on criminal gangs.' But Ms Patel said Denmark could be among those to reproduce the UK Government's 'blueprint'. 'There is no question now that the model we have put forward, I'm convinced is world class and a world first, and it will be used as a blueprint going forward, there's no doubt about that,' Ms Patel said. 'I would not be surprised if other countries start coming to us direct on the back of this as well.' The Home Secretary said Copenhagen was in talks with Rwanda as well, adding the Council of Europe 'have also basically said they are interested in working with us'. The Home Office denied its approach was in breach of refugee agreements. But Lord Dubs, who came to the UK from then Czechoslovakia on one of the Kindertransport trains in 1939, told The Guardian there would be legal challenges and opposition by peers. 'If (Ms Patel) says she'll get rid of the lefty lawyers' claims, well, I think she may have another thing coming. My understanding is that they're going to have real difficulties in getting this through anyway,' he said. On Friday, the United Nations also criticised the proposal as an 'egregious breach of international law'. Gillian Triggs, a UNHCR assistant secretary-general, said the agency 'strongly condemns outsourcing the primary responsibility to consider the refugee status.' Put to her that Australia had effectively deployed a similar tactic to cut migration numbers, Ms Triggs said: 'My point is, just as the Australian policy is an egregious breach of international law and refugee law and human rights law, so too is this proposal by the United Kingdom Government. 'It is very unusual, very few states have tried this, and the purpose is primarily deterrent - and it can be effective, I don't think we're denying that. 'But what we're saying at the UN refugee agency is that there are much more legally effective ways of achieving the same outcome.' The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (left) carries a wooden cross during the Walk of Witness at St Mary's Church, Sellindge, Kent, as he carries out his Holy Week engagements She said attempting to 'shift responsibility' for asylum seekers arriving in Britain was 'really unacceptable'. Ms Triggs pointed out that Israel had attempted to send Eritrean and Sudanese refugees to Rwanda, but that they 'simply left the country and started the process all over again'. 'In other words, it is not actually a long-term deterrent,' she added. In response to the UNHCR, the Home Office insisted to the MailOnline that 'Rwanda is a fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers.' It noted that the UNHCR has previously sad the country is safe for refugees. 'Under this agreement, Rwanda will process claims in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention, national and international human rights laws, and will ensure their protection from inhuman and degrading treatment or being returned to the place they originally fled,' the Home Office's statement said. 'There is nothing in the UN Refugee Convention which prevents removal to a safe country,' it added. An eight-year-old girl has been hospitalised after being bitten by an adder during an Easter family picnic at a West Midlands beauty spot. The child, who has not been named, had her hand swell and was given two IV's of anti-venom after the snake attack near her home in Birmingham. She was with her parents enjoying Easter Saturday when she spotted the adder, and put her hand out towards the UK's only venomous snake. The adder struck and the girl were taken straight to hospital by her family after her hand swelled and she was given two IV's of anti-venom. Around 100 people are bitten by adders every year, which become more active in April and May during their breeding season, but no one has died since 1975. An eight-year-old girl, pictured, has been hospitalised after being bitten by an adder during an Easter family picnic at a West Midlands beauty spot The child, who has not been named, had her hand swell (pictured) and was given two IV's of anti-venom after the snake attack near her home in Birmingham Around 100 people are bitten by adders every year, which become more active in April and May during their breeding season, but no one has died since 1975. Pictured: The adder that bit the eight-year-old girl How to spot an adder An adult female adder, also known as the European viper The adder is the UK's only venomous snake, so you may want to know how to spot one. It is a relatively small, stocky snake that prefers woodland, heathland and moorland habitats. They can be identified by their greyish colour if male and reddish-brown colour if female. Adders have a dark and very distinct zig-zag pattern down the back, and red eyes. Adders hibernate from October, emerging in the first warm days of March, which is the easiest time of year to find them. The Adder's breeding season starts in April/May and then the young emerge in August/September. Unlike most snakes, female Adders do not lay eggs but give birth to live young. Source: British Trust for Ornithology/ Wildlife Trusts Advertisement Her father David Rathbone told BirminghamLive: 'She had been alerted to the snake's presence by one of our party, and being a plucky girl, she investigated the striking-looking reptile with her finger. 'Unusually, the snake did not retreat but struck at her finger. 'She gave out a 'yelp', at which point I grabbed her hand and sucked hard at the wound on the tip of her index finger. The snake still did not retreat. 'The snake also struck at my hand forcing me to whip my hand out of range.' After the girl began to complain of pain and her hand ballooned, he took her from the beauty spot, Kinver Edge, a National Trust property, to Kidderminster hospital. Thinking she needed more care, the minor injuries team rushed her to Birmingham Children's Hospital by ambulance. Mr Rathbone said she was given the 'intravenous infusion of anti-venom serum' and became 'quite ill' with the strong drug. His 'very brave girl' is now feeling a lot better and is fine but is a 'little fed up' with missing out on an Easter egg hunt. She remains in hospital under observation but it is hoped she will return to school soon. People have spotted many more adders lately in the UK with breeding season starting during this period and ending in May, according to the British Trust for Ornithology. Hannah Thompson, from Lewes, who filmed a snake in Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex, shared a video on social media of an adder wriggling around in the open. Hannah Thompson, from Lewes, who filmed a snake in Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex, pictured, shared a video on social media of an adder wriggling around in the open. Just by a cliff edge, the East Sussex snake (pictured) can be seen slithering. While a woman can be heard on the video saying 'it's quite worrying' What to do if you are bitten by an adder Around 100 people get bitten by adders in Britain every year, but no one has died from one since 1975. The adder is not normally a danger to humans, except to very young, ill or old. It is more likely to slither way than bite a human, unless trodden on or picked up. If bitten, medical attention should be sought immediately The worst effects of the snake's bite are normally nausea and drowsiness, severe swelling and bruising around the bite. For some a snake bite can trigger a severe reaction, known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock. Advertisement One social media user said:'Wow. It's absolutely beautiful. 'Love the video, so lucky.' Another said: 'There have been a lot of sightings locally already this year, and no doubt more since the weather is warmer. 'Be careful with your dogs and keep a lookout.' Adders have been spotted at the South Downs National Park in previous years, with officials urging dog walkers to watch out for the snakes. A spokesman for the park said: 'We've had reports of an increased number of adder sightings in the national park, which is excellent news. 'Although adders are usually shy, they are venomous, and dogs should be kept on the lead on access land just to be on the safe side.' A spokesman for The Sussex Wildlife Trust said they can 'be spotted basking in the sunshine in woodland glades and on heathlands'. He said: 'They spend the winter in hiding until the first days of spring, when the earth starts to warm and the adders awaken. 'Males emerge first and will spend several weeks basking, often returning to the same spot each day. 'Most have a distinctive dark zigzag stripe along the length of their spine and are silvery-grey, while the larger females are brownish. He added: 'An adder bite is a very rare occurrence, and can be painful, but is almost never fatal.' Jake Closier's hand after he was bitten by a venomous adder on a beach in Norfolk One of the around 100 people bitten every year by adders was an eight-year-old boy who recently was also rushed to hospital earlier this month after an adder bite caused his hand to swell up 'five times the normal size'. Jake Closier was on a day trip to the beach when he was attacked by the venomous snake. He was with dad Kenny, 33, and mum Sophie, 32, at popular beauty spot Hemsby beach in Norfolk, when the snake launched at him while he played in the sand dunes. Sophie initially thought the bite was from a harmless grass snake but realised something was wrong when Jake's hand went 'completely hard'. The boy is now safe and well after the adder struck. Adders are not normally a danger to humans, except to very young, ill or old people, and is more likely to slither way than bite a human, unless trodden on or picked up. Mr Rathbone agreed saying he hopes the incident with his eight-year-old daughter warns others to be careful while walking. If bitten, medical attention should be sought immediately. The worst effects of the snake's bite are normally nausea and drowsiness, severe swelling and bruising around the bite. For some a snake bite can trigger a severe reaction, known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock. And the bites can have a more serious effect on dogs. Natasha Allen gave birth to her daughter Brooke in 2019 A Primark manager is suing the retail giant for sex discrimination for not letting her have Thursday evenings off to care for her child - while male colleagues with children had only an 'informal' obligation to work on that day. Natasha Allen, who worked at the Primark store in Bury from 2011, was asked to 'guarantee her availability' to work the late shift on Thursday because the store did not have enough senior staff to cover her absence. Departmental manager Miss Allen, 29, gave birth to her daughter Brooke in 2019 and argued the insistence on working those evenings was unfair because she was the principal carer for the child. The clothing chain rejected her request for flexible working, and Miss Allen resigned in September 2019 and took her case to an employment tribunal, arguing that 'the requirement for department managers to guarantee availability to work late shifts... put women at a particular disadvantage compared to men'. A panel ruled that Miss Allen, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, had not been discriminated against because the firm's insistence that managers work evening shifts applied to men too. The tribunal focused on the Bury store, where there were five other department managers, two of whom had childcare issues. As they were both men the panel decided 'women were not at a particular disadvantage', and dismissed her claims. But Miss Allen has now won the right for the case to be heard again after the President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal, Mrs Justice Eady, dismissed the findings, ruling that the male managers' circumstances were different because their requirement to work Thursday evenings were 'informal' and not contractually obliged. Natasha Allen, who worked at the Primark store in Bury from 2011, was asked to 'guarantee her availability' to work the late shift on Thursday because the store did not have enough senior staff to cover her absence (pictured: Primark in Bury) Justice Eady added: 'Even if there had been a contractual requirement on (them) to work the Thursday late shift... their circumstances were materially different to those of (Miss Allen) and they should have been excluded from the pool. 'I do not say that the (original tribunal) was bound to adopt a broader, UK-wide, pool instead, but the error in the approach to its task means that there is no obvious logic to the pool that it did select. 'This is, therefore, a case where the conclusions must be set aside in their entirety.' She ordered the case of indirect sex discrimination and constructive unfair dismissal to be heard again. The hearing was told Miss Allen had sole responsibility for looking after with only 'limited support' from her mother. Because of this, she made an application for flexible working to change her contractual hours before returning from maternity leave. Although Primark had been prepared to agree that her working hours would not include late shifts on other days, the hearing was told she would still be required to be available to work Thursdays from 10.30am to 8.30pm. She was told: 'Whilst on the majority of days your reasoning that there are other managers who could cover this late shift is true, on a Thursday we do not have sufficient flexibility in the management team to accommodate this request as only two of the six current managers are able to work this shift.' This was insufficient to meet her concerns and, upon her appeal also being refused, in September 2019 Miss Allen resigned. Miss Allen argued at the original tribunal in Manchester in October 2020 that 'the requirement for department managers to guarantee availability to work late shifts... put women at a particular disadvantage compared to men'. She added: 'The particular disadvantage was the difficulty or practical impossibility of working evenings while having child care responsibilities.' To decide whether this requirement to work evenings was discriminatory, the original tribunal compared Miss Allen to other managers 'who potentially have to work the Thursday [late] shifts, however convenient or inconvenient to them it was'. In her appeal, Miss Allen claimed the tribunal had made a mistake in comparing her to just those managers in the store where she worked as the requirement to be available to work late shifts applied to department managers across the UK. The appeal heard there had been 'no proper engagement with that aspect of the case' and 'no explanation of its decision to discount this wider pool (of comparators)'. Advertisement Sweden has arrested 26 people after weekend clashes between police and protesters rallying against plans by a far-right group to burn copies of the Koran, police said on Monday. Eight people were arrested in the city of Norrkoping and 18 people were detained in the neighbouring city of Linkoping, police said in a statement. On Sunday, clashes erupted in both cities for the second time in four days over rallies by anti-immigration and anti-Islam group Hard Line, led by the Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan. A bus burns as a police officer watches on after riots overnight in Malmo, in the south of Sweden, sparked by an anti-Islam Danish politician carrying out Koran-burning stunts around the country Cars burn on the streets of Malmo, in southern Sweden, late on Sunday night after riots sparked by a far-right Danish politician who has been on a 'tour' of the country Dozens of people were also arrested in the towns of Norrkoping and Linkoping, hundreds of miles to the north of Malmo (pictured), after similar rioting took place there Police said officers wounded three people after firing warning shots during Sunday's clashes. Paludan, a lawyer and a YouTuber who intends to stand in Swedish legislative elections in September but does not yet have the necessary number of signatures to secure his candidature, is currently on a 'tour' of Sweden. The 40-year-old is visiting neighbourhoods with large Muslim populations where he wants to burn copies of the Muslim holy book Koran as Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan. In Malmo, where he burned a Koran on Saturday, fire erupted in a school overnight, officials said. Hard Line's rallies have sparked several clashes between the police and counter-protesters across the Scandinavian country in recent days. On Thursday and Friday, around 12 police officers were injured in the clashes. In the wake of the string of incidents, Iraq's foreign ministry said on Sunday that it had summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires in Baghdad. It warned that the affair could have 'serious repercussions' on 'relations between Sweden and Muslims in general, both Muslim and Arab countries and Muslim communities in Europe'. Police say their officers were targeting by people throwing rocks and fireworks in Malmo, on the fourth straight night on unrest sparked by a far-right Danish politician A local watches a car burn in an immigrant area of the city of Malmo, in the south of Sweden, during another night of unrest sparked by Koran-burning stunts during Ramadan A controversial election candidate slammed over her anti-transgender remarks has broken her silence to fire a defiant message to her critics. Katherine Deves has vowed to stay on as the Liberal candidate for the northern Sydney seat of Warringah as more controversial posts are unearthed and continue to divide the party. She shut down her social media and was forced to apologise last week after historic tweets emerged of Ms Deves describing transgender children as 'surgically mutilated and sterilised and compared lobbying to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's sport to standing up against the Holocaust. Ms Deves broke her silence in an email to Liberal supporters on Monday night to reveal the barrage of bullying and death threats she's copped in recent days. The mother-of-three then boldly declared she 'wasn't going anywhere.' Candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves has divided the Liberal party over her controversial comments 'My opponents, parts of the left media and twittersphere have been unrelenting in calling for me to be disendorsed, because of past statements,' the email states. 'I have been bullied in the most vile way and received death threats. I'm not going anywhere, as the Prime Minister said yesterday.' Poll Should Katherine Deves should remain the party's candidate for Warringah? Yes No Unsure Should Katherine Deves should remain the party's candidate for Warringah? Yes 491 votes No 98 votes Unsure 6 votes Now share your opinion Ms Deves also addressed the saga over being 'hand-picked' by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. 'How I was selected was not my decision. It was not how I wanted to come to represent you,' she wrote. 'As you know, at the time I was appointed, I was preparing myself for a fair contest in a preselection. I want to echo the sentiments of our [electorate] president, that depriving you of that is against our values.' She issued the email hours after attending a private party fundraiser at a home on Sydney's lower north shore, where Ms Deves went to desperate lengths to hide from the waiting media. Ms Deves is running in the northern beaches seat previously held by former prime minister Tony Abbott, who has called for an end of the 'pile on' of a 'brave woman.' She also has the backing of a second former prime minister, John Howard. 'Mr Howard strongly supports Ms Katherine Deves. She is the endorsed Liberal candidate,' a spokesman told news.com.au. Katherine Deves (pictured with her family) has vowed she's 'not going anywhere', despite growing calls within the Liberal party for her to be disendorsed But not all Liberal figures agree, amid growing calls for Ms Deves to be disendorsed led by NSW treasurer Matt Kean. There are also unconfirmed reports from multiple sources North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman asked the prime minister's office to dump Ms Deves, Guardian Australia reported. There are now calls for NSW Liberal President Chris Stone to urge Ms Deves to step down amid fears her controversial comments will haunt the campaign. 'It is apparent to me and others in the Party I speak with that, unfortunately, Katherine Deves needs to be replaced as the candidate for Warringah,' Neutral Bay branch president Simon Moore wrote in an email to Mr Stone. 'Her numerous statements about transgender people are offensive and can't be condoned. 'They are not in line with broader community sentiment, particularly in Warringah. Whilst she has apologised for these statements, they are so recent and numerous that they will continue to haunt the campaign, not just in Warringah but elsewhere.' A host of Liberal figures have rallied behind Ms Deves in recent days, including Mr Morrison, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Senator Jane Hume and assistant treasurer Michael Sukkar. It comes after more controversial tweets were unearthed comparing transgender rights to the Nazis and the Stolen Generation. In April 2021, Ms Deves tweeted about a trial where a Canadian father was taken to court for not supporting his teenager transitioning. 'This will go down in history as akin to the grudge trials of the Third Reich,' she wrote. 'I do not like to invoke Nazism but the parallels are remarkable and deeply sinister. 'We can only hope that when society comes to its senses, it's redeemed by trials similar to the Nazi wife and the border guards.' Five months later, Ms Deves slammed a decision by a Western Australia court to dismiss an appeal by parents whose transgender child was put into foster care. 'Australia has a very dark history of children being taken from their families by the state (because) bureaucrats thought they knew better,' she wrote. 'Don't we owe it to lessons of the past, such as our shameful Stolen Generation scandal, to stop the destruction of families for flawed beliefs?' Katherine Deves broke her silence on Saturday to admit the controversy had taken a toll on her Deves has since apologised for some of her posts, saying that her comments were 'not acceptable'. 'My advocacy for the rights and safety of women and girls is well known, and I stand by my desire to ensure we protect the safety of women and girls and our entire community,' she said in a statement. 'However, the language I used was not acceptable, and for that I apologise.' Ms Deves broke her silence on Saturday to upload a happy snap with her family but admitted the last week had taken its toll. 'The last few days have been hard. I'm incredibly thankful for the support of my beautiful family during this time,' she wrote. Likewise, I appreciate the incredible messages of support I've received from the people here in Warringah and from around Australia.' I'm standing up for Warringah to help deliver on issues that affect our daily lives - those that affect everyone, from individuals, to families, to the elderly. I want Warringah to be the home my three daughters deserve; a place where everyone has a voice, and not one that seeks to 'cancel' those with whom we disagree.' A speech and language therapist has been suspended after he told a colleague treating a suicidal patient suffering from Multiple Sclerosis to 'just give her the pills'. Reverend Eric Foggitt made numerous 'weird' and 'inappropriate' comments to his colleagues and would assign them 'sexual subtypes' using a bizarre system called the Enneagram of Personality. A misconduct hearing was told he was a 'dominating individual who micromanaged his team and would say shocking things to keep his staff off-guard or to provoke a reaction'. Mr Foggitt had an 'obsession' with the personality diagram, and would use it to stereotype his staff in order to 'manipulate' them. The married father of three has now been suspended for a year after his colleagues at Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust made complaints about his strange behaviour. Reverend Eric Foggitt, a speech and language therapist who worked at Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has been suspended after he told a colleague treating a suicidal patient suffering from Multiple Sclerosis to 'just give her the pills' Mr Foggitt has published books about the Enneagram of Personality and describes himself as a teacher and therapist who 'works with individuals, groups and churches to promote spiritual insight and development, using the wisdom of the Bible and the Enneagram'. Born in Paris to a British father and French mother, he has lived in Edinburgh and Amsterdam and is the minister at St. Andrew's Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian church in Brussels, Belgium. The misconduct committee heard he worked for the trust between November 2012 and January 2019 as a Band 8 Team Manager of the speech and language therapy team. 'Colleague 2', who made the complaint, said they were discussing a patient who was suicidal and suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, when he said 'just give her the pills'. She told the committee they were discussing MS being a 'horrible disease' and Mr Foggitt 'did not say it in a malevolent way but rather in a compassionate way' as MS was a degenerative disease whereby the person afflicted often develops depression and anxiety. Colleague 2 also mentioned Mr Foggitt's 'prolific use' of the Enneagram of Personality, a system of classifying personality types based on a nine-pointed star-like figure within a circle. In this, each of the nine points represents a personality type and its psychological motivations - such as the need to be right or helpful - which are said to influence a person's emotions, attitudes and behaviour. She said Mr Foggitt telephoned her and encouraged her to research the Enneagram of Personality, saying he wanted to introduce it in the department and invited her to his flat after a team dinner to discuss her research. She said she found his invitation 'odd' and her nervousness became heightened at the flat because he started asking her personal questions. The committee heard he told her inappropriate things, that he had been abused as a child and a colleague 'fancied her'. She said he appeared to be 'testing her reactions' to 'analyse' them so he could apply the Enneagram of Personality to her. She said all she wanted to do was make an excuse and leave but did not feel able to because of his seniority to her. The committee ruled: 'It was highly irregular and inappropriate for a male Senior Band 8 in his late 50s to invite a newly qualified and young female Band 5 back to his flat alone. 'Whilst there was no suggestion of any sexual motivation, it put him in a compromising situation and put her at a significant disadvantage. 'It was a significant breach of trust and the power imbalance meant that Colleague 2 felt compelled to agree to his invitation. 'The discussion involved highly inappropriate comments, which appeared to be designed to enable the Registrant to pigeonhole Colleague 2 according to the Enneagram of Personality.' Colleague 2 told the committee the Enneagram of Personality includes the 'sexual subtype' personality and Mr Foggitt told her she had this subtype 'because he had to break off eye contact with her when in a discussion'. The committee noted: 'It was clear from her evidence... that [Mr Foggitt] was a dominating individual who micromanaged his team and would say shocking things to keep his staff off-guard or to provoke a reaction. '[Other employees'] evidence was consistent and gave a picture of [him] as a senior manager with an obsession with the Enneagram of Personality, and who would use it to stereotype his staff in order to manipulate and micromanage them.' The committee heard Mr Foggitt also made inappropriate comments to another female colleague who was gay, by showing her a YouTube video of a young girl speaking at a rally against gun violence in America and asking if she thought the girl was gay. The colleague told the committee this had 'come out of the blue and that there was no context at all'. She said she was 'taken aback' when he then asked her if she 'fancied' the girl in the video. She said he 'made her so shocked and uncomfortable that she had to walk away'. The misconduct committee heard Mr Foggitt worked for the Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust between November 2012 and January 2019 as a Band 8 Team Manager of the speech and language therapy team. Pictured: Southend University Hospital The committee noted this was an example of Mr Foggitt using 'shock tactics to extract a reaction from his staff and other people' as a way to 'control them and predict their actions'. The same female employee told the committee she was hit twice by a lorry on the M25 while driving home and texted Mr Foggitt the day after to say she was quite shaken up and was not sure she could actually make the drive to work next day. He replied to say she should try to come in, without asking how she was. She told the committee she then had to drive her damaged car to the office the next day and that it was a 'terrifying drive'. When she arrived at work, Mr Foggitt just said 'so you survived then'. The committee ruled he 'acted without empathy or even with the concern reasonably expected of a competent manager' but had not breached any professional boundaries with this comment. Mr Foggitt was suspended for a year by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service, after it ruled striking him off would not have been 'proportionate'. After the hearing, a Church of Scotland spokesperson told the Edinburgh Evening News: 'We are shocked and saddened that one of our ministers has been found guilty of misconduct and suspended by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service. We have just learned of this matter and will be following up with the presbytery and the minister.' Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has switched tactics from policy announcements to attacking the coalition government, as Labor takes a hit in the polls. Scott Morrison is ahead as the choice for preferred prime minister with 38 per cent, against 30 per cent for Mr Albanese, a sharp turnaround on the Labor leader's 37-36 margin of two weeks ago. The Resolve Strategic poll for The Sydney Morning Herald-The Age also showed Labor's primary vote down four points to 34 per cent, with the coalition up one to 35 per cent. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (pictured) has switched tactics from policy announcements to attacking the coalition government, as Labor takes a hit in the polls Starting the second week of the May 21 election campaign in Brisbane, Mr Albanese blasted the prime minister over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters over the past two years. 'What we saw from the federal government, whether it be bushfires, floods or the pandemic is a real pattern of behaviour,' he said, after speaking with flood victims in the Brisbane suburb of Auchenflower. 'He only acted when the political pressure was really put on.' Mr Albanese warned voters to expect health cuts if the federal government is returned to power, calling the government's future health minister Anne Ruston a threat to accessible medical care. 'This is a health minister, now designate ... who we know will undermine Medicare, who has said that the current model is not sustainable, who has said that Medicare funding is just putting things on the credit card,' he said. 'This is another example of what we can expect if Scott Morrison is re-elected.' Mr Albanese blasted the prime minister (pictured here in 2020 during the bushfires) over his response to natural disasters over the past two years The Opposition Leader also slammed Scott Morrison over the Covid-19 pandemic before telling voters to expect health cuts if the government is re-elected When the $7 patient co-payment was included in the 2014 coalition budget, Senator Ruston told parliament Medicare was not sustainable without it. Senator Ruston said the government had since been clear it would not be making funding cuts to Medicare. 'We absolutely have guaranteed Medicare in law,' she told ABC Radio. Mr Morrison, who was in Fremantle to unveil a $124 million investment in two new Evolved Cape Class patrol boats, ruled out future cuts to Medicare. 'She (Senator Ruston) said yesterday there wouldn't be any cuts and I'll repeat that today,' Mr Morrison said on Monday. 'I introduced the legislation to guarantee Medicare and to guarantee the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. 'Because if you can't manage money, which people know Labor can't, the consequences of that is essential services suffer.' Mr Morrison told reporters under his government, Medicare expenditure rose to $31.4 billion, and the bulk billing rate rose by more than six per cent. Mr Albanese called the government's future health minister Anne Ruston (pictured) a threat to accessible medical care Mr Morrison, who was in Fremantle to unveil a $124 million investment in two new Evolved Cape Class patrol boats, ruled out future cuts to Medicare The prime minister was forced to clarify comments about the JobSeeker rate. During his press conference on Monday, Mr Morrison said the rate was $46 a week, when the unemployment benefit was $46 a day. When questioned about it, Mr Morrison said he had misspoke. During the first week of the campaign, the prime minister had attacked the opposition leader for failing to name the unemployment rate. Mr Morrison will spend two days in WA before heading to Brisbane for the first leaders' debate with Mr Albanese. The prime minister also unveiled a plan for first-time homeowners who can't put together the minimum 20 per cent deposit themselves. From July 1 they would be able to secure a government-funded guarantee for homes valued at up to $150,000 more than the current cap. With the polls pointing to a potential hung parliament, Mr Morrison was asked whether he would rule out a deal with so-called 'climate independents' who are largely challenging sitting Liberal MPs. 'A vote for those independents is a vote for uncertainty, a vote for instability,' he said. Harry and Meghan's bodyguard spent 14 years in the secret service keeping George Bush and Barack Obama safe after Clint Eastwood thriller In The Line Of Fire inspired him. Houston-born Christopher Sanchez has been spotted at the Sussexes side throughout their visit to the Invictus Games at the Hague. His role has seen his advise and protect a number of different people - including even high-wealth oil and gas execs targeted by Greenpeace. As the son of a fireman, Mr Sanchez was no stranger to service and had originally joined the Texan city's police force after leaving school and university. But after three years working as a patrol officer in some of the community's toughest areas he finally achieved the long-held dream that drove him since childhood. It had been 1993 when the teenager watched the thriller where Clint Eastwood took on John Malkovich's evil character as he tried to assassinate the president. Something in the film further stirred the young Mr Sanchez's sense of duty and less than a decade later he had taken on the film hero's real life job. He recalled: 'When I was still in High School when I watched the movie In The Line Of Fire with Clint Eastwood. 'I was enamoured with the whole secret service mantra and the mystique of the secret service. Secret service agent Christopher Sanchez with Barack Obama in Moneygall, Ireland, in 2011 Mr Sanchez looks over as Meghna and Harry greet a fan, who has a cuddly toy in her hand Clint Eastwood staring in the film In The Line Of Fire inspired Mr Sanchez to the Secret Service 'I applied and wanted to become a special agent. That was the only government agency I applied for, it was the only one I wanted to work for. I spent 14 great years as a special agent. Speaking to the Always Moving Forward podcast - presented by former British soldier Glen Burton - he spoke of how it had transformed his life. Mr Sanchez - now the Vice President of security firm TorchStone Global - said the job had been tough but an incredible honour. He said: 'I spent five years on the presidents details and I was lucky enough to be there during a transition, so I spent the last two-and-a-half years with President Bush and the first two-and-a-half years of President Obama. I was just grateful to be a part of it. When you get up to the actual details its such a grind that from a mental standpoint and from a physical standpoint it takes a toll on you. Thats the reason why they cycle gents out after four-and-a-half years. Before then the only place I had travelled to was Mexico. When I went up to the secret service that was my footprint and my way into international travel. In the secret service one of the big things is that you get the job done no matter what it takes. You get to invite the family to a Christmas party in the White House. The Duchess of Sussex being shadowed by Christopher Sanchez, a former bodyguard to President Obama Sanchez spent five years as part of the US Secret Service, spending two-and-a-half years each with Barack Obama and George W Bush Meghan getting into a Land Rover Defender at the Invictus Games with Sanchez - a former Secret Service agent - following behind You take pictures with the president, the family and whatnot. About the fourth time we were going my youngest son and youngest daughter go Dad do we have go to the White House again?!"' Pictures of the Obamas on official visits - including to Ireland - show Mr Sanchez clearly visible and in a commanding role. In one image he can be seen hand resting on the president's The Beast car awaiting for the principal to return to the vehicle. But he appears to have turned to private security after spending two years in the field office post his White House detail. He said he joined Torchstone after a family friend approached him when the firm was going to expand in 'risk mitigation in the oil and gas industry in Houston'. Harry and Meghan have spoken out against the same sector and have pledged to reduce their carbon footprint But due to their nature as private security, Torchstone works with a number of individuals and companies. Mr Sanchez added in the interview: In working with entertainers the advance work and intelligence work are huge, as well as the guys on your team. When you start working with private families maybe not well-known but maybe high net individuals, the intelligence aspect becomes more important. Where are we travelling? Where are we going? Whats taking place on social media? What kind of assessment can we do to make these guys safe? Theres somebody who knows who you area. There is an activist group that is going to be targeting you in some aspect. If you are oil and gas or if you do pipelines on the ocean or something, Greenpeace are always going to be on you. Thats something you have to be prepared for. One of the things that we always talk about is we have to make out clients look good as they are performing. As we supplement executive protection teams, we have to make out clients look good, thats one of the major roles we take pride in. How do we make that client look exceptional in front of their supervisors, in front of their company, in front of their business. Schoolchildren using the internet for their history homework are being sucked into far-right propaganda, extremist content and Holocaust denial, teachers have warned. Rachel Minto, a member of the NASUWT teacher's union, told its annual conference in Birmingham on Monday that extreme far-right material could be accessed by pupils '24/7 with a few swipes of your phone'. 'More worryingly, children can accidentally come across this material whilst innocently researching for school projects,' she said. 'A Google search on the Holocaust can bring up information provided by a Holocaust denier as easily as legitimate or sound historical documentation,' she told the conference. Ms Minto said research showed 'children's access to social media and smartphones means they are more at risk of being exposed to extremist material than ever before', with time spent online increasing exponentially during the pandemic. 'Gone are the days when far-right information and propaganda was confined to the back rooms of seedy pubs and clubs,' she said. Rachel Minto, a member of the NASUWT teacher's union, told its annual conference in Birmingham on Monday that extreme far-right material could be accessed by pupils '24/7 with a few swipes of your phone' (stock image) Ms Minto said she was 'increasingly alarmed and appalled by the gradual normalisation of far-right views'. She added that a lack of challenge to these views by some politicians and the media 'is filtering into the psyche of our schools and into the homes of our pupils'. 'This is intensified by the Government's continued attack on what they have termed the woke agenda and their reluctance to rally behind Black Lives Matter,' she added. Teachers at the conference voted for the union to lobby governments to invest in new international education programmes to promote diversity, and to produce training for members to help them challenge far-right nationalism. NASUWT member Candida Mellow said she was 'appalled and sickened' by the far right, and that as a teacher of French she was horrified that a 'cloaked neo-Nazi' was standing for the French presidency. 'As a result of Brexit, we have lost a lot of our cross-border links and education programmes, and therefore the possibility of our young people to experience cultural differences,' she said. 'We also need to actively educate our students about online infiltration of far-right messages. These insidious organisations use subtle tactics to indoctrinate very vulnerable children.' Union member Nicholas Tones said that around seven years ago he had noticed that one of the accounts following his English department's Twitter account, belonging to a pupil's parent, consisted only of retweets of far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson. He reported this as a concern under the Prevent strategy. 'From the feedback that I sought afterwards, it seems there was a considerable delay by both the designated officer and the local authority in processing this concern and acting upon it, because, to misquote the late, great Sir Alec Guinness, this is not the radicalisation we're looking for.' He said those running Prevent had 'evolved somewhat' since then, but only in the context of an increasingly 'toxic and polarised' political environment. Another NASUWT member, Judith Bruce-Golding, who is black, said she had grown up on an estate which was the home of the National Front, and she had seen her sisters return from a school disco with ripped clothes after being chased by racists. 'My sister came home in a bra, because they had been chased it was a tough time. 'When we think about anti-far right initiatives, to me it goes back to what gives people the right to look at someone else and think that they can go into their boundaries, and it made me think about, 'What have you been taught?'' Ms Minto said research showed 'children's access to social media and smartphones means they are more at risk of being exposed to extremist material than ever before', with time spent online increasing exponentially during the pandemic (stock image) She said this had made her realise 'how much power we have as teachers to include and build that sense of belonging for all of those children who are different in that space'. She said the union needed to discuss what it meant to decolonise a curriculum and undermine the far-right initiatives that 'may be embedded in our curriculum'. Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said the union was 'alarmed by the incidence of far-right extremism and hate crimes in the UK'. 'Over the last decade, the Government has peddled a hostile environment agenda which has created the conditions for hatred to flourish,' he added. 'Official numbers of reported hate crimes have risen to more than 124,000 a year across England and Wales. 'Nearly three-quarters of these hate crimes were racially motivated increasing by 12% in just a year.' Dr Roach added that 'schools are not immune, as children and young people are often exposed to hate speech on social media and elsewhere'. He said more needed to be done to address the problem of extremist views in schools. 'Concerted Government-level action is urgently needed to support schools in tackling the problem and to support pupils and teachers who have been targeted and victimised,' he said. 'Anti-racism must be central to the curriculum and schools and colleges must also be supported and equipped to provide a curriculum that challenges all forms of bigotry, prejudice and hatred.' The sister of Shaun Pinner, one of two British fighters being held by Russian forces after being captured in Ukraine, has hinted that his family has been in discussions about a prisoner swap. Cassandra Pinner, 43, confirmed earlier today that Shaun's family is aware he has appeared in Russian videos asking for a prisoner exchange, after releasing a statement last night petitioning Russian forces to treat Shaun well in captivity. Shaun and Aiden Aslin, who had been serving in the Ukrainian marines, were captured by Putin's troops in the city of Mariupol last week and were dragged on state TV today to ask for a prisoner swap for Kremlin ally Viktor Medvedchuk. 'We have been made aware that Shaun is in another video asking for a prisoner exchange,' Cassandra said today. 'A prisoner exchange is a move that is being considered, not necessarily with Viktor Medvedchuk, but it's something being discussed.' Medvedchuk - known both as the 'prince of darkness' and Putin's 'grey cardinal' - is one of Ukraine's richest men and the Russian strongman's closest political ally in the country, having helped exert Kremlin pressure in influential circles in Kyiv. The tycoon - worth an estimated 480million - was re-arrested in Kyiv last week while allegedly trying to flee the country, having escaped from house arrest during the early days of the war. Pinner and Aslin spoke after being prompted by an unidentified man who showed them the footage of Medvedchuk's wife begging for his freedom, and were almost certainly speaking under duress. A Home Office source condemned 'the exploitation of prisoners of war for political purposes.' Shaun Pinner (left) and Aiden Aslin (right), Britons serving in the Ukrainian marines who have now been captured by Russia, appeared on state TV today An unidentified man showed Pinner a video of Viktor Medvedchuk's wife begging for his release, before Pinner appealed to Boris Johnson to facilitate the swap The same man also showed the video to Aslin, who also requested a prisoner swap for Medvedchuk - who is Putin's closest ally in Ukraine 'I understand the situation,' Pinner, who looked tired and nervous, said after being shown the video in which Oksana Marchenko appealed directly to families of Aslin and Pinner to pressure Johnson to act. Pinner, who appeared to be speaking without a script, said: 'I'd like to appeal to the government to send me back home, I'd like to see my wife again. 'We look to exchange myself and Aiden Aslin for Mr Medvedchuk. Obviously I would really appreciate your help in this matter.' Pinner also delivered a message to his wife, telling her 'I love you', while also insisting that he is being taken care of by Russian troops. The unidentified man was then shown speaking to Aslin, who was sat on a chair wearing a T-shirt bearing the emblem of Ukraine's far-right Azov battalion, in a different location. 'I think that Boris needs to listen to what Oksana (Medvedchuk's wife) has said,' said Aslin, who also looked nervous. 'If Boris Johnson really does care about British citizens like he says he does then he will help.' Appearing to speak from a script, he also described the actions of Ukrainian troops in Mariupol - accusing them of kidnapping and arresting civilians. There is no way to confirm the information, which is similar to previous denunciations that Aslin has been forced to make on camera. Oksana Medvedchuk's appeal was posted to YouTube on Satruday, in a direct appeal to the British Prime Minister to try and persuade his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to exchange Medvedchuk for the two British prisoners. 'Dear Mr Prime Minister Johnson,' she said. 'I appeal to you for help in exchanging my husband, who was illegally detained by Kyiv authorities for political reasons and false accusations for citizens of your country Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner who surrendered to the armed forces of the Russian Federation in Mariupol. 'Mr Prime Minister, you have a great influence of President Zelensky, if you are not indifferent to the fate of your subjects, help their family and friends return Aiden and Shaun help me return Victor. I am grateful for your attention.' Separately, Ukraine's SBU intelligence service released a video of Medvedchuk who asked to be swapped too. Medvedchuk addressed Putin and Zelensky, asking to be exchanged for the defenders of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and any civilians allowed to leave. Pinner and Aslin spoke after being prompted by an unidentified man who showed them the footage of Medvedchuk's wife - Oksana - begging for his freedom, and were almost certainly speaking under duress. Pictured: The footage the British prisoners were shown Aiden Aslin Born: 1994, Newark-on-Trent Worked as: Care worker Combat experience: Travelled to Syria in 2015 to fight for the Kurds in a western-backed alliance against ISIS He made headlines on his return to the UK in 2016 when he was arrested, charged with terrorism offences, and then kept on bail until all charges were dropped following protests Aslin then returned to Syria in 2017 to help in the fight to re-take the city of Raqqa, which had been the de-facto capital of ISIS's terror-state Journey to Ukraine: After being arrested in the UK a second time trying to return from Syria via Greece, Aslin moved to Ukraine after falling for a woman from the city of Mykolaiv Having heard about Ukraine's fight against Russia in Donbas from Ukrainian volunteers in Syria, he was persuaded to join the military and in 2018 signed up as a marine Aslin completed three tours of the frontline and was dug into trenches in the Donbas in late February when Putin's troops stormed across the border in a second invasion He ended up falling back to the nearby city of Mariupol where he fought for weeks under siege, before being captured last week after his unit ran out of ammunition Advertisement Shaun Pinner Born: 1974, Bedfordshire Worked as: A British Army veteran, having served for years in the Royal Anglian regiment Combat experience: Fought 'many' tours including in northern Ireland, according to his family, who said he also served with United Nations missions in Bosnia Journey to Ukraine: Pinner moved to Ukraine in 2018 which he made his 'adopted home' and decided to put his military training to use fighting Russian-backed rebels in the country's eastern Donbas He became engaged to a Ukrainian woman and worked his way into the marines, where he had been serving for the last two years Pinner's three-year contract with the marines was due to end at the end of this year, his family said, when he wanted to become a humanitarian worker in the country Pinner was helping to defend the frontlines in Donbas when Putin's invasion began on February 24 His unit of marines ended up hooking up with the Azov Battalion - members of the national guard with links to neo-Nazis - who were defending the city of Mariupol from the Russians He was captured in Mariupol last week and paraded on state TV Advertisement Ukraine released a video of Viktor Medvedchuk - a pro-Russian politician under arrest in Kyiv - begging for his freedom around the same time the video of Aslin and Pinner emerged Medvedchuk (left) is known as the 'prince of darkness' and Putin's 'grey cardinal' because of his close ties to the Kremlin and years of advocating on Russia's behalf in Ukraine Viktor Medvedchuk: Putin's 'prince of darkness' Viktor Medvedchuk is a hugely controversial figure in Ukraine because of his close ties to Moscow. Known in Ukraine as the 'prince of darkness' or 'grey cardinal' - meaning a shadowy political player - he claims to be so close to Putin that the Russian leader is godfather to his youngest daughter, Darya. A businessman who amassed his fortune through investments in the media, natural resources and energy, Medvedchuk rose through the political ranks at a time when Ukraine was known for backroom deals and corruption. As a close ally of Putin, Medvedchuk entered parliament in the late 1990s and for three years in the early 2000s was head of the presidential administration. Known as a power-broker between Kyiv and Moscow, he was courted variously by pro-Russian Ukrainian leaders who wanted closer ties and pro-Western governments who hoped to make use of his access to the Kremlin. Medvedchuk was a bitter critic of the Euromaidan protests which erupted in late 2013 and ended with the toppling of political ally Viktor Yanukovych - a pro-Russian politician who fled the country after his brutal repression of the protests failed. After Putin invaded Ukraine, seized Crimea, and backed breakaway governments in the Donbas region in 2014, Medvedchuk was appointed negotiator on behalf of the breakaway regions in talks with the government. He was also sanctioned by the US for his alleged role in the annexation of Crimea. He had been under house arrest since 2021 on treason charges over accusations that he tried to steal natural resources from Russia-annexed Crimea and hand Ukrainian military secrets to Moscow. Advertisement Three days after Russia moved its forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Ukraine said Medvedchuk had escaped from house arrest. He had been placed under house arrest in May 2021 and charged with high treason and later with aiding terrorism. The pro-Russian figure, who says Putin is godfather to his daughter, has denied wrongdoing. Zelensky had proposed to exchange Medvedchuk, 67, for Ukrainians currently being held in Russia. Asked about a potential exchange last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Medvedchuk was 'not a Russian citizen' and said he did not know if he wanted Moscow to interfere in his case. On Monday, Peskov promised to 'communicate' any response to the idea from Putin. Pinner is a British Army veteran who served with the Royal Anglians before marrying a Ukrainian woman. He subsequently enlisted in the Ukrainian marines. Aslin is a former care worker who went to Syria in 2015 to fight for Kurdish forces, who were leading a western-backed coalition in the war against ISIS. After two tours of Syria, Aslin - who has Ukrainian citizenship - became a member of the country's military and ended up serving in the marines. Both he and Pinner were guarding trenches in Ukraine's east when war with Russia broke out in late February, and ended up joining the defence of the nearby city of Mariupol when it was surrounded and besieged by Putin's men. Aslin, who tweeted under the name 'Cossackgundi', was captured first - with family members using his Twitter account to say he had been forced to surrender after running out of ammunition. He was subsequently pictured in detention by Russian troops, having apparently been beaten across his face. Pinner was then reported captured at the weekend, and was paraded in front of TV cameras for the first time on Saturday. 'I am Shaun Pinner. I am a citizen of the United Kingdom. I was captured in Mariupol,' he told the camera. 'I am part of 36th brigade, 1st Battalion Ukrainian Marine. I was fighting in Mariupol for five to six weeks and now I am in the Donetsk People's Republic.' Shaun Pinner, 48, was serving as a Marine in Ukraine, defending the key strategic port of Mariupol On Sunday, Mr Pinner's family released a statement in response to his capture, explaining how he became involved in the defence of Ukraine against the Russian invasion while calling for Shaun's Russian captors to adhere to the Geneva Convention's regulations regarding the treatment of POWs. 'Shaun was a well-respected soldier within the British Army serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment for many years. He served in many tours including Northern Ireland and with the United Nations in Bosnia,' the statement read. 'In 2018 Shaun decided to re-locate to Ukraine to use his previous experience and training within the Ukraine Military. 'Shaun enjoyed the Ukrainian way of life and considered Ukraine as his adopted country over the last four years. During this time, he met his Ukrainian wife who is very focussed on the humanitarian needs of the country. 'He progressed into the Ukrainian Marines as a proud member of his unit. At the end of 2022 his 3 year contract is due to end and he was planning to enter a humanitarian role within Ukraine.' The statement continued: 'We would like to make it clear he is not a volunteer nor a mercenary, but officially serving with the Ukrainian Army in accordance with Ukrainian Legislation. 'Our family is currently working with the Foreign Office along with the family of Aiden Aslin who is also being held by the Russian Army to ensure their rights as Prisoners Of War are upheld according to the Geneva Convention. 'Shaun is a funny, much loved well intentioned Husband, Son, Father, Brother and Friend to many. We are hoping for a quick resolution to allow Shaun and Aiden to return safely to their families and we ask for privacy at this difficult time. 'Our hearts go out to all those caught up in this horrific conflict.' Pinner served with the Royal Anglians and enlisted in the Marines in Ukraine after marrying his wife Larysa (pictured right), who is from the country He reportedly told his Russians captors that 'he doesn't want war and wants to go home' Since both men were enlisted in the regular Ukrainian military before surrendering, they are protected by the Geneva Convention which states they should not be mistreated or abused. However, Russian state media has described both men as foreign mercenaries - meaning soldiers who are not part of an official military - which has sparked fears the pair have been or will be tortured. Angela Wood, Aiden's mother, has already spoken of her fear that her son will be abused - telling Sky News: He's not a mercenary, he's not a volunteer, he did not go out there in the last month and think 'I'm going to fight, I'm going to get glory.' 'He has been out there four years and he is a legitimate Ukrainian marine.' Shannon Tinegate, Mr Aslin's sister, told the channel that she spoke with him in Mariupol shortly before he surrendered and he did not have any of the facial injuries he was seen with on TV. Medvedchuk is a hugely controversial figure because of his close ties to Moscow. He claims to be so close to Putin that the Russian leader is godfather to his youngest daughter, Darya. A businessman who amassed his fortune through investments in the media, natural resources and energy, Medvedchuk rose through the political ranks at a time when Ukraine was known for backroom deals and corruption. As a close ally of Putin, Medvedchuk entered parliament in the late 1990s and for three years in the early 2000s was head of the presidential administration. Aiden Aslin is pictured in military gear. Born in Newark in 1994, he worked as a care worker before deciding to join the YPG, the US-backed militia which had spearheaded the fight against ISIS in Syria, to fight jihadists in 2015 Aiden Aslin smiles for the camera. He was persuaded of Ukraine's cause against Russia and moved to the country in 2018 Aiden Aslin is pictured circled left in this image taken from social media in Ukraine Oksana Marchenko, the wife of jailed oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, held a press conference last week begging for her husband to be released Known as a power-broker between Kyiv and Moscow, he was courted variously by pro-Russian Ukrainian leaders who wanted closer ties and pro-Western governments who hoped to make use of his access to the Kremlin. Medvedchuk was a bitter critic of the Euromaidan protests which erupted in late 2013 and ended with the toppling of political ally Viktor Yanukovych - a pro-Russian politician who fled the country after his brutal repression of the protests failed. After Putin invaded Ukraine, seized Crimea, and backed breakaway governments in the Donbas region in 2014, Medvedchuk was appointed negotiator on behalf of the breakaway regions in talks with the government. He was also sanctioned by the US for his alleged role in the annexation of Crimea. He had been under house arrest since 2021 on treason charges over accusations that he tried to steal natural resources from Russia-annexed Crimea and hand Ukrainian military secrets to Moscow. Speaking on Wednesday, Zelensky offered Medvedchuk in a prisoner swap deal. 'I propose to the Russian Federation to exchange this guy of yours for our boys and our girls who are now in Russian captivity,' the president said in a video address posted on Telegram in the early hours of the morning. 'And may Medvedchuk be an example for you. Even the former oligarch did not escape. What can we say about much simpler criminals from the Russian hinterland? We will get everyone.' On Tuesday night, Zelensky posted a picture online of a dishevelled-looking Medvedchuk with his hands in cuffs and dressed in a Ukrainian army uniform. 'A special operation was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine. Well done!' Zelensky wrote on Telegram, announcing Medvedchuk's capture. Security agency chief Ivan Bakanov said agents had carried out a 'lightning-fast and dangerous multi-level special operation to detain' the Russia-friendly lawmaker and leader of the 'Opposition Platform - For Life' party. Chilling video shows Putin's Tu-95 nuclear bombers flying near Ukrainian border as Russian rockets kill at least six in Lviv Vladimir Putin sent up strategic nuclear-capable bombers in the skies over Western Russia today amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the calamitous sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea last week. Videos from today and Saturday caught four of the aircraft - used to carry nuclear bombs - over the Kaluga region, between Moscow and the Ukrainian border. The planes are believed to be Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, and appeared to be flying in striking distance of Ukraine. The Defence Ministry in Moscow had not immediately announced the purpose of the mission. The Tu-95s have been used a number of times to strike targets in Ukraine with non-nuclear weapons, notably Kh-55 and Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles. The super-loud Tu-95 is the only propeller-powered strategic bomber still in operational use today, and the plane first flew 70 years ago. Vladimir Putin sent up his strategic bombers in the skies over Western Russia today amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea. The planes are believed to be Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, and appeared to be flying in striking distance of Ukraine Five 'powerful' Russian missile strikes hit Lviv early Monday, in a rare attack on a western city that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the Russian invasion began. Pictured: Locals watch on as firefighters battle a blaze after a civilian building was hit by a Russian missile on April 18, Lviv Pictured: Smoke rises after 5 aimed missile strikes hit Lviv, Ukraine on April 18, 2022 Putin has deployed the Tu-95s to buzz Britain at moments of high tension, for example in February this year when the Royal Air Force scrambled Typhoon fighters to escort two Bears off northern Scotland. In February, ordered Russia's nuclear forces to be put on high alert, and threatened NATO allies with 'consequences greater than any you have faced in history' should they intervene in the Ukraine conflict. The show of force came as five 'powerful' Russian missile strikes left at least seven people dead and eleven more injured in Lviv early Monday, the regional governor has said, as multiple Russian attacks rocked Ukraine overnight. The strikes were a rare fatal attack on the city 40 miles from the border with Poland that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the Russian invasion began almost two months ago, on February 24. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin sent up his strategic bombers in the skies over Western Russia today amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea. Videos from today and Saturday caught four of the aircraft - used to carry nuclear bombs - over the Kaluga region, between Moscow and the Ukrainian border. The planes are believed to be Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, and appeared to be flying in striking distance of Ukraine. In Lviv, footage showed plumes of thick, black smoke rising over the city after a series of explosions shattered windows and started fires, while one video filmed by a civilian appeared to show a cruise missile flying overhead. MARIUPOL: Tanks of pro-Russian troops drive along a road during Ukraine-Russia conflict near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 MARIUPOL: A view shows a residential building, which was destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 Firefighters at work in the immediate aftermath of a Russian shelling in Kharkiv, 17 April 2022 'At the moment, we are able to confirm that seven people have died. We also know that 11 people are injured. A child is among them,' the Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytsky said in an update on the strikes on social media. 'Three victims are in critical condition,' he added. A hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled fighting further east was among the buildings badly damaged in overnight missile strikes, according to Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, who put the toll at six dead and 11 wounded. 'The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv,' said Lyudmila Turchak, 47, who fled with two children from the eastern city Kharkiv. 'There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe.' Two people also died and four were wounded in Monday attacks on the towns of Marinka and Novopol, west of Donetsk - regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said - and an air strike hit an armaments factory in the capital Kyiv. In the country's second city of Kharkiv, at least five people were killed and 20 wounded in a series of strikes just 13 miles from the Russian border. Russia's defence ministry said its forces had destroyed four arms and military equipment depots in Ukraine overnight with Iskander missiles, and hit 315 Ukrainian targets in total overnight, the TASS news agency reported. The military said missiles struck more than 20 military targets across Ukraine overnight - including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. Meanwhile, it said warplanes conducted 108 strikes on Ukrainian troops and military equipment. The claims couldn't be independently verified. A view of graves for people killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at a cemetery in Irpin, Kyiv region, Ukraine April 18 The coffin of Roman Vered, 53, who according to his family was killed by Russian soldiers and recently identified in Kyiv's morgue, is seen before his burial, as a gravedigger drinks water amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the cemetery in Irpin, Kyiv region, Ukraine April 18, 2022 However, according to Euan MacDonald - a reporter for the New Voice of Ukraine - one of the Lviv strikes hit a tire servicing centre, and another landed near a railway station. He said it appeared Russia was trying to stop the flow of western weapons being delivered to Ukraine to bolster its resistance. Russia has insisted it is not targeting civilians in its invasion - despite thousands of deaths and mounting evidence on the contrary. On April 1, a double-Russian missile strike hit Kramatorsk train station, killing dozens of evacuees. The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of wanting to 'destroy' the entire eastern region of Donbas, as the remaining forces in Mariupol prepared Monday for a final defence. Monday also saw reports of a Ukrainian counter-attack near the eastern city of Izyum, close to the Russian border and where Moscow's forces are said to be building up in preparation for an assault on Donbas. Military analysts say Russia is increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railways and other infrastructure targets across Ukraine to wear down the country's ability to resist a major ground offensive in the Donbas, Ukraine's mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial heartland. General Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News the strikes were part of a 'softening-up' campaign by Russia ahead of a planned ground offensive in the Donbas. Russia is bent on capturing the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists already control some territory, after its attempt to take the capital, Kyiv, failed. 'We are doing everything to ensure the defense' of eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation on Sunday. Feature: Former Australian diplomat's memory, wishes for better China-Australia relationship Xinhua) 09:46, April 18, 2022 CANBERRA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Australian arts patron and former diplomat Carrillo Gantner has described himself as a "panda hugger," and put his memories of China into a book. "I wanted to express some frustration and disappointment that the excellent relationship that we had with China, which has been worked on and developed by so many good people on both sides for over 40 years ... has collapsed in the last several years," he told Xinhua. A professional actor and director who had been the Cultural Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in China in the 1980s, and an Adjunct Professor at the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University, the 77-year-old was dearly known as Lao Gan by his Chinese friends. During the past half a century, Gantner witnessed many events marking friendship between China and Australia. He was involved in the negotiation on bringing two pandas from China to Australia, and directed a play for the Shanghai People's Art Theater "Xiang Ru Fei Fei", or A Stretch of the Imagination, which was performed by famous Chinese actor Wei Zongwan. In retrospect, he said that culture, in all dimensions including performing arts, visual arts, education, language, history and sports, brings people more closely together. "It teaches them about the other," he said. "When you know something about the other, people are less fearful. It reminds people that we share a common humanity, and a desire to live in peace and friendship." "So cultural exchanges can remove the politics and let us deal at a human level directly and openly," he added. Gantner makes no effort to conceal his love for Chinese culture, as traditional Chinese painting scrolls and sculpture of contemporary Chinese artist could be found easily in his Melbourne office. His wife Ziyin was daughter of the late President of the China National Theater for Children Fang Jufen, and he has almost visited China every year. He noted that during the past several years cultural exchanges between China and Australia were seriously affected as well, not only by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also by the current relationship between the two countries. "There's little happening and I feel frustrated and sad," he said, adding that only five or six years ago, these cultural exchanges were vibrant. He wrote to his friends in China, and both sides believed that China and Australia have to come to new understanding. So in his books he offered suggestions in this respect. "Firstly, we need to take a longer term view of the relationship," he said, before explaining that Australia worked through short electoral cycles, and it's three years officially between elections. "So governments take a short term view," he said. "They're trying to appeal for short term electoral advantage and for votes in this country ... So they sometimes say things that are not helpful to the relationship." Secondly, he believed that "a level of courtesy and respect that is due between countries has not always been shown", and called for having discussions in more productive ways such as senior level meetings or through diplomats. He noted in his new book that sometimes Australian interests were not identical to those of the United States, and described Australia's current position as "America's shoeshine boy in the South Pacific." "I personally would be much happier if Australia had a more independent foreign policy," said the author. Also, he said that if Australia was critical of China, it should be consistent, not just singling out one country for criticism. His other suggestions include increasing financial support for academic scholarship in terms of studies on China and developing Chinese language skill at all levels of education, as well as more personal connection of officials. "When I was at the embassy in the mid 1980s, Bob Hawke, the (then) prime minister, came twice during my three years there, and the Chinese leadership were coming to Australia regularly," said Gantner. "So there was a very strong personal basis for the relationship. That sort of strong personal connection is immensely valuable." The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Australia. "We should celebrate that in a big way," said the former diplomat, regarding the anniversary as an opportunity to "reach new agreements and open new doors." For instance, he said that a group of senior people in the performing arts from the major art centers and the major Australian festivals could be sent back to China. People from other areas could get involved as well. One of his children was a senior ICU doctor at a major hospital in Melbourne, which, a few years ago, reached an exchange agreement with a hospital in Shenzhen of South China's Guangdong Province. His son used to visit Shenzhen to help train doctors, and Gantner believed he would be happy to go again. Despite the difficulties right now, the senior artist was optimistic. "Ups and downs are always in any bilateral relationship, but generally, it (the China-Australia relationship) was enormously positive for this country, and I like to think for China also to enjoy it," Gantner said. "It's only in a very short space of time really that the relationship has gone off the rails," he continued. "If it can go off the rails quickly, I hope it can get back on the rails quickly as well." (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) The party will relentlessly pursue those responsible for driving Sai Ganesh to his death. (Representational Image) HYDERABAD: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday renewed its demand for a CBI probe into death by suicide of its Khammam activist S Sai Ganesh. The party will relentlessly pursue those responsible for driving Sai Ganesh to his death. The BJP legal cell will visit Khammam on Tuesday on a fact-finding mission into the circumstances that led Srinivas to take the extreme step. The legal cell team will also visit Ramayampet where a mother and son Gangam Padma, and Gangam Santosh had committed suicide in a lodge in Kamareddy town blaming local TRS leader and Ramayampet municipal chairman Jithendar Goud, and six others for pushing them to death. These decisions were taken at a meeting attended by state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the partys legal cell convener Ravindra Vishwanath, joint convener Rama Rao, senior advocates Anthony Reddy, N Namoji, Karuna Sagar, Krishna Rao, Aravind Reddy, and Shashidhar Reddy. The meeting also condemned the series of attacks on BJP cadre by TRS leaders and harassment by police personnel. We are warning the police. They should act in an impartial manner. Otherwise, we will initiate legal action against police officials responsible for such attacks, Sanjay said. Police are searching an armed and dangerous felon that remains on the run after he and another convict escaped from a Virginia mental hospital on Easter. Austin Preston Leigh, 31, and Bryant Marcus Wilkerson, 29, broke out of Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg on Sunday morning. It is unclear what the pair were being treated for there at the time. Leigh, who had outstanding drug-related charges, was apprehended by police in Chesapeake, about 60 miles away from the hospital, around 5.45pm and is currently being held without bond at the Chesapeake City Jail. Authorities say Wilkerson remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous. He is wanted on felony probation charges and a warrant for escaping from a mental hospital. Leigh told police he is unaware of his fellow escapee's current whereabouts. Austin Preston Leigh, 31, (left) and Bryant Marcus Wilkerson, 29, (right) broke out of Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg on Sunday morning. Leigh was apprehended Sunday evening, however Wilkerson remains at large 'State and local police departments are still actively searching for Wilkerson, and still seeking the public's assistance in any information leading to his capture,' Virginia State Police Sgt. Michelle Anaya told WTVR. She encouraged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact authorities. A Virginia-based legal analyst claims it is 'extremely rare' for people to escape a mental health hospital, especially a facility like Eastern State which was the first psychiatric hospital in America, dating back to 1773. 'Eastern State is one of the largest hospitals in the Commonwealth that is utilized for restoring people charged with crimes to a competent state to stand trial,' Ed Booth told WVEC. 'You wind up there because a judge has you evaluated as a defendant and the doctor has come back and said that this particular defendant is not competent to stand trial.' The pair escaped from Eastern State Hospital, the nation's first-ever psychiatric hospital. After being apprehended, Leigh told police he was unaware of Wilkerson's current whereabouts He also noted that people can also be sent to the facility on temporary orders if authorities deem they need a mental health examination. 'There are also people who are sent there on like temporary detention orders when someone is found that they need to be hospitalized but they're not charged with a crime,' the analysts explained. Eastern State Hospital, located about 50 miles outside of Richmond, is one of five state-run mental health facilities in Virginia. Last month a man escaped from Central State Hospital, about 30 miles from the state's capital city, for the second time in three years. The hospital houses the state's only maximum security mental health unit. Central State opened in 1870 and was the first psychiatric institution in the U.S. for black people. The facility became integrated in 1968. A man with a severe nut allergy was served them three times in a week by British Airways cabin crew despite warning they could kill him. Brodie Chapman, 19, was flying with the airline from London to Vancouver when he was served the potentially fatal foods. He said he told cabin crew on his flight to Canada that he was allergic to nuts but despite that he was given a bag of cashews shortly before takeoff and then a walnut cake during the flight. On his return flight, he said he needed to inject his Epi-pen after suffering an allergic reaction in mid-air when he ate fruit served on top of nut-filled granola. Brodie Chapman, 19, was served nuts by British Airways cabin crew three times in a week despite having a major allergy On his flight to Canada, Mr Chapman was given a bag of cashews (stock image) shortly before takeoff and then a walnut cake during the flight. On his return flight, he needed to inject his Epi-pen after suffering an allergic reaction in mid-air when he ate fruit served on top of nut-filled granola The travel manager, who said he informed British Airways of his allergy two days before flying and also told staff before boarding each flight, told the Sun on Sunday: 'I was in tears because no one seemed to be taking my condition seriously. 'It was terrifying. I kept telling staff I was allergic to nuts, yet they kept giving me them. If I'd eaten them, I would be dead.' British Airways said it had apologised to Mr Chapman and was discussing how to make it up to him. A spokesman for the airline told MailOnline: 'The safety of our customers is always our priority and were investigating how this could have happened. 'Weve been in contact to apologise and discuss how we can make it up to our customer. 'We hope this will go some way to restoring faith in British Airways and allow us to show the level of care we strive to provide for our customers.' Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, whose daughter Natasha was just 15 when she died on a British Airways flight to Nice in 2016 after having an allergic reaction to a Pret sandwich, said Mr Chapman's experience was a 'terrifying insight into the world of an allergy sufferer on a plane'. She added: 'When you are trapped 36,000 feet up and having a serious allergic reaction, that plane is potentially your coffin.' Following Natasha's death, Mrs Ednan-Laperouse and her husband Nadim set up the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, and campaigned for a change in the law which requires all food retailers to display full ingredient and allergen labelling on every food item made on the premises and pre-packed for direct sale. A 29-year-old man is being held on suspicion of trying to murder two police officers in the heart of Westminister. The suspect - who was armed with a knife - confronted two Ministry of Defence Police officers on Horse Guards Parade. He had to be Tasered and restrained before being arrested and detained on suspicion of attempted murder. The MOD referred all enquiries to the Met Police, who said the alleged attack was not being treated as terrorism-related. Shortly before 2.30pm police reopened Whitehall to traffic and pedestrians and the only sign of what had happened was blue tape outside the entrance to Horse Guards. Police at the scene in Westminster this morning after the man was arrested just after 8.30am A bomb disposal device was also seen, but there was no mention of it from police investigating One employee at a nearby souvenir stand said:' I heard a lot of noise and looked outside, and the police and army were on the street. 'They seemed to be looking at a bike that was nearby and someone said they were checking out a suspicious parcel on it. 'A while later one of those robots came down to look but you couldn't see very clearly what was happening as police had moved everyone back.' A waitress at Caffe Concerto which is close to the scene said:'We had only been open for an hour or so and had a few customers for breakfast when the police came in and told everyone to stay inside. Whitehall was cordoned off with police tape while detectives probed what had happened The scene in Whitehall after the police swopped on the scene two hours ago in central London 'They just said there had been an incident and it was safer to stay indoors but then ten minutes later they came back and told us everyone to leave because there was a suspicious package.' A number of government buildings and the MOD Main Building is at Horse Guards, as well as army barracks. The Met said: An investigation has been launched following an incident at Horse Guards Parade in Westminster on Monday morning. 'At around 8:50am, a 29-year-old man, who was armed with a knife, confronted two Ministry of Defence Police officers. 'Taser was deployed and the man was restrained by officers. There were no reports of any injuries. 'He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon and remains in custody at a central London police station. 'The incident is not being treated as terror-related. 'An investigation is under way. Met officers will continue to liaise closely with the Ministry of Defence Police as it progresses. Anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has other information which could assist officers, is asked to call 101, providing the reference 1730/18APR. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. A Sheriff in Oregon has called for urgent solutions to violent crimes as offenses including murder soared 30 per cent in a year after the city's council cut the police budget by $15million in 2020. Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese warned in an open letter published on Friday that 'without action, we can expect worse to come' as he said 'the data reflects... record-high levels of gun violence, traffic fatalities and overdose deaths'. The liberal Pacific Northwest city, which slashed its police budget in the wake of protests over George Floyd's murder, set a record last year with 92 homicides - the highest since there were 70 homicides in 1987. But the state capital is on track to tie or surpass the record in 2022 with 25 homicides reported in in January, February and March this year - the same number for the period in 2021. It comes despite Portland City Council's decision in November to refund the police service, adding back $5.2million to the force's budget after more than $15million was cut in 2020. Reese works in Multnomah County, a police district encompassing much of Portland city and rural communities up to the state border with Washington. Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese has called for urgent solutions to violent crimes as offenses including murder soared 30 per cent in a year after the city's council cut the police budget by $15million in 2020 Reese wrote that at the start of the month, there were 102 people being held in Multnomah Country jails on murder-related charges - the highest number since the mid-1990s. 'This is not the only serious threat to public safety, however,' he wrote. 'Record-high levels of traffic fatalities and overdose deaths are jeopardizing personal safety and devastating families and social support networks.' Robberies have increased 56 per cent year-on-year, rising from 234 in January to March 2021 to 366 for the same period in 2022. Similar rises took place in drug crime numbers which rose 30 per cent this year up 146 in 2022 on 108 in 2021 and assault cases which were up six per cent year-on-year. Reese called for 'urgent action' and pointed to the rise in the number of people held in County jails on serious charges - up to around 370 in 2021 from less than 330 in 2020. He said a response should be 'collective' and 'include a wide umbrella of programs and services from across the community' - and listed five possible solutions. 'Increase gun dispossession efforts and remove firearms from individuals prohibited by law from possessing them. 'Engage in focused traffic enforcement in high-crash corridors to reduce reckless and impaired driving. Base the deployment strategy on time-of-day and day-of-the-week when traffic fatalities and gun violence are most likely to occur and overlap. 'Create and fully staff multi-disciplinary teams of responders using our successful Homeless Outreach & Programs Engagement (HOPE) team model to address livability concerns. 'Increase accessibility to funding for neighborhood and community groups helping to reduce justice-involvement among youth and communities of color. 'Increase resources for specialty teams, similar to MCSOs Special Investigations Unit, focused on investigating criminal organizations that are flooding the community with illegal firearms, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl.' The Portland Police Bureau suffered through a rash of retirements and resignations after Portland politicians embraced calls to defund the police. A total of $15million was initially chopped from the city's budget, with progressive Portland prosecutors also blamed for the spiraling crime for refusing to charge 70 percent of people arrested by the city's police. The record violence comes despite the police department introducing a new Focused Intervention Team that hit the streets in January. The team is designed to address gun violence and the proliferation of the deadly weapons in a city where around 75 per cent of victims are killed through gun violence. The unit was initially met with backlash, as some believed the police were reviving the Gun Violence Reduction team, which was accused of racial profiling, but Police Chief Chuck Lovell assured the public the team would focus on guns, not gangs. The holistic approach has yet to yield results. In addition to the surging murder rate, the city has also seen a significant number of shootings in the first two months of the year, totaling 264, up from the 190 during the same time last year. Gun-related injuries are also up - 68 compared to 64. Portland saw a dramatic increase in shootings and murders after Floyd's death. The city saw a 250 percent increase in murders within the first six months of Floyd's death and shootings rose almost 175 per cent. In 2019, there were only 36 murders throughout Portland, but that increased to 57 in 2020 and 92 in 2021 - breaking the historical record. Violent crime has risen across the board throughout the Rose City, with assaults, kidnappings and rape all seeing sharp increases. The total number of crimes rose from 9,600 in 2020 to 10,200 in 2021, an almost six percent increase. Tony Blair has called for seven in 10 young people to go to university - saying a rise from 53 per cent to 70 per cent is key to the UK competing with 'high-innovation economies' like South Korea and Japan. The former Prime Minister, 68, set a target of 50 per cent during his leadership in 1999 amid concern from critics that it would lead to those with low academic ability undertaking unsuitable courses. There were also questions over whether the graduate job market could support so many people, with a large number of students ending up in non-professional jobs. But Blair now wants to see the figures rise further over the next two decades to tackle the UK's productivity crisis. It would see the number of young people in further education increase to 60 per cent by 2030 and up to 70 per cent by 2040, The Times reports. Analysis in a report by the Tony Blair Institute this week has found that reaching the figure would boost the economy by five per cent over the next generation by 'significantly' increasing the rate of productivity growth. Record numbers of students were accepted into their first choice university in August last year, despite Covid significantly impacting results, while the UK reached the 50 per cent landmark for the first time in 2019. Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of The Sutton Trust, warned the taxpayer would end up footing the bill for a lot of student loans as he said 'too many kids are going to university'. Celebrity chef Raymond Blanc also said students would be 'better off' applying for apprenticeship schemes. Tony Blair (pictured) set a target of 50 per cent in 1999 amid concern from critics that it would lead to those with low academic ability undertaking unsuitable courses Record numbers of students were accepted into their first choice university in August last year, despite Covid significantly impacting results He said: 'Mr Tony Blair is saying that seven out of 10 teenagers should go to university. I say that as many would do better to sign for an apprentiship (sic). Never so many crafts, industries have been so short of staff definately (sic) true to our industry.' But the targets do have the backing of Lord Johnson - brother of the Prime Minister and the former universities minister. In a foreword to the report, he said: 'We still don't have enough highly skilled individuals to fill many vacancies today. And as we continue to mature as a knowledge economy, more jobs will be generated in sectors that disproportionately employ graduates. 'High-innovation economies, like South Korea, Japan and Canada, understand this and have boosted higher education; participation rates in these countries are already 60 per cent and 70 per cent.' The new report also says the government are sceptical over the importance of higher education, with former Education Secretary Gavin Williamson previously describing Blair's 50 per cent target as an 'absurd mantra'. The report adds: 'The country faces a set of profound economic challenges in the years ahead that will require many more highly skilled workers possessing a combination of the technical and "soft" skills that higher education is best able to provide.' The report has the backing of Jo Johnson, brother of the Prime Minister, who says 'we still don't have enough highly skilled individuals to fill many vacancies today' Will Tanner, director of think tank Onward, said the target was misguided as half of students are ending up in non-graduate roles. David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, has also previously spoken out about encouraging students to opt for apprenticeships over degrees. He has also called for 'shift in culture' in which employers invest more in people. RIvert Halfon, Tory chairman of the Commons Education Select Committee, said there should instead be a 50 per cent target for students to do degree apprenticeships in which they can 'earn while you learn' with the 'guarantee to get a good job at the end'. Nicola Sturgeon escaped with a telling off from police today after being pictured without a mask on during an election trail stunt at the weekend. Scotland's First Minister was investigated by Police Scotland after being seen without a face cover during an SNP local election campaign visit to a barber shop on Saturday. While England dropped its mask mandate weeks ago, Scotland only removed the law requiring face coverings today. If found to have broken the law, Miss Sturgeon would face a 60 fixed penalty notice, and there were calls for her to quit if that happened - as she insisted Boris Johnson should have done after his Partygate fixed-penalty notice. But this afternoon, Police Scotland revealed that officers had spoken to the First Minister 'to remind her of the importance of wearing a face covering when there is a legal requirement to do so'. 'Given the circumstances of this incident, Police Scotland is satisfied that no further action is necessary. This is in line with our proportionate approach throughout the pandemic,' it said in a statement. Ms Sturgeon apologised this afternoon, saying: 'I accept that not wearing a face covering even for a few seconds was an error on my part and I am sorry for that.' She has been vocal this week in demanding that Boris Johnson quit after being handed a 50 fine for breaking his own Covid laws. And today Ms Sturgeon was facing similar demands. Now you see it: Nicola Sturgeon seen wearing a mask in the barber shop in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, on Saturday. The legal requirement to wear a face mask in indoor settings in Scotland moves into guidance today Now you don't! Ms Sturgeon without the covering as she poses for a picture with another customer First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been reported to the police after being seen not wearing a mask during a visit to a barbers in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, on Saturday Former Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne tweeted: 'Nicola Sturgeon is a very honourable lady and will do the right thing and show by example by resigning first thing tomorrow morning.' There was more controversy today after Scotland's chief medical officer Jason Leitch appeared to defend the First Minister, despite being a civil servant who is supposed to be impartial Tory MSP Stephen Kerr said: 'Sturgeon walked into a barbers without a mask, breaking the rules she's spent two years intoning at us from behind her podium. 'How's that ''Send Boris a message'' going? And former Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne tweeted: 'Nicola Sturgeon is a very honourable lady and will do the right thing and show by example by resigning first thing tomorrow morning.' There was more controversy today after Scotland's chief medical officer appeared to defend the First Minister, despite being a civil servant who is supposed to be impartial. Professor Jason Leitch, the national clinical director, told Good Morning Scotland: 'My understanding is it was a matter of seconds. She realises the place is crowded, puts her face covering on. Which is actually what we're asking people to do. 'The guidance is if you are in a crowded area inadvertently or deliberately, then put a face covering on and that will protect you and others.' Scottish Conservative MSP Craig Hoy said it was inappropriate for a civil servant to defend the First Minister's actions. He said: 'These kinds of questions should be left to politicians to answer. Instead, SNP ministers are in hiding and Jason Leitch is blurring the lines between ministers and government officials. 'Mr Leitch is also misrepresenting the Covid laws as they stood when Nicola Sturgeon clearly broke them at the weekend. 'Face mask use was still in law until today but Mr Leitch backed up Nicola Sturgeon's excuse that she only had to put the mask on when in a crowded space. 'If the SNP had listened to us weeks ago and changed face mask rules from law to guidance, he and Nicola Sturgeon would have been correct. 'But they failed to do this and Mr Leitch should not be confusing the public, or doing the SNP's job for them, by trying to defend Nicola Sturgeon in this manner.' A video posted on social media appeared to show her not wearing a mask during a visit to a barber's in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, on Saturday. Police Scotland confirmed it had received a complaint and said it was being assessed. The SNP said the First Minister was invited into the barbers during an outdoor visit on the street. A party spokesman said: 'Within a few seconds, she realised she hadn't put her mask back on and immediately put it on.' Ms Sturgeon has previously said she is confident most people will continue to wear masks after the rules ease. People no longer have to wear face masks on public transport or in most indoor public spaces in Scotland from today. The Scottish Government is still strongly recommending people continue to don them where appropriate as Covid-19 continues to spread. Meanwhile people without symptoms of the virus are no longer being asked to take regular lateral flow tests as of April 18 as part of changes to the test and protect system. Free lateral flow devices (LFDs) for twice weekly routine testing are no longer available for the general population. However the tests will continue to be free for any purpose for which testing continues to be advised - for clinical care, health and social care workers and for people visiting vulnerable individuals in care homes or hospitals. A spokesperson for the SNP said the First Minister, pictured here during local election campaigning at Dundee Law on Friday, 'immediately put it on' upon realising she wasn't wearing her mask Speaking on Saturday, she said: 'I'm not saying every single person will (continue to wear masks), people will make their own decisions. 'But I think, just as the vast majority of people have abided by all that we've asked of them over the last two years - not because politicians have been asking or the law necessarily has required it - because people understand that the best way to protect themselves and protect those they love is to abide by these really sensible, basic precautions against the spread of a virus.' The First Minister said Covid-19 was 'still out there', adding: 'Wearing a face covering is a bit of protection you can give, not only to yourself but to the people you might be around - including people who might be more clinically vulnerable.' A weekly Covid-19 survey produced by the Office for National Statistics found that around one in every 17 people in Scotland had Covid-19 in the week up to April 9, a drop on recent weeks. Until the end of April, people with symptoms should still isolate and get a PCR test. From April 30, test sites will close and people with symptoms will no longer be advised that they need to seek a test. The public health advice for people who feel unwell will be to stay at home until they feel better, to reduce the risk of infecting other people. The Greens say Australia's approach to burgeoning relations between China and the Solomon Islands is 'actually racist' and wants to decrease spending on defence. Senator Jordon Steele-John told The Australian they 'absolutely oppose' further inflaming tensions with China and accused Liberal and Labor of turning the country into 'an American aircraft carrier'. The young MP said concern over the China-Solomons relationship was 'paternalistic and actually racist'. 'We must have an independent foreign and defence policy, which allows us to work with our neighbours to de-escalate,' he told the publication. The Greens say Australia's approach to burgeoning relations between China and the Solomon Islands Peter Jennings, the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said in response the Greens should be included in the country's classified briefings to better understand its 'insane' approach to relations. He said the Greens' methodology would see the country 'effectively turn Australia into a non-aligned neutral (state) with a defence budget about the level of New Zealand's. 'And that would make us ripe for the picking in terms of China's attempts to dominate the region and our island neighbours. 'It's crazy stuff but also dangerous in the sense that if the Greens were controlling the balance of power in parliament somewhat, they would have to be educated about this issue.' There are calls for the Greens to be included on meetings about classified information to help shift their 'insane' approach to global relations Defence Minister Peter Dutton said their thinking was 'dangerous at exactly the wrong time'. 'We've got the Greens out today who if Mr Albanese is to be prime minister would be in government with the Greens talking about closing down Pine Gap, stripping billions of dollars from the Australian Defence Force,' he said. 'As you've seen the Greens out today saying that they see no threat from China militarising ports in the Indo-Pacific I mean we are going to need more surface fleet vessels. We are going to need more submarines. We are going to need more assets in the sky. Defence Minister Peter Dutton believes the country should continue to increase defence spending in response to China 'There's more investment that we're making with industry partners ... in drone technology, in autonomous vehicle technology. 'All of that is going to be part of the defence picture over the course of the next few years, the next couple of decades as well.' A spokesperson for ALP said the China-Solomons deal would have 'serious implications' for Australia. 'Australia should be the partner of choice for our Pacific partners to address shared challenges but the Morrison government's failure to deliver real climate action has undermined this,' he said. 'Labor supports AUKUS and recognises the Defence budget will need to grow'. A Ukrainian millionaire contacted Kyiv's military to bomb his own house after he spied Russian invaders using it as a military base to fire rockets on the property's webcam. Businessman Andrey Stavnitser handed over coordinates to the house in the outskirts of the capital once he realised it was housing military targets, sacrificing the beautiful home he had only just finished building to destroy 12 Russian vehicles. It was kind of an obvious decision for me, there is not much you can do nowadays to help military, and that was one of the opportunities that I had, he told Good Morning Britain. Andrey Stavnitser had only just finished building his home in Ukraine before it was invaded by Putin's forces, who captured and interrogated his security team Stavnitser, who realised the troops were using his house as a base to launch rocket attacks in Kyiv, sent coordinates to the Ukrainian military and asked them to bomb his own home Stavnitser was forced to flee his home in Ukraine when Vladimir Putins troops invaded the village and occupied his home on March 5 Stavnitser had left security behind to guard his home, but the Russian forces captured and interrogated the security team after stripping them naked. He later heard the Russians were looking for Nazi messaging on their phones, which they destroyed after failing to find evidence of Nazification in Ukraine. After a few days of capture, the Russian forces released the security guards, sending them out into the woods where they walked for days through the wilderness without being found. As their phones were destroyed, they were unable to contact anyone. Eventually, they reached shelter, and soon got in contact with their employer the man whose house had just been invaded. The Russians were using the house as storage for the other possessions they had stolen from the Ukrainian village, pilling up laptops and iPads as they looted the surrounding homes Although all other cameras in the house were disabled, the troops had missed a webcam which broadcast the fact that the home was being used by military targets back to Stavnitser If you were to ask me two months ago, what would I feel if there were hostile military people inside my house, I would have said fury and anger, said Stavnitser. However, this is not what I felt. I felt disgusted, dirty, looking at some guys walking inside my house.' After speaking with his security team and hearing they had survived, the millionaire came up with an idea. He began to check each camera in the house individually, but to his disappointment found most of them destroyed. But the Russians had missed one. A small webcam was still operating, unbeknownst to the Russians, allowing Stavnitser to spy on the invaders now occupying his home. What he saw was throngs of military uniforms. As well as taking his possessions, Russian troops were using it as a warehouse to store stolen good from neighbouring Ukrainians piling TVs, laptops and iPads into the rooms. To his horror, he saw military vehicles passing by a window, including a BM-21 Grad rocket launcher system. With a range of 40 kilometers, he realised his home was being used as a staging ground to fire rockets into Kyiv and kill his fellow countrymen. After that, he said the decision was simple. He passed the coordinates to the Ukrainian military and told them to attack. Stavnitser said it was a simple decision to tell the military to bomb the 'beautiful' home he had finished because 'we are safeguarding Europe, adding he wanted to do everything he could The air strike destroyed 12 military vehicles, including a BM-21 Grad rocket launcher system that could have been bombing Kyiv earlier in the invasion He was able to count the destroyed vehicles from the webcam after the bombardment was over. Approximately 12 military vehicles were destroyed. Its not about money, its about effort put into the house, he added. I just finished building it. It was a beautiful house, actually. [But] I want to do everything possible to help Ukraine win because we are safeguarding Europe. The millionaire knows the Ukrainian president Zelensky personally and had worked with him when the government was developing a Covid-19 strategy for the south of Ukraine. He said he is proud to have a president like Zelensky and thanked Britain for its support during the war, calling on the country to ramp up its weapons shipments and military support for Ukraine. A woman was blindsided after receiving an eye-wateringly expensive fine for driving just 6km/h over the speed limit, all because she was driving a company car at the time. Jane Agirtan, who lives in Melbourne, posted her stunned reaction to the $3,635 fine she got in the mail to TikTok. The former local council candidate questioned the logic behind the fee in the caption of her post, writing, 'a bit excessive, no?' She received the expensive fine in the post, with $3,635 owed for driving just 6km/h over the speed limit Many respondents in the comments section pointed out that the exorbitant fee was due to the fact that she was driving a company car. Drivers caught speeding in a corporate vehicle are charged with a body corporate infringement notice, which results in a higher fee that will cost at least $3,000. The fine is then reduced once a company nominates the driver who was caught speeding in the vehicle. 'You obviously drive the company car. Put down who is driving and will be a standard fine,' wrote one user. 'It's to stop people abusing corporate cars. If you pay it you won't lose points. If you nominate the fine will be like normal,' added another. A few others suggested the woman 'not speed' after she showed a separate fine she received in January where she was charged a similar amount for driving 6km/h over the speed limit again. Melburnian Jane Agirtan (pictured) posted her stunned reaction to the $3,635 fine she got in the mail to TikTok. The former local council candidate questioned the logic behind the fee, writing, 'A bit excessive, no?' Many respondents in the comments section of Jane's TikTok pointed out that the exorbitant fee was due to the fact that she was driving a company car Fines Victoria addresses speeding fees for corporate vehicles on its website, writing, 'when you receive a fine for a company vehicle you must nominate the driver responsible for the offence, so that demerit points can be applied to their licence.' 'For some offences, companies will initially receive a company fine over $3,000. This larger amount is to encourage the company to nominate the responsible driver.' The nominated driver will then 'receive a new fine under their name, and the penalty payable will be at the individual rate and should be significantly lower'. Netflix is losing billions of dollars a year because of illegal password-sharing 'marketplaces' that offer access for just $1, experts have claimed. The popular streaming app is missing out on up to $6.25billion annually as customers use the services to dodge the $19.99 a month premium account fee. But the firm last month launched its first major counteroffensive to password sharing by letting watchers add up to two other users for just $2 in some countries. Netflix is not the only website to be hit by the scams, with HBO Max and Disney+ subscriptions also being ripped off by dodgy so-called marketplaces. It comes as the battle for eyes ramps up as the market is flooded with streaming services offering the biggest shows and movies on the planet. But subscribers are facing frequent price hikes, which is feared to be pushing younger viewers with less money to illegal password-sharing sites. One website was illegally offering Netflix in Ultra HD for ten days for just $1, slashing the usual price of $19.99 a month. Meanwhile another listed HBO Max - which airs Succession and Mare of Easttown - for $1.09 a month instead of the normal $14.99. And a Disney+ subscription was being touted for just 90 cents, when a legitimate monthly plan would be $7.99. Ken Gerstein, who is vice president of sales at NAGRA and advises firms on antipiracy measures, said its now reached a 'tipping point'. He told The Sacramento Bee: 'We've seen an increase over the past few years, especially under Covid, because more people were subscribing to streaming services versus traditional pay TV. 'One of the behaviors we've seen is that with subscription stacking, it started to become expensive for consumers, and pirates have seen an opportunity in credential theft or credential hijacking.' Big-budget shows and competing for eyes... why has Netflix ramped up prices? Netflix this year ramped up the prices for its subscription service. Its standard plan went up by $1.50, to $15.49, its basic plan went up by $1 to $9.99 and its premium plan went up by $2 $19.99. The move in January raised its stock price but infuriated watchers. Experts claim it is trying to offset slower growth with a higher costing product in the US. Andrew Hare, from media consulting firm Magid, told CNN: 'They clearly believe they still have the pricing power to do so and that they provide an exceptional value for the money. 'Raising prices is just one lever they can continue to pull right now, though I'm not sure for how much longer.' Meanwhile others believe Netflix is spending huge sums creating content across the world but it is not being justified by the US market. Mark Zgutowicz, a senior analyst with Rosenblatt Securities, added: 'We're estimating that Netflix will spend $17 billion [in 2021] globally and that's [coming] off $12 billion in 2020, which happened to be a down year because of Covid.' Advertisement The pandemic saw a spike in password sharing as people spent more time at home with fewer things to do. The main culprits were younger watchers, people aged 18 to 24, the Advertising Research Foundation found. Experts said this could be to do with them being on lower wages and looking to save much-needed cash. Meanwhile Netflix recently hiked its subscriptions, with its standard plan up by $1.50, to $15.49, its basic plan up by $1 to $9.99 and its premium plan up by $2 $19.99. Streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ were the most targeted - rather than sites like ESPN+ - due to the wide range of shows, industry insiders claimed. As much as 36 per cent of Netflix users share their password with at least one member of their family and 13 per cent with a friend they do not live with. Meanwhile 32 per cent and 13 per cent do the same for their Disney+ subscription respectively, according to researchers. Despite the dodgy methods, customers appeared delighted with the deals, with some saying 'five stars again,' 'excellent,' 'all good'. Password sharing has become a huge problem for streaming giants, with losses estimated to be up to $25billion a year, according to one Citi analyst. Netflix is reportedly shouldering 25 per cent of this amount, meaning it is losing out on around $6.25billion a year. The streaming giant launched its first big fightback in the war against password sharing last month by offering discounts to add users in some countries. It has trialed rolling out the features - allowing two additional users for $2 or $3 per person - for customers in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. And last year it brought in a warning when logging in that people should not use the password of someone they do not live with. Netflix is reportedly shouldering 25 per cent of this amount, meaning it is losing out on around $6.25billion a year (file photo) It comes amid fears that confusion over when people can share access to accounts has led to the spike in dodgy websites. Netflix director of product innovation Chengyi Long said: 'As a result, accounts are being shared between households impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.' She added the tests in southern America would be checked before being used in other countries. The actions has been long in the making, with the firm previously appearing to endorse password sharing in 2017 by tweeting: 'Love is sharing a password.' But as the competition for customers and profit margins heats up Netflix has pushed back against the idea. The company is expecting slower subscriber growth in the coming months compared to rocketing membership in previous years. It said it is likely to pull in 2.5million new viewers in the first quarter of this year, down from four million in 2021. Netflix has been approached for comment. Both the rival groups are food recipes bloggers and are putting the blame on each other for abusing them, by misleading their followers. (Representational Image: Youtube) HYDERABAD: In a weird incident, two groups of women bloggers staged a protest in front of the office of Madhapur deputy commissioner of police (DCP) demanding arrests of each other on Monday. The two groups - Hyderabad Amma and SRK Saibaba Channel of bloggers on YouTube earlier had a tiff over abusive comments on each others blogs. Later, four members of the Hyderabad Amma submitted a representation to Madhapur DCP K. Shilpavalli, stating that their rival group of bloggers posted abusive remarks in their comment box. Both the rival groups are food recipes bloggers and are putting the blame on each other for abusing them, by misleading their followers. Both the groups alleged that they were diverting followers to their blogs to increase likes and followers on YouTube. Its a silly issue, like a group of women fighting to collect water from a public tap, an officer from Cyberabad police said. This rivalry has been going since December 2021,the police officer added. "We have registered a case and our cybercrime team is investigating to trace the IP number of both the bloggers," K. Narayan Reddy, inspector of Bachupally police station said. A 53-year-old woman with a learner's permit sent her Range Rover ploughing into eight tombstones at a cemetery in Melrose, Massachusetts, during a much needed driving-practice session on Saturday. The woman was honing her driving skills on the weaving roads of the Wyoming Cemetery in the company of a licensed relative when the accident occurred. Nobody was hurt in the accident, though the same can't be said for the memorials of the dearly departed, at least eight of which were damaged and dislodged by the runaway car. The 53-year-old student driver lost control of the white Range Rover when she mistook the gas for the brakes. Up to eight tombstones were damaged in the accident, and the car was towed At around 2:30pm the woman confused the gas pedal for the brake and sent the the car flying into the row of tombstones, according to Lieutenant David Mackey of the Melrose Police. 'No crime involved, just an unfortunate accident with a considerable amount of damage,' Mackey said. Pictures from the scene show a smashed-up white Range Rover beached on top of a pile of tombstones and surrounded by shredded earth and debris from the car. The entire front bumper is torn from the car, the left side of the vehicle is crumpled, and the front left tire is lying on the grass alongside a sideways tombstone. The tombstones were all put back in place by the public works department according to Melrose police, though repairs for the damaged stones could be costly they said Mackey said that the car needed to be towed from the scene. The gravestones were put back in place by the public works department, though Mackey said it could be costly to repair the damaged stones. 'It was an older woman who just never learned to drive, apparently just recently got her permit, and probably shouldn't have,' Mackey said, 'What can you do? Accidents happen.' A driver who called a French traffic warden an 'immigrant' and told her to 'get out of the country' during an astonishing on-street row has been fined 200 after pleading guilty to committing a hate crime. Lee Parker, 55, launched the tirade at Melissa Marques after she told him to stop parking in a loading bay in Worcester. Parker reacted by telling Mrs Marques to 'shut up and move on' before driving around corner and parking on double yellow lines instead. Ms Marques followed Parker, who had been out shopping with his wife at the time, and told him to move on once more. But a court heard Parker, who was looking to withdraw cash after his wife forgot her debit card, then flew into a rage and told Ms Marques: 'Who are you talking to? 'You're an immigrant. Where are you from you immigrant? Get out of the country.' Parker also abused a member of the public who intervened, before driving away following his outburst on July 7 last year. He was later arrested. Lee Parker (pictured), 55, launched the tirade at Melissa Marques after she told him to stop parking in a loading bay in Worcester On Thursday (April 14), Parker admitted racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates' Court. Eleanor Peart, prosecuting, told the court: 'This matter is a hate crime. 'The officer had asked Mr Parker to move the vehicle and he was immediately rude to her, telling her to "shut up and move on" before he parked around the corner on double yellow lines, followed by the officer.' A member of the public intervened on behalf of the traffic warden and was insulted using a homophobic slur. Parker also told him: 'You're lucky there are people about,' before driving off. The court heard that when Parker was interviewed by police he also abused an officer, calling him a 'prat'. Miss Peart said: 'He was confrontational, saying it was boring and a waste of time to him. 'He left and called the complainant an immigrant - not before squaring up to the police officer and calling him a prat.' On Thursday (April 14), Parker (pictured) admitted racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates' Court Ms Marques has since left the job, saying how she regularly had 'members of the public abuse her'. Fergus Maxwell, mitigating, said: 'Just because an offence is racially aggravated, it does not necessarily mean it's a hate crime. I don't think it's a hate crime.' He added that Parker was stabbed ten years ago and had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ever since. Mr Maxwell said: 'Ten or 11 years ago he was the victim of a very serious attack which resulted in him ending up in ICU. 'He almost lost his life in a totally unprovoked attack.' Parker, of Birmingham, was fined 200. He was also ordered to pay compensation of 100, costs of 135 and a victim surcharge of 34. A Minnesota couple visiting family in Mexico were killed by a gang on motorbikes earlier this month. Miguel Angel Abrego Hurtado, 49, and his wife, Leticia Carrillo Arellano, 49, were killed while driving their truck in Puerto Escondido on April 7. Friends and family are shocked and grieving the tragic loss of the couple, who they describe as 'kind' and 'hardworking' people, who were 'the glue' to their close-knit family. The couple, who are from Coon Rapids, Minnesota traveled to Puerto Escondido in early April to visit family. Friends said they were also in the middle of building their dream home. Atif Suleman, a family friend said: 'They've been building this place in Mexico, and putting all of their earnings into building that house,' Kare11 News reported. Friends and family described Leticia Carrillo, 48, and Miguel Abrego, 49, as a couple who radiated love, light and joy. Friends and family members said they were 'the true definition of 'Till Death Do Us Part.' Their children will now need financial assistance to cover transportation of their bodies from Puerto Escondido to their hometown, funeral arrangements, attorney fees, counseling, and everyday living expenses for them to thrive A video posted to social media appears to show Miguel Angel Abrego Hurtado, slumped over the steering wheel of his truck following the shooting The Mexican news outlet, The Oaxaca Post reported the couple were driving in their truck, a black double cabin truck, that had Minnesota license plates, along federal highway 200 Oaxaca-Puerto Escondido on April 7. Before reaching Zicatela beach, a group of unknown individuals traveling on a motorcycles caught up with the truck and shot them several times before fleeing. Expresa Oaxaca posted a video on Twitter that shows what appears to be an image of Miguel deceased slumped over the steering wheel of the vehicle. On Friday, the State Attorney Generals Office from Oaxaca, told the news outlet the group of armed individuals attacked and executed a man and a woman on the coastal highway. Family members have been told that Mexican police are investigating, but some have expressed anger that they are not getting the answers and the information they need, from the authorities. The couple's niece, Yazmin Carrillo said: 'We dont have that peace of mind.' The couple leave behind two children: Miguel, 21, a college student, and an 18-year-old daughter, Diana, who is set to graduate high school in May. Maya Khakural, a close friend of the couple, said: 'They were loving people, loving parents and one of the most amazing human beings Ive ever met,' WCCO reported. Captain John Stahnke of the Coon Rapids Police Department told the DailyMail.com that his department, and the Anoka County Sheriff's office, which investigate all deaths in Anoka County, do not have jurisdiction to investigate the matter since it occurred in Mexico. A photo of the family together in happier times (left to right) daughter Diana, 18, a senior at Coon Rapids High School; mother Leticia, 48; son Miguel, 21, a college student, and father Miguel, 49. The couple traveled to Mexico in early April to visit family. Friends and family members said they were in the midst of building their dream home before the murder A man is seen slumped over in the truck the couple were driving in when they were targeted A map of the location where the bodies of Miguel Angel Abrego Hurtado, 49, and his wife, Leticia Carrillo Arellano, 49, were killed while driving their truck in Puerto Escondido on April 7. 'Much like the rest of our community, the Coon Rapids Police Department is deeply saddened by this incident,' Stahnke said. 'We encourage people to focus on helping the couples children that are left behind and forced to navigate the future without their loving parents.' Friends and family members said they were 'the true definition of Till Death Do Us Part.' Their children will now need financial assistance to cover transportation of their bodies from Puerto Escondido to their hometown, funeral arrangements, attorney fees, counseling, and everyday living expenses for them to thrive. A GoFundMe has been created to help their family get through the unimaginable tragedy. 'For reasons beyond our understanding, someone's senseless act ripped Miguel and Leticia away from this world,' Diana Carrillo, and organizer of the fundraiser, wrote. Carrillo added: 'It is not enough to say we are shocked and hurt, we are utterly devastated.' As of Monday afternoon nearly $32,000 has been raised towards their goal of $75,000. On April 13, The U.S. Department of State- Bureau of Consular Affairs, issued a travel advisory listing areas where travelers should 'exercise increased caution, and Oaxaca was listed as one of the areas due to a high level of crime. Advertisement The jury in Johnny Depp's defamation trial was shown dramatic pictures of injuries to his face which his security guard claimed were caused by Amber Heard. Depp's security guard Sean Bett took the stand Monday and described taking photos of the actor as 'evidence' after Heard allegedly assaulted him. The first incident happened in March of 2015 and Bett said that Depp had a 'swollen cheekbone and eyelid' - a picture was shown to the jury. He said: '(Depp) needed it as evidence in case Miss Heard tried to make allegations towards Depp. I was emphatic, that's a serious mark.' The second alleged abuse by Heard happened in December 2015 and they 'got into an argument and she scratched him', Bett said, pointing to his nose. He said: 'He had scratch marks around his nose area. On one of the sides of his face and the cheek area.' The court was shown three photos, the first of which shows a laceration on the left side of Depp's nose and a red scratch mark on the forehead, Bett said. The second showed scratch marks on the right hand side, according to Bett. The third photo shows a scratch to the lower right part of the chin. Depp appeared in court with a new look Monday morning. The 58-year-old actor had his locks pulled back in a sleek ponytail and wore dark shades. His ex wife Amber Heard, 35, appeared with her blond curls swept to the side and wore a black suit. Depp's security guard Sean Bett took the stand Monday and described taking photos of the actor as 'evidence' after Heard allegedly assaulted him Johnny Depp's defamation trial saw dramatic pictures of injuries to his face which his security guard claimed were caused by Amber Heard At some point they had 'another argument, she struck him in the face', Bett said, but Judge Penney Azcarate ordered that testimony be struck from the record as it was hearsay. Bett said: 'He had scratch marks around his nose area. On one of the sides of his face and the cheek area' Bett claimed that on April 21, 2016, on Heard's 30th birthday at the apartment there was another blow up because Depp was late when a meeting overran. According to Bett, when Depp arrived Heard had a 'look, you could tell she was upset that he was late.' At some point they had 'another argument, she struck him in the face', Bett said, but Judge Penney Azcarate ordered that testimony be struck from the record as it was hearsay. During his testimony Bett testified of his admiration about his boss' ability to hold his drink. Bett said that the actor became 'too cool for school' after a few drinks. He said: 'He goes into that Jack Sparrow mode. He's very likeable whether he drinks or doesn't drink. 'I've seen him slightly intoxicated. It's the same as if he had a glass of sparkling water. He's very low key, he's easy to get along with. 'He handles alcohol a lot better than I would.' Bett recalled an incident around 2012 or 2013 when Heard made disparaging comments about men to a friend. He said that while driving her around Heard told a friend: 'All men are idiots, you shouldn't trust that guy.' Heard turned to Bett and said: 'Sorry Sean, not you, I didn't mean that.' Bett described how Depp and Heard went from being 'loving, almost high school couple giddy towards each other' to arguing all the time. One time while driving Heard to her penthouse after a row with Depp, Bett told her: 'This can't continue, you're going to kill each other or be in jail.' Heard said: 'I love him, I'm not going to lose him.' Bett said that Heard and Depp's relationship devolved into 'constant bickering.' One time Bett claimed that he overheard Heard saying to Depp: 'He's a fat a**. F**k you Johnny, and you too Sean' - it was not clear who the 'fat a**' was. Bett said that he was that the night in May 2016 that was the final confrontation between Depp and Heard at their penthouse apartment before they divorced. Bett and Jerry Judge, a former Depp employee, heard the 'screaming and shouting coming from Miss Heard' while they waited outside. Bett said he and Judge 'immediately' ran inside and Heard had a 'look of surprise' on her face. He said: 'She shouted this is the last time you do this to me. Depp looked at her and said what the hell are you talking about? 'Judge tapped Depp on the arm and said boss, let's leave. We exited the front door.' Asked if Heard had any injuries or redness on her face, Bett said no. Less than a week later Heard filed for a divorce from Depp and a restraining order including a photo of her face with a bruise on it. She claims that it was caused by Depp the night that Bett was there when Depp hit her with a mobile phone. Security guard Sean Bett claimed that on April 21, 2016 on Heard's 30th birthday at the apartment there was another blow up because Depp was late when a meeting overran Bett said that Heard and Depp's relationship devolved into 'constant bickering.' One time Bett claimed that he overheard Heard saying to Depp: 'He's a fat a**. F**k you Johnny, and you too Sean' - it was not clear who the 'fat a**' was Bett and Jerry Judge, a former Depp employee, heard the 'screaming and shouting coming from Miss Heard' while they waited outside. Bett said he and Judge 'immediately' ran inside and Heard had a 'look of surprise' on her face. He said: 'She shouted this is the last time you do this to me. Depp looked at her and said what the hell are you talking about? 'Judge tapped Depp on the arm and said boss, let's leave. We exited the front door.' Asked if Heard had any injuries or redness on her face, Bett said no Earlier, Depp's personal nurse has told how she witnessed Amber Heard instigate arguments and follow Depp around, refusing to give him space to cool down. The court heard from Debbie Lloyd, Depp's personal nurse who recounted her medical notes of their first meeting in June 2014. On October 20, 2014 Lloyd's medical notes stated Depp told Lloyd that he felt he was in a 'no-win situation' with Heard. Notes stated: 'Patient is feeling exhausted and wants to stay home but does not want to upset fiance so instead they were going to dinner. October 23, notes stated that Depp was 'agitated' that Heard was using the term 'mania' to describe his behavior because it would 'excuse her from any fault during arguments.' Depp was 'upset by this label.' Lloyd told the court that arguing with Heard was a 'trigger for Depp emotionally.' She said that 'at times she would try to instigate him,' referring to Heard. Lloyd said she saw this on more than one occasion. She told the court: 'I remember an argument, being there he was going from room to room trying to remove himself from the situation and she would follow him from room to room and not give him his space.' Asked if she saw Heard doing this on other occasions, Lloyd said: 'Yes.' A note from a consultation on March 7, 2015, shortly before the finger incident, reads: 'Patient discussed feeling of anger and sadness about relationship. 'Patient was encouraged to stay away from wife as (the) relationship is toxic. Patient expressed verbal understanding and why they need to separate.' Lloyd said that she thought the relationship was 'toxic' based on conversations they had together. Depp and Heard would stay together until the following May before she filed for divorce. Lloyd was asked about an incident on March 23, 2015 and the court heard texts between Heard's sister Whitney and Heard's nurse Erin Boerum. Whitney said that Heard was 'finally asleep. When asked by Boreum if Heard was safe, Whitney said: 'No, she's not. She keeps saying she wants to kill herself.' Lloyd said that all she recalled about that day was that Heard and Depp got into a 'fight' in their apartment. Asked if she saw Heard throwing anything at Depp, Lloyd said no. She said: 'I saw Johnny push over one of Amber's clothing racks' The notes stated that Depp initially took opiates after some dental work and became 'dependent' upon them. The notes stated: 'Patient fearful of coming off opiates but knows it is what he needs to do. 'Patient expressed emotional trauma which causes him depression and anxiety.' Lloyd was not sure what the trauma was, she told the court. The medical notes said of Depp: 'Patient expressed fears of never feeling normal without his drugs.' Lloyd's notes described a visit to Depp's house at 3.30am on September 22, 2014 when he was 'sitting with bloody knuckles.' Depp admitted he 'punched a white board in the kitchen' after a fight with Heard, the notes stated. According to the medical notes Depp was 'texting a friend explaining why he didn't show up to play music and fiancee got upset that he was not giving her enough support and the fight escalated from there.' The notes say: 'Patient refused to lie down as he didn't want fiancee to think he didn't care by falling asleep'. Lloyd's notes from October 14, 2014 state that Depp was filming a movie when he 'kicked in the door of his trailer and refused to speak to the director.' The notes state: 'Patient verbally aggressive to another person on set so no apparent reason.' The court heard from Debbie Lloyd, Depp's personal nurse who recounted her medical notes of their first meeting in June 2014 Depp appeared in court with a new look Monday morning. The 58-year-old actor had his locks pulled back in a sleek ponytail and wore dark shades Johnny Depp sent texts to his doctor saying Amber Heard is 'as full of s**t as a Christmas Goose,' the jury heard on the fourth day of his $100million defamation trial Courtroom spectators listen at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 18, 2022 The court watched pre-recorded video deposition from Dr. David Kipper, a Beverly Hills doctor who treats celebrities for addiction and whose previous clients have included Ozzy Osborne. Depp hired him to treat him for opioid addiction in May 2014 and engineered a plan whereby he would detox on his island in the Bahamas. Kipper was asked about texts he exchanged with Depp. On March 7, 2015, Depp wrote, 'Hi f*ck man had another one. I cannot live like this. She is as full of s**t as a Christmas Goose. 'I'm done. NO MORE!!!! Constant insults released from a malicious evil and vindictive c*nt!!!!! You know what's far more hurtful than her venomous and degrading educational ranting??? Her hideously and purposely hurtful tirades and her goddamn shocking treatment of the man she was meant to love above all.' Depp and Heard are seen in September 2015 in Venice, Italy - the same year a blowout fight in Australia took place Dep continued: 'Here's the real deal mateher obsession with herself is far more important. She is so f**king ambitious!!!! She's so desperate for success and fame. That's probably why I was acquired, mate. She has hammered me with what a sad old man has been I am. 'I'm so very sad.' Dr. Kipper was asked about a text from Depp on July 5 2015 in which Depp ranted about Connell Cowan, an LA-based psychologist who treated Heard. Depp said that Cowan should be 'stripped' of his medical license and 'spray painted while handcuffed to a stop sign.' Dr. Kipper said he didn't recall the text but could see it written down. In another message to Dr. Kipper sent on July 24, 2015, Depp ranted about how Heard was 'condescending' to him by telling him 'hippie s**t.' Depp said that Heard told him things like: 'Your fear is so visible, what are you scared of.' He said that it 'makes me want to rampage against anyone wearing Birkenstocks.' Dr. Kipper first started treating Depp in May 2014 and told the court that his initial diagnosis for him was: 'ADHD, Bipolar 1, depression , insomnia, chronic substance abuse disorder, chronic reflux.' Dr. Kipper said that during a consultation in person with Depp and Heard in June 2014 in Boston she made no mention about Depp being violent. Asked if he would have documented it if she had mentioned it, Dr. Kipper said: 'Yes.' The court heard Kipper's notes read out which said: 'Amber has a strong family history of drug and alcohol abuse and is particularly sensitive to his (Depp's behaviors and potential for abuse).' Asked if 'abuse' meant substance abuse, Dr. Kipper said yes, not physical abuse. Dr. Kipper said that by 'particularly sensitive' he meant: 'Having grown up in that environment she's used to seeing the trauma that it inflicts and is not only able to recognize it but also it affects her. She has the ability to understand what that looks like.' Dr. Kipper said that this was information that Heard told her himself. Dr. Kipper admitted that he is still Depp's personal physician and is paid a monthly retainer by him - the invoices were shown to him but the figures were not read out Heard's lawyers have previously said that Depp pays his doctors $150,000 a month, but it is not clear if this referred to Dr. Kipper. The court heard Kipper's notes read out which said: 'Amber has a strong family history of drug and alcohol abuse and is particularly sensitive to his (Depp's behaviors and potential for abuse) Evidence was submitted into evidence. These are : Dr. David Kippers initial 2014 consultation with Depp and subsequent progress notes Under questioning from Depp's lawyers, Dr Kipper said that he began to treat Heard some time after August 2014 when Depp did a detox on his private island in the Caribbean. One of Depp's lawyers asked Dr Kipper: 'Did she (Heard) ever seek treatment for injuries as a result of domestic abuse?' Dr. Kipper said: 'No she did not.' Depp's lawyer asked: 'Did she ever seek treatment for injuries caused by Mr Depp?' Dr. Kipper said: 'No she did not.' Asked if Heard ever told him that Depp abused her, Dr. Kipper said: 'No she did not.' Dr. Kipper said he 'never' witnessed Depp physically abusing Heard and never saw any such injuries on her. Dr. Kipper told the court that at Depp's request he flew to Australia in March 2015 while he was filming the latest installment of the Pirates film series. It was there that Heard and Depp had a fight. She claims that he cut his own finger off during the row while Depp claims she sliced it off by throwing a bottle at him. Dr. Kipper described the grisly search for the tip of Depp's finger carried out by the actor's security guards in the moments after the fight. Dr. Kipper said that he tended to Depp's wounds while he sat in a car outside the property he was staying in. Dr. Kipper said: 'I did go in (to the property). After I saw him I went in to instruct one of the people with him to look for the tip of the finger hoping we could put it back. 'It was found.' Dr. Kipper said a man called 'chef' found it. He said: 'He said he found it in the kitchen area', where Depp and Heard had been fighting.' Dr. Kipper said that Heard was 'certainly upset' but she did not seek any medical attention from him and did not have any visible bruises. These photos were previously shown in court from May 2016 of Amber Heard with an apparently bruised cheek As part of Depp's defamation case against Heard, he included images of his own bruised and battered face (pictured ) following Heard's alleged attack Llloyd wrote that Depp appeared 'agitated' and was 'short' towards her. Lloyd's notes stated that Depp had a desire to 'escape' from his drug use. In a text to Lloyd sent afterwards, Depp told Lloyd he was 'confused as f***' and that Heard said 'nothing of the wrap party's existence', referring to a party that Heard attended. Depp wrote: 'How will I look at her when she gets back professing her undying love. All a f****** lie' On November 11, 2014, Depp texted Lloyd: 'I'm feeling so f*****. Why was she at the goddam wrap party until 5am? Lies are so clear now. What was so interesting to keep her there so goddam long. I must have truth. She wants a change and is going to change. 'Help. I don't know what's real and what's paranoiac jealousy.' Lloyd was present in Australia when Depp cut his finger after the fight with Heard. She said that inside the house she saw 'some writing on the wall and I remember a smashed TV.' Lloyd said: 'I remember looking for his finger in the downstairs area. It was the pool table entertainment room.' The court watched pre-recorded video deposition from Dr. David Kipper, a Beverly Hills doctor who treats celebrities for addiction and whose previous clients have included Ozzy Osborne. Depp hired him to treat him for opioid addiction in May 2014 and engineered a plan whereby he would detox on his island in the Bahamas According to Lloyd, Ben, the house manager of the property, found the fingertip and brought it to the ER. She could not recall if the digit was put on ice or other details of how it was preserved. Lloyd was asked about medical notes from an April 13, 2015 visit to see Depp. According to the notes, Depp told Llloyd that the 'majority of issues with wife have been from him using drugs and alcohol.' The notes state: 'Depp states he will no longer sneak / use and wants to enjoy clarity.' After the episode in Australia Dr. Kipper withdrew his care for Depp which meant that Lloyd stopped working for him too - they appear to have patched things up later on. In a text to Lloyd, Depp wrote: 'Never heard of anyone being fired by their physician before. So I'm kinda proud of that. 'Even attempting saying thank you to to you would be like a monkey trying to f*** a football. It's just simply impossible'. On another occasion Depp texted Lloyd: 'If you like you can give me some morphine to see if my tongue and penis touch.' Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen traded barbs Monday as they returned to campaigning for the French presidency ahead of a prime-time debate that is likely to prove decisive ahead of Sunday's second-round run-off. The two rivals held low-key events after a brief Easter pause as they paced themselves before Wednesday's face-off, when the centrist Macron will defend his record over the past five years against his combative far-right rival. It will be a rematch of their debate in 2017, when the same two finalists clashed at the same stage of the campaign, but which most analysts say was handily won by Macron, who was making his first-ever attempt at public office. Le Pen, making her third run for the presidency, insists she is better prepared this time around. 'I'm very confident, and I think I'm going to win,' the National Rally candidate said during a visit to the sunlit village square in Saint-Pierre-en-Auge in Normandy, western France. French president Emmanuel Macron waves to the public in his car in front the polling station in Le Touquet, Northern France. The president is set to face off against Marine Le Pen in a live debate on Wednesday Le Pen said she hoped Wednesday's debate will be carried out calmly free of 'insults, fake news and excesses,' in what could be a sign of things to come as the political battle lines are drawn 'I hope this debate is carried out calmly... I hope it won't be what I've been hearing for the past week, a series of insults, fake news and excesses,' she said. 'She knows her programme perfectly, and she knows very well how Macron is going to try to attack her,' Le Pen's close ally Louis Aliot, the far-right mayor of Perpignan in southern France, told France Inter radio. The latest opinion polls suggest that Macron has the edge, giving him scores of 53 to 55.5 percent against 44.5 to 47 percent for Le Pen. But allowing for margins of error, Macron knows there is no room for complacency, and polls have often underestimated the results of far-right candidates in the past - most notably in 2002, when Le Pen's father Jean-Marie Le Pen reached the presidential run-off against Jacques Chirac. A poster of French President and candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron with the phrase 'social traitor' written on it, in Paris was pictured alongside graffitied posters of Marine Le Pen Photos taken in Saint-Pierre-en-Auge shows campaign posters for Le Pen. Macron is said to have the edge of Le Pen, according to opinion polls Despite the intensity, polls said a fourth of the French electorate may not vote at all, with the election result largely resting on what percentage of leftwing candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon's supports turn up to the ballot box Macron took aim at Le Pen's proposal to hold constitutional referendums on tougher immigration laws and her plan for 'national priority' for French citizens for jobs and welfare benefits, and to create the possibility for citizens' initiatives to propose and vote on legislation. 'She is implying that once elected, she believes she's above the Constitution since she can decide not to respect it by changing the rules,' he told France Culture radio in an interview published Monday. But instead of focusing on immigration and the threat of Islamist extremism, Le Pen has insisted mainly on her plans to tackle rising prices, a key element of her strategy of presenting a more moderate face to voters. Her team has played down in particular a proposed ban on the Islamic headscarf in public places, with Le Pen acknowledging that it was a 'complex problem' that would require parliamentary debate, and that 'I'm not obstinate.' Le Pen's team has also hit back at a report that the European Union's anti-corruption body OLAF had accused her and senior colleagues of embezzling more than 600,000 euros ($650,000) of EU funds during their time as euro-deputies. Her lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, expressed suspicion at the timing of the release of the story, first revealed by the investigative website Mediapart on Saturday. The European Union's anti-corruption body OLAF accused le Pen and senior colleagues of embezzling more than 600,000 euros - her campaign team said the timing was suspicious Macron is taking aim at Le Pen's policies ahead of the debate, notably her promise to hold constitutional referendums on tougher immigration laws Polls suggest that up to a fourth of the French electorate might not vote at all on Sunday, and much will also depend on the decisions of the millions of leftwing supporters of Jean-Luc Melenchon, who finished in a close third place in the first round on April 10. The results of a survey Sunday carried out Melenchon's France Unbowed party showed that only a third of those who voted for him will back Macron in order to block a far-right presidency under Le Pen. The rest preferred to return a blank ballot, or said they would just stay home. Melenchon, who is poised to loom large on the left ahead of parliament elections in June in which Macron is hoping to renew a majority if re-elected, has pointedly refused to urge voters to back Macron, saying only that 'not a single vote' should go to Le Pen. Christophe Castaner, the leader of Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) group in parliament, attempted to play down the significance of the survey. But he also warned: 'Not to choose, is to accept you are playing Russian roulette.' Advertisement Dozens of migrants flocked to Britain today as there were warnings attempts to deter illegal crossings could lead to a short-term surge. Two boats with dozens of migrants on board were brought ashore into Dover, Kent, on Monday after being intercepted by Border Force officers. The Government announced last week it plans to provide failed asylum seekers, including those crossing the Channel in small boats, with a one-way ticket to Rwanda. The two large dinghies were detected with around 90 people crammed on board and were brought into Dover Harbour on the Border Force vessel Hurricane, as so far this year 6,342 people have been rescued in 195 boats. Men, women and young children were wearing life jackets as they were brought into the port this morning to be processed. Dozens of migrants flocked to Britain today as there were warnings attempts to deter illegal crossings could lead to a short-term surge A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel Migrants picked up at sea while attempting to cross the English Channel, are pictured on a UK Border Force boat entering the marina in Dover, on April 18 A young child in a yellow animal onesie was among a group of migrants brought in to Dover, Kent, after a small boat incident Under a scheme designed to crack down on migrants landing on British shores after crossing the Channel in small boats, the UK intends to provide those deemed to have arrived unlawfully with a one-way ticket to Rwanda A group of migrants were saved from a small boat in the Channel today, given orange-red life jackets and brought to Dove Windy conditions in the Channel were expected to prevent large numbers attempting the treacherous crossing over the Easter weekend. On Saturday the Royal Navy and Border Force intercepted 252 migrants attempting to make the treacherous journey. Despite choppy conditions in the 21-mile wide Dover Straits, seven flimsy dinghies made the dangerous voyage and were rescued in British waters. More than 6,000 migrants have been detained after making the dangerous journey across the Channel so far this year A man gestures as migrants arrive at Dover Marina after being picked up by the border force in the Channel on April 18 The Government announced last week it plans to provide failed asylum seekers, including those crossing the Channel in small boats, with a one-way ticket to Rwanda Two large dinghies were detected with around 90 people crammed on board and were brought into Dover Harbour on the Border Force vessel Hurricane Each migrant was given a life jacket and taken to Dover, Kent, for processing. However, even migrants arriving today could face being sent to Rwanda Migrants who are sent with a one-way ticket to Rwanda would face a flight more than 4,000 miles away to the African country The UN has branded the proposed scheme as 'unacceptable' while the Archbishop of Canterbury said it was 'ungodly' A total of 28,526 migrants made the treacherous crossing 2021 - significantly higher than the 8,410 who arrived in 2020. In 2021 that figure was not reached until July 10, while 1,713 people have been arrived this month alone. Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, Tom Pursglove MP, has said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. 'Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough. 'Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we're cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.' A record 28,395 migrants reached the UK illegally last year by taking small boats across the Channel, a 200 per cent increase on 2020's tally Migrants travelling to the UK on small boats will be put on jets and sent 4,000 miles away to Rwanda while their applications are processed. Pictured: A map detailing the plan proposed by the Prime Minister A view of facilities at Hope House, a hostel in Nyabugogo, the Gasabo district of the capital city Kigali, in Rwanda - where migrants shipped from Britain will initially be taken How will the new Rwanda migrant scheme work? Cross-channel arrivals assessed and anyone deemed an economic migrant rather than a refugee is sent to Rwanda Initial agreement worth 120million over five years Failed immigrants urged to start new life in Africa Initially based at hostel in Kigali Hope House is currently being used as budget accommodation for tourists Privately owned, the East African nation's government is understood to be in negotiations to lease the property Memorandum of understanding (MOU) says Government will screen asylum seekers 'without delay' after arrival in the UK All requests will require approval from Rwanda before relocation Nation can refuse to take people with criminal records People who cross the Channel in small boats will undergo initial checks at the Western Jet Foil facility in Dover Further checks at a processing site in Manston, Kent. Where their claim is deemed inadmissible, they may be removed to a 'third safe country'. Royal Navy to lead Channel policing role, helping Border Force from today PM attacked 'a formidable army of politically motivated lawyers' who have thwarted previous action PM: 'Our compassion may be infinite but our capacity to help people is not. We can't ask the British taxpayer to write a blank cheque to cover the costs of anyone who might want to come and live here.' Advertisement The Government has said the 120million five-year plan to send migrants to Rwanda would help to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the Channel, which has faced immediate and heavy criticism from politicians and charities. Although migrants will be able to apply to live in Rwanda permanently, there has been huge backlash against the plans to send migrants to the African country that is more than 4,000 miles from Britain. Just four years ago Rwandan police shot dead 12 refugees as they protested a UN cut to food rations and the country is marred by the 1994 genocide that saw 800,000 people murdered, many of them hacked to death in their own homes. Yet Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday slammed the 'synthetic outrage' over the Rwanda plans. She also accused political opponents of treating exploited migrants with contempt and slammed 'shameful' human rights lawyers for profiting from traffickers sending groups to the UK in flimsy dinghies, The Sun reports. Ms Patel said: 'All I've heard the last couple of days is a typical hysterical reaction from the Left, particularly through their social media echo chamber. 'All they have to offer is synthetic outrage. Labour doesn't have a plan. They don't care about Britain's interests or UK taxpayers who foot the bill. 'They are showing complete contempt for democracy and the wishes of the British people who have been crying out for years for action to fix our broken asylum system and tackle illegal migration.' A Government source told the Mail on Sunday that after striking a dramatic deal, the Home Secretary wants to spread the word internationally and let 'people know the rules have changed and if you arrive illegally to the UK, you can be deported to Rwanda'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also warned that 'anyone entering the UK illegally, as well as those who have arrived illegally since 1 January, may now be relocated to Rwanda'. A 100,000 information campaign will use social media to reach people in 'source countries' in their own languages. Jacob Rees-Mogg also suggested today that migrants crossing the Channel in small boats are 'supporting organised crime'. The Cabinet minister, speaking on Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, said he disagrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation of the Government's new immigration policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. In his Easter sermon, Justin Welby earlier said 'sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well, like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God'. Reacting to the sermon, Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'I think he misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve, and that it isn't an abandonment of responsibility, it is in fact a taking on of a very difficult responsibility. 'The problem that is being dealt with is that people are risking their lives in the hands of people traffickers, to get into this country illegally. Now, it's not the illegal bit of it, it is the encouragement of people traffickers that needs to be stopped.' He added that '90 per cent of people coming are young men who by coming via people traffickers are jumping the queue for others'. Mr Rees-Mogg continued: 'They are in doing so not only risking their lives but supporting organised crime. What we need to do is focus on legal routes into this country of which there are quite a number.' The new deal expected to be the subject of legal challenges was presented to Cabinet Ministers on Wednesday by Ms Patel and the Prime Minister. The Rwandan government will receive 120 million in investment from the UK with the cost of housing each migrant for three months estimated at 20,000 to 30,000. Ms Patel issued a ministerial direction, only the second in the department for 30 years, to force through the policy after objections from Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft. Senior Home Office civil servants have expressed dismay at the cost. One said: 'It will be astronomical. The legal bill alone will be huge.' Last night, the Home Office published an exchange of letters between Ms Patel and Mr Rycroft in which he called for a ministerial direction as he could not justify the policy's value for money. The package also includes a new immigration centre for 500 men at a former RAF base in Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire. Speaking after Saturday's crossings, Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration Tom Pursglove MP said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. 'Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough. 'Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we're cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.' Powerful spyware linked to a United Arab Emirates operator - which could have allowed 24-hour surveillance of messages, photos and calls - was found on a device connected to Number 10's network, it has been claimed. The alarming cyber security breach is said to have occurred on 7 July 2020, almost a year into Boris Johnson's time as Prime Minister. According to researchers, the Israeli-created spyware known as Pegasus was also suspected to have infected phones connected to the Foreign Office on at least five occasions between July 2020 and June last year. These were linked to operators in the UAE, India, Cyprus, and Jordan. The infection of a Number 10 device was revealed by an investigative journalist working for the New Yorker magazine. They reported that several phones were tested at Downing Street, including the PM's, but that officials from Britain's National Cyber Security Centre were unable to locate the infected device and the nature of any data that may have been stolen was never determined. 'When we found the No10 case, my jaw dropped,' John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab centre at the Univestity of Toronto, told the magazine. He claimed the UK had been 'underestimating the threat from Pegasus' and had been left 'spectacularly burned'. Bill Marczak, another senior researcher, added: 'We suspect this included the exfiltration of data.' Powerful spyware known as Pegasus was used to infect a device connected to the network at 10 Downing Street, it has been claimed Boris Johnson visited the UAE last month in an attempt to encourage Middle Eastern states to ramp up their production of oil - as Western nations look to wean themselves off Russian supplies Pegasus was developed by the Israeli company NSO Group and is known to have the capability to infect billions of phones running either iOS or Android operating systems. Once Pegasus is on a person's device, it can copy messages that are sent or received, harvest photos, record phone calls, or even secretly film the user through the phone's camera, or record conversations by activating the microphone. Israeli bug that secretly takes over your phone Pegasus spyware gives hackers a terrifying level of access to a mobile phone without the victim having the faintest idea it has been hacked. A malicious user can extract data including passwords, contacts, browsing history and social media posts, tell where the phone is, where it has been and whether it is on the move. The hacker can also see incoming or outgoing calls and, perhaps most chillingly, access the device's camera and microphone to take pictures or listen in on conversations remotely. The creators of Pegasus Israeli cyber intelligence company NSO Group Technologies have long boasted that the spyware worked like a 'ghost', tracking the movements of targets without leaving a trace. To avoid being spotted through racking up data charges on phone networks, the software transmits files only when the device is using Wifi. When unable to do this, it collects and stores data in an encrypted software programme but is designed to never use more than 5 per cent of space on an infected phone. It can be installed on some Apple and Android devices and is believed to have exploited three security weaknesses in iPhones. One method involves sending a text message that provides a link to a website. If clicked on, malicious software is delivered to the phone. NSO Group has claimed it keeps strict control over how its powerful software is used. Its staff can shut it down at any time or look at the information being collected. But insiders told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that oversight was 'non-existent'. The newspaper also said that if an infected phone entered Israel, Iran, Russia, China or the US, Pegasus wiped its software from the device. Advertisement It could also potentially be used to pinpoint where someone is, where they've been, or who they've met. Citizen Lab also found the suspected Foreign Office infections. Ron Deibert, its director, wrote in an article on the lab's website that because the Foreign Office has many staff overseas, the suspected infections could have related to 'devices located abroad and using foreign SIM cards'. He added this was 'similar to the hacking of foreign phone numbers used by US State Department employees in Uganda in 2021'. A government spokesperson said they do not routinely comment on security matters. In November, the US added NSO Group to a trade blacklist and accused them of selling spyware to foreign governments that used the equipment to target government officials, journalists and others At the time, the Israeli company said it was 'dismayed' by the decision and insisted its technologies 'support US national security interests' Following today's claim that Pegasus was used to infect a Number 10 device and phones at the Foreign Office, an NSO Group spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The information raised regarding these allegations are, yet again, false and could not be related to NSO products for technological and contractual reasons. 'NSO continues to be targeted by a number of politically motivated advocacy organisations, like Citizens Labs and Amnesty, to produce inaccurate and unsubstantiated reports based on vague and incomplete information. 'We have repeatedly cooperated with governmental investigations, where credible allegations merit.' A month earlier, in October 2021, the High Court in London found that the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, ordered the hacking of the phone of his ex-wife, Princess Haya of Jordan. The court said that Pegasus software was used in a bid to infiltrate the phones of Princess Haya, some of her staff and two of her solicitors. NSO Group was said to have ended its contract with the UAE following the disclosure. The timing of the revelation about spyware on a No10 device - associated with an operator linked to the UAE - comes little more than a month after Mr Johnson visited the region. The PM used the trip to try and encourage both the UAE and Saudi Arabia to ramp up their production of oil as Western nations look to wean themselves off Russian supplies. Pegasus was also suspected to have infected phones connected to the Foreign Office, which at the time was run by then-Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, on at least five occasions between July 2020 and June last year A government source said: 'We speak regularly with partners and work closely with allies to tackle threats, improve resilience and raise any concerns where they arise.' In April last year, the PM was at the centre of another security scare after it was revealed his personal mobile phone number had been freely available on the internet for the past 15 years. At the time, former national security adviser Lord Peter Ricketts warned that hostile foreign states or criminal gangs could have accessed the PM's personal number. Earlier this year, Mr Johnson blamed getting a new phone for his failure to disclose WhatsApp messages with a Conservative peer, in which they discussed the controversial funding of his Downing Street flat refurbishment. The PM offered a 'humble and sincere apology' for not sharing the messages - in which he described his Downing Street residence as 'a bit of a tip' - with an investigation into the flat refurbishment being headed by Lord Geidt, his independent adviser on ministers' interests. In a letter to Lord Geidt in January, Mr Johnson said: 'You appreciate the security issues faced at the time meant that I did not have access to my previous device and did not recall the message exchange.' Shocking footage has emerged showing the moment a young boy was attacked by a bulldog outside a busy cafe. Andy Bracek and his son Teddy, 6, were at Tommy's Italian in Currumbin on the Gold Coast at 8am on Sunday when the incident unfolded. In CCTV footage, Teddy can be seen walking over to pat the British bulldog when it suddenly latched on to his leg. The child attempts to flee when the dog leaps up, appearing to bite his arm. Andy Bracek and his son Teddy, 6, were at Tommy's Italian in Currumbin on the Gold Coast at 8am on Sunday when the incident unfolded Mr Bracek then runs over to protect his son. The owner is then seen grabbing the leash, attempting to restrain the animal. As Mr Bracek is consoling the young boy the dog once again launches at the child before it is dragged away. Mr Bracek has been left fuming over the incident. He told the Courier Mail his son had asked the owner if it was okay to pet the dog, and the owner had said it was fine. He said when the dog first jumped up he thought it was playing but launched into action when he heard his son scream. 'The owner then made a f**king half-assed effort to restrain the dog,' he said. 'To be honest in that moment I felt like smashing the dog's head in.' As Mr Bracek is consoling the young boy the dog once again launches at the child before it is dragged away He said he is frustrated that the owner then fled the scene. 'If he came back and sorted it everything would've been okay but I'm p*ssed off and disturbed that this man has put his dog's welfare before a child's.' Teddy suffered a deep gash to his forearm. He was taken to Griffith University Hospital where he underwent surgery. The council has been notified and investigations are ongoing. Advertisement Harrowing images have emerged that show a woman screaming over the body of her elderly father in a street in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine after he was killed in an airstrike this morning. The blonde woman can be seen wailing over her father's bloodied body lying on a verge of grass while being restrained by a man behind her. Another woman can be seen staring over the body in apparent shock, still holding a piece of fabric and a loaf of bread in one hand. Other images show the woman being comforted by emergency medical personnel as the elderly man's body is removed from the park in a black body bag in the background. At least five people were killed and 20 wounded in shelling in the city, which is just 13 miles from the Russian border, this morning. Prosecutors said one shell fell on a children's playground. One of the dead was a woman who appeared to be going out to collect water in the rain - she was found lying with a water canister and an umbrella by her side. Moscow has launched a sustained bombing campaign in recent days, pounding key Ukrainian cities in retaliation for the humiliating sinking of Russia's Black Sea fleet flagship, the Moskva, last week. Russia ended its northern offensive at the end of last month, cancelling the push to take Kyiv and refocussing the campaign on Ukraine's eastern flank with Kharkiv, home to 1.4 million before the war prompted mass evacuations, now one of the major cities standing in the way of the Kremlin's advance. On Sunday six people were killed by shelling on the central residential district of the metropolis, whole neighbourhoods of which have been gutted by repeated blasts. Many of the remaining residents have retreated to underground metro stations to live half-lives, waiting out the war above. Harrowing images have emerged that show a woman screaming over the body of her father in a park in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine after he was killed in an airstrike this morning The blonde woman can be seen grasping her hair in shock as she wails over her father's bloodied body lying on a verge of grass while being restrained by a man behind her A woman is consoled by emergency medical workers in the middle of a park in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, as they remove the body of her father after he was killed during shelling in the city on Monday morning Medical workers and first responders carry the body of an elderly man killed in Russian shelling this morning as Moscow's botched invasion of Ukraine continued today Maksym Khaustov, the head of the Kharkiv region's health department, confirmed the five deaths there following a series of strikes that AFP agency journalists on the scene said had ignited fires throughout the city and torn roofs from buildings. 'The whole home rumbled and trembled,' 71-year-old Svitlana Pelelygina told AFP as she surveyed her wrecked apartment. 'Everything here began to burn. I called the firefighters. They said, 'We are on our way, but we were also being shelled.'' Meanwhile on Sunday, six people were killed by shelling on the central residential district of the city - and spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian missiles had destroyed ammunition, fuel and lubricant depots in eastern Ukraine and 44 Ukrainian military facilities, including command posts. Russian air defence systems shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft in the Kharkiv region and a drone near the city of Pavlograd, he added. Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov, in an impassioned address marking Orthodox Palm Sunday, lashed out at Russian forces for not letting up the bombing campaign on such a sacred day. Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky called the bombing in Kharkiv 'nothing but deliberate terror.' In his nightly address to the nation, Zelenskyy also appealed for a stronger response to what he said was the brutality of Russian troops in parts of southern Ukraine. 'Torture chambers are built there,' he said. 'They abduct representatives of local governments and anyone deemed visible to local communities.' He again urged the world to send more weapons and apply tougher sanctions against Moscow. People watch as a woman wails as she mourns the loss of her father after he was killed in a Russian airstrike on Kharkiv this morning Emergency medical personnel prepare a black body bag for the corpse of an elderly man killed during shelling this morning in Kharkiv Medical workers hug a woman as she cries while they remove the body of her father from a park in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, this morning A woman is consoled by emergency medical workers in the middle of a park in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, as they remove the body of her father after he was killed during shelling in the city on Monday morning Russian forces launched missile attacks on the western city of Lviv and pounded a multitude of other targets across Ukraine on Monday in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the country's defenses ahead of an all-out assault on the east. At least seven people were reported killed in Lviv, where plumes of thick black smoke rose over a city that has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for large numbers of civilians fleeing intense fighting elsewhere. To the Kremlin's increasing anger, Lviv has also become a major conduit for NATO-supplied weapons and for foreign fighters joining the Ukrainian cause. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, meanwhile, vowed to 'fight absolutely to the end' in strategically vital Mariupol, where the last known pocket of resistance in the seven-week siege consisted of Ukrainian fighters holed up in a sprawling steel plant. The holdouts ignored a surrender-or-die ultimatum from the Russians on Sunday. The governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyy, said the Russian missile strikes hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto mechanic shop. He said the wounded included a child, and emergency teams battled fires caused by the attack. Lviv is the biggest city and a major transportation hub in western Ukraine. It sits roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Poland, a NATO member. Russia has strongly complained about the increasing flow of Western weapons to Ukraine, and last week its Foreign Ministry issued a formal note of protest to the US and its allies. On Russian state media, some anchors have charged that the supplies amount to direct Western engagement in the fight against Russia. Lviv has also been seen as a relatively safe place for the elderly, mothers and children trying to escape the war. But a hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled fighting in other parts of the country was among the buildings badly damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. 'The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv,' said Lyudmila Turchak, who fled with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. 'There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe.' Military analysts say Russia is increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railways and other infrastructure targets across Ukraine to wear down the country's ability to resist a major ground offensive in the Donbas, Ukraine's mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial heartland. The Russian military said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the past day, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. It claimed its artillery hit an additional 315 Ukrainian targets and warplanes conducted 108 strikes on Ukrainian troops and military equipment. The claims could not be independently verified. Over the weekend, Russia also claimed to have destroyed Ukrainian air defense radar equipment. Smoke rises from a building as first responders arrive at the scene of Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine on April 17, 2022 Firefighters at work in the immediate aftermath of a Russian shelling in Kharkiv, 17 April 2022 A man walks into his burning building after a Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 17, 2022 Pictured: Smoke rises from the destroyed building in Lviv on Monday, which was struck by a Russian missile attack Pictured: Smoke rises after 5 aimed missile strikes hit Lviv, Ukraine on April 18, 2022 Smoke is seen on the horizon after Russian missiles struck the area on April 18, 2022 in Lviv A 15-year-old boy has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to his Georgia home, and killing his 10-year-old sister in the process. Zoe McCue, 10, was found dead trapped inside her windowless bedroom after a fire broke out at her family's single-story Beaver Road home in Loganville shortly before 5am on Sunday. Gwinnett County firefighters have since said they believe the fire was intentionally set, and police are investigating the girl's death as a homicide. It is unclear what led to that assessment. They have already arrested the girl's 15-year-old brother - who has not been named as he is a minor - in connection with the fire after he was found safe from the fire at another location hours later. He is now facing charges of felony murder, malice murder and arson for the fire, as police and fire department officials continue to investigate the blaze, which also destroyed the McCue family's home and killed their two cats. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Gwinnett County Fire Department for more information. Zoe McCue (pictured) was found dead inside her Georgia home after a fire broke out at around 5am on Sunday. Authorities have now arrested her 15-year-old brother in connection with the fire, which they believe was set intentionally Gwinnett County firefighters arrived at the scene of the fire in Loganville to find it engulfed in flames The house suffered extensive damage throughout its front half and the attic Gwinnett County firefighters arrived on the scene of the single-story home shortly before 5am on Easter Sunday to discover it engulfed in heavy flames. 'Once our crews arrived on [the] scene, we had heavy fire involvement throughout the entire front of the structure,' Lt. Justin Wilson told FOX 5. 'It was just hidden away from a small wood line.' A mother-of-five and two of her children had already escaped the home before fire crews arrived, officials told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, while the father and a teenage sibling were at work when the fire broke out. But fire department officials were soon told that two children - a 15-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl - were believed to have been stuck inside the home. 'Multiple aggressive search attempts were executed to locate the missing children,' Wilson said in a statement, adding: 'After the fire was brought under control, a 10-year-old female victim was located deceased in [a] room used as a bedroom without window access.' Firefighters then continued to sift through the debris for hours looking for the boy, before he was found safe at around 9am at another location. He did not appear to have any injuries, officials report. That boy, who has not been named as he is a minor, was arrested just a few hours later after officials said they determined the fire was intentionally set - but no charges against him have been announced and a motive is not yet known. Family members have said smoke alarms were installed throughout the home, but did not activate when the fire began. 'At this time, it has been determined the fire was set intentionally by a sibling of the deceased victim,' a police spokesperson said, adding: 'This is still an active investigation and is being treated as a homicide. 'Gwinnett police detectives are working closely with arson investigators throughout the duration of this investigation.' William McCue, the girl's father who was at work when the fire broke out, told FOX 5 News that Zoe liked to be in charge William McCue, the patriarch of the family, was at work at the local Waffle House with his teenage daughter at the time of the fire when a coworker broke the news to him. 'I went over to her, and she told me I had to go home, there was a fire,' he recounted to FOX 5. 'I tried to get a hold of my wife, and she answered the phone and said "Come home." When he arrived, he said he saw the devastation, with their family home suffering from extensive damage throughout its front half and the attic. He remembered Zoe as a young leader. 'She kind of like takes the lead and be in charge,' he told the news station. 'She's a handful of a 10-year-old and wants to be the boss of everybody. That's little Zoe.' A GoFundMe has now been set up for the family to rebuild and pay for Zoe's funeral, as the family and their two dogs receive help from the Gwinnett County police chaplains and American Red Cross. But William said the family really needs 'prayers, love and support. That's what I ask for. 'We've got a wonderful community, and I thank God for the type of people who are out here.' Dr. Mallikarjun Reddy of Nirmal had joined the party during the ongoing Bandi Sanjays (in picture) Praja Sangram Yatra. DC Image ADILABAD: In a significant sign of the times, many local leaders aspiring to contest the coming assembly polls from Boath, Adilabad and Nirmal assembly constituencies are joining the BJP in the erstwhile Adilabad district. BJP district leaders are encouraging more and more local-level leaders to come and join the party in the hope this would help them too to perform better in the next polls. News is also making rounds that senior BJP leaders are encouraging men with strong financial backgrounds to join the party so as to fund the election and other expenses of the party in future. Recently, two rank outsiders joined the BJP in the presence of the state party president Bandi Sanjay, district BJP president Payal Shankar and Adilabad MP Soyam Bapurao. Hints are that the BJP does not want to give more than one ticket to any family. Chakati Dasharath, a government employee who was working in the land records department quit the job and joined the BJP recently. He is seeking a party ticket from Boath constituency reserved for STs. Dasharath is a native of Dhanora village in Boath. Chilkuri Jyotireddy, a close relative of late MLA Vaman Reddy also joined the party reportedly with an eye on the Adilabad seat. Dr. Mallikarjun Reddy of Nirmal had joined the party during the ongoing Bandi Sanjays Praja Sangram Yatra. Reddy was in the BJP earlier but quit it when another doctor, Swarna Reddy, joined the party just before the last assembly elections. Later, Swarna Reddy of Nirmal joined the TRS. The number of new entrants as BJP ticket-seekers for the assembly elections is growing in Boath, Adilabad and Nirmal constituencies. Senior BJP leaders are encouraging new entrants from the Reddy community with a view to weakening the existing leaders from the same community and take advantage of the situation in the Adilabad constituency. It is learnt that Balaram Jadhav, who joined the BJP and financially backed the party, would seek the ticket from the Boath. District BJP leaders promised him the ticket and then took financial support for the party, one source said. Former Nirmal municipal chairman Appala Ganesh joined the BJP party and aims to contest the next elections from Nirmal. This apart, NRI Kandi Srinivas Reddy, aspiring for the Adilabad MLA seat, is likely to join the party in the presence of a top national BJP leaders. US Customs and Border Patrol intercepted 23 people on a federal terror watchlist crossing the southern border during 2021, including men from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Data obtained by Fox News via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request showed that four of the apprehensions took place in the Rio Grande Valley Sector and four others were reported by Del Rio Sector. Border patrol officers assigned to the El Centro Sector and San Diego Sector each reported four arrests. There were three apprehensions made by El Paso Sector agents while Yuma Sector and Tucson Sector each recorded two arrests. A 21-year-old Saudi national with ties to a Yemeni terror group was stopped for illegally crossing the United States-Mexico border in Yuma, Arizona, on December 18, 2021. At least 23 people whose names appear on a U.S. government terror watch list were arrested by border patrol agents throughout 2021 for illegally crossing the southern border Two men aged 26 (left) and 33 (right) from Yemen were taken into custody earlier this year after they illegally crossed from Mexico to the United States and wee found to be on the FBI's terror suspect list According to the network, the 23 people were taken into custody between January 20, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Their names matched those that appeared on the Terror Screening Database, which has information on the people who are either proven or alleged of having been involved in terror activities. In March, Republican Representatives James Comer and John Katko urged Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas to publicly release the numbers of migrants who were stopped at the southern border and whose names are listed on the Terror Screening Database. 'It is no secret that terrorists and other bad actors attempt to exploit weakness in border security and vetting to enter the United States,' the lawmakers wrote. 'Reporting indicates that multiple individuals with terrorist ties have been recently apprehended after illegally crossing the border, and that such encounters may be increasing. The American people deserve to know whether President Biden's weak border policies are allowing terrorists to enter our homeland.' U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Sector busted a 21-year-old Saudi Arabia terror suspect on December 18. While the man's name was not released, the sector confirmed him 'as a positive match linked to several Yemeni subjects of interests.' In a shocking twist, the suspect was donning a volunteer paramedics jacket from an ambulance company in Central Oneida County, New York. Border officers assigned to the El Centro Sector also took into custody a two Yemeni men who were on the FBI's terror watch list in California earlier in the year. A 33-year-old suspect was apprehended January 29 approximately at 1:10am local time after he tried to cross the border illegally about three miles west from the Calexico Port of Entry. Agents discovered a cellular phone sim card hidden inside the insole of his shoe. A second individual, 26, was picked up by agents on March 30 at approximately 11:30pm. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned that Israel will be targeted by his countrys armed forces if it makes 'the tiniest move' against Iran. He spoke as talks stalled in Vienna over a deal to rein in Irans nuclear capabilities, which Tehran says are used for peaceful purposes. Israel opposes a deal, saying it does not do enough to curb Irans nuclear programme or its military activities across the region. Israeli officials have said they will unilaterally do what is necessary to protect their country. Mr Raisi addressed Israel directly during a speech at an annual parade of Irans armed forces. 'If the tiniest move by you happens against nation of Iran, centre of the Zionist regime will be destination of our armed forces,' Mr Raisi said, referring to Tel Aviv. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel against making the 'tiniest move' against his country as talks over nuclear arms development come to a head Iran celebrated its national army day on Monday, a country which views military power as a deterrent. The army has managed to improve its capabilities despite US sanctions Talks in Vienna have stalled over a deal to rein in Irans nuclear capabilities. Tehran blames Israel for sabotaging its nuclear sites and assassinating its scientists to slow down production He did not elaborate but said Iran watches any move by Israel 'closely'. Iran has not recognised Israel since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the pro-West monarchy and brought Islamists to power. It supports anti-Israeli militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Mr Raisi said that Irans military power is a deterrent and that the army has managed to improve its capabilities despite years of sanctions on the country over Tehrans nuclear programme. Mondays parade showcased jet fighters, helicopters, drones and air defence systems as well as tanks, missiles and naval vessels. Israel in recent years improved relations with neighbouring Arab nations in the Persian Gulf, which has angered Irans leaders. Tehran has blamed Israel for the sabotage of its nuclear sites and assassinations of its nuclear scientists. The nuclear deal collapsed four years ago when former president Donald Trump withdrew the United States and imposed crushing sanctions on Iran. In the meantime, Iran has vastly expanded its nuclear work. US intelligence agencies believe Iran had an organised military nuclear programme until 2003. Iran insists its programme is aimed at generating power and for medical purposes. Former US president withdrew from the nuclear agreement entered into by former president Obama and resumed sanctions in Iran, which president Biden now seeks to resume Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on Monday that he'd 'love' to run against Donald Trump in a Republican presidential primary even if he was 'crushed' in the race. Kinzinger, one of the former president's loudest critics in Congress, announced last year that he would retire from the House of Representatives at the end of his current term. As for his political future, the Illinois Republican and Air Force Veteran told HuffPost that it would be 'fun' to call Trump's 'garbage' out in a campaign -- but gave no inclination that he's putting his hat in the ring for 2024. 'I would love it. I really would,' he said of running against the ex-leader. 'Even if he crushed me, like in a primary, to be able to stand up and call out the garbage is just a necessary thing, regardless of who it is.' He added, 'I think it'd be fun.' The interview notes that Kinzinger is aware that even running for state office would be difficult, with candidacies for governor or Senate being long shots after he was censured by the Illinois Republican Party for helping Democrats investigate Trump's ties to the January 6 Capitol riot. As for running for the White House, the military veteran said: 'I'll make a decision when we get there if there's a need and desire.' 'Its truly not anything Im planning right now, but Im not going to rule it out,' Kinzinger explained. Kinzinger (center) is one of two Republicans on the House Select Committee Investigating the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. The other is the panel's vice chair, Rep. Liz Cheney (right). Both were censured by the Republican National Committee for their work 'Look, if were in a position, if its just terrible candidates and the countrys in a worse place? Maybe. But theres no grand plan right now.' Trump is widely seen as the favorite for the GOP nomination in the next presidential cycle, though he has not formally declared his candidacy. He has, however, dropped numerous hints that supporters will be 'very happy' with his decision. Kinzinger would face an uphill battle against the ex-president, who polls double-digits above any potential opponent in multiple surveys of likely GOP voters. The next-most popular would-be candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is also closely tied to Trump. On Monday Kinzinger also confessed to being happy to leave Congress -- at least for now. 'Im exhausted of the same arguments, the same kind of performative politics,' he said. Kinzinger said he'd love to face the former president in a GOP primary even if he was 'crushed' 'I dont know. Maybe I would have run for governor. Maybe I would have run for Senate. Who knows? But yeah, my time in the House is, mercifully, coming to an end.' Kinzinger is one of two Republicans on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol, the other being the panel's vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). The committee has said it plans to hold explosive public hearings soon, that will likely involve testimony about Trump's ties to the insurrection. Both Cheney and Kinzinger's political careers have suffered a beating for their work on the Democrat-led committee, and by extension their criticism of Trump. The pair was censured by the Republican National Committee earlier this year, a highly unusual move against two sitting members of Congress. When Kinzinger announced his retirement in October, Trump celebrated via a statement from his Save America PAC. '2 down, 8 to go,' the ex-president gloated, referencing the 10 House Republicans who voted for his impeachment after the Capitol riot. A total of four lawmakers from that group have so far announced their retirements. Cheney is currently facing a Trump-backed primary challenge who also has the support of GOP leadership in the House. Kinzinger would have faced a tricky re-election battle himself if he chose to stay in office. Illinois' newly redrawn district map gives the state one less seat in Congress. The current race would have pitted him against another sitting Republican, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.). LaHood did not vote to impeach Trump, though in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 attack he said 'Some of the things he said at that [Stop the Steal rally] clearly incentivized and encouraged people to go up there, and that's part of the problem.' Despite his apparent enthusiasm for a potential head-to-head with Trump in 2024, Kinzinger last month called for the former president to be disqualified from running for high office again. He was responding to a Trump interview with far-right broadcast Just The News, in which the ex-president called on Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin to 'release' dirt on Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings in Eastern Europe. Trump made the comment just weeks after Putin ordered a brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that's since displaced millions and seen countless civilians slaughtered. Maryland Democrat Raskin accused Trump of trying to pull off a 'self-coup' and said he was 'prepared to seize the presidency' if rioters who broke into the Capitol on January 6 were successful in stopping Congress 'No former President should ever ask an evil man like Putin for a favor like Trump did just yesterday,' Kinzinger said. 'This is absolutely undermining the national security of this country and should be disqualifying for any re-election.' Earlier on Monday, another member of the Capitol riot committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), suggested the former president's part in the insurrection will play a central role in the panel's upcoming public hearings. 'This was a coup organized by the president against the vice president and against the Congress in order to overturn the 2020 presidential election,' Raskin told The Guardian, NPR and Reuters in joint interview. 'We're going to tell the whole story of everything that happened. There was a violent insurrection and an attempted coup and we were saved by Mike Pence's refusal to go along with that plan.' He said Trump 'was prepared to seize the presidency' on January 6 last year if rioters succeeded in taking over the Capitol and stopping a Joint Session of Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's electoral victory. Raskin said in the interview taken Thursday that the country does not 'have a lot of experience with coups, and explained that Trump's actions were different because they 'did not involve the military or other faction attacking the president.' 'It's what the political scientists call a self-coup,' he said. 'It's a president fearful of defeat, overthrowing the constitutional process.' The top brass toll from Vladimir Putins brutal war in Ukraine continues to rise, with the death of another colonel. Colonel Ivan Grishin, commander of the 49th anti-aircraft missile brigade, died from abdominal shrapnel wounds. He was killed near Kharkiv. The news comes amid reports from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that 20,600 Russian servicemen have been killed in the war. Colonel Ivan Grishin, Commander of the 49th anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian Army's tactical air defence unit, is reported to have been killed in Ukraine Just days ago, Russia lost its eighth general since the invasion of Ukraine in the latest blow to Vladimir Putin's botched war. Major General Vladimir Frolov, deputy commander of the 8th Guards Combined Arms unit, was given a military funeral in St Petersburg. It's not known how or where he died, but the timing of his funeral suggests Frolov was killed in the past few days. His 8th Combined Arms Army was fighting in Kherson, near Crimea last month when commander Andrei Mordvichev was killed. Referring to Grishin, Artem Malashchenkov, an MP from Smolensk, said: 'Sleep well, dear friend, your death will not be in vain.' 'The men will continue your work and fulfil all the tasks of the special military operation.' The politician said: 'I have no words for how hard it is to lose friends. Ivan was a real colonel - in the brigade his name was "Dad".' A father of two sons, he was 'an honest, sympathetic and very strong-willed person, a real colonel, a good family man - even writing about it hurts, I cant believe it', according to a memorial. Meanwhile, the youngest known soldier in the campaign, only identified from his DNA, has also died. Roman Akimov, 18, from Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia, 'died heroically while performing his military duty during the special operation to liberate Donbas,' said his local district administration. His grieving parents Evgenia and Ivan were handed his posthumous Order of Courage, awarded on the instructions of Putin. His mutilated remains were only identified by DNA and it took three weeks before his parents were informed of his death. Another casualty was Roman Akimov, 18, the youngest known Russian serviceman to die in the Kremlin's war in Ukraine Roman Akimov, 18, is from the Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia. On Monday he became the youngest serving member of the Russian army to die. It took three weeks for Akimov's parents to be informed of his death as a DNA test had to be carried out in order to identify him The boy's parents Evgenia and Ivan were handed his posthumous Order of Courage, awarded on the instructions of Vladimir Putin, for his actions in Ukraine 'The last time we called him was on 15 March,' said his sister Natalia. 'He said he was alive and well. 'And then we lost contact. 'Only on 10 April did we learn that Roman had died on 17 March. 'This was confirmed after the DNA was taken.' His bereft mother posted his picture and a poem saying: 'I will never forget you, I swear, I promise. 'I had no time to say so many words to you. 'Forgive me for all the bad things. 'I wish I could hug you tightly. 'I wish I could say goodbye to you properly, looking into your eyes for the last time. 'Knowing firmly that you are calm there and heaven keeps you in peace.' Putin has now lost eight generals and at least 35 colonels - though the true numbers may be higher. There have been claims that Ukraine is specially targeting the top brass to undermine morale in the Russian forces. A British man accused of murdering his terminally ill wife has today had his trial in Cyprus adjourned until June , as the prosecution rejected an appeal to lessen the charge against him to assisted suicide. David Hunter, 74, is accused of the mercy killing of his 75-year-old wife Janice in December last year. The couple were married for 56 years, and she had been suffering from terminal leukaemia since 2016. Mr Hunter's lawyers today called for the adjournment of proceedings as they had not received all evidence submitted to the court, such as the medical examiner's forensic report. David Hunter (left), 74, is accused of the mercy killing of his 75-year-old wife Janice (right) last year. The couple were married for 56 years, and she had been suffering from terminal leukaemia since 2016. He is currently being held in Cyprus Hunter is represented by UK-based firm Justice Abroad, which said on Monday that the Cypriot prosecutor had rejected their request to drop the murder accusation in favour of the lesser charge of assisted suicide. 'We have been informed by the prosecution that these submissions have been rejected, but no reason was given,' Michael Polak of Justice Abroad said in a statement. 'We will continue to request that the prosecution take the principled decision so that we can bring David back home to his daughter in the United Kingdom as soon as possible.' The criminal court in the southwestern coastal city of Paphos on Monday adjourned Hunter's trial until June 16. Mr Hunter will die in prison if found guilty of murder. Due to the seriousness of the charge - which carries a life sentence - the court ruled that the defendant should remain in prison until his next hearing. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife. Mr and Mrs Hunter, pictured here on their wedding day, had retired to Cyprus before she was diagnosed with Leukaemia It is believed to be the first case involving assisted suicide in Cyprus. Hunter is a former miner from Northumberland, England, who retired to Cyprus with his wife, Janice. They had been together for 56 years and were teenage sweethearts. Janice Hunter was terminally ill and suffering from leukaemia since 2016. She was losing her sight, couldn't eat or drink and had constant diarrhoea that meant she needed nappies but was only given paracetamol by doctors. 'This was a terminal disease that had taken the life of her sister, and the pain she was under was getting worse,' said Justice Abroad. 'When she died in their flat in Paphos in December 2021, David Hunter was left stricken with grief, and he tried to end his own life.' According to Paphos police, the Briton 'confessed to killing his 75-year-old wife by blocking her nose and mouth with his hands'. He told police she was ill with leukaemia and that he 'could not see her suffer anymore'. David Hunter (right) poses on holiday with wife Janice (centre) and their daughter Lesley (left) Yesterday, tender love letters emerged that show the devotion of a British pensioner to the wife he is accused of murdering. The Daily Mail saw the last anniversary cards the couple wrote to each other months before Mrs Hunter's death, in Paphos, on December 18. They prove the family's insistence Mr Hunter was deeply in love with his wife and would never do anything to harm her. On the envelope of his card, the retired miner wrote: 'When I look up and see you, my world is filled with pleasure. 'Through all the years we've shared, you have been my greatest treasure.' Inside, another poem he penned reads: 'I love you today as I have from the start, and I'll love you forever with all of my heart.' In a message to her husband, Mrs Hunter writes: 'Another year for being with the best husband in the world. Love you forever, Janice xxx.' Tear-jerking letters exchanged by the pair proving their devotion were passed to the Daily Mail He has since told his daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, 49, that his wife made her wishes to die clear and talked about it every day in the last six weeks of her life. 'To begin with, he tried to dissuade her, then he said he would go with her,' she said. 'He loved her so much... I'm horrified they were so desperate they thought that dying together was the only way out.' Lesley, who works in financial advice, has been appealing for the charge to be downgraded through UK-based law firm Justice Abroad. Speaking to the Daily Mail last month, Mrs Cawthorne said she still supports her father despite what happened and the pair had been inseparable. 'He always said that from the moment he saw her, he never looked at another woman,' she said. 'They laughed together, always had something to say to each other; they never left one another's side. 'Dad is a good man. He doesn't deserve to die on his own in a foreign prison. He is so lonely. After 56 years with Mum, it's like missing a limb. Another moving letter from David to Janice says: 'I love you today as I have from the start' The loving daughter said her father has claimed Janice was 'talking about it (ending her life) daily'. 'To begin with, he tried to dissuade her, then he said he would go with her,' she said. 'He loved her so much. He has nightmares now when he can still hear her screaming in pain, and they had to deal with that on their own. I'm horrified they were so desperate they thought that dying together was the only way out.' The tragic events came to light when Mr Hunter rang his little brother in the UK after Janice's death to say he had taken an overdose of pills, and asking him to 'look after Lesley'. His brother contacted police in the UK, who in turn contacted Interpol and they helped arrange an emergency response in Cyprus. The former colliery worker was rushed to hospital in Paphos, where he spent four days in intensive care before being transferred to a psychiatric hospital. The Cypriot parliament is discussing whether to legalise euthanasia, a taboo subject among the majority Greek Orthodox community of the island. But even prison guards have taken pity on Mr Hunter who retired to the island from Northumberland with his wife and privately told his daughter that they believe he should not be facing murder charges. It comes after Cypriot prosecutors charged a British woman with making up a rape claim there. The 21-year-old went from victim to accused after police coerced a 'confession', but she was acquitted this year after pressure from the UK media. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/help-bring-david-home If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org. Multiple unvaccinated Boston Red Sox players, including pitcher Tanner Houck, will miss the team's upcoming series with the Toronto Blue Jays due to Canadian travel restrictions, team manager Alex Cora confirmed Monday. The Red Sox begin a four-game series April 25 in Toronto, where the Canadian government requires visitors to have received a second COVID-19 vaccine dose (or one Johnson & Johnson dose) at least 14 days prior to entry. Cora also announced Monday that catcher Kevin Plawecki and two Red Sox staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Plawecki is vaccinated, Cora said. It is not yet known which other players may be unvaccinated. Houck told the Boston Globe this weekend that he is not vaccinated and will not pitch in the series at Toronto. Right-hander Tanner Houck told the Boston Globe this weekend that he is not vaccinated and will not pitch in the series at Toronto Red Sox manager Alex Cora also announced Monday that catcher Kevin Plawecki and two Red Sox staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Plawecki is vaccinated, Cora said 'I think it's a personal choice for everyone whether they get it or not,' Houck told the Globe before Sunday's 8-1 win against the Twins. 'So, that's all I really got to say on it.' Asked Sunday if he expected to be missing other players, Cora replied, 'Yeah.' 'We knew it beforehand, so we'll plan accordingly,' Cora said. Plawecki, 31, is batting .100 (1 for 10) with one RBI and four strikeouts in four games this season. Houck, 25, is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA through two starts. He has struck out seven and walked six in nine innings. Alex Cora (pictured) said two Red Sox staffers also tested positive for COVID-19 this week A similar situation is unfolding in the NBA, where Philadelphia 76ers forward Matisse Thybulle was declared ineligible for at least Games 3 and 4 of team's first-round playoff series with the Toronto Raptors because of Canada's restrictions on foreign travelers who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Thybulle, 25, said last week that he's received just one dose of the Pfizer vaccine. 'I'm not fully vaccinated,' Thybulle said after the 76ers clinched the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a win over the Detroit Pistons. 'This was a decision I made a long time ago. I thought a lot about what I'd say here. Essentially, I made this choice and I thought I could keep it to myself, I could keep it private, but people are always going to wonder why.' Around 97 percent of NBA players are vaccinated. A Ukrainian woman who fled Kyiv on the day Russia invaded said she is 'very excited' to be launching her own hairdressing business in south-east London. Since February 27, Elena Lishchun has been staying with her daughter, Anna Walker, who has lived in the UK for seven years and helped find Ms Lishchun a place to work near her home in Greenwich. Ms Lishchun, 56, has worked as a hairdresser her 'whole life' in Ukraine and said she feels 'lucky' to be able to rent a chair at Headcase Barbers in Greenwich Creekside. 'My whole life I've been working as a hairdresser, I love my work and that's the only thing I've ever considered doing,' Ms Lishchun said. Elena Lishchun has posted on Instagram about the chair she is renting at Headcase Barbers in Greenwich Creekside Elena Lishchun, 56, has been staying with her daughter, Anna Walker, 33 and British son-in-law 'I haven't seen any negative sides of me moving here, everyone's been welcoming and supportive and sharing their support. 'I'm just very determined and focused to find work because I'm used to work ... I'm very excited.' Ms Lishchun, originally from Donetsk, Ukraine, had been living in Kyiv for three and a half years prior to the Russian invasion. Her daughter, who works in HR and has a child with her British husband, was originally able to house Ms Lishchun through a visitor's visa, which they have now switched to a visa under the Ukraine Family Scheme. 'She never wanted to do anything else, she finds a lot of pleasure in (hairdressing),' Ms Walker, 33, said. 'We started to look at where she could rent a chair and set up her own client base and her own business, as opposed to be employed by a salon because mainly because of her language issues. Ms Walker, who works in HR and has a child with her British husband, was originally able to house Ms Lishchun through a visitor's visa, which they have now switched to a visa under the Ukraine Family Scheme 'Luckily, we were able to find a place that would rent out a chair where she can continue working.' Ms Walker said they found a salon managed by a Ukrainian man who is willing to offer a chair to Ms Lishchun. On her Instagram page, Ms Lishchun explains that she has more than 30 years experience hairdressing and will leave customers 'looking your best for your professional and personal life'. She adds: 'At the moment my English is very limited, but I am starting classes soon. In the meantime, Google translate is my friend when communicating.' Her mother will be starting English classes to help grow her clientele as local people have offered courses for free. 'The biggest gap is the English and the understanding of English - that's the only problem I see but I'm going to start classes ... I never thought I would need English in my life at this level,' Ms Lishchun said. 'There are local people who offer courses for Ukrainian refugees for free here in Greenwich and the community has been extremely supportive with everything,' Ms Walker added. Ms Lishchun said she has left behind family, friends, and a one-year-old apartment in Kyiv. She plans to return to Ukraine as soon as possible and still wanted to work the morning Russia invaded on February 24. 'I actually woke her up in the night because she was sleeping like really tightly and she couldn't hear that the war had started,' Ms Walker explained. 'We called her and we said, 'Get your get your things ready, you need to get on the move because the war has started'. 'And she said, 'I need to wake up at seven to go to work. It's a very busy day for me today.' Ms Lishchun said she has left behind family, friends and plans to return to Ukraine as soon as possible Ms Lishchun already has a few bookings with friends and family, but added that many Ukrainians coming to the UK might not be so lucky finding work. 'I'm lucky, but other people might not be as lucky,' she said. 'It will be more difficult for them to settle in. 'The situation will be different for people who have family here and people who are coming on the Homes for Ukraine scheme.' Ms Walker added she has found it 'really, really comforting' for her mother to have access to medication and a GP here in the UK. 'The most important point for me was that she was safe,' she said. 'But obviously once she was here, we welcomed a lot that she's able to stay here, she's able to work here, she's able to get the NHS support as well. 'We have a little bit more of a positive outlook on the future.' Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday bestowed an honorary title on a brigade widely thought to be responsible for war crimes and mass killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence intelligence directorate (SBU) earlier this month identified the 64th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade of the 35th All-Russian Army as the primary unit responsible for the horrific scenes now synonymous with Russia's war in Ukraine. The 'butchers of Bucha' left a trail of death and destruction in their wake, and Ukrainian authorities are still working with an international team of forensic experts to examine the bodies and gather evidence of war crimes. But a presidential decree signed today by Putin has recognised all members of the brigade for their 'mass heroism' in defending 'state interests'. 'For mass heroism, valour, tenacity and courage shown by the personnel of the brigade in combat operations to protect the Motherland and state interests, I decree the title 'Guards' upon the brigade,' Putin's letter read. The honours were bestowed despite Ukrainian intelligence suggesting the brigade has already redeployed to eastern Ukraine to the front lines of the conflict. The SBU suspects Russian leaders sent the brigade to the hottest spots in the hope they would be killed and therefore unable to testify in any future war crime tribunals. Putin's decree of honours for the brigade was made on the 54th day of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine, which has forced 12 million people to flee their homes or country and sparked Europe's biggest refugee crisis since World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday bestowed an honorary title on a brigade widely thought to be responsible for war crimes and mass killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha (Ukrainian investigators exhume bodies from a mass grave in the grounds of the St Andrew church in the town of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, on April 8, 2022) The 'butchers of Bucha' left a trail of death and destruction in their wake, and Ukrainian authorities are still working with an international team of forensic experts to examine the bodies and gather evidence of war crimes A presidential decree signed today by Putin has recognised all members of the brigade for their 'mass heroism' in defending 'state interests'. 'For mass heroism, valour, tenacity and courage shown by the personnel of the brigade in combat operations to protect the Motherland and state interests, I decree the title 'Guards' upon the brigade,' Putin's letter read EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, visits a mass grave in Bucha, outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 8. An international team of forensic experts are working with Ukrainian authorities to exhume the dead Azatbek Omurbekov (right) is the commander of Russia's 64th separated motorised rifle brigade - the unit thought to be behind the torture and slaughter of hundreds of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha. In November, he received a blessing from the Orthodox Church In early April, the Ukrainian defence ministry said the unit occupied the town of Bucha, which lies just outside the capital Kyiv, and committed heinous crimes against the civilian population before withdrawing to Belarus. The brigade's commander is Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov, who has earned the nickname of the 'Butcher of Bucha' for the civilian massacre carried out by the men under his leadership. After the departure of Russian troops, bodies of civilians, some with their hands tied, were found scattered in the streets, while Ukrainian authorities discovered a series of mass graves containing hundreds of corpses. A majority of people in Bucha died from gunshot wounds, Ukrainian police said last week, declaring that more than 500 bodies have been found so far. The SBU has in recent weeks worked with cyber police and thousands of researchers to obtain the ranks and passports details of members of the brigade, in an attempt to bring them to justice. But there are fears the men who committed the crimes will die on the frontlines before they can be arrested and brought to justice. A report published on the Ukrainian MoD's website earlier this month said the brigade is being sent to the 'hottest spots', likely around Kharkiv, Izyum and the Donbas, in the hope that they will be killed before they are forced to testify in a war crime tribunal. 'Another goal of the rapid return of the 64th Brigade to Ukrainian territory is the quick 'disposal' of unnecessary witnesses,' the report read. 'That is, redeployment to a part of the war front where they will have no chance of surviving, thus making it impossible for them to testify in future courts.' Galyna Bondar, mourns next to the grave of her son Oleksandr, 32, after burying him at the cemetery in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine on Saturday, April 16, 2022 Nadiya Trubchaninova, 70, cries next to the body of her son Vadym, 48, who was killed by a Russian Army gunshot last March 30, during his funeral in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine on Saturday, April 16, 2022 Putin's decree of honours for the brigade was made on the 54th day of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine, which has forced 12 million people to flee their homes or country and sparked Europe's biggest refugee crisis since World War II The honouring of the butchers of Bucha came just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for US President Joe Biden to visit his country and declared Ukrainian authorities have 'substantial evidence' that Russia's troops are committing genocide in Ukraine. Zelensky was asked by CNN State of the Union host Jake Tapper about whether there are 'any plans' for Biden to come see the situation for himself. 'I think he will,' the Ukrainian president answered. He quickly added: 'It's his decision of course, and about the safety situation.' 'But I think he's the leader of the United States, and that's why he should come here to see.' Late last week Biden confirmed that his administration was discussing a possible Kyiv trip by a senior official and was 'making that decision now.' He told reporters that he wanted to go himself. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki backtracked on the president's comment just hours later during a taping of the Pod Save America Podcast. Zelensky said he understood there are concerns about the 'safety situation' but claimed the president of the United States should see the conflict firsthand Dead bodies litter the streets near Bucha, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, after Russian forces withdrew from the region - leaving evidence of 'war crimes' in their wake Wreckage of war .and bodies lie in the streets of Irpin and Bucha, recently liberated from invading Russian troops in the suburbs of Kyiv, Ukraine on April 3, 2022 Psaki said it's true Biden was 'ready to go.' But, she added, 'we are not sending the president to Ukraine' -- a policy line that senior administration officials have held consistently through Russia's war. It comes after a slew of NATO leaders descended upon Kyiv in recent weeks, some even seeing the horrors found in the capital's suburbs after Kremlin troops' retreat firsthand. Multiple American leaders, including Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, accused Putin and his soldiers of 'genocide.' British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it 'doesn't look far short' of the heinous crime. 'I have the same opinion as President Biden, and I immediately saw what was happening here. Especially what happened in Bucha and in the east of our country,' Zelensky said in his Sunday interview. 'I speak about this because Russia calls it a military operation, and not a war. But look what happened in Bucha. It's clear that is not even a war -- it's a genocide.' A convicted murderer and known gang member has vowed in a leaked phone call to get woke Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon's name tattooed to his face after his charges were greatly reduced. Luis Angel Hernandez, who is currently serving time for shooting and killing a delivery person for a marijuana delivery service during an armed robbery in 2018, had faced sentencing enhancements which would have added to his prison sentence. But when Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon took office in 2020, he implemented a directive barring prosecutors from applying these enhancements in nearly all cases, no matter the circumstances - and all of the sentencing enhancements lobbied against Hernandez were dropped. In a leaked phone call from prison exclusively obtained by FOX News, Hernandez could be heard praising Gascon for the change, saying: 'I'm going to get that n*****'s name on my face. That's a champ right there. 'F****** Gascon,' Hernandez could be heard saying in the audio, which was featured in a Tucker Carlson series about the rising crime in the City of Angels. 'That's the n***** right there, bro. He's making historic changes for all of us, bro.' Luis Angel Hernandez, who is currently serving time for shooting and killing a delivery person for a marijuana delivery in 2018, had faced sentencing enhancements which would have added to his prison sentence - but they were overturned under woke District Attorney George Gascon's policies He said in a leaked phone recording obtained by FOX News he plans to get Gascon's name tattooed to his face Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Fox News Privacy Policy Hernandez had originally faced sentencing enhancements for being a gang member, using a firearm in the commission of a crime and for the 'special circumstance' of committing murder during an armed robbery for the 2018 incident. 'This s*** looking real good,' Hernandez says, noting: 'Now we got a new DA in LA so they're going to drop a gang of, um, like my gun enhancement, my gang enhancement. 'My gang enhancement is 10 years, fool, for being a gang member,' he says. 'And then the gun in the commission of a crime. 'I'm just grateful, fool. Like I got good news off that s***. 'They're like "You coming home, blood." They already told me, my lawyer told me "You're coming home,' Hernandez says. It is unclear who he is speaking to. He initially faced life in prison without parole, FOX News reports, which has also been barred by Gascon's woke directives to prosecutors, and is now eligible for youthful offender parole - which would limit his time in prison to just 25 years. It is unclear how old Hernandez was when he committed the murder, which he has pleaded guilty to. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for more information. But Hernandez is not the only convicted criminal who has praised Gascon's woke policies in recent months. In February, FOX News obtained and published audio of a convicted transgender sex offender named Hannah Tubbs gloating about the light punishment she received after she was convicted of sexually assaulting a minor at a Denny's restaurant. Tubbs, who was born James Tubbs, was a minor at the time, and under Gascon's policy of never transferring minors to adult court, Tubbs received a two-year sentence - and was placed in a juvenile facility for women. And in another leaked video obtained by FOX, convicted murderer Phillip Dorsett was seen drinking prison moonshine and toasting the woke district attorney. 'Right here with my cellie,' he says in the video. 'Some white lightning, a little cup, boom. Celebrating us going home on this Gascon directive. Whoop.' Dorsett is serving a 40-year prison sentence for the 2005 execution-style murder of a rival gang member, FOX reports. Gascon (pictured) came into office in the heavily Democrat city in December 2020 and immediately embarked on a progressive justice reform agenda Another convict, Hannah Tubbs, formerly known as James, 26, (pictured in 2014) was sentenced to two years in a juvenile facility for assaulting a 10-year-old girl in a Denny's bathroom in 2014 Gascon, a 67-year-old former assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, took over as district attorney in the heavily Democrat city in December 2020 and immediately embarked on a progressive justice reform agenda. He has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting 'tough on crime' policies as racist and a failure. And following his first 100 days in office, he touted the changes he has made to the city's justice system - including limiting the use of sentencing enhancements like the ones lobbied against Hernandez. The California penal code has more than 100 enhancements that could add time to a convict's sentence depending on the situation, most of which date back to when California was facing soaring crime in the 1980s and 1990s. But under Gascon's reign, the use of those enhancements have been greatly reduced, with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 5,138 enhancements during his first three months - a 71 percent drop when compared to the same time the year before, when former District Attorney Jackie Lacey was in power, according to LAist. Under Lacey, prosecutors filed 715 gun enhancements between December 2019 and February 2020 under the state's '10-20-Life' law, which adds 10 years to a sentence if you use a gun during the commission of a robbery or any other crime. The law also adds 20 years if the suspect discharges the gun, and 25 years if they wound someone in the process. In Gascon's first three months in office, however, prosecutors filed only 106 gun enhancements - an 85 percent decrease. Without these enhancements, Gascon projected at a news conference last March that criminal defendants charged in his first three months in office could spend at least 8,172 fewer years in prison - though he noted it could be much higher. He touted that as progress at the news conference, saying: 'There generally is no correlation between the length of a sentence and the likelihood that someone will not commit crimes.' He has also enacted new bail reform laws that allow repeated offenders to be released back into society without facing severe or lengthy punishment for their crimes. And in December, Gascon expanded a program to drop criminal proceedings against juveniles charged with a range of felonies under a 'restorative justice' approach, which focuses on mediation between the offender and the victim. Eligible candidates for the REDY program could avoid criminal charges if they participate in programs to 'address the underlying issues that contribute to criminal behavior, such as mental health needs or substance use,' the DA's office said at the time. It seeks to 'expand opportunities for young people to be connected with services that support their development while offering opportunities to take accountability for their actions through a process that also supports those who have been hurt and their needs.' Gascon claimed in a statement that the program 'will help repair the immense harm that criminal behavior inflicts on our community by giving crime victims the opportunity to actively participate in the restorative justice process.' Violent crimes are up 7 percent so far in 2022 when compared to the same time period in 2021 But according to Los Angeles Police Department statistics, violent crimes are up 7 percent so far in 2022 when compared to the same time period the year before, with robberies up 17.7 percent and aggravated assaults up 4.4 percent. Burglaries are also up 4.7 percent compared to the same time period last year, and motor vehicle thefts are up 9.1 percent. Gascon has since released a PSA teaching residents how to lock their cars to avoid having them stolen, and in March the Los Angeles Police Department warned residents not to wear their pricey jewelry after people had their watches and jewelry snatched straight from their bodies by brazen thieves. 'Over the last year there has been a marked increase of armed robberies involving victims wearing expensive jewelry while in public. If it is visible, it can be a target,' the LAPD statement said last month. The warning was met with incredulity from some, who asked why the police force isn't doing more to round up thieves. 'So we're supposed to give up everything, because they allow these criminals to walk the streets, instead of putting them in prison, where they belong?' one critic said. 'What's wrong with this picture?' another asked. Matthew Adams, 18, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on March 31 at a traffic stop. He is being charged with seven counts of robbery and two gun enhancements, according to police, and could face up to more than 20 years in jail if found guilty. He was released from jail four times this year due to the city's lax bail laws Adams is seen as the main suspect of several other robberies taking place all across L.A. with most of them taking place in Hollywood, between January and March of this year. Two robberies were also reported in Burbank and in the neighborhood of West L.A. At least some of the crimes in the city are being committed by repeat offenders, officials claim. LAPD Capt. Jonathan Tippet said at a news conference he is 'absolutely frustrated' over an uptick in robberies - in part because some of the jailed suspects are getting released and reoffending while awaiting trial due to the city's lax bail laws Last month, LAPD Capt. Jonathan Tippet said at a news conference he is 'absolutely frustrated' over an uptick in robberies - in part because some of the jailed suspects are getting released and reoffending while awaiting trial due to the city's lax bail laws. In March, he said, three men in the city were arrested as suspects in armed follow-home robberies that began in January - including one was involved in eight separate follow-off robberies over a sixth-month period starting last fall, during which he was released seven times due to the city's lax criminal policies. Matthew Adams, 18, was arrested for a seventh time in 2022 on March 31, accused of attacking two UCLA students outside one of the university's dorms, and taking their expensive watches as well as an iPhone, adding up to more than $145,000 in goods, a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) statement confirmed. Adams also is being linked to at least four other follow-home-style robberies in Hollywood, Burbank and West L.A. The three are accused of identifying victims wearing expensive items and following them from a public location to a more private one, where they'd mug the targets. Ideal spots included upscale restaurants, and clubs in the Hollywood area. Victims would be tracked back to their apartments or hotels, police said. The two other men, Eric Wilson and Jayon Sparks, also were arrested in connection with the robberies, police said. Efforts are now underway to oust Gascon, with more than 600 deputy district attorneys throughout LA County endorsing his recall during an Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA) meeting. Two prosecutors - Maria Ramirez and Victor Rodriguez - have also said they are suing their boss after they claim they were demoted for making complaints about his policies, according to Fox News. Advertisement Thandiwe Newton's husband cut a solitary figure today as speculation grew that he and his wife have split just days after she was allegedly sacked from her leading role in Magic Mike 3. The A-list actress, 49, and film director Ol Parker, 52, reportedly parted, following claims that she had a heated argument with co-star Channing Tatum, amid growing concern around her behaviour. Mr Parker, who has three children with the Hollywood star and who wrote and directed the 2018 musical film 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' remained alone at their 1.5 million London home with the shutters down on each window, out of synch with neighbouring homes enjoying the Bank Holiday sunshine. The movie man only ventured out to collect a DHF parcel delivery and was shoeless, unshaven and dressed in a grey T-shirt and jeans. He also had two rings in his left ear. Behind him in the front window for all to see was a neon lit sign which read 'Dream'. Asked about reports of his marriage split, the 52-year-old said: 'I don't want to say anything, thank you.' He has been married to the BAFTA winning actress since 1998. The couple share three children, Ripley, 21, Nico, 17, and Booker, eight. Thandiwe Newton's husband Ol Parker remained alone at their 1.5 million London home with the shutters down on each window, out of synch with neighbouring homes enjoying the Bank Holiday sunshine In February, Thandiwe came under fire for a 'cringey' and 'patronising' interview to promote the movie God's Country, during which she burst into tears as she apologised to 'darker-skinned actresses' for 'taking their roles' The movie man only ventured out to collect a DHF parcel delivery and was shoeless, unshaven and dressed in a grey T-shirt and jeans. He also had two rings in his left ear. Behind him in the front window for all to see was a neon lit sign which read 'Dream' The couple's 1.5m London home. Asked about reports of his marriage split, the 52-year-old said: 'I don't want to say anything, thank you' Eight weeks ago he completed directing his latest movie 'Ticket to Paradise' which stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Mr Parker, who has less then 5000 Twitter followers compared to his wife's 178,000, posted the message: 'We just wrapped on 'Ticket to Paradise'. 'I got lucky again with an extraordinary cast and crew. Beautiful people and times x.' Ms Newton is said to be entering rehab in Arizona, according to reports Colleagues have become increasingly worried about the actress, 49, with sources describing her as 'acting strange on set', 'always ranting and raving', and being 'very highly strung'. There are now claims she is 'heading to rehab', according to Page Six, which reported a source as saying: 'Her apparent breakdown caused so much disruption, it became clear she couldn't play the role. 'There is a lot going on in her personal life, she and her husband have separated. She seemed so stressed she even brought her two pet rabbits to her hotel for emotional support.' In February, she came under fire for a 'cringey' and 'patronising' interview to promote the movie God's Country, during which she burst into tears as she apologised to 'darker-skinned actresses' for 'taking their roles'. In the film she plays a grieving black professor who confronts two white hunters on her property. But Thandiwe told Sky News she considered not taking the role due to concerns about 'colourism'. Beginning to well up, the actress said she 'wanted to apologise every day to darker-skinned actresses'. She said: 'It's been very painful to have women who look like my mum feel like I'm not representing them. That I'm taking from them. Taking their men, taking their work, taking their truth. I didn't mean to.' Thandiwe, who reverted to the African spelling of her name after previously going by 'Thandie', has been married to Ol Parker since 1998. The couple share three children, Ripley, 21, Nico, 17, and Booker, eight. Ms Newton has been described as being 'very demanding' and behaving like an 'absolute diva' on the set of Magic Mike 3, according to one crew member. 'Everyone on set found her challenging to work with,' they told The Sun. 'She's an absolute diva. I've watched her have a go at the first assistant director, her costume girl. She's always ranting and raving about something.' Family: The couple share three children Ripley, 21, Nico, 17, and Booker, eight (pictured with her husband and daughters in 2019) Split? Thandiwe Newton has allegedly separated from her husband Ol Parker and is likely headed to rehab according to a new report (pictured with Ol in 2018) A spokesman claimed she stepped away from the film - to be replaced by Selma Hayek - because she needed to deal with family matters. But it has been reported her position became untenable after she fell out with co-star Channing Tatum, 41, on set in Paddington, west London. It was claimed they had an unimaginably vicious argument over Will Smiths behaviour at the Oscars, when he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage. An unnamed crew member said: They fell out over the debacle at the Oscars. I was on set... It was a tense exchange of words, but suddenly it escalated Channing got into this car and he disappeared. However, this account of events has not been corroborated by anyone else. An insider added that she fired her UK agent of three decades as her US agent Gaby Morgerman flew in to try to help. Gaby is considered one of the most powerful women in Hollywood, representing stars including Matthew McConaughey and Minnie Driver over her thirty year career at powerhouse agency William Morris. Ms Newton has reportedly fired her UK team at London based agency Independent Talent Group in recent weeks. The insider said of her next steps: 'Thandiwe's team wants her to go to rehab for mental health support. She was supposed to leave immediately for a facility, they tried for a Malibu rehab, but they couldn't take her. Arrangements are now being made to go to a facility in Arizona, if she agrees to go.' Thandiwe with Channing Tatum on the set of Magic Mike 3 in London EXCLUSIVE: Channing (pictured with his girlfriend Zoe Kravitz) is seen for the first time since his co-star Thandiwe exited Magic Mike 3 following claims of an 'on-set bust-up' A Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson said: 'Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures' Magic Mike's Last Dance to deal with family matters.' The statement came after insiders told The Sun that Thandiwe is planning on suing studio chiefs at Warner Bros over the incident. The argument reportedly took place on location in Paddington. A source said: 'Channing Tatum is the producer and number one on set. Thandiwe Newton is the number two star. But 11 days into shooting and it's all over. 'They fell out over the debacle at The Oscars. I was on set. I watched her and watched him. They were in and out of the house where we were filming having this confrontation. 'After the row he just went, 'I am not working with her anymore'. Him being a producer, it's his movie, so she's off the movie.' Bengaluru: Amid the demands for the Cabinet expansion ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections next year, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that a meeting on the matter will be held in New Delhi in which the party high command will take the decision. Speaking to the reporters, Bommai said, "The BJP president JP Nadda has stated that a meeting will be held in Delhi. The party high command will take a call on Cabinet expansion or reshuffle." Earlier on Sunday, during his two-day visit to the state, Nadda held a meeting with the state core committee of the party in the presence of the Chief Minister and discussed organisational issues. Recently, Bommai during his two-day visit to the national capital had met the party's top brass, including the national president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The cabinet expansion of the eight-month-old government has been stated to have been the top agenda during the meeting. Upon his return from New Delhi, the Chief Minister had termed his visit "successful". Notably, Bommai, who also belongs to the politically influential Lingayat community, was sworn in as the Chief Minister on July 28 last year after his predecessor BS Yediyurappa stepped down from the post. Karnataka is scheduled to go to the polls next year, for which Bommai has blown the bugle in the Vijayanagar convention on Sunday. "We will seek a positive mandate from farmers, women and weaker sections for our good governance, enforcing law and order, and nationalist agenda. We will go to the people with our performance report card," Bommai said. Donald Trump is once again taking a swing at New York's Attorney General Letitia James, suggesting on Monday that the Democrat official focus on 'saving' her state amid a rising crime wave rather than her high-profile tax fraud probe into his family business. He sent out a bizarre Easter Sunday message directed at James as well, calling her 'racist' in both. James said she 'will not be bullied' by Trump in a fiery reply on Monday afternoon. 'With the horrible Subway Shootings and Violent Crime in New York being at an all-time high, where people are afraid to walk the streets, the racist and highly partisan Attorney General of New York State, failed Gubernatorial candidate Letitia James, should focus her efforts on saving the State of New York and ending its reputation as a Crime Capital of the World,' Trump said through his Save America PAC. He was likely referencing a mass shooting in New York City's Brooklyn borough that saw 10 passengers wounded by gunfire on a subway train car and more than a dozen others injured in the ensuing chaos. The suspect, Frank James, was charged in a federal court -- meaning his case is out of the state attorney general's jurisdiction. But instead of focusing on crime in the Empire State, Trump accused James on Monday of spending 'millions of dollars and utilizing a large portion of her office in going after Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization (for many years!), who have probably done more for New York than virtually any other person or group, including employing many wonderful people and paying millions and millions of dollars in taxes.' New York Attorney General Letitia James (right) has a frequent target of attacks from Donald Trump (left) ever since her office launched a tex fraud investigation into his family real estate empire Trump released a lengthy statement on Monday taking aim at James and calling her a 'racist political hack' He said of her probe, 'This never-ending Witch Hunt must stop.' 'We dont need racist political hacks going after good, hardworking people for highly partisan political gain,' the tirade continued. 'The people of our Country see right through it all, and wont take this Radical Left sickness anymore. Make New York Great Again!' James responded less than two hours later, 'Like all Americans, Donald J. Trump is entitled to defend himself in court.' 'However, this attorney general will not be bullied or intimidated by the former president,' she continued. 'The courts have ruled time and time again that the offices investigation into Mr. Trump and his financial dealings is legitimate and lawful, and Attorney General James will continue to follow the facts and the law wherever they may lead. Nothing will dissuade her from pursuing justice.' Crime in New York City has been on the rise for months, a troubling pattern as city officials including Mayor Eric Adams look to welcome residents and tourists back to a normal way of life resembling pre-pandemic times. A significant portion of blame has also befallen Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, with critics claiming his upheaval of certain city crime policies -- including pivoting away from prosecuting minor offenses -- have contributed to the rise in violent incidents. Trump also knocked James for last week's mass shooting in a Brooklyn, New York subway car. The suspect who police arrested in the matter has been charged in federal court, however, which is out of James' purview Overall crime in all of New York City is up 44.26 percent from this time last year, and 27 percent from this time in 2020, according to the New York Police Department's most recently available data ending on April 10. The number of shooting victims has risen by 9.3 percent from April 2021 and 70.4 percent from April 2020. There have, however, been fewer murders reported so far this year -- 103 in 2022 compared to 116 in 2021, an 11.2-percent drop. Last year the city cut its longstanding ties with the Trump Organization over the former president's responsibility in the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021. James, who has been investigating whether the Trump family real estate empire has been deliberately misleading in financial documents in order to obtain favorable loans and other business deals, dropped out of this year's New York governor's race earlier this year. The announcement came the same day her office subpoenaed the former president and his two eldest children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. All three have been waging a court battle against James to avoid sitting down with her prosecutors. Trump mocked James for leaving the gubernatorial race in both his Monday and Sunday statements. Trump's second Easter statement mocked James for withdrawing from New York's gubernatorial race. The first paid tribute to 'Radical Left Maniacs' 'Happy Easter to failed gubernatorial candidate and racist Attorney General Letitia James,' he said through his Save America PAC on Sunday. 'May she remain healthy despite the fact that she will continue to drive business out of New York while at the same time keeping crime, death, and destruction in New York!' It's not clear why Trump targeted James specifically in the back-to-back written attacks. DailyMail.com has reached out to James' office for comment. Earlier this month, she accused Trump of deliberately missing a court-ordered deadline to produce documents relevant to her investigation. James in a court filing asked a judge to hold the ex-president in contempt and fine him $10,000 for every day he does not comply. 'The judges order was crystal clear: Donald J. Trump must comply with our subpoena and turn over relevant documents to my office,' James said in a statement. 'Instead of obeying a court order, Mr. Trump is trying to evade it. We are seeking the courts immediate intervention because no one is above the law.' Trump has lashed out at James' probe as a politically motivated 'witch hunt' on numerous occasions, and also attacked Manhattan DA Bragg for a parallel criminal investigation he's overseeing into the Trump Organization. A senior Pentagon official said on Monday the Department of Defense must behave more like Elon Musk's Space X to drive innovation and stay ahead of adversaries as he announced his departure. Preston Dunlap, the Pentagon's first chief architect officer, said the 'world's largest bureaucracy' needed 'structural change.' He laid out a nine-page playbook as he announced his resignation after three years in the post at the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force, where he oversaw a $70 billion budget for research, development and acquisition. His is the latest departure among senior officials who have warned that the U.S. risks losing its technological edge over competitors such as China. Dunlap said the Pentagon needed to put aside internal turf wars and projects that amounted to reinventing the wheel, and focus instead on tapping the private sector, defending the country and staying apace with China. Musk's satellite launch company, he said, provided him with an example during his three-year tenure. 'By the time the government manages to produce something, it is too often obsolete; no business would ever survive this way, nor should it. Following a commercial approach, just like Space X, allowed me to accomplish a number of "firsts" in DoD in under two years,' he wrote in a statement posted to LinkedIn. Preston Dunlap, the Pentagon's first chief architect officer, announced his departure on Monday with a nine-page memo urging the Department of Defense to move faster in developing and acquiring technology or risk losing its edge over competitors Dunlap said Elon Musk's SpaceX had served as an example for getting things done SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday from California with a top secret payload. Its first-stage booster is seen here returning to base - using technology that gave the company an advantage over competitors in the satellite launch industry Success included linking U.S. sensors and networks around the world in real time, and the use of AI algorithms. But he said the U.S. was in danger of losing its global advantage. 'Were falling behind the commercial base in key areas, so we've got to catch up,' he told Bloomberg News. His warning came after the Pentagon's first ever chief software officer resigned last year in protest at the slow pace of technological transformation in the U.S. military, claiming the failure to respond to China winning the Artificial Intelligence battle was putting the U.S. at risk. Nicolas Chaillan, 37, told the Financial Times after resigning: 'We have no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years.' 'Right now, it's already a done deal it is already over in my opinion,' he added. 'Whether it takes a war or not is kind of anecdotal.' He blamed sluggish innovation, the reluctance of U.S. companies such as Google to work with the government on AI and extensive ethical debates over the technology. Chaillan described Monday as a 'bad day for America' with news of Dunlap's departure. 'This is bad. Really bad. I've officially lost hope,' he posted on Twitter. 'We lost all innovators and best talent... I don't see anyone close to being able to replace Preston.' Last year Nicolas Chaillan said he resigned as the Pentagons first chief software officer because he could not stand watching China overtake the U.S. Concerns have also been raised at the way the U.S. is falling behind China and Russia in developing hypersonic weapons - capable at traveling at more than 25 times the speech of sound and evading conventional missile defense systems. In his departure message, Dunlap said driving change was not so different to accelerating a rocket to 25,000 miles per hour - the speed needed to escape earth's gravity. 'Similarly, driving innovation and change in a large organization - let alone the largest organization on the planet, the Department of Defense - is hard. But not impossible,' he wrote. 'There are any number of forces at work in a large organization: Friction, sand in the gears, the frozen middle, bureaucracy, tradition, culture, stovepipes, analysis paralysis, risk aversion, programing and budgeting, and so on. 'The system is generally set up to pull everyone and every idea down to the status quo. 'Driving change requires defying gravity.' Earlier this month, the director of the Pentagon's tech hub said the slow pace of developing or buying technology was a 'glaring weakness.' 'But now we're in a serious tech competition with China and they're not waiting for our democratic timeframes,' Michael Brown told the Senate Armed Services Committee. This is the shocking moment a Cuban mother and her son were rescued by Mexican immigration agents while they attempted to cross the Rio Grande River to reach the United States border in Texas. The woman and the child were trekking across the waterway with two other individuals when they got stuck in the middle of the river in the Coahuila town of Benito Juarez on Friday. The four migrants had struggled to stay afloat before the agents with the National Institute of Migration went into the river to help them back to riverbank. An agent with Mexico's National Institute of Migration escorts a Cuban woman and her son after they got stuck in the middle of the Rio Grande River while they were trying to reach the United States border in Texas on Friday Mexican immigration agents accompany a Cuban migrant and her son moments after they were pulled out from the Rio Grande River near the Coahuila town of Benito Juarez on Friday An agent with Mexico's Institute of Migration walks into the Rio Grande River to stop four migrants from reaching the U.S. border through the dangerous water. A woman from Cuba accepted his advice and returned to the shore with her son while two other individuals decided to go further into the river Footage recorded by digital news outlet ABC Media showed one of the border officers carrying the little boy as his mother waded through the water that was above her knees. The second agent pleaded with the two other migrants to follow him back to the shore, but they rejected his advice and continued further into the Rio Grande River. Moments later, the force of the rivers current increased and the two individuals were seen swimming downstream as two U.S. Border Patrol agents tracked their movement. The mother and her son were both found to be in good health after undergoing a medical exam and were placed in custody of the National Institute of Migrations Ciudad Acuna border station. According to data released by the immigration agency Sunday, 115,379 migrants have been intercepted in the country between January 1 and April 13. At least 15 percent were identified as minors. Mexico's National Institute of Migration said the Cuban woman and her son were found to be in good health A woman from Cuban and her son were rescued from possibly drowning in the Rio Grande River and escorted to the waterway's shore in Mexico while two other migrants refused to return and were swept by the river's current as they got near the U.S. border in Texas Of the 115,379 migrants who were stopped for illegally crossing over Mexicos southern border with Guatemala, at least 21,965 were from Honduras while 21,965 were from Guatemala and 15,907 had come from Cuba. In addition, 8,270 were identified as Nicaraguans and 6,931 were Salvadorans. At least 40,352 were residents of other countries, including 6,188 were from Europe and Asia. At least 25,768 of the encounters, which the National Institute of Migration labels as rescues, were registered in the southern state of Chiapas, which borders with Guatemala. This is the terrifying moment a Russian rocket narrowly misses a Ukrainian woman walking down the street carrying her shopping. The incident allegedly took place in Kharkiv, a city in northeast Ukraine, amid widespread reports from Ukrainian officials that cities across the country were hit by missiles on Sunday night. Although the missile explodes just yards away from her near a bin, the woman eventually gets back up and walks away from the scene. Two other people can also be seen in the background and avoid being hit by the explosion, which was reportedly caused by Russian ordnance. This is the terrifying moment a Russian rocket narrowly misses a Ukrainian woman walking down the street carrying her shopping in Kharkiv, a city in northeast Ukraine The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence released the images along with a short statement saying: 'Kharkiv. Two months ago, no one in Ukraine could have imagined something like this. 'Now it is becoming commonplace for many Ukrainians.' The images were also shared by the Ukrainian Armed Forces who said that they showed a 'strike on a strategic military trash can'. The Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that no one was killed in the footage. The incident took place amid widespread reports from Ukrainian officials that cities across the country were hit by missiles on Sunday night Although the missile explodes just yards away from her near a bin, the woman eventually gets back up and walks away from the scene Fighting in Ukraine has shifted to the east of the country and there have been reports of civilian fatalities overnight due to Russian missile strikes. The authorities reported that six people are so far said to have died and 13 were injured in Kharkiv alone. A child is also believed to be among the victims, although it was unclear if they had been injured or killed. The Governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, 41, has stated that the city of Mykolaiv is under continued rocket attack by Russian forces. Five 'powerful' Russian missile strikes hit Lviv early Monday, in a rare attack on a western city that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the Russian invasion began. Pictured: Locals watch on as firefighters battle a blaze after a civilian building was hit by a Russian missile on April 18, Lviv Pictured: Responders work to fix a railway line in Lviv after a nearby building was destroyed in a Russian missile strike, April 18 At least five missile strikes have been reported in the western city of Lviv which, until recently, was deemed to be a relatively safe city. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said yesterday that at least 202 children have so far 'died due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine'. The Prosecutor General's Office added: 'More than 563 children were injured in Ukraine as a result of full-scale armed aggression by the Russian Federation. 'These figures are not final, as work is underway to establish them in places of active hostilities, in the temporarily occupied and liberated territories.' They added: 'The bombing and shelling by the Russian armed forces damaged 1,018 educational institutions, 95 of which were completely destroyed.' Michigan Sen. Gary Peters joined a growing chorus of Democrats who are working to stop the Biden administration from ending Title 42 as migrant crossings have already soared to the highest in two decades. The Michigan Democrat, who chairs both the Homeland Security committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told The Hill that he has privately raised concerns with Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas and other administration officials. President Biden announced the Title 42 policy will be allowed to expire on May 23. He told a group of reporters he wants to give the Biden administration time to detail a plan for handling the impending onslaught an end to Title 42 is expected to bring, but said they should rethink the decision to end the pandemic immigration restriction absent an adequate plan. 'Unless we have a well thought out plan, I think it is something that should be revisited and perhaps delayed. I'm going to defer judgment on that until I give the administration the opportunity to fully articulate what that plan is. But I share concerns of some of my colleagues.' Michigan Sen. Gary Peters joined a growing chorus of Democrats who are working to stop the Biden administration from ending Title 42 as migrant crossings have already soared to the highest in two decades Mayorkas put out a statement on April 1 saying that once Title 42 expires migrants will be processed under Title 8, and said DHS was pursuing a 'whole-of-government' approach to deal with a potential surge, including increasing resources and officers at the border. Peters joins a number of Democratic senators who have gone up against their own party over Title 42, a Centers for Disease Control policy that border officials rely on to immediately expel migrants. It was first enacted by President Trump in March 2020. Five Democrats - Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona; Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire; Jon Tester of Montana; and Joe Manchin of West Virginia - co-sponsored a bill with Republicans earlier this month to temporarily block the Biden administration's plan to end Title 42. The amendment is expected to be tacked on to a new Covid-19 relief package. In addition to those five, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., who are all up for re-election in competitive races, have come out against ending Title 42. Kelly and Hassan even traveled to the border last week, using public appearances at the U.S-Mexico line to question the Biden administration's plan. 'Right now this administration does not have a plan. And it's going to be, to be honest, it's going to be a crisis on top of a crisis,' Kelly told reporters. Thousands of migrants are camped out in Mexico near the U.S. border waiting for Title 42 to end on May 23 Migrants of different nationalities walk peacefully through the main avenues, in the city of Tapachula in Chiapas, Mexico, 16 April Department of Homeland Security officials are expecting up to 18,000 migrants per day once Title 42 is lifted Hassan released a statement after the trip saying she would 'keep pressing the administration for a comprehensive plan to strengthen border security and deliver additional resources to the border, which is especially important given its recent announcement to end Title 42.' Immigration is sure to be a front-and-center political cudgel in the upcoming midterm elections as Republicans look to take back control in Congress. At the same time Biden was under intense pressure from progressives to end the policy they see as inhumane. Peters, who is in charge of strategizing ways for Democrats to maintain power, said he hoped to hear from the secretary on Title 42 'in the near future' and defended his liberal colleagues' right to 'raise questions' over the policy undoing. 'This is a very serious issue. They need to ask questions. I'm asking those questions as well and we'll look forward to hearing directly from the secretary in the near term,' he said. A total of 21 states are suing the Biden administration over the planned rollback of Title 42, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said it is currently bracing for up to 18,000 migrant encounters a day as caravans make their way northward to storm the border when the policy is lifted. The number of migrant crossings at the Mexican border surged to the highest number in over two decades last month, surpassing 200,000 for the third time of the Biden administration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) submitted figures to a court revealing that 221,303 migrants attempted to enter the country unlawfully last month, before the expected onslaught triggered by the end of Title 42. The newly revealed March figures show the highest number of crossings in a single month since President Biden took office. The last time border agents encountered more migrants was in February and March of 2000. In March 200, 220,063 There were nearly 60,000 more encounters in March than February, when 165,000 tried to cross. The Biden administration announced that Title 42, the pandemic-era restriction under which most migrants are currently expelled. In March, about half, 109,549 migrant apprehensions, were expelled under Title 42. About 111,000 migrants were allowed to request asylum under regular immigration procedures. Those who are not expelled are detained, deported under the expedited removal process or released with a notice to appear before a judge. The figure does not represent the total number of migrants but rather the number of apprehensions. Many migrants try to cross again after they've been expelled. It also does not account for the number of people who evade detection and successfully cross into the U.S. Migrant families traveling with minors are not usually processed under Title 42 and are generally released with court notices, and sometimes tracking devices. Recently it was revealed that the Biden administration was giving migrants smartphones with tracking software inside upon their release. In March 65,771 were either released with a court date or granted humanitarian parole. Just over 24,000 migrants were sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, and roughly 9,000 remained in ICE detention as of April 3. The leader of an alleged polygamist cult has been arrested on rape, and false imprisonment, police said. The man identified as Eligio Bishop, 40, who often refers to himself as '3God' and 'Nature Boy' of the cult 'Carbon Nation,' was arrested on April 14, officials said. The arrest follows a Wednesday night raid at Bishop's Georgia home in Decatur, Georgia around 6 p.m. Officers from the Dekalb County Police Department and detectives executed search and arrest warrants, a spokesperson the Dekalb County Police told DailyMail.com. An investigation was launched by the 'special victims unit' after they received a complaint concerning Bishop on March 30, according to a police spokesperson. He has been arrested for numerous charges including rape, false imprisonment, and prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions. Eligio Bishop, 40, was taken to the DeKalb County Jail on charges of rape, false imprisonment, and sharing sexually explicit content on social media. He is being held without bond Cult leader Eligio Lee Bishop (center with cult members) known as 'Nature Boy' who refers to himself as 'God' and 'believes in nudism, polygamy, and refraining from bathing' was among 21 people was arrested on April 14 after officers from the Dekalb County Police Department, detectives and a tactical team swarmed his Georgia home Additional charges include prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions, police said. It is unclear what the complaint accused Bishop of, sources said. A police spokesperson added: 'There is no additional information at this time.' Bishop is currently being held at DeKalb County jail. He was denied bail during a Friday court appearance, due, in part due to his alleged crimes. The alleged rape and false imprisonment occurred on March 24, according to DeKalb County jail records. Three days later, Bishop allegedly sent explicit pictures in messages without the subjects consent, the Daily Beast reported. Carbon Nation member, Daylin Armstead told Fox5Atlanta: 'We teach sexual education and we believe in nudity. And so thats one of the charges thats trying to be brought against my chief thats for revenge porn, but the female that was here, the woman that was here, she gave consent to actually release it for sexual education, its not just like porn, its for educational purposes. It is not clear if Bishop has retained legal counsel. Eligio Lee Bishop, the 40-year-old leader of the 'Carbon Nation' cult, was arrested in June 2020 for violating emergency orders to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Hawaii On Thursday, several of Bishop's followers posted a video on Instagram that includes a jail cell call in which he explains to his supporters, that he was 'trying to help people' and is simply 'misunderstood,' the Daily News reported. 'They want to crucify me, they want me dead, there's hate that surrounds me, you can feel it, just like any other prophet, only me, I'm the return of the Christ,' he said. The self-professed cult leader, who 'believes in nudism, polygamy, and refraining from bathing' was a former model, stripper and sex worker. He allegedly forced followers to surrender their money, credit cards and bank account information in order to join his cult, sources said. His other identities include: 'The Messiah Demigod' and 'Master Chief' on his Facebook account. Carbon Nation members including Bishop (above) were kicked out of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua back in December after being branded a 'threat to national security' Bishop with one of his female followers, whose identity is not revealed. Bishop refers to himself as 'The Messiah Demigod' and 'Master Chief' and leads the cult that believes in nudism, polygamy, defecating at the base of trees and requires all members to hand over all their money and credit cards In June 2020, Bishop was among 21 people arrested for violating emergency orders to quarantine for 14 days on arrival on the Big Island, Hawaii. The cult was also kicked out of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua back in December after being branded a 'threat to national security'. In 2006, Erika Carroll, who identified herself as one of Bishop's first followers, when the cult was called 'Melanation,' said she moved from her home in New York to Honduras. She told 11Alive News the physical, emotional, abuse she endured, 'If you read how to brainwash somebody thats basically how you do it, the victim, said in part. He [Bishop] has the women fighting each other, hes putting his hands on the men. He always said he wanted a lot of wives. He wanted ten wives. Bishop said that she was given the name 'BP' since she was one of the original members of the group. She shares how her self-confidence was compromised along the way. 'When I got there I felt I had a pretty good self-esteem and self-confidence, but after every day being there and told, "Youre not doing this right, you're so wrong," when I left, I felt like my self-esteem was so low. I had no confidence," she said She described a typical day as a member of the cult. 'Wed have to sit in these long meetings, hed say wed be facing our demons while doing that. But basically hes just projecting onto you what he has going on inside of him,' she recalled. Carroll told the news outlet that after she left the cult in 2007, she said admitted that she need to do some healing. She said she went to a hospital, and then went for therapy, as she told the news outlet, 'to get my mind right.' A female neighbor from the Atlanta-Georgia area, who asked not to be identified, told WSB-TV the bizarre events and cult-like activities, that took place at his home. 'Hes been whooping girls, beating girls, fertilizing girls, getting girls ready for marriage, the woman said. A federal judge in Florida has struck down the national mask mandate for airplanes and other public transportation, arguing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overstepped its authority. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said the CDC improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking. Judge Mizelle said the CDC had exceeded its authority with the mandate, had not sought public comment and did not adequately explain its decisions. It has triggered a huge wave of violent clashes on planes across the US among passengers who want to be masked and others who've removed the coverings. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said the CDC improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking The judge sent the issue back to the CDC. It was not clear whether the judge's order would take immediate effect and the Transportation Security Administration's order for the mask mandate appeared to still be in effect. The TSA and Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment. The White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not immediately comment. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the ruling a 'disappointing decision' during her briefing Monday afternoon and advised Americans to continue wearing masks on public transport. 'The CDC continues recommending wearing a mask in public transit,' Psaki said. The ruling could create confusion on airplanes where the mask mandate has caused a surge in incidents and altercations between airline officials enforcing the mandate and passengers rejecting the demand they cover their faces. The Federal Aviation Administration said that since January 2021, there have been a record 7,060 unruly passenger incidents reported - and 70% involved masking rules. Airlines for America had last week urged the Biden administration 'to lean into science and research, which clearly support lifting the mask mandate. It makes no sense to require masks on a plane when masks are not recommended in places like restaurants, bars or crowded sports facilities.' The group, which represents major U.S. passenger airlines, did not have an immediate comment on Monday's ruling. United Airlines told its employees Monday that the mask mandate 'remains in effect for both customers and employees, despite the decision by a federal judge on Monday that stuck down the federal mask mandate.' 'We await additional information from the federal government on whether it will challenge the ruling or rescind the order,' United wrote in a memo to employees. 'Until that time, the airport mask policy remains unchanged.' A man wears a mask in San Diego Airport, San Diego, California Monday after a federal judge strikes down the mask mandate for public transportation Passengers exit a train at 30th Street Station as the indoor mask mandate is reinstated to prevent the spread of COVID-19, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday In Judge Mizelle's 59-page ruling Monday, Mizelle suggested that the mandate - in which non-complying travelers are 'forcibly removed from their airplane seats, denied board at the bus steps, and turned away at the train station doors' -- was akin to 'detention and quarantine,' CNN reported. Mizelle said the only remedy was to vacate the rule entirely because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who objected to it in the lawsuit. The judge said 'a limited remedy would be no remedy at all' and that the courts have full authority to make a decision such as this even if the goals of the CDC in fighting the virus are laudable. 'Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate,' she wrote. It is unclear when or how quickly the ruling will be implemented at airports or train stations across the country or if the Justice Department will attempt to block the ruling and file an appeal, CNN reported. There was no immediate word on whether the government will appeal. People wait to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle from San Diego Airport, San Diego, California on Monday The mandate requiring face masks on airplanes, the subway, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation, was recently extended by the CDC until May 3, 2022 United Airlines told its employees Monday that the mask mandate 'remains in effect for both customers and employees, despite the decision by a federal judge on Monday that stuck down the federal mask mandate' The mandate requiring face masks on airplanes, the subway, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation, was recently extended by the CDC until May 3, 2022. This is to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S. The mask requirement for travelers was the target of months of lobbying from the airlines, which sought to kill it. The carriers argued that effective air filters on modern planes make transmission of the virus during a flight highly unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to kill the mandate. Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January. The mandate extension is to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S. It is unclear how quickly the ruling will be implemented at airports or train stations or if the Justice Department will attempt to block the ruling and file an appeal, CNN reported The lawsuit was filed in July 2021 by two plaintiffs and the Health Freedom Defense Fund, described in the judge's order as a nonprofit group that 'opposes laws and regulations that force individuals to submit to the administration of medical products, procedures and devices against their will.' Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned airline passengers not to be a 'jerk' as record fines were levied on two unruly passengers. 'Look. It's one thing to be grumpy on a flight. I feel that way sometimes,' Buttigieg said during an appearance on ABC's The View. 'But yeah, it's another thing to endanger flight crews and to endanger fellow passengers. We have no tolerance for that. The FAA is actually getting ready to announce record fines on people who have done this.' 'If you're on an airplane, don't be a jerk,' he advised. 'Don't endanger your fellow passengers.' The FAA imposed its zero-tolerance mandate when unruly passenger incidents escalated around the time of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Incidents remained elevated after President Joe Biden's administration imposed a mandate requiring passengers to wear masks on airplanes and in airports because of COVID-19 cases in February 2021. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned airline passengers not to be a 'jerk' as record fines were levied on two unruly passengers on Friday On Monday, the CDC dropped its 'Do Not Travel' COVID-19 recommendations for about 90 international destinations. Last week, the CDC said it was revising its travel recommendations and said it would its reserve Level 4 travel health notices 'for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts.' The countries and others regions dropped to 'Level 3: High,' which still discourages travel by unvaccinated Americans, include the United Kingdom, France, Israel, Turkey, Australia, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Russia. Kidnap liar Sherri Papini sobbed in court Monday as she admitted faking her own abduction then lying that she'd been kidnapped by two Latina women in 2016. The 39-year-old from Redding, California offered no explanation for her elaborate hoax during the half-hour court hearing Monday. She answered only 'Yes, Your Honor,' and 'No, Your Honor' in a trembling voice as Senior U.S. District Judge William Shubb outlined the charges and evidence against her. 'I feel very sad,' she said tearfully when Shubb asked her how she was feeling. The mother of two who claimed she was kidnapped in 2016 before suddenly reappearing three weeks later almost 200 miles away from where she was last seen, claimed she was held captive for 22 days by two Hispanic women during that time. Sherri Papini of Redding leaves the federal courthouse accompanied by her attorney, William Portanova, right, in Sacramento, Calif., on April 13. On Monday, Papini pleaded guilty Papini sobbed during Monday's court hearing as she admitted staging the elaborate con The fraudster's antics were likened to the plot of smash-hit thriller Gone Girl Papini's antics were eerily similar to those of the main character in Gillian Flynn's smash-hit thriller novel Gone Girl, which was later turned into a thriller starring Rosamund Pike as a vanishing wife. Police say she was instead with her ex-boyfriend, James Reyes, who she tricked into harboring her by claiming she wanted to escape her abusive husband. She had been charged with lying to federal investigators and fraudulently obtaining $30,000 from the state's victim compensation board. In a deal with prosecutors reached last week, Papini agreed to plead guilty. Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence on the low end of the sentencing range, estimated to be between eight and 14 months in custody, down from the maximum 25 years for the two charges. She is scheduled to be sentenced July 11. Papini also agreed to pay restitution topping $300,000. That includes the cost of the search for her that covered several Western states, and the subsequent investigation into the 'two Hispanic women' she said had kidnapped her at gunpoint. In a statement issued through her attorney, Papini apologized for the pain she caused her family and friends. 'I am deeply ashamed of myself for my behavior and so very sorry for the pain I've caused my family, my friends, all the good people who needlessly suffered because of my story and those who worked so hard to try to help me. 'I will work the rest of my life to make amends for what I have done,' Papini said in the statement, as reported by ABC10. 'I will work the rest of my life to make amends for what I have done.' Papini had told a wild tale of having been abducted and held captive by two gun-wielding Hispanic women, but no arrests were ever made in a seemingly motiveless crime that baffled investigating officers. Despite her detailed account of the abduction to authorities, skepticism had long surrounded the claims. The married Papini was finally arrested last month following the six-year investigation once it came to light that she had actually spent the time she claimed to have been kidnapped at the residence of an ex-boyfriend. After her arrest she struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which she agreed to plead guilty to two counts of mail fraud and lying to a law enforcement officer - charges that carry maximum sentences of 20 years and five years, respectively. Papini appeared before Chief Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman last week for an arraignment on charges of one count of making false statements and one count of mail fraud Sherri Papini is seen after she was released from Sacramento County Main Jail in March When Papini was found, she had bindings on her body and self-inflicted injuries including a swollen nose and blurred 'brand' on her right shoulder. She had other bruises and rashes on many parts of her body, ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, and burns on her left forearm. She had told cops that the two Hispanic women had branded her on one shoulder, had cut her long blonde hair short and had broken her nose. 'She appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight. She had been branded on her right shoulder, although the exact content of the brand was indistinguishable. 'Papini's nose was swollen, she had bruises on her face, rashes on her left arm and left upper inner thigh as well as other parts of her body, ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, burns on her left forearm, and bruising on her pelvis and the fronts of both legs.' The married mother of two kept lying about it as recently as August 2020 when in fact there was no kidnapping, she admitted in her guilty plea. Papini has offered no rationale for why she did it. Her attorney, William Portanova, said last week that he doubts even she knows. He suggested 'a very complicated mental health situation,' and said her long-delayed acceptance of responsibility and punishment is part of the healing process. A 'missing' sign for Sherri Papini, near the location where she was believed to have gone missing. Papini, whose disappearance and mysterious reappearance set off a frantic three-week search more than six years earlier has admitted it was a hoax Sherri Papini (shown with husband Keith and children Tyler and Violet before her abduction) Sherri Papini with her husband Keith on their wedding day. The 22 days she claimed she was kidnapped she in fact spent with an ex-boyfriend, James Reyes Papini said Monday that she has been receiving psychiatric care for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder ever since her return - more than $30,000 worth of treatment for which she billed a state victim compensation fund and which is now part of her restitution. 'It is a mistake to assume mental illness is the cause of unusual behavior,' said Dr. Ian Lamoureux, a forensic psychiatrist and frequent expert witness who teaches at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic. There could be a rational, if mysterious, explanation, Lamoureux said, though he cautioned that he has not examined Papini and many factors in the case remain unknown to the public. Prosecutors say her faked kidnapping wasnt impulsive, and that she planned it for more than a year without her husband knowing. The former boyfriend told investigators they didnt have sex while she stayed with him. James Reyes told police that Papini caused self-inflicted injuries while staying with him, including hitting herself to create bruises and burning herself on her arms James Reyes, the ex-boyfriend who hid Sherri Papini, was spotted by DailyMail.com for the first time since her arrest in March The area where Sherri Papini was found near the I-5 freeway outside of Yolo, California Papini's organization and planning would seem to make conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression an unlikely explanation, said Lamoureux, who specializes in complicated criminal and civil cases. She may have expected that the kidnapping hoax would bring her 'fame and fortune,' he said. And she did benefit financially: Aside from the victim compensation, she must repay nearly $128,000 in disability payments. Separately, a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $49,000 to help the family. As a possibly related factor, Lamoureux has researched the false hero or 'pathological hero' phenomenon that takes advantage of society's treatment of victims as heroes. Those who fake their own victimization may be seeking recognition or popularity, and if mental illness is involved it may suggest a narcissistic or histrionic personality disorder. Another possible explanation is that she faked her kidnapping to avoid some other adverse consequence, he said, typically something like a divorce or being fired, though Papini was a stay-at-home mom. Lamoureux said manufacturing a crisis may be a way for those with fragile egos and poor coping skills to seek to prevent the bad outcome from happening. A famed author's son claims his baby daughter died of a fentanyl overdose after he took heroin then went to take a nap with the child by his side while his wife worked, a court heard. When Daniel Auster, 44, woke up, on November 1, the infant, Ruby, was 'blue, lifeless and unresponsive,' he told cops, according to his criminal complaint. Desperate to revive her, the suspect - whose dad is author Paul Auster - administered Narcan, the treatment to revive overdose victims, 'in case I f---ked up.' The vivid account allegedly given to the NYPD by Auster was shared by Assistant District Attorney Tien Tran said at his arraignment hearing on manslaughter charges on Sunday. The infant's mother, Zuzan Smith, told police that the child was awake and alert when she left her in Daniel Auster's care and went to work. A criminal complaint obtained by DailyMail.com states that Daniel Auster told police that shortly after Smith left their home, he injected heroin and then got into bed for a nap with the child by his side. When he woke up from his nap, she was 'blue, lifeless and unresponsive', the complaint states. The prosecutor said that the girl had enough drugs in her system to 'render an adult unconscious.' Video after the criminal court hearing shows a stunned Daniel Auster lead by police to an awaiting ambulance for undisclosed medical treatment Saturday night. Daniel Auster admitted to doing heroin then falling asleep with his daughter in his care. When he awoke she had ingested enough drugs to 'render and adult unconscious' He's been charged with manslaughter, child endangerment and criminally negligent homicide Auster, pictured here being led to court for his arraignment, gave the 10-month-old girl Narcan to revive her after he awoke to find her 'blue, lifeless and unresponsive' Auster, 44, refuses to face the cameras after he was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of a child after his infant daughter ingested his heroin while he napped It's still unclear how the girl ingested the drugs, but Auster confessed that he kept heroin in his bathroom. His lawyer, James Godfrey, told The New York Times that his client had recently gotten sober and was in drug treatment. 'This case is painfully tragic, and Mr. Auster remains devastated over the loss of his beloved daughter Ruby,' the lawyer told the paper. 'Substance use disorder is an issue that countless families reel from each year, and we caution the public to refrain from making any rush to judgment and to respect the family's privacy at this difficult time.' Daniel Auster's daughter, Ruby (pictured above), was found lifeless in his Park Slope home In many of the photos, Auster can be seen posing with his little girl, or cuddling her Daniel's father, Paul Auster, is probably America's best-known postmodern novelist known for The New York Trilogy, The Book of Illusions and Moon Palace, but the pair's relationship appears to be estranged An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner a few days later found Ruby died of acute intoxication caused by the combined effects of fentanyl and heroin. The case was ruled a homicide after police conferred with the Kings County District Attorney's office. It's unclear why it took five an a half months to bring charges. Auster, who works as a landscaper, posted photos of his child and the mother, Zuzan Smith on his Instagram page before jetting off to Mexico and Columbia in January where he seem to be backpacking like a college kid and taking in several raves. A video on the apartment rental sight StreetEasy shows the interior of the one-bedroom apartment , including the bright white walls and the hardwood floors of the bedroom where the child died. The bathroom, with a clawfoot tube and white tile floor was where Auster said he kept his drugs. The 600-square-foot unit is currently on the market for $2,130 a month. Daniel Auster, 44, was arrested on Friday night on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide Auster's Instagram page is full of pictures of his daughter and her mother Daniel Auster was taking care of his 10-month-old daughter Ruby at his Park Slope home when 911 was called It is not the first time Daniel Auster has had a brush with the law. During his teenage years, Daniel started going to clubs in New York City and became heavily involved with drugs, according to The New Yorker. At the age of 18, in 1996, when he was eighteen, Daniel was present in the apartment when a drug dealer by the name of Andre 'Angel' Melendez was famously murdered by Club Kid Killer' Michael Alig, who was a former nightclub promoter, and his roommate, Robert Riggs. Daniel was given $3,000 of Melendez's money in exchange for his silence. He later pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property and was given five years probation. Club Kid Killer' Michael Alig, who was a former nightclub promoter is pictured. On Christmas Eve, 2020, Alig died from an accidental heroin overdose at the age of 54 Daniel Auster is pictured in a photo with his father Paul, in a shot from his teenage years Daniel is pictured with his father as a young boy in a touching photo posted to his Instagram, entitled 'Me and pops' The troubled son of New York author Paul Auster, Daniel, has been charged in relation to his infant daughter's drug overdose death Daniel would regularly post photos of his wife and daughter, Ruby, before her death last year The trio dressed up for Halloween in a scene from the Wizard of Oz with Daniel as the heartless Tin Man and his wife as Dorothy He also has a string of other arrests including several drug possession in 2008 and 2010. In 2009 he was charged with petit larceny and possession of stolen property. Daniel's father, Paul Auster, is probably America's best-known postmodern novelist known for The New York Trilogy, The Book of Illusions and Moon Palace, but the pair's relationship appears to be estranged. Daniel's mother, Paul Auster's first wife, is writer Lydia Davis. During Auster's 1995 film, Smoke, which starred Harvey Keitel and William Hurt, about the lives of people who frequented a Brooklyn tobacconist shop, Paul's son Daniel played the role of a book thief. Paul Auster's second wife Siri Hustvedt, left, who is also a writer, never speak about their stepson, Daniel. The pair are pictured in 2016 Although real-world contact between Daniel and his father appear to be non-existent, Auster has written Daniel into his work. In his 2004 novel, Oracle Night, the book is narrated by a writer called Trause whose son is a drug addict who terrorizes his stepmother. During a 2006 Guardian interview, Paul Auster's second wife Siri Hustvedt who is also a writer, declined to speak about her stepson. 'Yes. You know, I'm not going to talk about any of that, no. No.' she said with her eyes beginning to water. 'You know, I am married to a writer, and this - writing - is an odd enterprise. It's something we both support very strongly. I've always been behind Paul, and he's always been behind me. I have a very strong family.' It appears that the family deal with Daniel's troubled past and uncertain present by writing about him in their own fiction. Licht - who's promised a more news-centered approach to the notoriously left-leaning network - fills a void left by CEO Jeff Zucker, who resigned in February Licht was tapped by Discovery CEO - and now head of new megacompany company Warner Bros Discovery - David Zaslav for the role in February Incoming CNN boss Chris Licht has announced hes quitting Twitter once he assumes the role of CEO of the news network next month, following the station's incorporation into Discovery last week. 'May 2 will be my first official day in the office at CNN & my last day on Twitter,' longtime Late Show head Licht said in a post to the social media platform Monday. Licht, 50, added: 'Twitter can be a great journalistic tool, but it can also skew whats really important in the world. 'Im logging off & looking forward to working with the incredible team at CNN.' The declaration from Licht, who served as the lead executive of programming at CBS and the showrunner for Stephen Colbert's primetime show on the network for the past six years, comes just over a week after the highly publicized, $43 billion merger merger between CNN parent WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc., finalized on April 8. Incoming CNN boss Chris Licht, pictured here at the Vanity Fair Oscar afterparty in March, has announced hes quitting Twitter once he assumes the role of CEO of the news network next month, following the station's incorporation into Discovery last week 'May 2 will be my first official day in the office at CNN & my last day on Twitter,' longtime Late Show head Licht said in a post to the social media platform Monday. The decision from the TV titan coincides with reports Licht was tapped by Discovery CEO - and now head of new megacompany company Warner Bros Discovery, which now owns Warner properties HBO, Warner Bros, and CNN - David Zaslav for the position in February. Licht - who has promised a more news-centered approach to the notoriously left-leaning network with him at the helm - fills a void left by longtime CEO Jeff Zucker, who was forced to resign from the company after it was revealed he was romantically involved with also-ousted CNN marketing head Allison Gollust. If he makes good on his promise, Licht - the brain behind MCNBC morning stalwart Morning Joe - would leave behind an account boasting 26,900 followers, and more than 2,700 tweets. The decision from the TV titan coincides with reports that he plans to push hosts like Don Lemon and Jim Acosta away from opinionated reporting that became especially prevalent during Donald Trump's election campaign and presidency. Licht instead seeks to return to the station's roots as a hard-hitting news source, insiders close to the network said last month, following the exec's publicized appointing by CEO Zaslav. The declaration from Licht, who served as the lead executive of programming at CBS and the showrunner for Stephen Colbert's primetime show on the network for the past six years, comes just over a week after the highly publicized, $43 billion merger merger between CNN parent WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc., finalized on April 8 Under Licht, the sources said, viewers can expect to see fewer partisan panels with outspoken anchors such as former Trump aide Alyssa Farah. In his post Monday, which has already amassed nearly 3,000 likes as of Monday afternoon, Licht did not mention any planned social media guidelines for CNN staffers ahead of his takeover, nor did he provide any additional details surrounding his decision to sever ties with the platform. After being announced as Zucker's successor, Licht sent a memo to his future staff that teased changes the exec plans to implement once in the big seat. 'I look forward to getting to know all of you and hearing your candid thoughts and feedback,' Licht wrote. 'Our viewers demand the truth from us, and I want to learn the truth from you. Together, we will double-down on what's working well and quickly eliminate what's not.' In the bulletin, Licht said his one directive as incoming president is to ensure that it 'remains the global leader in news' as the network's parent company merges with Discovery - emphasizing the word news in capital letters. Last month, Zucker, Licht's predecessor, resigned in February under pressure from new boss Zaslav for violating corporate policy by not disclosing the nature of his consensual romance with second-in-command Allison Gollust, his friend and colleague of over 20 years. As he stepped down from his position, Zucker admitted he was 'wrong' not to have told the company about the relationship. Gollust subsequently left the network following a third-party investigation into 'issues associated with Chris Cuomo and former Governor Andrew Cuomo,' then-WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in a statement at the time. Zucker and Allison Gollust had worked together for 20 years. The pair claim their relationship turned romantic during the pandemic but others say it far predates COVID, and was common knowledge for as many as eight years. Licht (left) has been the showrunner and executive producer of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert since 2016. He was above with Stephen Colbert at the 2018 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, California According to sources cited by Rolling Stone in February, the pair breached journalism ethics to help Cuomo behind the scenes in the same way that younger brother Chris did. Chris Cuomo was fired from CNN for helping Andrew through a sexual misconduct scandal and in the messy fallout from his departure, the affair between Zucker and Gollust has surfaced. The two were due to take on senior roles within the new company, under the leadership of Zaslav. Zaslav then tapped Licht for the new role, a move by Discovery brass that seemingly sought to put multiple embarrassing scandals, including the one surrounding the network's former star anchor Cuomo, in the rearview. Kilar has since been nixed from the new company, one of several casualties in a stream of layoffs stemming from the highly publicized merger, valued at $43 billion. Earlier this month, a firing spree reportedly overseen by new boss Zaslav saw the departures of nine top Warner executives, the week the merger was finalized. The nine departures included CEO Kilar, Warner Bros chief Ann Sarnoff, and HBO Max general manager Andy Forssell. Other staffers included in the mass layoffs were WarnerMedia CRO Tony Goncalves, CTO Richard Tom, CFO Jennifer Biry, Executive Vice President Jim Cummings, CIO Christy Haubegger and WarnerMedia general counsel Jim Meza. All were top members of Kilar's management team. Sources have since claimed that 'paranoid' WarnerMedia and CNN staff are preparing for another round of redundancies in May, when Licht takes the reigns, expecting the new CEO to trim the companies even further. 'I've never seen such paranoia. It's bad, it's crazy,' a source from within the company told The Wrap this month. 'These people are palpably nervous.' Late last month, the network refused to deny reports that staffers are bracing for more firings next month due to subpar subscription signups for its CNN+ streaming service, which was unveiled last week with less-than-stellar results, drawing fewer than 10,000 daily users.' Lichts decision to leave Twitter comes as media outlets seek to better interact with readers and circumvent squabbles concerning partisanship and politics that have become prevalent in the press in recent years. Earlier this month, The New York Times announced new guidance for reporters stating that the usage of social media was optional and vowed to work with journalists that are targeted by commenters online. Several of CNNs premier anchors, including liberal talking heads Lemon and Acosta, have marked presences in the social media sphere, and constantly engage readers and push back on other outlets and personalities - such as Fox News and its TV talent - who criticize the networks often partisan coverage of current events. Licht, sources said, seeks to rectify this model once he enters the hot seat, and has already engaged in talks with Fox about a rumored 'ceasefire' between the two networks, which regularly criticized another, often via social media. Upon appointing Licht in February, Zaslav called the CBS alum 'a highly principled individual who is trusted, hard-working and makes every organization stronger, more innovative and more cohesive.' The tweet comes as Elon Musk attempts to take over Twitter and the social media giant adopts a 'poison pill' defense that makes it difficult for Musk or any other investor to buy Twitter without the board of directors' approval. BJP state president Bandi Sanjay during waves to the crowd on the fourth day of Praja Sangrama Yatra on fourth day in Jogulamba Gadwal district on Sunday. (Photo by Arrangement) Hyderabad: The BJP has demanded an explanation from Chief Minister K Chandra-shekar Rao as to why the state government was not releasing Rs 70 crore for modernisation of the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) that could irrigate tens of thousands of acres in Jogulamba-Gadwal district. BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is on his Praja Sangrama Padayatra in the district, on Sunday, said the Chief Minister, who spent Rs 1 lakh crore to get water to his farm house from Godavari river, has not found it fit to invest Rs 70 crore for RDS that can irrigate nearly 1 lakh acres in the Jogulamba-Gadwal district. Bandi declared that if the BJP comes to power in TS, he will ensure RDS is completed and 1 lakh acres come under the plough. He said the Chief Minister must tell the people why he does not care for those living in the district and the cause of his neglect of this region. He is also not taking any action when the AP government is taking water away through the Sangameswara project. The CMs silence is a great betrayal of Telangana. The kind of injustice he is allowing to be perpetrated on Telangana was not even witnessed in the region during the days of united Andhra Pradesh, Bandi said. The BJP, he said, will also ensure irrigation to the tail-end areas in the district, and that a chilli market will be established in Alampur. Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov complains no one in Washington D.C. will talk to him since his country invaded the Ukraine Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov complains in a new interview that no one in Washington D.C. will talk to him since his country invaded the Ukraine. Antonov said he can't get meetings at the White House, State Department or with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. And he also complains one of the diplomats being expelled by the U.S. after Russia invaded Ukraine is his cook. Even more shocking, he tells Politico he can't even get Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone - the two men haven't spoken since Antonov arrived in Washington in August 2017. They haven't even spoken since Putin's invasion of the Ukraine - although Antonov referred to it as a 'special military operation,' which is in line with Kremlin demands. And he does say he speaks with the Russian government in Moscow even if it's not Putin he talks to. He argues any call with Putin would 'give an opportunity to FBI to listen to everything what Mr. Putin could say [to] me?' He says he has 'technical' contact with President Joe Biden's administration but complains it is only with low-level staff and no one at a senior administration official level. He notes that lawmakers on Capitol Hill refuse to meet with him. He argues this can't continue and the U.S. and Russia need to work together on issues like climate change and covid. 'We are doomed to cooperate on various issues,' Antonov said. 'It's impossible to imagine even under such circumstances that problems of strategic stability, climate change, coronavirus, fighting against terrorism, fighting against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction could be solved without active engagement of the United States and Russia.' The Russian Embassy in Washington has around 170 diplomats and staff but since May 2021, around 100 employees have been expelled or will soon be pushed out, embassy officials estimated. One of those, Antonov complains, is his cook. 'What kind of problems my cook can create for security of United States if he stays here?' Antonov said. Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov says that senior officials in President Joe Biden's administration won't talk to him, leaving him to only deal with low level staff Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov also said he hasn't spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since he came to Washington D.C. in August 2017 Antonov, 66, is a former military officer and replaced Sergey Kislyak as ambassador on August 21, 2017 by presidential decree. He has a reputation as a hardliner and tough negotiator. He has been called a 'bull terrier' on relations with the West. His past postings include time at the Russian defense ministry and in its foreign affairs division. In his sit down with Politico, Antonov echoes many of the Kremlin's talking points: Russia is carrying out a 'special military operation' in Ukraine to purge the country of Nazis and other bad actors and to ensure the Ukraine is not becoming a staging ground for NATO. He also denies of reports of atrocities in Bucha or that Russian forces have used some type of chemical weapons. He describes himself as upset when he sees the images of bodies in the street from Ukraine. 'It goes without saying that war is not a good thing for United States, for Ukraine and for Russia,' he said. But he slammed the United States for its harsh financial sanctions, which have been placed on Putin, several senior Russian government officials, wealthy oligarchs and Russian banks. Antonov, himself, has been sanctioned by the U.S. government. 'You steal our money,' he said. And asks, with sanctions, 'how is it possible to trust you?' In 2021, after Biden called Putin as a 'killer' in an interview with ABC News, Moscow recalled Antonov for roughly three months. He returned to the Embassy in Washington after Biden and Putin held a summit in Geneva in June 2021. Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov after a bilateral meeting between Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at the United States Department of State in December 2019 But when asked why the world should trust Russia going forward, Antonvo said it is possible for the U.S. and Russia to be partners again. 'You have to decide who we are for you,' Antonov said. 'Whether we are partner for you, whether we are rival for you, whether we are opponent, or I don't want even to use this word, 'enemy.' 'As for me, I'm still sure we should be partners,' he adds. 'Previously, I would say that we are partners. Now we are not partners. It's a pity.' A man who is refusing to leave his New York City apartment after the building was sold last year suspects that his new landlords are trying to force him out with unnecessary construction and a noisy air filter. Ahmet Nejat Ozsu, 51, has been living at the Eagle Court building in the city's Upper West Side for 16 years. He pays $3,350 a month for a 700 square-foot one-bedroom apartment with a private deck on the top floor, though he owes over $13,000 in back rent. In June, the Naftali Group bought the building for $70 million and told all tenants to move, the New York Times reports. Attorneys and real estate experts believe the building will likely be torn down, with all 128 units replaced with a luxury tower that would house no more than 11 mega-units worth as much as $40 million. Only 16 of the building's apartments are still occupied, but Ozsu is on a 'crusade' to stay, his attorney told DailyMail.com. The software developer - who was unemployed from October 2021 until March - says he needs at least another year at his new job to save up and move somewhere else, but some speculate that he could be holding out for a million-dollar payout. Naftali has filed a $25 million lawsuit against the stubborn tenant and even offered him $30,000 to leave. The developer has started construction across from Ozsu and placed a surveillance camera and a noisy air filter outside his unit, which it claims is 'actually for his health and safety.' Ozsu and his landlord are now embroiled in a standoff after Ozsu applied for pandemic-era rental assistance. If approved, it could delay his eviction for years. Software developer Ahmet Nejat Ozsu, 51, is refusing to leave his Upper West Side apartment after his building was bought last year because he needs more time to find new housing Ozsu has been living at the Eagle Court in the city's Upper West Side for 16 years. He pays $3,350 a month for a 700 sq ft one-bedroom apartment with a private deck on the top floor Ozsu's lawyer, Adam Leitman Bailey, told DailyMail.com that Naftali is 'bullying' his client, who needs time to find a new place to live. 'His view is now that he's standing up for all New Yorkers who couldn't afford a high-priced lawyer,' Bailey said. 'And he's gonna stay there for as long as he's legally allowed to be there, number one.' Ozsu says he has been harassed with a loud air filter. 'It sounds like a jet,' Ozsu told the Times. 'It feels like it's at the back of your head all the time.' Bailey believes it's nothing but an act of pressure. 'It's just sitting in front of his hallway,' he told DailyMail.com. 'Even though they're demolishing the building, they're doing construction in front of the hall.' The attorney says he's working with government officials to obtain a Certificate of No Harassment against the building's owners. The document would prevent Naftali from demolishing the building until three years have passed since the landlord's last used intimidation tactics. Ozsu says the building's new owners have installed a loud air filter that sounds like a 'jet' in order to intimidate him into leaving his unit, which he owes more than $13,000 of back rent on The developers have also placed a camera outside his unit in the nearly empty building. An attorney for Naftali says the camera is for 'general security issues' after a dispute involving Ozsu and building staff Naftali attorney Y. David Scharf said: 'There has been no harassment, period, full stop.' He has accused Ozsu of holding out for a million-dollar payout Aside from the $25 million lawsuit against Ozsu, Bailey says the developers also came for him. In a cease and desist letter provided to DailyMail.com, the developer's attorney, Y. David Scharf, threatened to sue Bailey for 'coordinating a media attack' against the developer and allowing reporters to go inside. 'I've never seen this before,' Bailey told DailyMail.com. 'You can't stop a reporter from coming out.' For the tenant at the center of the dispute, the issue is simple. 'It's two things: I have the right to be here, and I have no place to go,' Ozsu told the Times. Scharf, the developer's attorney, says there has been no retaliation against Ozsu, who they claim is only after a million-dollar payout. 'There has been no harassment, period, full stop,' he told the Times, adding that the camera installed outside the tenant's unit is for 'general security issues' arising from an incident between Ozsu and building staff. 'Through counsel, he has made it clear he's holding out for a ransom of north of a million dollars,' Scharf said. Ozsu moved into the building in 2006 after it was recommended by a friend. He moved to his current top floor unit the year after. Ozsu moved into the building in 2006 after it was recommended by a friend. He moved to his current top floor unit the year after and is now in a 'crusade' to stay, his lawyer says Former tenants described it as a friendly and open living environment where neighbors interacted often. 'It was like Melrose Place, without the sexual scandals,' one told the Times, recalling how Ozsu would invite neighbors over for cookouts by leaning over his private deck. One former resident said some tenants accepted financial settlements to end their leases early and move on. Another said she left early because it no longer felt like home as people emptied out. Ozsu tried to pay $13,600 in owed rent this week, but his building's legal team said it would reject the payment, according to court filings that are part of their $25 million lawsuit against him. Former tenants described a friendly atmosphere, with Ozsu often inviting his neighbors up to his deck for cookouts. The building is likely to be replaced with a luxury tower that will only have room for 11 units, down from the current 168 Though Naftali hasn't filed any formal plans for a new project, the firm is building a 13-story tower on the Upper East Side with space for businesses and just 11 luxury condos worth between $8.5 to $40 million. Bailey, the tenant's attorney, says the best case scenario would be to delay the demolishing of the building 'for years as a result of the harassment.' Amid a hot real estate market, Naftali could decide that it's cheaper to pay Ozsu off and begin construction than to wait for him to leave. In 2005, a longtime resident of the Mayflower Hotel scored a $17 million buyout and a promise of a two-bedroom apartment overlooking Central Park for $1 a month after he refused to move out. A third of the payout went to his attorney, David Rozenholc. 'I've settled three cases already this year, which is a quick pace,' Rozenholc told the Times. A Chicago man will most likely die in prison after being sentenced to 105 years for executing a 14 year-old runaway girl found dead in an alleyway after a sex attack. Deonlawshawn Simmons, 36, was found guilty in March 2022 of murdering 14-year-old Takaylah Tribbitt and dumping her body in an alleyway in Gary, Indiana. He was jailed April 14. The victim, who had run away from home and met Simmons - who claims to have fathered 25 children - just five days prior to her death, was found with her hands bound behind her back. Tribbitt had been sexually assaulted multiple times prior to her death, authorities said. One report described the alley where she was found as being 'trash-filled.' Tribbit's injuries were not consistent with a struggle, investigators said. Deonlawshawn Simmons, 36, told investigators that although he knew his victimTakaylah Tribbitt, there relationship was not sexual. Simmons said that he gave her rides and paid for her to get her nails and hair done It's believed that Simmons met Tribbitt at a birthday party five days before she was murdered. During the trial it emerged that Tribbitt told a friend that she had been communicating with a man named Deon Lashawn via Facebook. Tribbitt was described as a runaway. It was the shelter where she had been living that raised the alarm when she went missing. The area where Tribbitt's body was found was described as being close to where members of Simmons' family live. Simmons' lawyer, a public defender, said that his client plans to appeal his sentence. His lawyer wanted to the judge to impose a 56-year sentence in the case with five years suspended. Takaylah Tribbitt was described as a runaway who was living in a Chicago homeless shelter at the time of her death. Tribbitt was referred to as a 'defenseless child' Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Doug Shaw referred to Simmons' crime as an 'execution.' The 105 year sentence was the maximum allowed by law. Shaw had earlier called the victim a 'defenseless child.' During the investigation, Simmons told investigators that he fathered 25 children but that he only knew nine of them by name, reports The Times of Northwest Indiana. The Times report also says that Simmons had been adamant that he had nothing to do with Tribbitt's death. He said that when the teen was killed, he was having sex with a hooker at a truck stop in Gary, Indiana. The alleyway where Tribbitt was found dead was described as being 'trash-filled' in one report. Simmons denied that he was in the area when the killing took place. His cell phone data linked him to the scene Simmons cell phone was linked to the area at the time when Tribbitt was killed. DNA analysis was also used to by detectives to establish a case against Simmons. Simmons was not arrested until over a year after Tribbitt was killed. The Times reported at the time that he was taken into custody in Chicago by the U.S. Marshal service and extradited to Indiana. When he was interviewed, Simmons said that he knew Tribbitt and would give her rides, pay for her to get her hair and nails done and bought her food. Simmons denied that their relationship was sexual. In April 2022, The Chicago Sun-Times reported that although there has been a slight decrease in the amount of homicides this year compared to last, other crimes are on the rise. While the city of Gary, once regarded as the murder capital of the United States in the 1990s, saw a 15% fall in violent crime between 2019 and 2020, according to an Axios report. The ex-boyfriend of a murdered Florida mom was pictured smirking in his mugshot as he faces charges in her disappearance. Marcus Spanevelo, 34, was booked into custody at the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida at around 11.05pm on Sunday, two weeks after he was arrested in connection with the disappearance of Cassie Carli, 37, the mother of his child. The couple had been fighting for custody of their 4-year-old daughter, Saylor, when Carli went missing on March 27. Her body was later found in a shallow grave close to a barn in St Clair County, Alabama, just hours after Spanevelo was arrested on April 2 in Lebanon, Tennessee. He was charged at the time with tampering with evidence and destroying evidence in connection with his alleged disposal of Carli's phone - and giving false information concerning a missing person. Now that he has been extradited back to Florida, sheriff's office officials say he is also being charged with obstruction of justice for refusing to submit to a DNA test - and further charges are expected. 'Once the autopsy is done, and you see the charges filed, you'll understand,' Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said at a news conference on Easter Sunday, according to FOX News. 'I think he's either going to spend the rest of his life in prison, or he's going to get the needle,' he said, referring to the death penalty. 'Hopefully the needle.' Spanevelo is expected to make his first court appearance on Tuesday. Marcus Spanavelo, 34, was pictured smirking in his mugshot after he was extradited back to Florida over the weekend. He is charged with obstructing justice in the disappearance of Cassie Carli, 37, with whom he shares a daughter Cassie Carli's body was found in a shallow grave in Alabama on April 2 following a week-long search. Her daughter, Saylor, had earlier been found safe in Birmingham Carli's body was found in a shallow grave at a barn in Alabama following a nearly week-long search on April 2, near where Spanevelo had been renovating a house. She had last been seen on March 27 heading over to Juanita's Grill - a beachfront restaurant near where she lived in Navarre Beach, Florida - to pick up Saylor from her ex. The young girl was later found safe in Birmingham, Alabama. Carli's father reported her missing the next day, after he said he received suspicious text messages from her phone, telling him that she was having problems with her phone and her car. Carli's father, Andrew, quickly replied: 'I'm freaking out ... call me as soon as you get this message,' Andrew wrote to his daughter. He then received an answer from his daughter's number, which read: 'I'm sorry, car was acting up and I broke my phone. Marcus is working on it. I will stay at his place tonight.' Raeann, Carli's sister, and her father did not believe that it was Carli who sent that reply as he was reportedly abusive to Carli. 'If she was having troubles she would never seek help from him, that's just crazy,' Raeann said in an interview with The Sun, referring to Spanevelo. 'She would walk next door to the restaurant before she asked him for anything.' She said she then took to Facebook Messenger to ask her sister's ex where her niece, Saylor, was: 'Is saylor with you? Please marcus... this is NOT like my sister! She has been doing great & was supposed to start a new job!! I hope you will at least cooperate with the police/let them know you have Saylor. she is now a missing person.' Marcus answered: 'Saylor is with me...she wanted to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere in Destin with saylor..I told her I wouldn't let saylor go like that..to give me an address and I'd take them to it...yeah, cops already called me and might call again for more question...if they do, I will...apparently everybody will be asking me that...so I'll just copy and paste what I told your father.' What ensued was a nearly week-long search for Carli, with investigators finding her vehicle nearby, with her purse still inside it. They were later able to find Saylor safe with her father in Birmingham, and he was arrested days later in Lebanon, Tennessee. He had tried to fight extradition back to Florida, FOX News reports, but eventually signed the waiver on Wednesday. A bizarre text message sent from Carli's phone on the night she was reported missing was sent to her father's phone Spanevelo failed to provide any details about Carli's location, but reassured Raeann that their daughter, Saylor, was safe Carli and Spanevelo had reportedly had an abusive relationship prior to her disappearance last month. They originally met in 2018 and soon fell into a serious relationship; Carli got pregnant two months after the pair started dating. But soon Spanevelo became 'extremely abusive' and scared Carl previously told The Sun, claiming: 'He was never physical with her or put his hands on her, but he knew she feared him and I think he used that against her. But he would also be kind to her sometime and try to get her to bring her to guard down.' She claimed that Spanevelo had tried to 'isolate Cassie away from the family and tried to turn Cassie against her, claiming she was not a good role model for Saylor. 'He'd tell her "Your family doesn't love you. They're all messed up. I love you. I know what's best for you, listen to me,'" Raeann told the outlet. By the time she was five months pregnant, Raeann said, 'There were just too many red flags. 'She would tell us, "he's controlling me; he's trying to manipulate me; I don't want to be with him."' And after Cassie gave birth to Saylor, Raeann said things only got worse. She claimed Spanavelo attempted to plant recording devices in her apartment, tracked her phone and tried to monitor her movements and who she was speaking to. 'I think he thought that if he could hear her doing anything she may not [be] supposed to be doing, then he'd try to use it against her and try to make false reports to [Child Protective Services] to get Saylor taken away from her.' In fact, Spanevelo 'filed dozens of false police reports' and phoned child protective services 'so many times, I nearly came to know most of the staff by name,' Carli once wrote in a Go Fund Me page, 'Help Cassie with Legal Fees.' Raeann said Carli had originally wanted them to be able to co-parent, Raeann said, but she grew increasingly afraid of Spanavelo and even asked her father, Andrew, to come with her to the custody exchanges - and bring his concealed carry weapon. But the victim's father, Andrew, had stopped attending child custody exchanges with his daughter long before Carli went to pick up Saylor on March 27. Carli had been engaged in a bitter custody battle with Spanavelo for their daughter, Saylor, prior to her disappearance on March 27 Carli's sister said she had recently gotten her life back together, and had started a new job at a local military base Her body was found in a shallow grave at a barn near where Spanavelo renovated a home Raeann also claimed Carli had just been trying to get her life back in order at the time of her death. She had just landed a new job at a local military base, Raeann said, and Spanavelo was attempting to win her back. 'My sister was finally in the best place before her passing, and she got that job, which she really enjoyed,' Raeann said. 'And it could be that he thought, "Wow, she's never ever going to want me or let me have my way so I've got to do something about it.' St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell said he has already conducted an autopsy on Carli's body, the results of which have not yet been publicly released pending the completion of a toxicology report, which could take months. But Sheriff Johnson said in a news conference earlier this month that the body appeared to be intact and there were no obvious signs of trauma. He added that Spanevelo has not been cooperative with authorities during the investigation, saying: 'Since we've been dealing with him, he's been acting like a real dirt bag. I don't see that changing. The United States military will start training Ukrainians on using howitzer artillery in the coming days, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Monday. President Joe Biden last week announced another $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, sending for the first time heavy artillery systems ahead of an expected Russian assault in eastern Ukraine. Minutes after Kirby made the announcement Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said Russia had begun the 'battle of Donbas.' Kirby said the training would happen outside of Ukraine. 'I'm going to refrain right now from talking about who's going to be doing the training and exactly on what timeline,' he told reporters during a briefing. 'I think as we get closer to things, we may be able to talk a little bit more about it. 'But there is a plan now that we are beginning to execute and we think that that training can happen in the next several days.' He said the plan was to train personnel who would then be able to take their knowledge home to then train soldiers in Ukraine. And he said the training would not take long. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the U.S. will begin training Ukrainian troops in how to use howitzer artillery in the coming days The U.S. is sending 18 howitzers to Ukraine in its latest aid package. British troops are seen here using 55mm self-propelled howitzers in Saudi Arabia in 1991 'They understand how to use artillery, and ... we don't believe will take very long or require much detailed training to get them up to speed on American howitzers,' he said. Four planes delivered aid over the weekend - and a fifth was due to arrive on Monday. The U.S. has already revealed that Ukrainian forces have been trained in how to use Switchblade drones - single use, Kamikaze drones that crash into their targets. Kirby said the latest aid package included 18 howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds. 'Artillery is a specific item that the Ukrainians asked for, because of the fighting that they expect is going to occur in the Donbas,' he said. Moscow has withdrawn its troops from the advance on Kyiv after weeks of fierce resistance. And the Kremlin said Donbas was now its main goal. Earlier a senior defence official said Russia had sent 11 battalion tactical groups into Ukraine since late last week - raising the total to 76 in southern and eastern Ukraine. Pictured: Smoke rises after 5 aimed missile strikes hit Lviv, Ukraine on April 18, 2022 Five 'powerful' Russian missile strikes hit Lviv early Monday, in a rare attack on a western city that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the Russian invasion began. Pictured: Locals watch on as firefighters battle a blaze after a civilian building was hit by a Russian missile on April 18, Lviv In an evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said the offensive had begun. 'We can now say that Russian forces have started the battle of the Donbas, for which they have long prepared,' he said. Kirby said Ukraine had asked for howitzers as it prepared for the Russian attack. 'But the terrain lends itself to the use of artillery to long range fires, as we call it,' he said. 'And we know that the Russians also believe the same thing because we're seeing them move artillery units into the Donbass as well. 'And so we want to give the Ukrainians every bit of advantage that we can.' Meanwhile five 'powerful' Russian missile strikes left at least seven people dead and eleven more injured in Lviv early Monday, the regional governor has said, as multiple Russian attacks rocked Ukraine overnight. The strikes were a rare fatal attack on the city 40 miles from the border with Poland that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the Russian invasion began almost two months ago, on February 24. Vladimir Putin sent up his strategic bombers in the skies over Western Russia today amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea. The planes are believed to be Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, and appeared to be flying in striking distance of Ukraine Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin sent up his strategic bombers in the skies over Western Russia today amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea. Videos from today and Saturday caught four of the aircraft - used to carry nuclear bombs - over the Kaluga region, between Moscow and the Ukrainian border. The planes are believed to be Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, and appeared to be flying in striking distance of Ukraine. The Tu-95s have been used a number of times to strike targets in Ukraine with non-nuclear weapons, notably Kh-55 and Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles. The super-loud Tu-95 is the only propeller-powered strategic bomber still in operational use today, and the plane first flew 70 years ago. In Lviv, footage showed plumes of thick, black smoke rising over the city after a series of explosions shattered windows and started fires, while one video filmed by a civilian appeared to show a cruise missile flying overhead. A haunting photo shows an 18 year-old girl standing on a remote road in Mexico shortly before she vanished without a trace. Authorities in the northeastern Mexico state of Nuevo Leon are continuing the frantic search for Debanhi Escobar after she disappeared following a night of partying with two girl friends in the city of Escobedo on April 8. At one point, Escobar got into an argument with one of her friends, who contacted a taxi driver, identified only as 47-year-old Jesus, to arrange to drop her off at her residence Along the way a heated discussion ensued between Jesus, who was known and trusted by the girls, and Escobar. He has since been arrested on drugs charges, with his apprehension believed to be linked to the disappearance. Jesus, whose rideshare app was turned off during the trip, left Escobar stranded on the side of the highway that leads to the Tamaulipas border town of Nuevo Laredo and took a picture of her which he sent to her friends around 5am on April 9. In the photo, Escobar is wearing a crop top and a skirt, and has her back turned away from Jesus while looking down the road. Debanhi Escobar was photographed by a ride share app driver identified as 47-year-old Jesus Nuevo Leon, Mexico, on April 9 after he abandoned her on the side of a road after an argument. The 18-year-old girl was later picked up by a security camera entering a nearby trucking company site but was not seen exiting it Debanhi Escobar went out to party with two girl friends April 8 in Escobedo, Mexico, before she was reported missing after failing to return home Jesus, a 47-year-old ride share app driver in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, was taken into custody last Tuesday and questioned over the disappearance of Debanhi Escobar, an 18-year-old who he was driving home April 9 before he abandoned her on a road and took a photo of her that was sent to two of her friends, including one who had reached out to him so that he could drive her home Jesus, who in the past had been investigated for harassment and attempted kidnapping of women, was taken into custody for possession of narcotics last Tuesday and questioned by the Nuevo Leon State Office of the Attorney General over the incident with Escobar. The prosecutor's office has not officially charged Jesus with Escobar's disappearance. Over the weekend, Mario Escobar told Mexican news network Telediario Monterrey that he had seen more footage from more than 15 surveillance cameras that were obtained by the Office of the Attorney General and held out hope that they will find her. One of the security cameras showed Escobar entering the site of Alcosa Transportes Internacionales, a trucking company, moments after Jesus abandoned her. However, she was never seen exiting the cargo company site. Authorities in Mexico have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Debanhi Escobar's whereabouts Debanhi Escobar is said to have gotten into an argument with her two girl friends during a night of partying April 8 in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. One of them contacted a ride share app driver identified as Jesus, who was off duty, to driver Escobar home. However, a heated discussion ensued during the ride to her home and she was abandoned on the side of a road. A security camera later captured the moment she entered a trucking company site, but she was never seen exiting it Surveillance camera footage reviewed by Mexican authorities revealed Debanhi Escobar entered the premises of a trucking company after she was abandoned by the taxi driver 'It is Debanhi,' Mario Escobar said, as quoted by La Jornada newspaper. 'We already have some photographs. The videos are being analyzed. The prosecutor's office is working and we are waiting to have some results very soon.' Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia and state security chief Aldo Fasci told the distraught father that authorities in the states of Baja California, Durango and Tamaulipas have joined in on the search for his daughter. 'We hope to find that light at the end of the tunnel, to have that happy ending,' Mario Escobar said. A $5,000 reward has been offered for information that will help authorities locate Debanhi Escobar. A 15-year-old female student has been killed after being stabbed by a male intruder at a high school in California. The girl, who has not been named, died in hospital after the apparently random attack by a man in his 40s at Stagg High School in Stockton. The site was plunged into lockdown and the suspect was arrested and taken away by cops. Stockton Unified School District said the motive for the stabbing late this morning was 'under investigation'. A 15-year-old female student has been killed after being stabbed by a male intruder at a high school in California The woman, who has not been named, was allegedly attacked by the man at Stagg High School in Stockton (file photo) It tweeted: 'Stagg High School is currently under lockdown for the safety of all staff and students. 'A trespasser approached the campus and stabbed a student. The suspect is in custody and the victim has been transported to the hospital. 'The motive for the attack is under investigation.' The man drove to the school and went through a campus gate, police said. He attacked before security and staff could stop him, Stockton Unified School District Superintendent John Ramirez Jr. said. 'We definitely will be re-evaluating' campus security, he said. Cops said the attack did not appear to be random and they recovered a weapon from the scene. Brazen tourists have left locals furious after risking their lives to snap a daredevil selfie at a famous Sydney landmark. Many people seeking the perfect social-media photo flocked to Wedding Cake Rock over the Easter break, reaching the picture-perfect site by a walking track in the Royal National Park just south of Cronulla. One such photo of a pair of tourists at the edge of the corroding sandstone cliff was posted to Reddit on Monday and quickly sparked debate. Many questioned why visitors would flaunt safety regulations and take such a risk all for the sake of a soon-forgotten upload to social media sites like Instagram. Brazen tourists have left hundreds of residents furious after risking their lives to snap a daredevil selfie at a famous Sydney landmark (pictured, visitors at Wedding Cake Rock) A sign on the metal fence clearly states the rock could plummet into the sea and discourages visitors from walking on the 'unstable' cliff edge (pictured) 'People are willing to risk their lives for a good insta,' one user wrote. 'Those pics are to die for,' another said. 'Are you kidding me? You literally went around a fence with signs that say cliff is unstable to do this,' a third agreed. 'You guys need to be caught and fined. You put other lives at risk for your stupid photos. Lives of the SES, police, police rescue just to name a few.' The tourists who pose for the pictures know they are breaking regulations as there are signs up warning them of such, and they need to climb a 1.6metre fence erected in 2016 to keep people away from the fatal 40metre drop. Even those who felt confidence in their balance near the edge could not account for the risk of the rock crumbling underfoot. In 2015, a geotechnical report found Wedding Cake Rock could collapse at any moment 'without warning' into the ocean, the ABC reports. The picturesque white cliff can only be accessed by climbing a 1.6metre fence erected in 2016 in an effort to keep people away from the 40metre drop (pictured, a man sits at the edge) Tourists were subsequently banned from climbing onto the rock after experts found it had developed cracks on two sides and could detach from the cliff. A sign on the metal fence clearly states the rock could plummet into the sea and discourages visitors from walking on the 'unstable' cliff edge. 'No access onto Wedding Cake Rock - max penalty $3000,' the notice reads. French student, Fabien Ardoin, 23, who was believed to have been posing for photographs died at Wedding Cake Rock in 2014. According to his Facebook page, the student was living in Sydney at the time of his death and described himself as an international model. Police recovered his body after a grueling search operation around 6.30pm in early June, 2014. They were called to the scene around 10.30am. Visitors were banned from climbing onto the rock in 2015 after experts found it had developed cracks on two sides and could detach from the cliff In 2015, a geotechnical report found Wedding Cake Rock could collapse at any moment 'without warning' into the ocean below, a 40metre drop (pictured, a man on the landmark) Mr Ardoin had been bushwalking through the National Park with a group of seven friends from Wollongong University, including his girlfriend, when he slipped down an embankment. It was first reported that the man had fell about 10 metres after losing his grip while hanging from a sandstone ledge during a morning walk. Police later confirmed the Frenchman fell around 40 metres. The following year, two men were winched to safety after falling over the ledge. The NPWS has introduced hefty fines of up to $3,300 in hopes to deter people vaulting the fence and stepping out onto the cliff (pictured, a woman on the landmark) In 2018, rangers from the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) were forced to ask for assistance with 'site compliance' by members of the NSW Police. The NPWS has introduced hefty fines of up to $3,300 in hopes to deter people vaulting the fence and stepping out onto the cliff. The safety fence erected in 2019 reportedly cost the NSW Government $281,000. 'Unfortunately, some people chose to disobey the warning signs and climb over the old fence to take selfies for social media and we have been forced to take further action,' (NPWS) area manager Shaun Elwood said in a statement in June, 2019. 'The better barrier will be made of high-grade stainless steel with an inward tilt to make it harder for people to climb. The Royal National Park is a the world's second-oldest national park and features heritage attractions, spanning 16,000 hectares (pictured, a woman sits on Wedding Cake Rock) 'New safety signs will also inform visitors of the imminent danger of the rock collapsing.' Mr Elwood reminded visitors to stay safe for the sake of their loved ones and carefully consider the consequences of breaking the rules. 'People should also spare a thought for our staff and the emergency services people who put their lives at risk to undertake dangerous rescues and retrievals should something go wrong,' he said. Anthony Albanese has shot down suggestions former prime minister Kevin Rudd could become Australia's next ambassador to the US if Labor wins the election. The opposition leader rubbished reports he told some senior party colleagues he is 'in favour' of appointing Mr Rudd the the plum diplomatic post. 'Complete nonsense,' he said on radio on Tuesday morning when asked. 'Yesterday it was Kevin Rudd wasn't going to be on the campaign, he'd gone missing in action Seriously, [the media] needs to get over the obsession.' Anthony Albanese has remained a huge supporter of Kevin Rudd, and reportedly told senior Labor colleagues he was 'in favour' of appointing the former PM as Australia's ambassador in Washington if Labor win the election Mr Albanese said he expected Mr Rudd would help out in Labor's election campaign at some point but he didn't yet have any appearances planned. 'We have no plans at this time [but] I'd always be happy to be seen with Kevin Rudd, Paul Keating or Julia Gillard,' he said. The report claimed senior Labor leaders who supported sending Mr Rudd to Washington believed he had solid credentials as a former foreign minister and had experience on the world stage. If Mr Rudd was given the gig, he would report directly to Penny Wong, Labor's spokeswoman for world affairs. But others in senior Labor ranks warned his appointment could pose problems due to his 'status' as an ex-PM and his hunger for maintaining a large public profile. They worried his appointment would be a mistake if he continued to speak out on policy independently, beyond serving the interests of the Australian Government. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd could become Australia's next ambassador if Labor win the upcoming federal election 'He'd be seen as Australia's prime minister in Washington,' one senior critic inside Labor told The Australian. 'It could be a disaster.' Former treasurer Joe Hockey held the position shortly after serving in Tony Abbott's Coalition government, and the role is currently filled by Arthur Sinodinos. Since being voted out as prime minister, Mr Rudd has been a strong critic of Scott Morrison's government and continued to speak out independently on policy. That includes loudly backing a royal commission against Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Mr Rudd has pledged to campaign in 20 seats for Mr Albanese during the next five weeks of campaigning. Earlier this year, he blasted Mr Morrison in a foul-mouthed tweet supporting free rapid antigen tests for everyone. Mr Rudd said: 'Morrison is RATf**king Australians. This is American-style health policy, putting private profits ahead of public safety. 'It's a recipe for massive undetected spread among those least able to pay. Mass-testing saves money by taking pressure off hospitals.' The plan to give Mr Rudd the top job in Washington has reportedly divided senior leaders in the Labor party He has also made comments questioning Australia's alliance with the US. In 2019, Mr Rudd suggested Australia could not rely on the US in the long-term. 'Australia must also look to mid-century when we may increasingly have to stand to our own two feet, with or without the support of a major external ally,' he said. The ex-leader has said the nation must plan for a 'big and sustainable Australia', adding it was what he advocated while in office. Mr Rudd explained it meant comprehensive action on climate change and environmental sustainability, while also doubling the population. 'Only a country with a population of 50 million later this century would begin to have the capacity to fund the military, security and intelligence assets necessary to defend our territorial integrity and political sovereignty long term,' he said. 'This is not politically correct. But it's yet another uncomfortable truth.' Mr Rudd has said he feared Australia would be left behind. 'For too long we have been complacent in anticipating and responding to the profound geo-political changes now washing over us with China's rise,' he said. The anguished parents of sailors missing after missiles struck a Russian warship have demanded of Vladimir Putin: Where are our sons? They want the Kremlin to admit how many died when the Moskva sank amid claims of a cover-up last night. Moscow insists almost all the vessels 514 crew were rescued. Yegor Shkrebets, 20, a conscript who went missing after the Moskva cruiser death. Posing with his father Dmitry Shkrebets. Yegor Shkrebets posing with other sailors at Moskva cruiser, 4 days before the ship sank. Among them is another missing conscript, Mark Tarasov, 24 Russia has remained tight-lipped about the fate of Moskva's crew, but on Sunday released this footage which it claimed showed the ship's complement on parade in Sevastopol Anton Kuprin (left), captain of the Moskva, salutes Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the commander in charge of Russia's Black Sea Fleet which the vessel led as the flagship Footage showed the ship's captain - Anton Kuprin (centre) - parading in front of his men, which were estimated to number between 150 and 250. Moskva typically carries up to 510 men, and Russia did not say what had happened to them 2014: Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on-board the Moskva with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi As a dramatic video and images emerged last night showing the warship on fire following the attack, Kremlin officials also released footage of a supposed ceremony for survivors. But the clip appears clumsily doctored, with the same sailors seeming to appear multiple times and the tree foliage suggesting the film was made at a different time of year. Yesterday, at the risk of being censured or even arrested, desperate parents of crew members broke their silence. They fear the death toll from the Moskva is at least 40 and could be much higher. Western military sources have suggested it could be in the hundreds. Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles fired by Ukraine struck the ships port side, targeting her engines and starting a propellant fuel fire. The first image of the guided missile cruiser Moskva of the Russian Navy that sank on April 15 The images show what appears to be damage to the left-hand side of the vessel close to the water line, smoke and fire damage along its left-hand side, missing lifeboats and open helicopter bay doors - suggesting the aircraft has taken off. A rescue ship also appears to be behind the stricken ship, spraying water jets Moscow says a fire onboard caused ammunitions to explode and the vessel sank as it was being towed in a storm Moscow, however, says a fire onboard caused ammunitions to explode and the vessel sank as it was being towed in a storm. The ship was the Russian Navys command and control centre in the Black Sea, coordinating missile strikes on cities in southern Ukraine. Huge plumes of black smoke can be seen towering above the listing vessel following Wednesday mornings attack. She sank later that day. Irina Shkrebets, whose son Egor was a chef, described searching hospital wards crammed with severely burned sailors. She said: I looked at every burnt kid. I cant tell you how hard it was, but I couldnt find mine. There were only 200 people [in the hospital] and there were more than 500 on the ship. Where were the others? I asked a navy commander for information but he said, I wont tell you anything. Moskva (pictured last leaving port on April 10) got into trouble on April 14 while sailing around 60 miles off the coast of Odesa - Ukraine's largest port - before Moscow confirmed she had sunk on April 15 Mark Tarasov (left), 24, a Russian conscript who went missing after the Moskva cruiser was sunk last week. He is seen here posing with his mother Ulyana and father at the railway station, when he left for the service Moskva was a Soviet-era guided missile destroyer that was designed to taken on US aircraft carriers with large amounts of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles Egors father Dmitry said his son was a conscript who should not have been sent to a warzone and vowed to dedicate his life to discovering what happened. He said: The cruisers commander and his deputy stopped communicating after my attempts to clarify the details of the incident. I asked them directly, Why are you officers alive and my son, a conscript, has died? I ask everyone who is not afraid, not indifferent, to spread this appeal of mine. A man whose son was taken away in such a vile way is not afraid of anything. The mother of another sailor said many crew were listed as missing, rather than dead, to spare the Kremlin embarrassment over losing so many personnel. She said: There are dead, there are wounded, there are missing. My son was crying when he called me to say what he saw. It was terrifying. Clearly not everyone made it alive. A lot have lost limbs. A Russian TV presenter also raised questions about the Moskva. During his prime time show Vladimir Solovyov said: Explain to me how you managed to lose it. Why did your fire extinguishers not work? The ship burned from the inside out. Last night, former Royal Navy officer Rear Admiral Chris Parry said the Moskva had not been properly prepared for action and suggested the internal fire could have been contained. The absence of the ships life rafts and the positioning of its crane in the footage indicate rescue boats were launched. The missiles hit the Moskva amidships, destroying her propulsion and electrical power systems. These compartments would have given off the largest radar signature. As the warship was constructed in Ukraine, its attackers may have been able to study its schematics. Her sister ship, laid up at Mykolaiv port, shares the same layout. Hyderabad: All India Congress Committee (AICC) Telangana state in-charge Manickam Tagore made it clear that there would be no alliance with Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in the upcoming Assembly and Parliament elections. Rumours about the possibility of the Congress having ties with the TRS were totally false, he tweeted on Sunday. The Congress wont move back an inch from our commitment to save Telangana from the TRS and the BJP, Manickam Tagore said. Let this be crystal clear to those spreading rum-ours, he said. He also called upon party leaders to be prepared for the Congress rally in Warangal on May 6 during the visit of former AICC president Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, the Congress has decided to mobilise around five lakh people for the public meeting to be addressed by Rahul Gandhi in Warangal. People, particularly farmers, will be mobilised from undivided Warangal and neighbouring Khammam, Karimnagar and part of Nalgonda districts. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Revanth Reddy has taken the meeting as a prestige issue and is leaving no stone unturned to make it a grand success. It is for the first time after Revanth became state party chief, Rahul Gandhi is addressing a public meeting in Telangana. TPCC has chosen Warangal for Rahul Gandhi's meeting, as the city is the second biggest in Telangana after Hyderabad. However, the party has a strong base in various Assembly constituencies in Warangal, Khammam and Nalgonda districts. Aiming to highlight problems being faced by the farmers in the TRS rule, the Congress has named its Warangal meeting as Rythu Sangharshana Sabha. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, TPCC working president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud said arrangements for Rahul Gandhis meeting in Warangal would start within a couple of days. He said distressed farmers' issues would be highlighted in the meeting and the Congress would expose the lapses of the TRS government. Jacob Rees-Mogg has ordered Cabinet ministers to end Whitehalls work from home culture as official figures revealed how few staff are back in the office. Two years on from the start of the Covid pandemic, many government departments are not even at half their capacity. Several key ministries including the Foreign Office and Department for Education had on average less than a third of staff in the office over the first week in April, data shows. Jacob Rees-Mogg has written a letter to the Secretaries of State saying that 'significant progress is needed to get offices back to full capacity Now, in a letter to the Secretaries of State, Mr Rees-Mogg, the minister for government efficiency, said significant progress was needed to get offices back to full capacity. Critics of home working claim it makes staff less productive and creative, damages career prospects and harms the economies of town centres. While the number of staff at their desks in Whitehall has increased in recent weeks, it remains well below pre-pandemic levels despite the end of Covid curbs. The Department for Education had just 25 per cent of staff in the office in the week beginning April 4 although officials said the school holidays meant it was not representative. Despite multiple pressures on the Home Office, including migrant crossings and processing visas for Ukrainian refugees, on average only 42 per cent of staff were at their workplace. The Foreign Office, a key department responding to Russias aggression in Ukraine, saw just 31 per cent of staff in its King Charles Street building that week. And despite the cost of living crisis, the Department for Work and Pensions had just 27 per cent of its civil servants at their desks. Astonishingly, the figures could overestimate the numbers in the office as some departments recorded the figures by asking security staff to click people in and then loosely adjusted the figures to account for lunch breaks. Other departments used data from pass readers. The figures suggest that a plea issued by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay three months ago for departments to return to full occupancy fell on deaf ears. In his letter to Cabinet ministers, Mr Rees-Mogg wrote: We must continue to accelerate the return of civil servants to office buildings to realise the benefits of face-to-face, collaborative working and the wider benefits for the economy. 'To deliver this, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and I urge you to issue a clear message to civil servants in your department to ensure a rapid return to the office. He also said the figures show we have significant progress to make. Tory MPs urged Boris Johnson and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to bang the desk to get civil servants back into Whitehall. Staying put: Many are still avoiding the office in favour of their home working set-up Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, of the 1922 Committee, said: There are severe signs of the civil service not being as effective as it should be and I think thats because for the bulk of the period they need to be back at work. But the FDA civil service union accused Mr Rees-Mogg of micro-managing. It added: Ministers should be concerned with what is being delivered by civil servants, not where their desk is. A government spokesman said: Ministers have been clear that departments should make maximum use of office space and progress is being monitored. On Saturday, the Daily Mail revealed that departments allowed staff to work in the office for only two days a week. When civil servants were sent home in the first lockdown, it led to backlog Britain as motorists, travellers and new parents were left waiting months for vital documents that could not be processed remotely. One mandarin, Sarah Healey, admitted she enjoyed being at home so she could ride her Peloton exercise bike. The Bishop of Odessa yesterday hailed the generosity of Mail readers for showing Ukraine that it is not alone as it struggles with the horrors of war. Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk thanked supporters of the Mail Force appeal, which has raised a phenomenal 11million since Russias invasion. Mail Force is using 4million of the money donated by kind-hearted readers to send half a million boxes of food aid to starving families in eastern Ukraine. The huge sum has been matched by the Ukrainian embassy in London. Some 20 tons of supplies which have already reached Poland from the UK are on their way to Ukraine by freight train. Bishop Szyrokoradiuk, 65, who oversees the Roman Catholic Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol including much of southern Ukraine and Crimea, said: We are very grateful to the readers of the Mail for their cooperation because we know that Ukraine us not alone. Britain is our countrys best friend and we consider Boris Johnson as a brother. He is a very strong and tough man. The people of Britain have done a lot for us so we are praying for them. Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk, pictured, has thanked supporters of the Mail Force appeal, which has raised a phenomenal 11million since Russias invasion He added: In Mariupol we hear that there are lot of people blocked in their basement without food and without water. For the people in these Russian-occupied territories, food and hygiene is their number one demand. His praise came amid a fresh chorus of support for the food campaign, launched in the Mail on Sunday, including a call from Defence Secretary Ben Wallace for readers to keep giving generously. The generosity of Mail readers is an extraordinary show of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, Mr Wallace said. As well as getting vital aid to vulnerable people, the campaign will show Russia that the world is united in support for Ukraine in the face of Putins aggression. I would urge readers to keep giving whatever they can to this momentous effort. Fellow Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg added: Since 1896 Daily Mail readers have been the heart and soul of our nation. Once again their generosity is called upon and once again the call is answered as they come to the aid of the brave Ukrainian people who suffer at the hands of Putin. The latest support follows praise from Boris Johnson and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who has thanked Mail readers for their generous support. Supplies are a top priority for the Ukrainian government, with Vladimir Putin accused of attempting to starve innocent civilians. The boxes, made with help from nutritionists, can feed one person for a week. They are packed with 14 items including tinned fish, pasta, rice and porridge. Millions of items of food have been sourced by the Confederation of British Industry and consultants Accenture from manufacturers and supermarket giant Morrisons. None of those involved in the project will make any profit. Meanwhile, the United Nations refugee agency said yesterday that more than 5million people have now fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion on February 24. Distribution of boxes of food aid is taking place from Oakland International in Leicester This includes 4,934,415 Ukrainians and nearly 215,000 people from other countries mostly students and migrant workers. It is one of the fastest-growing displacement and humanitarian crises ever. Mail Force, a registered charity, was set up during the pandemic to supply personal protective equipment to NHS workers. It also funded 26,000 laptops for underprivileged children whose education was impacted by lockdown. The Mail Force campaign to help refugees of the war in Ukraine was launched after the Russian invasion. Since then, ordinary Ukrainians have thanked Mail readers for their support. Natalya Boyko, 61, a cook from the city of Bucha who is now in Kyiv, said: The Daily Mail readers who collected this money that they earned themselves have made themselves stand out by giving to us. It is impossible to put it into words, but great respect to them. May God protect them. Alongside food boxes, Mail Force has donated almost 4million to charities including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Care International, The Halo Trust, AMAR Foundation, Refugee Council and Refugees at Home. Every penny donated is used to help Ukrainians in need. A New York-based private equity giant whose founder allegedly had links to Jeffrey Epstein has held talks over backing a deal to buy Twitter, reports say. Apollo Global Management bosses have discussed supporting an offer to purchase the social media giant with equity or debt, insiders claim. The firm, whose ousted founder Leon Black allegedly had work ties to Epstein, may firm up Elon Musk's $43billion bid or help another buyer, they said. It comes as the billionaire and wealthy firms circle Twitter amid expectation it could be sold. The Tesla founder is joined by private-equity firm Thoma Bravo LP and Wall Street heavyweights such as Morgan Stanley in reportedly showing an interest. Apollo Global Management (pictured, its New York HQ) bosses have discussed supporting an offer to purchase the social media giant with equity or debt, insiders claim Jeffrey Epstein (left), Pepe Fanjul and Leon Black (right) attend a film screening in New York in 2005. Since publication of this photograph, we are informed that Mr Fanjul only met Epstein on one occasion and before Epstein was charged. We are happy to make this clear Sources told the Wall Street Journal bosses at Apollo Global Management had been in talks about weighing into the Twitter fiasco. But they were unsure of who the private equity firm would back, whether they would help Musk or support another backer. Apollo hit the headlines in 2020 when one of the largest public pension funds in the US froze new investments amid Black's alleged business links to Epstein. The Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System halted cooperation after reports emerged Black had paid the financier $50million since 2008. PSERS told the FT at the time its investment team had informed Apollo it would not consider any new investments until further notice. Twitter on Monday filed its 'poison pill' plan with the SEC as it cemented its attempt to block Musk from executing the $43 billion hostile takeover. The document says: 'In connection with the adoption of the Rights Agreement, on April 15, 2022 the Board approved a Certificate of Designation of Rights, Preferences and Privileges of Series A Participating Preferred Stock (the ''Certificate of Designation'') setting forth the rights, powers and preferences of the Preferred Stock. 'The Certificate of Designation was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on April 18, 2022.' The strategy, announced on Friday, triggers a dilution of company shares if any shareholder builds up a 15 per cent stake without the board's approval. But it does not prevent Twitter from accepting Musk's offer or entering negotiations with him or other potential buyers. Yet it will stop the billionaire from putting pressure on the board by buying up ever more shares on the open market. Twitter said its 'poison pill' plan is 'similar to other plans adopted by publicly held companies in comparable circumstances'. Leon Black, chairman and chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management LLC, is pictured in 2008 Poison pill plans use the threat of dilution to dissuade takeovers The Twitter board, meeting on Thursday afternoon, decided to combat Musk's takeover bid with a so-called 'poison pill' provision that would prevent the Tesla CEO from increasing his stake in Twitter. Also known as shareholder rights plans, poison pills typically trigger an automatic stock dilution through a flood of new shares if a corporate raider's ownership stake grows too large. For instance, if a single shareholder hits 15 per cent ownership, a poison pill could be designed to allow every other shareholder to buy a new issue of shares at a discount. Knowing such a plan could be triggered, raising the cost of a takeover astronomically, the bidder would be disinclined to pursue a takeover without the board's approval. In Twitter's case, the idea of such a plan would be to prevent Musk from increasing his 9.1 per cent stake in order to pressure the board to accept his deal. Advertisement It said: 'The Rights Plan will reduce the likelihood that any entity, person or group gains control of Twitter through open market accumulation without paying all shareholders an appropriate control premium.' It means if Musk or any other person or group acquires at least 15 per cent of Twitter's stock, the 'poison' pill will be triggered. Every other shareholder aside from Musk would be allowed to purchase new shares at half the market price, which stood at $45.08 at the closing bell on Thursday. The flood of half-price shares would effectively dilute his ownership stake, making it massively more expensive for him to build up a controlling position. Twitter said its board had voted unanimously in favor of the plan, which will remain in effect until April 14, 2023. Its board is led by chairman Bret Taylor. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and co-founder Dorsey also hold board seats. Rounding out the board are: MasterCard executive Mimi Alemayehou, private equity investor Egon Durban, karaoke tycoon Martha Lane Fox, former Google exec Omid Kordestani, Stanford professor Fei-Fei Li, venture capitalist Patrick Pichette, 1stDibs CEO David Rosenblatt, and former banker and diplomat Robert Zoellick. Despite Twitter's latest move, Musk could still defy the board and take over in a proxy fight by voting out the current directors - though this strategy could take years. Musk previously responded to reports the board was mulling a 'poison pill' plan by tweeting: 'If the current Twitter board takes actions contrary to shareholder interests, they would be breaching their fiduciary duty.' Elon Musk (pictured last week) has tweeted 'Love Me Tender' as he hinted at the possibility of a hostile takeover of Twitter Twitter's board is led by chairman Bret Taylor, who is also the co-CEO of business software giant Salesforce Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal (left) and co-founder Jack Dorsey (right) also hold board seats If the board were to reject Musk's tender offer, he could then approach the shareholders, who may accept the offer. Musk could also employ a proxy fight in which opposing groups of stockholders attempt to persuade other stockholders to let them use their shares' proxy votes. Twitter's San Francisco headquarters is pictured in July 2021 A Stanford professor, a banker and tech giants ... who is on Twitter's board? Chairman Bret Taylor CEO Parag Agrawal Co-founder Jack Dorsey MasterCard exec Mimi Alemayehou Private equity investor Egon Durban Karaoke tycoon Martha Lane Fox Ex-Google exec Omid Kordestani Stanford professor Fei-Fei Li Venture capitalist Patrick Pichette 1stDibs CEO David Rosenblatt Ex-banker Robert Zoellick Advertisement 'The liability they would thereby assume would be titanic in scale,' he added, apparently referring to potential shareholder lawsuits. Musk sent shockwaves through the tech world on Thursday with an unsolicited bid to buy the company. He said the promotion of freedom of speech on Twitter as a key reason for what he called his 'best and final offer'. The world's richest person offered $54.20 a share, which values the social media firm at some $43 billion, in a filing with the SEC on Thursday. Musk said at a conference hours later he was 'not sure' he would succeed and acknowledged a 'plan B' but refused to elaborate. But he hinted in a filing that a rejection would make him consider selling his shares. Musk last week disclosed a purchase of 73.5million shares - or 9.2 percent - of Twitter's common stock, which sent its shares soaring more than 25 per cent. The board's 'rights plan' kicks in if a buyer takes 15 per cent or more of Twitter's outstanding common stock in a transaction not approved by the board. Musk said he 'could technically afford' the buyout while offering no information on financing. But he would likely need to borrow money or part with some of his mountain of Tesla or SpaceX shares. Despite saying he wanted to take the company private, he said the firm would keep up to 2,000 investors - the maximum allowed. Some investors have already spoken against the proposal, including businessman and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Morningstar Research analysts echoed this, saying, 'While the board will take the Tesla CEO's offer into consideration, we believe the probability of Twitter accepting it is likely below 50 percent.' Cities and towns in eastern Ukraine have been rocked by fresh explosions as Russia stepped up its all-out assault on the Donbas region last night. After weeks of having their assaults on Kyiv thwarted at every turn, Putin's commanders are now refocusing their efforts on the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, along with other regions of Ukraine's eastern flank, in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday dubbed 'The Battle of the Donbas'. Ukrainian media outlets and Telegram channels reported a series of explosions along the front line in the Donetsk region, with shelling taking place in Marinka, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk throughout the evening. Local officials and media also said explosions were heard in Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine, Mykolaiv in the south and Zaporizhzhia in the southeast. 'We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, which they have been preparing for a long time. A large part of the Russian army is now dedicated to this offensive,' Zelensky said in his daily presidential address last night. 'No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. I am grateful to all our fighters, to all our heroic cities in Donbas, Mariupol, as well as to the cities in the region of Kharkiv that are being held.' The coming battle is viewed as pivotal to deciding the ultimate fate of Ukraine - and perhaps of Russia as well. Russia retreated from Kyiv more than two weeks ago after failing to seize the capital, and has spent the days since massing forces in the east in an attempt to restart its failed invasion and score its first major battlefield victory. Most troops are gathered at Izyum, a city spanning the Donets River some 70 miles to the south of Kharkiv, for an expected push south towards Mariupol. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said Russia's large-scale offensive in the eastern Donbas region had begun Russia unleashed a barrage of artillery fire on eastern Ukraine overnight as its offensive in the east got underway, with troops seizing the village of Kreminna. But Ukraine has also launched counter-attacks east of Kharkiv and near Izyum to cut Russian supply lines After weeks of having their assaults on Kyiv thwarted at every turn, Putin's commanders are now refocusing their efforts on the Donbas region that pro-Moscow separatists have partly controlled since 2014 Smoke rises from the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, as Ukrainian troops defending the city make their last stand against Russia The Ukrainian flag flutters between buildings destroyed in bombardment, in the Ukrainian town of Borodianka, in the Kyiv region on April 17, 2022 A man walks near a residential building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022 If Mariupol falls to Russian forces - which is expected to take place in the coming weeks - these troops are likely to begin pushing north to join up with the Izyum force in a pincer movement. The aim is to surround Ukrainian soldiers dug into trenches along the old Donbas frontline, where they have been fighting Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014. If the Russians can pull off the manoeuvre, then those troops - known as the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) and thought to comprise a large portion of the Ukrainian army - will be cut off from supplies and vulnerable to surrender. Should Russia succeed in surrounding and forcing the surrender of JFO troops, then it would provide a huge propaganda boost to the Kremlin and one of its stated war aims - the 'liberation' of Donbas from Ukrainian control. Depending on how many troops Russia loses in the process, the victory could also prompt Putin to reposition his forces for fresh attacks against Ukrainian cities to the west - Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and possibly Odesa and Kyiv. Such a move would drag the war out for many months - possibly years - and put the survival of Ukraine as a sovereign state under threat. But if Ukraine emerges victorious, it would deal a hammer blow to Russia's invasion plans and deny Putin any conceivable path to victory. As happened with the stalled offensive around Kyiv, defeat for Russia would leave its occupying forces vulnerable to Ukrainian counter-attacks and could prompt a retreat back into rebel-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, and into Crimea. Depending on how many troops Ukraine has left after the battle, it could also open up the possibility of attacks into those previously-occupied regions with the aim of returning them to Ukrainian control - which Zelensky has stated as one of his aims. Such a catastrophic loss would be difficult even for Putin's regime to explain to the Russian people, and it is open to debate whether he could survive the backlash. Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak called Russia's fresh assault 'the second phase of the war' and assured Ukrainians that their forces could hold off the offensive. 'Believe in our army, it is very strong,' he said. Shortly before Zelensky's address, the regional governor of the eastern Luhansk region Sergiy Gaiday also announced the beginning of Russia's much-anticipated attack. 'It's hell. The offensive has begun, the one we've been talking about for weeks. There's constant fighting in Rubizhne and Popasna, fighting in other peaceful cities,' he said on Facebook. Russian shelling killed at least eight civilians in eastern Ukraine on Monday, according to local authorities. Gaiday said four people died as they tried to flee the city of Kreminna in Luhansk, which Russian forces captured on Monday. In the neighbouring region of Donetsk, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said four other civilians died after Russian bombardment, while a man and a woman were also killed in Kharkiv when shells hit a playground near a residential building. An aerial view shows a residential building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 18, 2022 Local residents walk in a courtyard near a block of flats heavily damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 18, 2022. Ukraine estimates that 21,000 people have been killed in Mariupol (residents gather in a Mariupol courtyard, April 18) A Ukrainian commander alleged that Russian 'bunker buster' bombs, designed to penetrate thick armour and kill targets underground, are dropping despite the presence of a large civilian population in the Avostal steel factory (pictured) The latest Russian rockets tipped the amount of damage dealt to Ukrainian infrastructure beyond $85bn, according to the Russia Will Pay campaign - a project developed by Kyiv's School of Economics in conjunction with the Office of the President of Ukraine and the Ministry of the Economy. 'In 54 days of full-scale war, Russia has damaged Ukraine's infrastructure by $85 billion,' the statement read. 'Over the past week, the direct losses of Ukraine's economy due to the destruction and damage of civilian and military infrastructure increased by $4.45 billion,' the project declared. Ukraine's top security official, Oleksy Danilov, said Russian forces attempted to break through Ukrainian defences 'along almost the entire front line of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions' on Monday morning, but were pushed back. Meanwhile in Mariupol, the commander of the Azov Regiment of the National Guard, Denys Prokopenko, alleged Russian planes had began to deploy 'bunker busters' to kill the last Ukrainian fighters and civilians sheltering in a steel plant - the scene of the city's last stand against the invaders' onslaught. Prokopenko said in a video message that the bombs, designed to penetrate thick armour and kill targets underground, are dropping despite the presence of a large civilian population in the Azovstal steel factory. 'Russian occupational forces know about the civilians, and they keep willingly firing on the factory,' he said. Major Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraine's 36th marine brigade in Mariupol, appealed for help in a letter to Pope Francis, saying women and children were trapped among fighters in the city's steel works. 'This is what hell looks like on earth... It's time (for) help not just by prayers. Save our lives from satanic hands,' the letter said, according to excerpts tweeted by Ukraine's Vatican ambassador. At least 1,000 civilians were hiding in underground shelters beneath the vast Azovstal steel plant, the city council said. Ukraine estimates that 21,000 people have been killed in Mariupol. A large Russian offensive in the Donbas region had been predicted by Ukraine's army for weeks. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he launched the military operation to save the region's Russian-speaking population from a 'genocide' carried out by a 'neo-Nazi' Kyiv regime. Putin recognised the independence of two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Donetsk and Lugansk shortly before the full-scale Russian invasion began on February 24. Russian troops move into Mariupol as they continue to try and take the city from Ukraine to free up forces for attacks in the Donbas A large Russian offensive in the Donbas region had been predicted by Ukraine's army for weeks (Service members of pro-Russian troops drive an armoured vehicle during Ukraine-Russia conflict near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 17, 2022) Russian President Vladimir Putin said he launched the military operation to save the region's Russian-speaking population from a 'genocide' carried out by a 'neo-Nazi' Kyiv regime Colonel Ivan Grishin, Commander of the 49th anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian Army's tactical air defence unit, is reported to have been killed in Ukraine His army's assault on the Donbas regions comes as Ukraine's armed forces declared more than 20,000 Russian troops have died since the start of the invasion. According to the latest figures, a total of 20,600 Russian servicemen have been confirmed dead by the Ukrainian authorities, while even the most conservative Western estimates, given at the start of the month, put the Russian death toll between 7,000-15,000. As the war entered its 54th day yesterday, Ukrainian authorities also announced that Colonel Ivan Grishin, commander of Russia's 49th anti-aircraft missile brigade, was killed amid fighting near Kharkiv. His death pushed the number of Russia's high-ranking military commanders to have died on the frontlines to 35. In light of Russia's startling losses and their new assault on the Donbas, the head of the infamous Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries is believed to have made the trip to Ukraine to oversee his men's deployment in the east. Members of the mercenary group were thought to have arrived in Ukraine as early as late March, but now there are fears that around 1,000 Wagner group fighters could be stationed there. The group, which has been used by the Kremlin as a proxy in various armed conflicts around the world, carries a reputation for brutality and human rights abuses and goes by the motto: 'Death is our business and business is good'. Now the group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin - a man known as 'Putin's Chef' - is now believed to be on the ground in the Donbas to oversee operations, though the wealthy friend of Putin is not a military veteran. 'Prigozhin, who has no military experience and is the financier and organiser of Wagner Group rather than its military commander, is likely in Donbas to co-ordinate recruitment and financing of Wagner Group operations rather than to command combat operations,' said the Institute for War Studies, an American think tank. Meanwhile, the United States military is set to begin training Ukrainians to operate howitzer artillery in the coming days, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Monday. In light of Russia's startling losses and their new assault on the Donbas, the head of the infamous Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries is believed to have made the trip to Ukraine to oversee his men's deployment in the east. There are fears that around 1,000 Wagner group fighters could be stationed there Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the U.S. will begin training Ukrainian troops in how to use howitzer artillery in the coming days The U.S. is sending 18 howitzers to Ukraine in its latest aid package. British troops are seen here using 55mm self-propelled howitzers in Saudi Arabia in 1991 President Joe Biden last week announced another $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, sending heavy artillery systems to Ukraine for the first time as Zelensky's military gears up to defend the Donbas. Kirby said the training would happen outside of Ukraine. 'I'm going to refrain right now from talking about who's going to be doing the training and exactly on what timeline,' he told reporters during a briefing. 'I think as we get closer to things, we may be able to talk a little bit more about it. 'But there is a plan now that we are beginning to execute and we think that that training can happen in the next several days.' He said the plan was to train personnel who would then be able to take their knowledge home to then train soldiers in Ukraine. Back in Kyiv, Zelensky met with European officials yesterday as he handed over Ukraine's answers to a questionnaire which will form a starting point for the European Union to decide on membership for Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen handed the questionnaire to Zelensky during her visit to Kyiv on April 8, pledging a speedier start to Ukraine's bid to become a member of the EU following Russia's invasion of the country. In this image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses for a photo with Matti Maasikas, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, after submitted the two-volume set of Ukraine's answers to the European Union questionnaire on Ukraine joining the EU, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 18, 2022 Zelensky poses for a photo with Matti Maasikas, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, after handing over the questionnaire 'Today, I can say that the document has been completed by the Ukrainian side,' Zhovkva told the Ukrainian public broadcaster Sunday evening. Zelensky was pictured handing over the questionnaire and speaking with members of the EU delegation on Monday. The European Commission will need to issue a recommendation on Ukraine's compliance with the necessary membership criteria, Zhovkva added. 'We expect the recommendation... to be positive, and then the ball will be on the side of the EU member states.' Zhovkva added that Ukraine expects to acquire the status of a candidate country for EU accession in June during a scheduled meeting of the European Council meeting. The European Council is to meet June 23-24, according to the Council's schedule on its website. 'Next, we will need to start accession talks. And once we hold those talks, we can already talk about Ukraine's full membership in the EU,' Zhovkva said. Adorned with fresh flowers and lit candles, dozens of new graves have emerged in battle-scarred Irpin after the Russians withdrew from the outskirts of Kyiv. Poignant drone footage has captured row upon row of burial sites marked with wreaths balanced against each other and dates, following the start of the invasion of Ukraine in late February. Among them lies the coffin of Roman Vered, 53, who, his family say, was killed by Russian soldiers in the town which saw intense fighting in the first month of war. Mr Vered's body was recently identified in Kyiv's morgue and he was finally laid to rest yesterday in the expanding cemetery, where more graves were being prepared by gravediggers. A view of more than 250 graves for people killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at a cemetery in Irpin, Kyiv The coffin of Roman Vered, 53, who according to his family was killed by Russian soldiers, is seen before his burial Tetiana Vered (left), 53, mourns the death of her husband, Roman Vered, 53, as she stands with Anna Proidenko, 57, Since Russian troops withdrew from Irpin and other towns around the Ukrainian capital, increasing evidence has emerged of war crimes including the killing of innocent civilians. Ukrainian investigators have examined 269 dead bodies in Irpin since the town was taken back from Russian forces in late March, a police official said, as workers dug fresh graves on its outskirts. The town, which had a pre-war population of about 62,000, was one of the main hotspots of fighting with Russian troops before they pulled back from Ukraine's northern regions to intensify their offensive in the east. Forensic work is being carried out to establish the cause of death for many of the civilians and soldier who were killed 'As of now, we have inspected 269 dead bodies,' said Serhiy Panteleyev, first deputy head of the police's main investigation department, at an online briefing. He said forensic work was ongoing to determine the cause of death for many of the victims, sharing photos of severely charred human remains. He said seven sites in Irpin where civilians were allegedly shot have been inspected, without giving further details. Russia denies targeting civilians and has dismissed allegations its troops committed war crimes in occupied areas of Ukraine. The roommate of a gay rights activist who was found dead in a Florida landfill earlier this year has been arrested and charged with his murder. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Steven Yinger, 36, on charges of first-degree murder for the grisly killing of Jorge Diaz-Johnston, 54, the brother of former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, who had been missing since January 3. About a week after his disappearance, Diaz-Johnston was discovered in a trash pile at a landfill in Baker, Florida, roughly 60 miles east of the Alabama border, Tallahassee police announced on January 12. The indictment charges that Yinger strangled Diaz-Johnston before moving his body and stealing his BMW and iPhone. Yinger is currently being held without bail. Yinger was also charged with tampering with evidence, theft of Diaz-Johnstons possessions and fraudulently using Diaz-Johnstons personal information, according to the Washington Post. The killing reportedly happened after a falling-out between the roommates after Yinger allowed a meth addict friend to stay in their home for an extended period of time. Jorge apparently tried to have Yinger removed from the apartment as a result - which authorities say may have caused Yinger to snap, court documents state. A man identified in court records as 'Raheem' told police he thought it was strange Yinger had still been living at the apartment, especially after Jorge was reported missing. Court documents also state that Yinger told a several different stories regarding Jorge's whereabouts around the time of his death. Scroll down for video Pictured: mugshot for Steven Yinger, 36, who is currently being held without bail in connection to the death of his roommate, gay rights activist Jorge Diaz-Johnston Jorge Diaz-Johnston, pictured, was discovered in a trash pile at a landfill in Baker, Florida, roughly 60 miles east of the Alabama border, Tallahassee police announced on January 12 Yinger, pictured, reportedly strangled Diaz-Johnston before moving his body and stealing his BMW and iPhone He told Raheem that Jorge had gone to Don's house because the couple had gotten back together, however Don told police was not true. Yinger also told his girlfriend that Jorge was in Miami, yet she noted it was odd when she heard Jorge's phone ring at the apartment the men shared on January 5, several days after he went missing. Diaz-Johnston's body was found the same day a missing persons report was filed by concerned family. Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz mourned his brother in a heartfelt post after the body was discovered. 'I am profoundly appreciative of the outpouring of support shown to me, my brother-in-law Don, and my family after the loss of my brother, Jorge Diaz-Johnston,' former mayor Diaz, 68, wrote of his brother at the time his body was discovered. 'My brother was such a special gift to this world whose heart and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come.' Diaz-Johnston had been married to his husband, Don Diaz-Johnston, 51, since March 2015. They were among five other same-sex couples who sued the Miami-Dade County Clerk's Office in 2014 after they were denied the ability to get married, and then were among the first to get married the following year. Yinger was also charged with tampering with evidence, theft of Diaz-Johnstons possessions and fraudulently using Diaz-Johnstons personal information Pictured: A landfill in Baker, Florida, roughly 60 miles east of the Alabama border, where Jorge Diaz-Johnston, the brother to former mayor of Miami, was discovered in a trash pile Jorge Diaz-Johnston, 54 (right), was found dead on Friday in a Florida landfill. He and his husband Don (left) are pictured waiting to speak to the media and supporters after a court hearing on gay marriage in 2014 Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, pictured, brother to slain Diaz-Johnston, speaks as he introduces Democratic presidential candidate, former NYC mayor Mike Bloomberg, in 2020 'I am profoundly appreciative of the outpouring of support shown to me, my brother-in-law Don, and my family after the loss of my brother, Jorge Diaz-Johnston,' Diaz wrote of his brother 'There are just no words for the loss of my beloved husband Jorge Isaias Diaz-Johnston,' Don wrote at the time Jorge's body was discovered. 'I can't stop crying as I try and write this. But he meant so much to all of you as he did to me. So I am fighting through the tears to share with you our loss of him.' The two were married shortly after winning the high-profile court case in March 2015, however the couple were going through a divorce and living apart at the time of Jorge's death, according to court documents. 'For us, it's not just only a question of love and wanting to express our love and have the benefits that everyone else has in the state, but it's an issue of equality, and it's a civil rights issue,' Jorge Diaz-Johnston said at the time, according to NBC Miami. He had been married to his husband, Don Diaz-Johnston, 51, since March 2015 They were among five other same-sex couples who sued the Miami-Dade County Clerk's Office in 2014 after they were denied the ability to get married Pictured: Diaz-Johnston and his husband, Don Daniella Levine Cava, the current mayor of Miami, praised Diaz-Johnston's for his advocacy role for LGBTQ rights in the city. 'In Jorge Diaz-Johnston, we lost a champion, a leader, and a fighter for our LGBTQ community,' she tweeted. 'His tragic loss will be felt profoundly by all who loved him, as we honor his life and legacy.' Elizabeth Schwartz, who represented the six couples in the case, noted how hard they two had to fight just to marry, only for it to end in tragedy. 'They fought so hard for their love to be enshrined and to be able to enjoy the institution of marriage, and for the marriage to end in this way - in this gruesome, heartbreaking way - there are no words,' Schwartz said. The civil service jobs website is still advertising 64 vacancies involving partial or total working from home, the Daily Mail can reveal. The 64 remote roles include sensitive positions with GCHQ, the Government's intelligence and security organisation, and with counter-terrorism at the Home Office. A security expert warned of the 'absolutely enormous' risks that could be posed by civil servants in these areas working from home, especially at a time of 'grave international danger'. Multiple civil service jobs, including some with sensitive positions with GCHQ, have been advertised as working from home (file photo) The roles advertised include a counter-terrorism insight adviser and the deputy head of the economy and society resilience team at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The latter role would involve working 'on the front line of protecting the country from cyber-attacks', according to the advertisement. Professor Anthony Glees, a security and intelligence expert at the University of Buckingham, said it would be 'extremely easy' to hack into a homeworker's broadband line, because domestic wi-fi connections don't have the same security protection as those in offices. He added: 'There are some things that you simply cannot do from home and I would say working for any intelligence organisation is one of them. Professor Anthony Glees, a security and intelligence expert at the University of Buckingham, has warned 'absolutely enormous' risks that could be posed by civil servants in intelligence roles working from home 'In general, Russian intelligence would be very interested in anybody working from home who worked in the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, the Ministry of Defence, or the Home Office. 'The worst thing that could happen, at the current moment, is that our military security secrets could be revealed, including precisely what we're giving to Ukraine. 'Those are the sorts of things that you could get access to if people were working from home because you don't have the same security that you have in the office.' Professor Glees added: 'Secret discussions must be face-to-face discussions.' One of the men who admitted to supplying the fentanyl-laced pills that caused rapper Mac Miller's overdose death was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison Monday. Ryan Michael Reavis, 39, admitted in 2019 to being the middle man in deals to provide the rapper with counterfeit oxycodone, though he maintains that he had no idea the pills were laced. Miller, born Malcolm James Miller, died in September of 2018 at the age of just 26. Reavis was sentenced to 10 years and 11 months in prison, a little more than what probation officers recommended but less than the 12-and-a-half years prosecutors sought. United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II read out the sentence after prosecutors read aloud a heartbreaking victim statement from Karen Meyers, Miller's mother. 'My life went dark the moment Malcolm left his world,' she said while holding back tears, according to Rolling Stone. 'Malcolm was my person, more than a son. We had a bond and kinship that was deep and special and irreplaceable. We spoke nearly every day about everything - his life, plans, music, dreams,' the statement said. 'He would never knowingly take a pill with fentanyl, ever. He wanted to live and was excited about the future. The hole in my heart will always be there.' Meyers also remembered her late son's laugh as 'infectious and bright' and said his music 'spoke to many people all over the world.' Mac Miller, 26, was found unresponsive in his Studio City home on September 7, 2018, having consumed a fatal cocktail of alcohol, cocaine and fentanyl Cops say 36-year-old Ryan Reavis (above) worked as a middle man for the transaction between Walker and Pettit, who then sold the drugs to Miller Miller was found dead by his assistant at his Los Angeles home on September 7 2018 The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner and Coroner ruled a lethal combination of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol as the cause of the rapper's death. Reavis reportedly asked for only five years in custody before he was sentenced, adding in a statement, 'This is not just a regular drug case. Somebody died, and a family is never going to get their son back. 'My family would be wrecked if it was me. They'd never be all right, never truly get over it. I think about that all the time. And I know that whatever happens today, I'm the lucky one because my family is here and I'm here and I'll be with them again. I feel terrible. This is not who I am.' A sentencing memo from Reavis' defense team noted that Reavis is 'a heroin and opioid addict who delivered drugs to support his own addiction. He was not a supplier or an importer, nor was he connected to any larger criminal conspiracy.' Prosecutors in the case read a statement from Karen Meyers (pictured left), Miller's mom, before the sentencing was announced Miller was found unresponsive at his home (above) in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles on September 7, 2018 and later pronounced dead at the scene Stephen Andrew Walter admitted last October to supplying Reavis with the fentanyl that killed Miller. Walter accepted a plea deal carrying a 17-year prison sentence. A case against Cameron James Pettit, the third drug dealer charged in Miller's overdose, is still pending. Miller made his last public appearance in front of an intimate crowd inside Hollywood's Hotel Cafe on September 3, 2018, just four days before his death. His foray into music stardom was spurred when he taught himself to play guitar, bass, piano and drums as a young child growing up in Pittsburgh. Eventually trying his hand at rap music, Miller Skyrocketed to superstardom with his debut mixtape K.I.D.S. (Kickin Incredibly Dope S***) in 2011, earning him a recording contract with Rostrum Records. In the months before his sudden death, Miller - who regularly spoke publicly about his battles with addiction and mental health - was enjoying a resurgence in his career with his fifth album, Swimming, which would later earn him a posthumous Grammy nomination for best album. Miller's name also regularly featured in gossip columns and magazines throughout much 2018, following his high-profile break-up with pop star Ariana Grande in May last year. He was arrested later the same month after he drove his car into a utility pole, fleeing from the scene and later testing positive for alcohol. Miller's name also regularly featured in gossip columns and magazines throughout much of 2018, following his high-profile break-up with pop star Ariana Grande (right) last May News of his death stunned the music fans and fellow artists alike, with thousands flocking to pay tribute to the 26-year-old many labelled an 'inspiration'. 'I dont know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever. But beyond helping me launch my career he was one of the sweetest guys I ever knew,' artist Chance the Rapper tweeted, adding: 'Great man. I loved him for real. Im completely broken. God bless him.' Days afterward, Ariana Grande broke her silence to pen an emotional ode to her ex-partner on Instagram. 'I adored you from the day i met you when i was nineteen and i always will. i cant believe you arent here anymore. i really cant wrap my head around it. we talked about this. so many times. im so mad, im so sad i dont know what to do,' she began, accompanied by a video of the pair together. 'You were my dearest friend. for so long. above anything else. im so sorry i couldnt fix or take your pain away. i really wanted to. the kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. i hope youre okay now. rest.' Two British men have been charged in the US after they allegedly defrauded wine collectors in a 76million Ponzi scheme. Andrew Fuller, 55, and his business partner Stephen Burton, 57, are said to have offered investors huge returns backed by cellars that included the costly Californian wine Screaming Eagle. But many of the expensive wines did not actually exist, according to court papers filed in New York. Their company, Bordeaux Cellars, allegedly held thousands fewer wines than loan documents had purported, including wine from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti in Burgundy and Chateau Lafleur in Bordeaux. Stephen Burton, 57, (pictured) has been charged in the US after he allegedly defrauded wine collectors in a 76million Ponzi scheme along with Andrew Fuller, 55 Both men used multiple aliases to con investors out of more than $99million (76million) and used the proceeds from the loans to make fraudulent interest payments to other investors in a scheme, which ran from June 2017 to February 2019, it is alleged. The court documents state that the fraudsters were operating a Ponzi scheme, in which any returns on investments are funded from other investors deposits. In papers lodged with the eastern district court of New York, US district attorney Breon Peace said: Unlike the fine wine they purported to possess, the defendants repeated lies to investors did not age well. These defendants duped investors by offering them an intoxicating investment opportunity collateralised by valuable bottles of fine wine that turned out to be too good to be true. The pair are also said to have forged aristocratic connections for the Bordeaux Cellars scheme. Mr Peace even alleged Fuller had renamed himself James Wellesley the surname of the Dukes of Wellington for the scheme. Burton and Fuller are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy, which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. The two men, who both have previous convictions for fraud, were in charge of Bordeaux Cellars London and the Hong Kong-based Bordeaux Cellars, with Burton serving as chief executive and Fuller as chief financial officer. Mr Peace even alleged Fuller (pictured) had renamed himself James Wellesley the surname of the Dukes of Wellington for the scheme They told investors they were acting for wine collectors whose cellars already included bottles such as Screaming Eagle, a cabernet sauvignon rated 99 on the 100-point scale by the wine expert Robert Parker. A 1992 vintage of the wine was sold for $500,000 (384,000) at a charity auction in 2000, making it the most expensive bottle in the world at the time. Fuller, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on April 8 via video link from Wandsworth prison in south London as part of extradition proceedings. His extradition case was adjourned to this Friday. In 2013, he was sentenced to six years in prison after admitting charges including fraud and forgery over a property scheme. Burton was arrested at a hotel in Kent on Valentines Day 2019. He later pleaded guilty to possession of false identity documents and money laundering and was sentenced to four years imprisonment. He has since been released and is understood to have fled the country. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has switched tactics from policy announcements to attacking the coalition government, as Labor takes a hit in the polls. Scott Morrison is ahead as the choice for preferred prime minister with 38 per cent, against 30 per cent for Mr Albanese, a sharp turnaround on the Labor leader's 37-36 margin of two weeks ago. The Resolve Strategic poll for The Sydney Morning Herald-The Age also showed Labor's primary vote down four points to 34 per cent, with the coalition up one to 35 per cent. Starting the second week of the May 21 election campaign in Brisbane, Mr Albanese blasted the prime minister over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters over the past two years. Scott Morrison will continue to campaign in crucial marginal seats in Western Australia this week as his popularity surges ahead Anthony Albanese will target Scott Morrison's disaster response as the campaign week rolls on 'What we saw from the federal government, whether it be bushfires, floods or the pandemic is a real pattern of behaviour,' he said, after speaking with flood victims in the Brisbane suburb of Auchenflower. 'He only acted when the political pressure was really put on.' Mr Albanese warned voters to expect health cuts if the federal government is returned to power, calling the government's future health minister Anne Ruston a threat to accessible medical care. "This is a health minister, now designate ... who we know will undermine Medicare, who has said that the current model is not sustainable, who has said that Medicare funding is just putting things on the credit card," he said. 'This is another example of what we can expect if Scott Morrison is re-elected.' When the $7 patient co-payment was included in the 2014 coalition budget, Senator Ruston told parliament Medicare was not sustainable without it. Senator Ruston said the government had since been clear it would not be making funding cuts to Medicare. 'We absolutely have guaranteed Medicare in law,' she told ABC Radio. Mr Morrison, who was in Fremantle to unveil a $124 million investment in two new Evolved Cape Class patrol boats, ruled out future cuts to Medicare. 'She (Senator Ruston) said yesterday there wouldn't be any cuts and I'll repeat that today,' Mr Morrison said on Monday. 'I introduced the legislation to guarantee Medicare and to guarantee the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. 'Because if you can't manage money, which people know Labor can't, the consequences of that is essential services suffer." Mr Morrison told reporters under his government, Medicare expenditure rose to $31.4 billion, and the bulk billing rate rose by more than six per cent. The prime minister was forced to clarify comments about the JobSeeker rate. During his press conference on Monday, Mr Morrison said the rate was $46 a week, when the unemployment benefit was $46 a day. When questioned about it, Mr Morrison said he had misspoke. During the first week of the campaign, the prime minister had attacked the opposition leader for failing to name the unemployment rate. Mr Morrison will spend two days in WA before heading to Brisbane for the first leaders' debate with Mr Albanese. The prime minister also unveiled a plan for first-time homeowners who can't put together the minimum 20 per cent deposit themselves. From July 1 they would be able to secure a government-funded guarantee for homes valued at up to $150,000 more than the current cap. With the polls pointing to a potential hung parliament, Mr Morrison was asked whether he would rule out a deal with so-called "climate independents' who are largely challenging sitting Liberal MPs. 'A vote for those independents is a vote for uncertainty, a vote for instability,' he said. HYDERABAD: BJP Telangana state president Bandi Sanjay Kumars padayatra on Monday faced resistance from Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) workers at Vemula village in Itikyal mandal of Jogulamba Gadwal district, leading to some tense moments and resulting in damage to some cars, even as party workers from the two sides indulged in fisticuffs. Sanjay, speaking at Vemula after the TRS workers attempt to obstruct his Praja Sangrama Yatra, declared such attempts will not stop him. He said he would continue with his padayatra and highlight failures of the TRS government in the state. BJP national vice-president D.K. Aruna told reporters that the police had prior information about the plans of TRS workers to obstruct Sanjays Praja Sangrama Yatra, but did nothing to prevent the incident. It may be recalled that before starting his padayatra on April 14, Sanjay had said that he had information that TRS workers would attack him to stop him from his march. On Monday, during the clash, some TRS workers rushed towards Sanjay but were prevented by the police from reaching the BJP leader. But before the TRS workers could be moved away from Sanjay and other BJP leaders and workers taking part in the padayatra, TRS workers pelted stones, resulting in damage to a few vehicles. Workers from both sides threw stones at each other. All vehicles that were damaged belonged to BJP workers, Aruna said. She said irrespective of the provocations, the BJP workers would stay disciplined and not fall into the TRS trap of reacting to such acts by the ruling party workers. Our padayatra is a peaceful one and will remain peaceful, she said. The party's floor leader in the Assembly, Raja Singh, said the attack by the TRS workers on Sanjay was a clear indication of failure of the government, and added that if an MP and state party leader of the BJP could not be provided protection in Telangana, the fate of the common people could only be imagined. If such incidents recur, the consequences would be severe, Raja Singh warned. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that President Joe Biden remains confident that 88-year-old Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein can do her job. 'Yes, she's a longtime friend, a proud public servant, and someone he has long enjoyed serving with and working with,' Psaki told DailyMail.com at the press briefing. Feinstein, one of the longest-serving senators, had long been renowned in Washington for an issue-focused passion and quick wit, but now people who have worked with the California lawmaker for years say she has difficulty recognizing them and repeats the same few talking points. On Thursdsay, Feinstein said she wouldn't step down from her position before it ends in 2024, despite democratic colleagues saying they're concerned she's 'mentally unfit to serve.' Feinstein, 88, said she 'regularly' meets with leaders and isn't 'isolated,' after four senators - three of them Democrats - a California Congress member, and three former staffers said that her short-term memory is deteriorating. 'I see people. My attendance is good. I put in the hours. We represent a huge state. And so Im rather puzzled by all of this,' she told the San Francisco Chronicle. The senator said no one had brought up these concerns to her directly. 'No, that conversation has not happened,' she told the Chronicle. 'The real conversation is whether Im an effective representative for 40 million people.' Psaki wouldn't say whether the president reached out to Feinstein to signal his support after the initial San Francisco Chronicle report was published last week. 'I don't have any updates on private conversations,' she said. Talk has been floated of persuading her to resign before her current term ends in 2024. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that President Joe Biden remains confident that 88-year-old Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein can do her job Senator Dianne Feinstein, 88, said she won't step down from her position before it ends in 2024, despite democratic colleagues said they're concerned she's 'mentally unfit to serve' She said she 'regularly' meets with leaders and isn't 'isolated,' after four senators - three of them Democrats - a California Congress member, and three former staffers said that her short term memory is deteriorating A staffer from another senator's office has also been quoted saying they've seen their boss go out of their way to re-introduce themselves to Feinstein before speaking to her. 'We've got an 'Emperor's New Clothes' problem here,' an unnamed California lawmaker said, referencing a fable about fearing to speak truth to power. 'I have worked with her for a long time and long enough to know what she was like just a few years ago: always in command, always in charge, on top of the details, basically couldn't resist a conversation where she was driving some bill or some idea. All of that is gone,' they said. The member of Congress described an hours-long conversation in which they had to reintroduce themselves to the veteran senator multiple times and circling back to the same questions without any indication she knew they'd already covered it. The lawmaker said: 'She was an intellectual and political force not that long ago, and that's why my encounter with her was so jarring. Because there was just no trace of that.' That and the other interactions described in the report occurred before the death of Feinstein's husband in February of this year. These so-called 'memory lapses' are punctuated by days where Feinstein is 'nearly as sharp as she used to be,' the Chronicle reports. 'But some close to her said that on her most difficult days, she does not seem to fully recognize even longtime colleagues.' One Democrat senator said: 'It's bad, and it's getting worse.' The 88-year-old senator (pictured in 1977) is widely seen as a trailblazer in California politics Feinstein was reportedly 'composed' during future Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings in March, though the Chronicle also notes she 'repeated comments' about Jackson's composure during the grilling. A Capitol Hill staffer said a 'joke' has emerged about the 40million-strong state's representation in the Senate: 'We've got a great junior senator in Alex Padilla and an experienced staff in Feinstein's office.' But it's also got people in Congress worried the octogenarian can 'no longer fulfill her job duties without her staff doing much of the work' to represent her constituents. 'It's really hard to have a micromanager who is not fully remembering everything that we've talked about,' said one ex-staffer, who described a situation in which Feinstein allegedly delayed the progress of an important investigation because, the aide believed, she could not fully comprehend it. 'My biggest concern is that it's a real disservice to the people of California.' The report notes that Feinstein is seen with at least one staffer at all times in the Capitol, and that she's dramatically decreased the pace of her public appearances. California's senior senator has not held a town hall in more than four years, the Chronicle stated, and she often declines lengthy interviews with journalists. Freshman Senator Alex Padilla, who was appointed to replace Vice President Kamala Harris and is running for re-election this November, has reportedly done 18 public town halls last year and 250 media interviews. Feinstein's office told the Chronicle that she's attended numerous public events in the years-long gap but that they ceased in 2022 because of her husband's death and the COVID-19 pandemic. She was serving as the San Francisco Board of Supervisor's first female president when she gained national attention for leading the city through the infamous 1978 assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected in California politics (pictured in 1992) Feinstein in 1971, when she was running for Mayor 'The last year has been extremely painful and distracting for me, flying back and forth to visit my dying husband who passed just a few weeks ago,' Feinstein told the Chronicle in a statement though rejected a live interview. 'But there's no question I'm still serving and delivering for the people of California, and I'll put my record up against anyone's.' Campaign filings that cover 2021 show Feinstein only raised $5,566.33 across that entire year, a low number for someone with her years-long ties in top political circles in Washington and California. Padilla raised $7.8million across the same period. Feinstein's fellow octogenarian senator, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, raised $1,001,415.87 last year. Leahy is retiring at the end of his term in 2022, though it's common for veteran lawmakers to keep raising money for their party and colleagues in active campaign accounts until they leave office. The 88-year-old senator is widely seen as a trailblazer in California politics. She was serving as the San Francisco Board of Supervisor's first female president when she gained national attention for leading the city through the infamous 1978 assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected in California politics. After winning a 1992 special election, Feinstein became the first woman to represent the Golden State in the Senate. Former Senator Barbara Boxer, 81, was sworn in as the second shortly after. Boxer retired in 2017 and was succeeded by Harris. Her seniority has also given Feinstein some of the most powerful committee assignments in the chamber, including on the Judiciary and Select Committee on Intelligence, giving her access to sensitive information and some of the most influential decisions in Congress -- which also gives staffers pause given her advanced age, the report claims. Still, other Democrats defended Feinstein as sharp and as focused as ever. California's junior senator Padilla said he'd 'heard some of the same concerns' but brushed them off when asked by the Chronicle. 'But as someone who sees her multiple times a week, including on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I can tell you shes still doing the job and doing it well,' Padilla said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was elected to California's Congressional delegation just five years before Feinstein in 1987, blasted the discussions surrounding her peer's mental acuity as 'unconscionable.' 'Senator Feinstein is a workhorse for the people of California and a respected leader among her colleagues in the Senate,' Pelosi said, adding that Feinstein was 'constantly traveling' across the country to fulfill her duties. It's 'unconscionable that, just weeks after losing her beloved husband of more than four decades and after decades of outstanding leadership to our City and State, she is being subjected to these ridiculous attacks that are beneath the dignity in which she has led and the esteem in which she is held,' Pelosi concluded. But the Democrat lawmaker who described their awkward hours-long conversation with Feinstein summarized the delicate discussion about the senator's future compared with her long history of serving the country. 'It shouldnt end this way for her. She deserves better,' they said. However, they added that 'Those who think that they are serving her or honoring her by sweeping all of this under the rug are doing her an enormous disservice. Up to 500,000 Brits are suffering from psychosis, fatigue and loss of eyesight after recovering from coronavirus, MPs have been told. Campaigners have even warned some doctors are dismissing many of the symptoms of 'long Covid' as being 'all in their heads'. The founder of the Long Covid Support Group, Claire Hastie, said the lasting effects of the illness had left her wheelchair-bound. Another member of the 15,000-strong group, a doctor, revealed that he was unable to walk up one flight of stairs without getting out of breath. Ms Hastie, who was diagnosed with Covid-19 in March, claimed data from the King's College London symptom tracking app shows that up to 500,000 people in the UK are currently suffering from the long-term effects of Covid-19. Most coronavirus patients will recover within a fortnight, suffering a fever, cough and losing their sense of smell or taste for several days. However, evidence is beginning to show that the tell-tale symptoms of the virus can persist for weeks on end in 'long haulers' the term for patients plagued by lasting complications. Up to half a million Brits are suffering from psychosis, fatigue and loss of eyesight after recovering from coronavirus, MPs have been told Nine in 10 coronavirus patients from ICU in Wuhan still suffering serious lung damage A new study has found that the 90 per cent of coronavirus patients treated in intensive care in Wuhan - the place in China where the virus broke out - are still experiencing lung damage. Research (seen by The Times) by the intensive care director at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Peng Zhiyong, found that patients had a lack of energy and couldn't walk far. And almost half of the patients have developed depression because they can't return to normal life. Dr Peng is doing a year-long study following 107 patients who suffered pneumonia and were intubated during the crisis. After three months he found 90 per cent still had lung damage. He also found that about 10 per cent of people had lost the antibody that could fight off the virus. And less than half of the people had managed to return to their jobs. Up to 50 per cent were depressed. Advertisement Survivors have described feeling like there is a 'slab of concrete' on their chest, and have struggled to complete everyday tasks, such as emptying the dishwasher, without feeling extremely tired. Previously fit people told the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coronavirus how their lives had been turned upside down by a horde of lasting symptoms. Ms Hastie described how she used to cycle 13 miles to work but can no longer walk 13 metres and is now largely confined to a wheelchair with her children providing much of her care. She said: 'Many people in our group to this day are being told by their GPs that it's caused by anxiety and it's all in their heads. 'It can cause anxiety but it is not caused by anxiety. The science needs to catch up with us.' Another member of the Facebook support group, an anaesthetist and intensive care doctor, said he was now unable to walk up just one flight of stairs without feeling chest pain and shortness of breath. Dr Jake Suett said: 'I was doing 12-hour shifts in ICU. It's a high-pressure situation, you have to be able to be active. I was going to the gym three times a week regularly. 'And now a flight of stairs or the food shop is about what I can manage before I have to stop... if I'm on my feet then shortness of breath comes back, chest pain comes back.' The APPG were also told that an online survey of 1,800 people found that many employees felt pressured to go back to work even though they didn't feel they could while suffering from long-term symptoms. Pictured is Claire Hastie - founder of the Long Covid Support Group Ms Hastie said that people in her Facebook group, which now has 15,327 members, have been told they'll never work again. She gave an example of a Pilates teacher who doesn't know if and when she'll ever be able to work again, adding: 'People are being pressured back by employers who, understandably, don't understand this.' One Long Covid activist, Robin Gorna, revealed that her three children aged between 11 and 16 had suffered from long-term symptoms and one took four months to recover. And one member of the APPG, Labour MP Andrew Gwynne, said that he was still suffering from coronavirus symptoms after 18 weeks. Talya, 27, said the shortness of breath she has experienced since having Covid-19 in April feels like a 'concrete slab on her chest' NHS will set up 'virtual wards' to treat people with long-term illnesses caused by coronavirus in their own homes Patients recovering from coronavirus will be treated online from their own homes because there is no funding for new rehab clinics, according to health officials. NHS England said rehabilitation will 'largely be provided in existing physical facilities' and in some cases patients will be treated virtually in their own homes. But the Health Service Journal (HSJ) said no capital funding was made available for more facilities - and spaces are currently limited. Instead, a virtual ward - the yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk website - will be used to treat the majority of people recovering from severe coronavirus symptoms. The Government confirmed a further 500 million in revenue funding over the rest of this year for Covid rehab services - meaning health workers' salaries and the costs of existing buildings will be met. But no more buildings can be built, or renovated for the purpose, because capital funding - which is for long term projects - has not been made available. Ruth Ten Hove, director at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, told the HSJ: 'The message we have been given is that people can now do their rehab online (through a new NHS website). 'We were involved in the website and it can get good outcomes. But it's not for everyone and using that alone will widen health inequalities and digital exclusion.' An NHS spokesman said the decision not to allocate capital funding was made because patients can access treatment online. Advertisement He said that he struggles to ask just one Parliamentary question on Zoom and then is forced to spend the rest of the day in bed. British scientists have already launched an investigation into the long-term impacts of Covid-19 in search of answers to thousands of people's problems, which has been referred to as 'this generation's polio'. The Department of Health has announced that up to 10,000 people will be involved in a study to look at how people who catch the coronavirus fare long-term. Growing evidence suggests that even people who only get mildly sick may suffer long-lasting health effects including lung damage. The UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has warned that Covid-19 patients could be left with 'extreme tiredness and shortness of breath for several months'. The study, led by researchers and doctors in Leicester, will look at how people's mental health is affected by illness and whether factors like sex or ethnicity affect how well someone recovers from Covid-19. Patients in the study, which will receive 8.4million in funding, will have medical scans, blood tests and lung samples so experts can look at how they are affected. It comes as the NHS has announced it's launched a long-term recovery service called 'Your Covid Recovery', which will offer online advice to the public and more specialised physio and mental health support to some patients from this summer. Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said: 'As well as the immediate health impacts of the virus it is also important to look at the longer-term impacts on health, which may be significant. 'We have rightly focused on mortality, and what the UK can do straight away to protect lives, but we should also look at how Covid-19 impacts on the health of people after they have recovered from the immediate disease.' Researchers from Italy have reportedly found that almost 90 per cent of patients discharged from a Rome hospital after recovering from coronavirus were still experiencing at least one symptom two months after coming down with the illness. The APPG also heard from a group of grieving relatives who have lost family members to coronavirus. Jo Goodman, who represents a group of 1,450 bereaved family members, is urging the Government to consider a Hillsborough disaster-style inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus response. Advertisement From Star Trek to Back to the Future, smart glasses have been staple features in blockbuster movies for years. Now, the wearable is becoming more and more popular in reality, with brands ranging from Facebook to Huawei bringing out their own smart glasses in recent years. Snap the company behind the popular app, Snapchat first dipped its toe into the smart glasses world back in 2016, and has since launched three generations of Spectacles. Last year, Snap also unveiled its next generation of Spectacles, which are its first to feature augmented reality (AR). While the glasses are not for sale, MailOnline's Shivali Best visited Snap's offices in London this week to test them out herself. And by Snap's estimations, it might not be long before the smart glasses become the norm, with the tech giant estimating they'll become as popular as smartphones 'within five to ten years.' Last year, Snap unveiled its next generation of Spectacles, which are its first to feature augmented reality (AR) While the glasses are not for sale, MailOnline's Shivali Best visited Snap's offices in London this week to test them out herself What are AR and VR? Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of an environment or situation. It immerses the user by making them feel like they are in the simulated reality through images and sounds. For example, in VR, you could feel like you're climbing a mountain while you're at home. In contrast, augmented reality layers computer-generated images on top of an existing reality. AR is developed into apps to bring digital components into the real world. For example, in the Pokemon Go app, the characters seem to appear in real world scenarios. Advertisement Snap is probably best known for its Face Lenses (who can forget the flower crown and animal ears that took over social media in 2016?), but actually has a huge range of AR experiences available. These include 3D effects, World Lenses that bring objects to life around you, and Connected Lenses that allow multiple users to explore AR experiences together in real time. While these lenses are currently accessed through the Snapchat smartphone app, the next generation Spectacles allow content creators to overlay these Lenses directly on to the real world. The Spectacles feature dual 3D waveguide displays and a 26.3 field of view, which realistically place Lenses right before your eyes. Dual stereo speakers add audio to these experiences, making them even more realistic, while two built-in cameras allow you to record exactly what you're seeing. At Snap's London HQ, MailOnline's Shivali tested the next generation Spectacles with a range of Lenses. The Solar System Lens placed the eight planets and the Sun before my eyes, allowing me to walk between them and see their relative size and key features as if they were right there. Meanwhile, the Magic Forest Lens could sense where I was looking, placing a blanket of AR flowers across the floor when I looked down, and allowing a cartoon butterfly to 'land' on my hand when I held it out in front of me. The Magic Forest Lens could sense where I was looking, placing a blanket of AR flowers across the floor when I looked down, and allowing a cartoon butterfly to 'land' on my hand when I held it out in front of me The Solar System Lens placed the eight planets and the Sun before my eyes, allowing me to walk between them and see their relative size and key features as if they were right there The Zombie Attack Lens was slightly less fun, showing a terrifying zombie chasing after me, combined with creepy groans blasting through my ears as it neared me! While similar experiences are already available through existing headsets, such as Microsoft HoloLens 2, most of these are quite chunky and tethered. In contrast, Snap's Spectacles weigh 0.3lbs (134 grams) and aren't restricted by any cables albeit with just 30 minutes of use per charge in their current iteration. In the near future, Snap sees the smart glasses becoming essential everyday items for people. The Zombie Attack Lens was slightly less fun, showing a terrifying zombie chasing after me, combined with creepy groans blasting through my ears as it neared me In the near future, Snap sees the smart glasses becoming essential everyday items for people. For example, they could allow runners to race against themselves from a previous run to improve their times, or let history buffs explore iconic landmarks and see how they've changed over time Snap's Spectacles weigh 0.3lbs (134 grams) and aren't restricted by any cables albeit with just 30 minutes of use per charge in their current iteration For example, they could allow runners to race against themselves from a previous run to improve their times, or let history buffs explore iconic landmarks and see how they've changed over time. However, for now, only a lucky few content creators are able to get their hands on them. 'We've offered the new Spectacles to a select group of creators around the world to learn alongside us and push the boundaries of AR,' Snap said. 'Through Spectacles and Lens Studio, these creators have already brought their imaginations to life, with the world as their canvas.' Six new species of frog some smaller than the diameter of a 1p coin have been identified by scientists. The miniature amphibians were spotted living across a variety of habitats in Mexico and have only just been described because they bear a striking resemblance to other close relatives. Scientists who helped to identify the six new Craugastor species say they should be classed as endangered and have called for them to be better protected. New discoveries: Six species of frog some smaller than the diameter of a 1p coin have been identified by scientists. The frogs are among the smallest in Mexico, with Craugastor candelariensis (pictured left) the smallest Some of the frogs, which live in Mexican forests, are as short as 13 millimetres WHAT ARE CRAUGASTOR FROGS? The Craugastor is a large genus of frogs in the family Craugastoridae, which has over 110 species. In terms of the six new discoveries by experts at the Natural History Museum, they belong to the group Craugastor mexicanus. These are endemic to Mexico and have a natural habitat that is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Many of the frogs in this family are threatened by habitat loss, leading to fears that they could become extinct if urgent action is not taken. Two of the new species found have small adult body sizes less than 18mm, researchers said. However, despite their tiny size they are not the current record holders for the smallest amphibians. For many years, the world's smallest frog was thought to be the Brazilian gold frog (Brachycephalus didactylus), which measures just 8.6 millimetres long and was discovered in the 1970s. But in 2012, Paedophryne amanuensis was found in Papua New Guinea, with males measuring an average of just 7.7 millimetres long. Advertisement Dr Jeff Streicher, the senior curator for amphibians and reptiles at the Natural History Museum, was involved in describing the species. 'As part of a chapter in my PhD dissertation, I was working on these small, direct developing frogs from Mexico,' he said. 'My supervisor and I were interested in them because they are really abundant, whereas many frogs are quite hard to find. 'Despite this, taxonomists have not studied the group very much because they are very variable in their size and colouration, so it felt like a special challenge. 'As often happens, I had many different things I was working on, and this chapter of my PhD never quite got to where I wanted it to be. 'Since beginning work at the museum, I found students who shared my passion for these frogs, and so finally, 12 years later, we've been able to make sense of some of the species' relationships in this group.' In total, six new species were described, bringing the total number of the Craugastor species in Mexico to 12. These include C. bitonium, named after its two-tone colour pattern, along with others named for the local area. 'It's difficult to pick a favourite, but C. cueyatl stands out as it is named for an Aztec word for frog,' Dr Streicher said. 'It felt good to honour the rich and deep human history of the Valley of Mexico, as the Aztecs would probably have been aware of this species. 'I'm also still blown away by C. candelariensis, which is named for the locality we found it in, as males can be just 13 millimetres long. 'It is probably the smallest frog in Mexico, and I find it fascinating that a frog can be so small as an adult.' The miniature amphibians were spotted living across a variety of habitats in Mexico and have only just been described because they bear a striking resemblance to other close relatives One species, C. portilloensis, is even smaller at just over 11 millimetres long, but as the specimens are not fully grown it is difficult to assess how much bigger these frogs could get. However, despite their tiny size none of the new discoveries break the record for the smallest known amphibians. For many years, the world's smallest frog was thought to be the Brazilian gold frog (Brachycephalus didactylus), which measures just 8.6 millimetres long and was discovered in the 1970s. But in 2012, Paedophryne amanuensis was found in Papua New Guinea, with males measuring an average of just 7.7 millimetres long. The Craugastor frogs of Mexico and Guatemala live in a variety of different forests from mountain woodland to rainforest. They span a range of different sizes and colours, with many species living side by side. This means that the miniature frog species may have been mistaken for the juveniles of larger relatives, researchers said, and so they set out to reassess the amphibians and discover just how many species there actually are. Some are classified at the lowest level of conservation concern, but others are endangered. The Craugastor frogs of Mexico and Guatemala live in the leaf litter of a variety of different forests from mountain woodland to rainforest They face threats including damage to their habitats and chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease which is decimating amphibian populations across the world. PhD student Tom Jameson, the study's lead author, says, 'Even in the last decade, many of their populations seem to be declining. 'A lot of these small bodied frogs are probably quite micro-endemic, so they don't have a great ability to disperse. 'As amphibians, they desiccate quite easily, so if their habitats change through land use change or even natural events such as landslides, they may not be able to move away.' The researchers said all six frogs should be classed as endangered, or listed as 'data deficient', so that their conservation status can be better assessed in future. The new species were described in a research paper published in the journal Herpetological Monographs. Advertisement If you don't have the nerves for a roller coaster, try this 'stroller coaster' instead. SpaceWalk is a traversable sculpture located in the hills of Hwanho Park in the city of Pohang, South Korea, that is 80ft (24.6m) from the ground at the top of its loop, the highest point. The 333m- (1,092ft-) long steel track has LED lights built into the handrails and steps. When evening falls, these lights start to glow, giving the staircase the appearance of a cloud formation against the night sky. Incredible photographs reveal the roller-coaster-shaped SpaceWalk staircase in South Korea The traversable sculpture is located in the hills of Hwanho Park in the city of Pohang The creators' aim, as the name suggests, is to give visitors the feeling of a 'walk through space'. To climb the surreal installation which can hold up to 250 people at once - visitors ascend a central access stair, before choosing to follow the track in one of two directions. One pathway is a gentle climb, while the other is steeper. Video footage recorded by one visitor shows how both routes end at metal barriers at the beginning of the staircase's eye-catching loop, there to indicate that the inverted part of it is out of bounds. SpaceWalk is 80ft (24.6m) from the ground at the top of its loop, the highest point To climb the surreal installation, visitors ascend a central access stair, before choosing to follow the track in one of two directions. One pathway is a gentle climb, while the other is steeper The highest point that visitors can reach is 65ft (20m) above the ground. Making the climb, visitors are rewarded with a magnificent view of the Pohang cityscape and nearby Yeongil Bay. SpaceWalk is also intended as an observatory the perfect place from which to observe the surrounding area, the night sky, and the sunrise and sunset. The 333m- (1,092ft-) long steel track has LED lights built into the handrails and steps. When evening falls, these lights start to glow, giving the staircase the appearance of a cloud formation against the night sky The installation is designed to accommodate 250 people at once. It was created by Hamburg-based artist duo Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth Making the climb, visitors are rewarded with a magnificent view of the Pohang cityscape and nearby Yeongil Bay SpaceWalk is described as the perfect place from which to observe the surrounding area, the night sky, and the sunrise and sunset 'This imposing artwork plays a subtle game with the concepts of speed and acceleration,' Mutter and Genth say The Hamburg-based artist duo behind the design, Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth, explain: SpaceWalk references the local mythology of the Pohang region and the prominent Korean tradition of watching the skies.' They add: With its characteristic curves and loops, [it] initially puts one in mind of a roller coaster however, this imposing artwork plays a subtle game with the concepts of speed and acceleration.' This isnt the first fantastical roller-coaster-shaped structure that the pair has dreamt up. Back in 2011, Mutter and Genth rose to prominence after they unveiled the fairground ride-esque Tiger and Turtle - Magic Mountain in Duisburg, Germany. It's still a major attraction today. Access to SpaceWalk is free to all. For more information, visit www.phaenomedia.org. From the Crawleys to the Carsons, after six seasons and a blockbuster film, the characters of Downton Abbey have landed themselves a spot in the hearts of the nation. Now, prepare for more glitz and glamour than ever before as a new film, Downton Abbey: A New Era hits cinemas on April 29, and you can book your tickets here now! Following on from the events of the first critically-acclaimed movie, and set in a glittering era charting the rise of the silver screen, prepare to see classic Hollywood glamour at its finest, but with a British twist. Your favourite characters, new faces and a trip to the French Riviera: Prepare to be swept away by the glamour of Downton Abbey: A New Era when it's released in cinemas on April 29 With a new film comes a new story from award-winning writer Julian Fellowes, produced by Gareth Neame, with brand new characters as well as those familiar faces we've come to know and love. And for the first time the characters will also be experiencing a tropical change of scenery as they head to the stunning South of France for an unforgettable holiday. Downton Abbey: A New Era, sees the beloved Crawley family head to the French Riviera to uncover a mystery at a villa bestowed to the Dowager Countess of Grantham, while back in England an ambitious director also ruffles feathers as he plans to make a film at Downton. Are you ready to lose yourself in the glitz and glamour of the Crawley's world once more? Here's why we love Downton Abbey: A New Era and why you should book your tickets now. The return of familiar faces Fan favourite Violet Crawley, played by the formidable Dame Maggie Smith, still reigns supreme at Downton Abbey, with her unrivalled razor sharp wit. Dropping a bombshell, the Dowager Countess of Grantham reveals that a gentleman she once 'spent a few days with' has gifted her a house in the South of France, and treats her loved ones to a trip abroad to experience a place she fell in love with years ago. While everyone is bewildered by her decision to accept such a gift from a man she supposedly hardly knew, the Dowager Countess is quick to quip: 'Do I look as though I'd turn down a villa in the South of France?' And her loveable stubbornness still hasn't subsided... When a film crew descends upon Downton to film a moving picture on their stunning grounds, far from being swept up in all the glamour, she instead jokes: 'I should have thought the best thing about films is that you can't hear them. Even better if you couldnt see them either.' A former flame? The trailer opens with fan favourite Dame Maggie Smith saying as Violet: 'I've come into the possession of villa in the South of France. Years ago, before you were born, I met a man' While the Dowager Countess may be keen to keep her cards close to her chest, her son Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham - played by Hugh Bonneville - is on a mission to uncover more about his mother's mysterious past. After his mother's announcement that she has inherited a villa from a male suitor, it sets the stage for speculation around her secret relationship. The Earl pushes for more information on why they were invited to the villa - but will he get the answers he desires? On a mission: While the Dowager Countess may be keen to keep her cards close to her chest, her son Robert Crawley played by Hugh Bonneville, is on a mission to uncover more And it's not just the Earl of Grantham keen to uncover more information, with Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) keen to discover more about the Dowager Countess' history, after finding a portrait of her as a young woman inside the lavish French home. It wouldn't be Downton without exploring the complicated relationships between upstairs and downstairs, and Carson gets called from retirement once more to lend an expert hand. He can be seen proclaiming 'the British are coming' as the group make their way to the South of France, no doubt relieved that he is in charge of keeping order once more. And don't fret, as the rest of the original cast of Downton Abbey are all back too, including Allan Leech - who plays the beloved Tom Branson, and Laura Carmichael - who plays the headstrong Marchioness of Hexham, previously known as Lady Edith Crawley. Exciting: Mr Carson makes a welcome return having revived his role as stately butler (pictured with wife Elsie, played by Phyllis Logan) Brand new characters to fall in love with As well as the Downton residents we've come to know and love, Downton Abbey: A New Era sees the introduction of a host of new characters, and with them some added drama and mystique. Hugh Dancy makes his debut as Jack Barber, an ambitious director shooting a movie at the Downton residence. Despite receiving a mixed reception from the famous household, Jack isn't afraid to ruffle some feathers with his determination to shoot a movie for the ages. A dashing arrival: Hugh Dancy makes his debut as Jack Barber, an ambitious director shooting a movie at the Downton residence An unrivalled experience: With Downton Abbey: A New Era showing exclusively at cinemas, you have the chance to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Downton on the big screen Yet it isn't just the Downton residents he has his work cut out with, as Jack is tasked with keeping his unpredictable actors in check. One of these tempestuous stars is none other than Myrna Dalgleish, expertly portrayed by English rose Laura Haddock. The uber-glamorous movie star is prone to a tantrum or two, as demonstrated when she smashes a vase on set - but hey, that's showbusiness! It's clear that Myrna has no trouble finding her voice - but at what cost to the other stars? Here comes trouble! Myrna Dalgleish, expertly portrayed by English rose Laura Haddock, is the ultra-glamorous movie star prone to a tantrum or two, but hey, that's showbusiness! Dominic West also makes his debut as dashing leading man Guy Dexter, who stays in the stately home while shooting the movie. Yet while Guy could have his pick of the female suitors, could it be that he has his eye on someone else entirely? Also be sure to look out for the magnificent Nathalie Baye. While you'll have to watch the movie to find out what role she'll take on, we can guarantee it'll be worth the wait. All we know is it won't be smooth sailing, with inflated egos and a director trying to get to grips with new technology, throwing up a few hiccups along the way. One to watch: Dominic West makes his debut as dashing leading man Guy Dexter, who stays in the stately home while shooting the movie A change of scenery The iconic Downton Abbey remains as impressive as ever, and the backdrop for the filming of a moving picture. Yet for the first time, the family are also set to travel abroad. They make their way to the stunning sights of the sun-drenched French Riviera in order to explore the villa gifted to the Dowager Countess of Grantham. A far cry from the grounds of Downton, they experience the balmy summer days and idyllic seaside views in the South of France. With temperatures raised and inhibitions loosened, could this getaway be just the tonic that the Crawleys need? Mixing it up: The Crawleys make their way to the stunning sights of the sun-drenched French Riviera to explore the Dowager Countess of Grantham's home A chance to lose yourself in the magic With Downton Abbey: A New Era showing exclusively at cinemas, you have the chance to truly immerse yourself in the spectacular world of Downton on the big screen. Combining stunning locations, with a perfect mix of heart-warming, funny and emotional moments, its a rare chance to sit back, relax and enjoy pure escapism at the cinema. A Carnival Films production, directed by Simon Curtis, written by Julian Fellowes and produced by Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge, Downton Abbey: A New era is undoubtedly the cinematic event of the year, and one not to be missed! Mark Hoppus is getting back out into the public following his year-long battle with lymphoma cancer. Looking like a large weight had been lifted off his shoulders, the Blink-182 bassist and co-vocalist looked happy and healthy as he walked with his wife and friends out of a restaurant in West Hollywood on Saturday night. During a brief interview with a TMZ photographer, the rocker shared his optimism for his life moving forward, declaring that he's 'glad to be here' and 'I'm just getting back out into it.' Mark Hoppus looked happy and healthy as he walked out of a West Hollywood restaurant with his wife Skye Everly on Saturday night, sharing that he's 'glad to he here' During his slow walk back to his parked vehicle, the Feeling This star revealed that he's looking forward to getting back with his band. 'I most wanted to get back out into the studio and get back to playing music, and get off of my couch,' he said with a big beaming smile on his face. When asked if he had new music to release, he shot back, 'Hopefully soon. We'll see if I can write something happy this time.' The photographer then asked him if he any lessons to share with the rest of us: 'Enjoy each and every day.' Celebrating life: The Blink-182 bassist and co-vocalist shared that he wanted to 'get off my couch' and 'get back out into the studio and get back to playing music'; he is seen with his son Kourtney and Travis talk: Hoppus, 50 revealed that he believes Kourtney Kardashian is the one for his dummer Travis Barker during the brief interview and that he' very happy for them' And lastly Hoppus weighed-in on his Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker's burgeoning relationship with Kourtney Kardashian. 'Do you think Kourtney is the one for Travis? 'Yes I do,' the All The Small Things musician said, before his wife Skye Everly interjected and joked, 'I think I'm the one for Travis,' which got a laugh from everyone. Hoppus ended the brief chat by saying he was 'very happy' for Travis and Kourtney. Fight for life: The musician's health scare began back in April 2021, when he was diagnosed with stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which was followed by chemotherapy treatments that resulted in him losing his hair His health scare began back in April 2021, when he was diagnosed with stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which is one of the most common subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The California native, 50, went public with his cancer diagnosis in a June 23 tweet, saying, 'It sucks and I'm scared, and at the same time I'm blessed with incredible doctors and family and friends to get me through this.' Occasionally giving his fans updates, he would open up more about his treatments during a Twitch livestream in July, where he vowed to be focused on 'beating this cancer.' And that's exactly what happened after losing his hair during chemotherapy treatments in the proceeding months. 'Cancer free': Hoppus first revealed that he was in remission and 'cancer free' last September; the rocker is pictured with his wife of 22 years and their son Jack By late September, Hoppus shared he was remission. 'Just saw my oncologist and I'm cancer free!!" he wrote, adding, 'Thank you God and universe and friends and family and everyone who sent support and kindness and love.' He went on to share that he needed to get 'scanned every six months' as part of his ongoing treatment. With that time frame in mind, it's likely he got another 'cancer free' result in late March or early April. This past January, Hoppus revealed to his band's legion of fans that he was finally back in the music 'mindset.' 'Just want to say that I'm very grateful to be back in the mindset of "Oh! That's a cool idea for a song lyric, I should write that down." I haven't felt that in eight months,' he wrote at the time, alongside a hand prayer emoji. The band: Hoppus and Blink-182 last released their eighth studio album, Nine, in September 2019; the bassist is pictured with Barker and guitarist and co-vocalist Matt Skiba Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's germ-fighting network. The lymphatic system includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect all those areas as well as other organs throughout the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. Forming in 1992, Blink-182 is now widely considered to be one of the most prominent and influential rock acts of the late twentieth century. Along with drummer Travis Barker and guitarist and co-vocalist Matt Skiba, the band released their last studio album Nine, which was their eighth, in September 2019. Madonna was in full on Easter spirit on Sunday, as she took to her Instagram to share her family's festive celebration of the holiday. The megastar, 63, donned a colorful pair of bunny ears as well as a green fishnet cleavage-baring crop top for the occasion, which she paired with tie-dye pants. The pop sensation painted eggs with her son David Banda, 16, daughter Mercy James, 16, and twins Stelle and Estere Ciccone, nine. Easter: Madonna was in full on Easter spirit on Sunday, as she took to her Instagram to share her family's celebration of the holiday Not present for the Easter fun were her two older kids Lourdes Leon, 25, and Rocco Ritchie, 21. 'The Easter Bunny says Love First,' she wrote on the sweet images, along with bunny and hatching chick emojis. The Material Girl had her long blonde tresses plaited into four thick braids, held with silver hair clips. Celebrating: The megastar, 63, donned a colorful pair of bunny ears as well as a green fishnet cleavage-baring crop top for the occasion, which she paired with tie-dye pants Not one to opt out of wearing bling, she sported a chunky silver cross as well as a multitude of other chains around her neck. The star also accessorized with a pair of white-rim eyeglasses and a variety of gold bracelets. Some of the photos shared by the star were notable for their heavy use of filters - an increasingly common feature on Madonna's social media platforms. The performer's youthful looks were called into question earlier this year when her social media followers said she looked like a teenager thanks to her taut complexion. Madonna's children embraced the Easter fun too. David happily snapped a photo of the whole brood together, as they wore pink and blue bunny ears while the twins modelled T-shirts with the emblem 'Love First'. All together: The pop sensation painted eggs with her son David Banda, 16, and daughters Mercy James, 16, and twins Stelle and Estere Ciccone, nine Happy family: David happily snapped a photo of the whole brood together, as they wore pink and blue bunny ears. Some of the photos shared by the star were notable for their heavy use of filters - an increasingly common feature on Madonna's social media platforms Tender look: Madonna gave her daughter a tender look as they worked on their crafts together Goofing off: Mercy stuck out her tongue at the camera while posing next to her brother Love first: Meanwhile the twins matched in white T-shirts with the emblem 'Love First' as well as pink hair beads The doting mom had all the necessary supplies to provide her brood with an artistic experience, including paint, glue, and glitter packets. The mother-of-six proudly shared photos of the final results, showing off a colorful selection of eggs, some with drawings and others in glitter. The Queen of Pop also shared a heartwarming video on her Instagram, with the caption, 'Couple of crazy Bunnies.' The video showcased the entire family painting and having dance breaks in--between. Cute: The Queen of Pop also shared a heartwarming video on her Instagram, with the caption, 'Couple of crazy Bunnies'Dance break: Having fun: The video showcased the entire family painting and having dance breaks in-between Drink: The star enjoyed a cold drink while showing off her moves At one point Madonna showed off her blue glitter egg, which had a blue flower on top of it. 'Chic and glamorous,' she said, proud of her handywork. Meanwhile Mercy took a more simple approach, simply writing her last name 'James' on it. At another point Madge had a dance-off with David, whom she recently got matching tattoos with, as the family continued on in their celebrations. Madonna adopted David in 2006, when he was just 13 months old, while she funded an orphanage in Malawi. Like her brother David, Mercy James was also adopted in Malawi, in 2009. The icon adopted twins Stella and Estere in 2017, when they were both 4-years-old. The girls are both also from Malawi. Who's the better dancer? At another point Madge had a dance-off with David, as the family continued on in their celebrations Final results: The mother-of-six proudly shared photos of the final results, showing off a colorful selection of eggs, some with drawings and others in glitter Madonna is currently in the process of working on a biopic of her life and recently revealed she was holding auditions for the project. The singer-songwriter announced last September that she is co-directing and co-writing the forthcoming film, which she has described as a 'visual autobiography.' Cressida Wilson, an American playwright known for the film Secretary (2002) and The Girl On The Train (2016), is reportedly working on the script with Madonna, according to NME. Insiders say current drafts of the script culminate with her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour, however this storyline may change as developments to the plot continue. The film will require the actress to partake in singing and dancing sequences, and whoever ends up landing the coveted role will need to undergo a month's worth of rigorous training in preparation for filming. Madonna is heavily involved in the biopic as director and producer - parted ways with original screenwriter Diablo Cody last year. Julie Goodwin has revealed how she regained her will to survive after being hospitalised in a psychiatric unit. The MasterChef Australia star says that during her harrowing battle with depression, in 2020, and earlier this year when she said she had spent a five-week stay in a mental health facility, she found comfort in her granddaughter, Delilah, one. The 50-year-old chef told this month's Australian Women's Weekly: 'In the midst of that really awful time I had decided that I was done. Struggle: MasterChef Australia star Julie Goodwin (pictured) has revealed that she found comfort in her granddaughter, Delilah, one, during her harrowing battle with depression, in 2020, and earlier this year when she said she had spent a five-week stay in a mental health facility 'I had nothing left to do, my work here was done. That's where I found myself. That landed me in hospital a bunch of times. 'So, I'm trying to figure out if my life here is not done, then what the hell is it? Delilah is obviously a massive part of that. She's a tiny little human who I want to be around for,' she continued. 'But you know, I can't live my whole life for her. And I've just got to work out what the rest of it is for.' Family: Delilah is the daughter of Julie's son, Tom. The chef announced Delilah's arrival on Instagram last year, while posing alongside the newborn and her husband Michael (left) Doing it for Delilah: She told this month's Australian Women's Weekly: 'She's a tiny little human who I want to be around for' Delilah is the daughter of Julie's son, Tom. The chef announced Delilah's arrival on Instagram last year, while posing alongside the newborn and her husband, Michael Goodwin. Julie sent shockwaves through the showbiz world four years ago when she was charged with drink-driving twice over the legal limit. Shock: Julie sent shockwaves through the showbiz world four years ago when she was charged with drink-driving twice over the legal limit. Pictured arriving at Gosford Local Court in 2018 She was caught after trying to evade a police breath test. After fronting up at court with her husband and acknowledging it was 'an error in judgment' and 'accepting full responsibility', Goodwin was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for six months. She later revealed she had been suffering from depression, for which she had sought treatment at a psychiatric facility. The revelation in February this year came 13 years after Goodwin beat runner-up Poh Ling Yeow with her hearty home recipes in 2009. The much loved champion returns to the show's 'Fans & Favourites' season on Monday at 7pm on Channel 10. For confidential support contact Lifeline 131 114 Hey Dad! star Sarah Monahan has revealed she's currently living a simple life on a sprawling Texas ranch, after dreaming about moving there since she was a child. The Australian actress, 45, told New Idea on Monday that she and her husband Matt have set up camp in an old Winnebago and a 1972 Airstream caravan on a 40-hectare ranch, after previously residing on a boat moored in Florida. In the same interview, Sarah said she refused to reveal the exact location of her peaceful haven, in fears her former Hey Dad! co-star and convicted paedophile Robert Hughes might track her down. Happy: Hey Dad! star Sarah Monahan, 45, (pictured) has revealed she's currently living a simple life on a sprawling Texas ranch, after dreaming about moving there since she was a child. Pictured last week 'He may be getting out soon - I don't want him knowing where I live,' she said of Hughes, now 73, who abused her behind the scenes of the TV sitcom. Hughes played Sarah's on-screen father on the show from 1987 to 1994. She was six years old when she joined the cast. Hughes was jailed for a maximum of 10 years and nine months in 2014 after a jury found him guilty of 10 charges relating to sexual and indecent acts against four girls in the 1980s and 1990s. Abuse: Sarah (centre, front) was a victim of paedophile Robert Hughes (left, front) on set of Hey Dad!, which began airing in 1987 The actor, who has renounced his Australian citizenship and faces immediate deportation to his native UK upon release, was denied parole in 2020 and 2021. It was reported in February 2022 that he will remain in prison for child sex offences after a decision on his parole was delayed. Hughes has continually maintained his innocence, insisting he is the victim of false allegations. Coming home: Sarah revealed that she will be heading back to Australia later this year to attend his parole hearing as she and his other victims fear he might be freed. Pictured on set with Hughes His non-parole period of six years finished in 2020 and his sentence expires on January 6, 2025. Sarah revealed that she will be heading back to Australia later this year to attend his parole hearing, as she and his other victims fear he might be freed. 'We have never done it The other girls and I are going to do it because we think they're going to let him out this time,' she said. Home: Sarah and her husband Matt have set up camp in an old Winnebago and a 1972 Airstream caravan on a 40-hectare ranch in Texas, after previously residing on a boat moored in Florida Living her life: Sarah is pictured on her ranch with her beloved dog, Teddy 'I want him to see that I'm actually not scared of him. I'm not nervous about doing it. I think I used to be, but I'm not these days.' Elsewhere in the interview, Sarah revealed she misses her home country of Australia and would love to move back home in future if she could 'get work and afford to live in Sydney'. If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT or visit www.1800respect.org.au While an UNSC of a smaller number of nations is desirable to make the UN effective, it must also reflect world realities and be representative of its diversity. (AFP) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has again made a strong pitch for a permanent seat for India in the United Nations Security Council, saying it should get it as a right for its immense contribution to global peace. Those days are gone when India had to beg. Now we want our right. No other country has such moral authority, said Mr Modi. That will happen sooner or later, particularly if India regains its sharp climb on the economic ladder and as a military power. But the question that must also be addressed, apart from the UNSCs expansion, is what kind of a permanent membership will India get or should take? While the UN was fashioned by the Second World Wars victors, its birth had its origins in the darkest days when leaders of nine occupied nations in Europe met British and Commonwealth representatives in London on June 12, 1941 and signed a declaration pledging to work for a free world. On January 1, 1942, these nations consulted signed what came to be known as the United Nations Declaration, and approving the aims of the Atlantic Charter. This was the first time the phrase United Nations was used. But the creation of the UN organisation to preserve world peace had to wait till October 30, 1943, when Britain, China, the USSR and the US signed the Moscow Declaration on General Security. Its signatories continuously met from August to October 1944 in Washington DC, and fashioned a basic plan for an international peacekeeping organisation. The centrepiece of this plan was a Security Council in which the US, USSR, Britain, China and France would be permanent members. Fifty nations met in San Francisco on April 25, 1945, 12 days before Germany surrendered and four months before Japan was defeated, to consider this plan. After much deliberation the differences, mostly over the veto power demanded by the Big Three US, USSR and Britain were papered over and on June 26, 1945 all 50 nations signed the Charter and the UN formally came into being. The UN now has 192 members. The Cold War and the balance of power between the two superpowers ironically enough served as a guarantor of peace and security of nations that came under accepted spheres of influence. With the world poised a button push away from Armageddon, the UN, and especially the Security Council, became a ready forum to facilitate constant dialogue between the superpowers and it served this purpose admirably. True, it didnt prevent regional wars from erupting constantly since 1945 there have been 244 wars and armed conflicts: 53 civil wars; 43 involving the US; and eight ongoing civil wars but it did prevent a general war of ruinous dimensions. Both superpowers usually heeded the UN because the other was there. The veto powers ensured one bloc couldnt override the interests of the other one. The veto came to be used 252 times since 1946. It was used the most in the UNs first decade (1946-55) when it was exercised 83 times, with the USSR alone using it 80 times. This dropped off to 31 and 26 respectively from 1956 to 1965. The West, led by the US, used the veto oftener since 1966 (115 times, compared to 15 by USSR). Since 1996, Russia hasnt exercised the veto even once, while the USA used it six times and China twice. This presumably reflects the shape of todays world order. As an immediate response to a destructive world war, the UN reflected the reality and ethos of that age. Nothing reflected this more than the composition of the Security Councils permanent members. Four of the five were white nations. The other 10 members of the Security Council are elected members from various regions. These members are without the veto and with little voice or clout. Their plight is best illustrated by the admission by a former Colombian representative, Luis Fernando Jaramillo, that even as Security Council president (1992-94) he was forced to stand outside the chamber where the Permanent Five were meeting and beg for pieces of information as a personal favour from the permanent representatives as they were leaving. While the single veto doesnt reflect a desirable level of democratisation, to have a Security Council of elected equals will only render it more ineffective and irrelevant. Even within the Security Council, the ability of some countries to have their way makes it vulnerable to unwise choices. In the early 2000s, US ambassador to the UN Thomas Pickering snarled near an open microphone at Yemens ambassador al-Ashtal after his country voted against the US on Resolution 678: That is the most expensive vote you ever cast. The following week, the US suspended its $100 million aid package for Yemen. Thus, while an UNSC of a smaller number of nations is desirable to make the UN effective, it must also reflect world realities and be representative of its diversity. Africa and Latin America are not represented in the Permanent Five. The Islamic world too doesnt find a place. India, which has a fifth of the worlds population and the worlds third largest GDP in PPP terms, doesnt find a place. Europes biggest economy, Germany, is excluded. On the other hand, with two members, Britain and France, Western Europe is over-represented. With Russia added, Europe has three members. This is clearly not a satisfactory arrangement. Indias diplomacy for the past many years has increasingly focused on securing permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Partly in response to this and similar pressures from Japan, Brazil and Germany, we now and then hear of proposals to make some of these bigger nations permanent members, but without veto powers. This will be unfortunate, as rather than making the UN more democratic, it will make it even more stratified. What we need to seek is reform of the UN by eliminating single vetos, while at the same time ensuring that the Security Council does not become victim to the tyranny of a simple majority. Instead of a single veto being able to derail its intentions, a certain minimum threshold, say of three or four members, should be required to thwart a majority of the Security Council. This will prevent the P-5 from insisting world affairs can only be shaped to their liking. Only an expansion of its permanent membership, accompanied by its internal reform, will assure the Security Council a more secure place in world affairs. Dave Hughes' 2Day FM breakfast radio show has long suffered in the ratings. And on Monday, the comedian, 51, admitted it's been an uphill battle cracking into Sydney's radio market since its conception last January. 'The Sydney market is very established and there are breakfast shows that have been on in Sydney for a decade or more, they've got rusted-on audiences,' Dave told The Australian. Challenge: 2Day FM's Dave Hughes, 51, (pictured) has admitted cracking Sydney's radio market has been a challenge after his breakfast show has struggled in the ratings 'We're starting a breakfast show on a network that had been playing music for two years before we came on, so we were starting from nothing really in terms of trying to get people to change their habits.' Ed hosts 2Day FM's breakfast slot alongside comedian Ed Kavalee and presenter Erin Molan. In August, the show tumbled to an all-new low in the ratings, slipping down 0.9 points to a 2.4 per cent market share. Struggle: 'The Sydney market is very established and there are breakfast shows that have been on in Sydney for a decade or more, they've got rusted-on audiences,' Dave said Two years prior, 2Day's previous breakfast offering of Grant Denyer, Ed and Ash London also recorded the same low numbers. The breakfast show has since clawed back, and this month celebrated their best result in three years with a 4.2 per cent audience share. It comes after Dave recently relocated to Sydney to host his breakfast show. Based in Melbourne with his wife Holly Hughes and their three young children, Dave told The Daily Telegraph in December Holly 'freaked out' about the far from 'ideal' arrangement. Ed hosts 2Day FM's breakfast slot alongside comedian Ed Kavalee and presenter Erin Molan 'The truth is I will be buying a property in Sydney in the next month or so and I will be up there a lot but we will still be splitting our time between Melbourne and Sydney.' Dave started his radio career in 2001, alongside Kate Langbroek and Dave O'Neill on Nova's Hughesy, Kate and Dave breakfast show. In 2014, the radio show relaunched on the KIIS Network but it was axed two years later. In 2018, Dave and Kate joined the Hit Network replacing Australian comedy duo Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. She has racked up over 2,000 'likes' on OnlyFans since joining the adults-only subscription site in December. And Married at First Sight's lesbian bride Amanda Micallef, 34, gave fans a glimpse at what's behind her paywall on Sunday as she stripped down to lingerie for a sizzling bedroom selfie. The image, which was posted to Amanda's personal training business page on Instagram, showed the fitness fanatic posing in nothing but Calvin Klein underpants and a flesh-coloured lace bra. Like what you see? Married At First Sight's Amanda Micallef, 34, unveiled her muscular physique as she posed in lingerie for a sultry bedroom selfie on Sunday - months after joining OnlyFans as a 'dominant lesbian' Flexing her muscles, the brunette struck a coy expression as she wrote in her caption: 'Happy Easter Everyone!!! Spread the love this weekend'. She completed her sultry look with a full face of makeup, including bronze eye shadow, bold eyeliner and false lashes. Amanda shot to fame in early 2020 as the first ever lesbian bride on Married At First Sight. 'If you like a dominant woman, you'll enjoy my dirty talk': In her OnlyFans bio, Amanda previously described herself as a 'dominant' lesbian In her OnlyFans bio, Amanda previously described herself as a 'dominant' lesbian. 'I'm here to explore the fantasies for the married, bi-curious or lesbian submissive woman,' she wrote. 'If you like a dominant woman, you'll enjoy my dirty talk, my suggestive photos, and what may happen on the DMs. I also run a relationship podcast, see below to subscribe!' she added. Raunchy: Her bio has since been updated, as it now reads: 'Better than Netflix and far more juicier than MAFS' Her bio has since been updated, as it now reads: 'Better than Netflix and far more juicier than MAFS.' 'I'm that little cherry on top... eat me first. Guaranteed responses! Just message me! Get to know me for only $3. Yes, I have X-rated videos. Just ask for them!!!' it continues. Amanda also works as a podcaster, having interviewed Australia's biggest OnlyFans star Renee Gracie on the show just weeks before deciding to join the raunchy platform herself. She's not shy! 'I'm that little cherry on top... eat me first. Guaranteed responses! Just message me! Get to know me for only $3. Yes, I have X-rated videos. Just ask for them!!!' it continues During their chat, Renee revealed that she was making up to $500,000 a month on the site. A number of Married At First Sight stars have made the move to OnlyFans recently, including Stacey Hampton and Mishel Karen. Jessika Power claims to have made more than $470,000 in her first four months on the site, while Ines Basic earned $80,000 in her first few weeks. Money maker! Jessika Power claims to have made more than $470,000 in her first four months on OnlyFans Oh my! Mishel Karen, 51, has also started performing hardcore porn on OnlyFans Amanda made LGBTQ+ history last year when she became one-half of the first ever lesbian couple in the history of Married At First Sight. Unfortunately, her marriage to bartender Tash Herz turned out to be a disaster. Despite initially appearing to being a good match, the franchise's first lesbian couple quickly went downhill on their honeymoon. Since their split, Tash has gone on to get engaged to Canadian screenwriter Stephanie Fabrizi. Jennifer Garner stepped out on Sunday to greet friends bringing her birthday gifts. The Alias alum wore a black hooded sweatshirt that said 'no limit' as she smiled and waved. She added a pair of black leggings and sneakers as she hugged pals who stopped by to celebrate her 50th birthday. Birthday girl: Jennifer Garner stepped out on Sunday to greet friends bringing her birthday gifts The mom-of-three added a pair of dark sneakers with light blue accents while walking outside her home in Los Angeles. She pulled her dark hair back into a low and fuss-free ponytail as she beamed. The longtime entertainer skipped makeup and layered long black leg warmers over her skintight leggings. Three friends - one male and two female - dropped by to bring the star flowers, joining the list of gifts from loved ones. Laidback look: The Alias alum wore a black hooded sweatshirt that said 'no limit' as she smiled and waved Friendship: She added a pair of black leggings and sneakers as she hugged pals who stopped by to celebrate her 50th birthday Reese Witherspoon also showed her gal pal affection with a personally baked cake to ring in her 50th year. She documented the process via an Instagram Reel video shared with her 27.6 million followers on Sunday. She wrote in the caption, 'Did you know it's a National holiday? Nope not Easter / not Passover. 'You guys .....It's JENNIFER GARNER'S birthday! In her honor, here is an episode of #PretendCookingShow.' She added, 'I love you @jennifergarner!!!! Enjoy a humming bird cake made with a secret ingredient!' Birthday post: As for Jennifer herself, she also appeared on the photo-sharing app to acknowledge her special day As for Jennifer herself, she also appeared on the photo-sharing app to acknowledge her special day. The light-hearted beauty posted a video of a series of furry animals running around and leaping excitedly. 'Waking up on my birthday,' the caption on the mashup of video clips said. Jen didn't use words in the caption of her post, but dropped a festive party horn emoji. The snippet was viewed over one million times and fans and friends joined in the comments section to wish her well. Early party: Ahead of her April 17th birthday the media personality enjoyed an early celebratory meal with friends Ahead of her April 17th birthday the media personality enjoyed an early celebratory meal with friends. During the gathering the star was surprised by an unexpected voice recording from Donny Osmond as he sang to her personally. However, that surprise was nothing compared to her shock when Osmond, 64, stood behind her, in the flesh, and began to sing. She stood up from her seat and hugged him briefly before asking, 'I'm so hot, can I just take my sweater off?' before removing her gray knit-sweater. Surprise! During the gathering the star was surprised by an unexpected visit from her childhood crush Donny Osmond Osmond presented her with a cake that read '13 Going On 50! Love Donny,' a reference to her hit film 13 Going On 30. The pair sang a duet of Osmond's classic song Make The World Go Away, a song he and his sister Marie Osmond originally performed. Garner got really into it, ad-libbing noises and closing her eyes as she sang with the Utah native. The mother of three shared her enthusiasm on Instagram, writing in the caption, 'My first (pre)birthday surprise was a doozy the one and only, legend in his own time, object of my childhood adoration and devotion @donnyosmond showed up to knock my purple socks off.' Bethenny Frankel spent part of her Easer Sunday with her 11-year-old daughter Bryn, coloring holiday eggs. Her busy day began with a visit to the beach in The Hamptons on a brisk morning with the sun shining and temperatures hovering in thee 40's Fahrenheit. Later, the television personality and entrepreneur decided to go out on a shopping spree, making stops at a Kmart and Walgreens, all while decked out casually in gray sweatpants and a matching top. Holiday shopping: Bethenny Frankel, 51, kept it casual in the fashion department when she headed out to do some last minute Easter shopping at Kmart and Walgreens in East Hampton, New York on Sunday Seemingly in need of some last minute Easter shopping, Frankel, 51, came out of Walgreens in East Hampton, New York carrying a bag full of items in her left hand and her phone in the other. With a chill in the spring air, she kept warm by wearing a furry white jacket over her sporty ensemble, along with a pair of slip-on shoes. She wore her dark tresses long, straight, and pushed back off her face with a pair of sunglasses that she wore on the top of her head. Casual and sporty: The television personality and entrepreneur stepped out in gray sweatpants with a matching top, a fully white jacket and sneakers On the go: After picking up some assorted items, The Real Housewives of New York City alum appeared to make her way back to her home After picking up some assorted items, The Real Housewives of New York City alum appeared to make her way back to her home. Her morning started with a drive to the beach, which included a brief stop to admire a few turkeys that were showing their full feathered colors at the time. Once she made it to her destination, Frankel spent a bit of time admiring the vast ocean and all its glory and beauty. Holidays: The New York City native revealed she likes to 'create rituals year after year' that 'last a lifetime' in the caption of a video of herself and her daughter Bryn making Easter eggs Turkey time: The Real Housewives Of New York City alum stopped to admire some turkeys during her drive to the beach in The Hamptons Mother nature's wonders: Frankel confessed it was a beautiful sunny morning despite being in the 40s Fahrenheit Smelling the roses: The Skinny Girl entrepreneur admired the vast ocean on Easter morning Decked out in bunny ears, the New York City native took to her Instagram page and shared a video clips of herself and Bryn making Easter eggs, among other holiday traditions. 'Some bunny loves me.I make every holiday a memory and create rituals year after year,' she wrote in the caption, adding, 'These small moments have meaning that lasts a lifetime. Happy Easter to you and your family. Make it meaningful. Xo.' Her Instagram posts also included talking to her camera phone about a lip balm that she bought while out on her shopping excursion. She also showcased a colorful necklace that read 'mama' in the middle of it that was likely made by her young daughter. Easter Sunday: Frankel spent much of her Easter at her home in New York Social media: Frankel spent time chatting with her 2.5 million Instagram fans and followers Cute: The proud 'mama' showcased her necklace likely made by her daughter Jimmy Rees, also known as Jimmy Giggle, has spoken out about the devastating moment his newborn son almost died after undergoing a routine medical procedure. The Giggle and Hoot performer, 34, was forced to pull out of Dancing With The Stars in 2019 after his seven-week-old son Mack suffered complications while getting a tongue-tie fix. In an interview with TV Week on Monday, the comic revisited the nightmare moment before thanking one woman who worked at the hospital who he says 'saved his life'. Every parent's worse nightmare: Children's entertainer Jimmy Rees, 34, (right) has recalled the horrifying moment his newborn baby almost died after undergoing a routine medical procedure three years ago. Pictured with his wife Tori, their twin sons Mack and Vinny and older son Lenny The little tot, who has a twin brother named Vinnie, was having a standard tongue-tie fix when a main blood vessel was accidentally cut. Mack experienced an incredible amount of blood loss (due to a complication in the procedure) and was rushed to the intensive care unit. 'There was one lady at Gosford Hospital who had clocked off for the night, the head ENT [ear, nose and throat specialist] there,' Jimmy recalled in the interview. Horror: Mack, who has a twin brother named Vinnie, was having a standard tongue-tie fix when a main blood vessel was accidentally cut. Pictured: Mack in March 2019 'She got a call saying, 'There's a seven-week-old baby coming in and he's in critical condition because he's bleeding profusely,' and she went, 'What, from a tongue tie?' 'She just turned her car around, went straight back to the hospital, and saved his life, I guess.' Jimmy said he and his wife Tori still occasionally keep in touch with the heroic staff member, 'and just give our sincere thanks to her all the time'. Hero: 'There was one lady at Gosford Hospital who had clocked off for the night, the head ENT [ear, nose and throat specialist] there,' Jimmy recalled in the interview. 'She just turned her car around, went straight back to the hospital, and saved his life, I guess' Jimmy made the difficult decision to leave Dancing With The Stars, on which he was a contestant at the time, to be by his son's side. He says the tot has since recovered well, but the parents are keeping an eye on his speech to see how it develops. The couple are also proud parents to son Lenny, six. The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe Rating: Doctor Who Rating: What a tempting fantasy to tell the neighbours youre going to Bournemouth or Blackpool for a week and then simply drop off the radar with a hefty tax bill unpaid. Dont tell me youve never thought about it? The notion usually hits me on holiday, after an hour too long in the sunshine outside a cafe. Why go back? Why not just... vanish? Sanity returns when the sunstroke wears off. The most fascinating aspect of John Darwins story, dramatised over four nights in The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe (ITV), is that he went through with it. Darwin staged his own disappearance, paddling his kayak into the sea off Hartlepool in County Durham and leaving his wife Anne to report him missing. For three weeks, he lived rough before sneaking back home and living secretly in a spare room. The deception was so brazen that the Darwins did not only convince the police, the Press, their creditors and their insurers that John was dead. Even their two adult sons believed it. Monica Dolan is Anne Darwin and Eddie Marsan is John Darwin (pictured) in the ITV drama The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, which Christopher Stevens gave a five star review for Christopher Stevens said Eddie Marsan's depiction of John Darwin is superb, he balances Darwin's 'heartless' behaviour while still making him likeable to the audience From start to finish, the whole plan was insane. Chris Langs hilariously deadpan script captures the sheer stupidity of it, while convincing us that to the Darwins, deeply in debt, every step was unavoidable. They were being frogmarched by fate. I am most certainly not mad, Anne, declared John indignantly. What I am is a man who thinks outside the box. The marvellous Eddie Marsan is superb as prison officer John, as delusional as he is devious a man who, in the words of his wife, would buy a Range Rover he couldnt afford and spend 3,000 on a personalised number plate, and all before wed got the gas connected. Throwback of the weekend: Ventriloquist Jamie, 13, did a brilliant song-and-gags act with his puppet Chuck on Britains Got Talent (ITV), with a classic end-of-the-pier routine. He even sang a Sammy Davis Jr number. And he taught himself from YouTube videos! Vaudeville is back in style. Advertisement Intriguing as it is to contemplate, his crime is thoroughly unpleasant and heartless. Setting out to defraud the insurance company, he ends up robbing his own sons of their family. Marsan makes sure we understand what a nasty, manipulative piece of work Darwin is. He bullies and belittles his wife, and thinks nothing of the fact she is risking prison to support his blundering plot. But he also makes the man a tiny bit likeable, just because he is so pathetic. Planning what to pack in his rucksack, he decides on a sleeping bag and a tent... and Kendal Mint Cake. Somehow, he feels this last detail guarantees success. The whole sorry mess is seen through Annes eyes. Monica Dolan ensures we never feel angry or disgusted with her, even when shes lying point-blank to her children. Dim but loyal, full of common sense but without a shred of self-confidence, she thinks of herself as a woman who grabbed hold of a rope trailing from a hot air balloon. Now she darent let go. Thats the sort of adventure that might whisk away Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who (BBC1). There has never been an incarnation of the time-traveller from Gallifrey who has been less in control of events. Doctor Who's returned to screens for a 'slow and confused' episode Her companions, Mandip Gill as grumpy Yaz and John Bishop as insipid Dan, would probably just stand and watch her go, while explaining to each other in lumpen dialogue whats happened. Despite its generous budget for special effects, and the return of the Sea Devils who were a favourite foe of the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, this one-off episode was painfully slow and confused. And as the Doctor blurted out her affection for Yas, another basic rule of the series was chucked aside. Time Lords (or Time Ladies) are not supposed to fall in lust with their human companions. Think of the age difference . . . several thousand years. Thats just creepy. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas have celebrated their first Easter Sunday since welcoming their first child three months ago. The couple, who married in 2018, enjoyed a romantic brunch for two on an outdoor patio which they shared with their followers on Instagram. Nick and Priyanka announced in January they'd welcomed a baby girl via surrogate, with DailyMail.com later revealing the couple's child was born 12 weeks premature at Southern California hospital Holiday: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas have celebrated their first Easter Sunday since welcoming their first child three months earlier 'Happy Easter from us,' the pair wrote in the caption of a series of holiday snaps posted on Chopra's Instagram page. Nick and Priyanka, who are yet to show their baby daughter, were seen posing alongside an arched bush adorned with large bunny ears. The Matrix Resurrections actress, 39, opted for a mustard-yellow skirt and crop top combination along with a pair of open-toe heels. Family time: The couple, who married in 2018, enjoyed a romantic brunch for two on an outdoor patio which they shared with their followers on Instagram Familt time: This was the couples first Easter Sunday with their baby daughter, whom they welcomed via surrogacy in January Bright and sunny: The Matrix Resurrections actress opted for a mustard-yellow skirt and crop top combination along with a pair of open-toe heels They also posed for a selfie under those bunny ears, as well as for individual shots of themselves. Chopra leaned her head on her hand and flashed a big beaming smile for the camera, while her husband was pictured sitting at their restaurant table with a tropical drink in front of him. The Quantico star also snapped a photo of an Easter-inspired cup cake and a small bunny that sat on top of the table with the caption: 'Easter Sunday.' Nick and Priyanka have been keeping life with their new daughter fairly under wraps, after welcoming the arrival 12 weeks early. In a joint statement, Nick and Priyanka revealed their good news via Instagram, writing: 'We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate' Colorful: The Jonas Brothers star looked stylish in a colorful collared shirt with black pants as he enjoyed a tropical drink at the restaurant They requested privacy for their new time as parents in the post too, writing: We respectfully ask for privacy during this special time as we focus on our family. Thank you so much.' She also recently shared a glimpse into their nursery, posting a picture of a host of soft toys in their home. Chopra and Jonas tied-the-knot in two ceremonies one Hindu and one Christian to honor each of their cultures at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India, in front of more than 200 guests in 2018. Sweet: Chopra also snapped a hot of the Easter-theme cupcake she had for dessert Nick and Priyanka's baby arrived at 27 weeks at a Southern California hospital outside LA, where she'll remain until she is healthy enough to return home with her parents, a source close to the couple told DailyMail.com in January. According to the insider, the A-list couple had been wanting to have a baby together for 'quite sometime,' but their schedules had gotten in the way of their family planning. They eventually contacted an agency to explore their options and were connected them with a woman in SoCal who they believed was a good match. 'Priyanka doesn't have any fertility issues preventing her from having a baby, but she is 39 now so it's not getting any easier,' the source said. Alone time: Nick and Priyanka have been keeping life with their new daughter fairly under wraps, after welcoming the arrival 12 weeks early Early: Nick and Priyanka's baby arrived at 27 weeks at a Southern California hospital outside LA, a source close to the couple told DailyMail.com in January 'Their busy work schedules also mean that it's difficult for them to physically be together to conceive when she is ovulating, so some time ago they went down the surrogacy route. 'This is the woman's fifth surrogacy. They met her and really liked her. 'The baby had been due in April but the surrogate ended up giving birth on Sunday, so she was very premature,' the insider added. The source continued: 'Priyanka had been trying to get her filming all done before the baby was due in April - but obviously this has completely thrown her plans. 'There were rumors and speculation that the marriage was in trouble and that they might divorce, but that's total nonsense. Nick and Priyanka are very happy together.' Love Island Australia star Tayla Damir has revealed why you should never trust what you see on social media again. Posting to Instagram on Monday, the model, 25, shared a series of unedited selfies alongside subtly edited versions of each image. In her caption, Tayla described the insidious way social media images are destroying Instagram users' self esteem. Smoke and mirrors: Love Island's Tayla Damir, 25, exposed the shocking truth about 'perfect' Instagram selfies in an eye-opening Instagram post on Monday. In her post, Tayla uploaded series of unedited selfies alongside subtly edited versions of each image. Pictured left is the original image, and right is the edited image 'I have seen many people comparing their before and after photos using editing apps. I was mortified to see how easily an app could change someone's entire appearance,' the former Miss Universe WA finalist wrote. 'I was instantly frustrated. The frustration didn't come from people using these apps. It came from the lack of education around what these apps can do to one's self-esteem,' she continued. The brunette beauty, who has admitted to suffering from body image issues in the past, said she often struggles to know 'what is real and what is fake on social media'. 'Between face filters, editing apps and photoshop, it's nearly impossible to understand what people truly look like': In her caption, Tayla described the insidious way social media images are destroying Instagram users' self esteem. Pictured left is the original image, and right is the edited image 'Between face filters, editing apps and photoshop, it's nearly impossible to understand what people truly look like.' Tayla explained that she'd doctored the photos in her post using a popular editing app, and was dismayed by the results. 'While editing the pics on the right as examples, I had moments myself where I felt critical and compared myself to the edited photo. These filters are affecting our body image and self-esteem,' she declared. 'I had moments myself where I felt critical and compared myself to the edited photo': Tayla explained that she'd doctored the photos in her post using a popular editing app, and was dismayed by the results. Pictured left is the original image, and right is the edited image 'We as a generation have the problem of filters making us more insecure, so we use the filter as a solution,' added Tayla. While Tayla insisted that she doesn't condemn people for editing photos, and is merely concerned about the lack of transparency and education. 'Its so important to realise that there will always be editing in the world of social media. Im not saying your whole feed is a lie, and every photo you see is altered,' she wrote. 'Don't allow your mind to trick you': While Tayla insisted that she doesn't condemn people for editing photos, and is merely concerned about the lack of transparency and education. Pictured left is the original image, and right is the edited image featuring an app-generated smile 'This is more of a reminder that some images you see can be easily tweaked like this, and it is important that you are aware of that and don't allow your mind to trick you into thinking you too should look this way,' she wrote. The model ended her post by remind her fans that they are 'beautiful just the way they are' and that social media is often simply 'smoke and mirrors'. Tayla has been open about her struggles with body image, disordered eating and self esteem. Food for thought: In January, the reality star told fans during an Instagram Q&A that she 'always knew' she had a 'bad relationship with food', and said it was her fiance Nathan Broad who was the first person to point out her unhealthy habits In January, the reality star told fans during an Instagram Q&A that she 'always knew' she had a 'bad relationship with food', and said it was her fiance Nathan Broad who was the first person to point out her unhealthy habits. 'I always knew I had a bad relationship with food and the way I saw my body,' the reality star wrote. 'No one ever pulled me up on it properly so I just kept going with my bad ways.' Explanation: Tayla said it wasn't until Nathan (left) 'called her on her sh*t ' that she was able to get the confidence to do better for herself and her body Tayla said it wasn't until Nathan 'called her on her s**t ' that she was able to get the confidence to do better for herself and her body. 'I was so fed up with the voice in my head and knew I had to change something otherwise that voice would probably be my undoing eventually,' she wrote. 'Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments when the voice pops up but instead of internalising it I share what I am thinking and talk through it.' Results: 'Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments when the voice pops up but instead of internalising it I share what I am thinking and talk through it.' Tayla said discussing the issue helped her feel like she was 'taking the power back' from the voice. It isn't the first time Tayla has spoken about conquering her body image issues after winning Love Island Australia. The star previously spoke about how, after winning the show, it was a low-point for her body-positive journey. 'What should have been a high point in my life, was not': Tayla previously spoke candidly about conquering her body image issues after winning Love Island Australia in 2018 'I remember back to December 2018 and what should have been a high point in my life, was not,' she wrote on Instagram, referring to the period after her Love Island Australia win. She added: 'I was emotionally drained, far too skinny, malnourished, broken, grieving and investing the remainder of my energy into the wrong people.' Tayla has also previously spoken out about her battle with anxiety and depression. For mental health support, please call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14 in Australia, or call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK. Selin Mengu is a name most Australians won't be forgetting anytime soon. Following her recent rise to fame on Married At First Sight, the 33-year-old's new career as an influencer seems to be flourishing. Selin cut a stylish figure over the weekend as she attended the Rip Curl Pro event at Bells Beach in Torquay, Victoria. Stepping out: Married At First Sight's Selin Mengu, 33, (pictured) cut a stylish figure in leggings and a printed jumper as she attended a Rip Curl Pro event in Victoria The Sydney mother-of-one oozed confidence as she posed in a Ripcurl sweater that was tucked up to show off her toned midriff. She styled her look with a pair of ankle high boots and black leggings. Selin was seen posing with celebrity fashion stylist Jamie Azzopardi, who looked stylish in a black Ripcurl hoodie which he teamed up with jeans and a large jacket. All smiles: The Sydney mother-of-one oozed confidence as she posed in a Ripcurl sweater that was curled up to show off her toned midriff Primped: She styled her look with a pair of ankle boots The unlikely duo looked happy and relaxed as they wrapped their arms around each other while walking off towards the beach. At one stage the pair were joined by artist Stella Rafter, models Leah Perkins and Kristian Gaupset. Daily Mail Australia understands she has already been inundated with offers from social media talent agencies racing to sign her up, as soon as her contract allows. Friend: Selin was seen posing with celebrity fashion stylist Jamie Azzopardi, who looked stylish in a black Ripcurl hoodie which he teamed up with jeans and a large jacket Hanging out: The unlikely duo looked happy and relaxed as they wrapped their arms around each other while walking off towards the beach Influencer pals: At one stage the pair were joined by artist Stella Rafter, models Leah Perkins and Kristian Gaupset Selin currently boasts 49,199 Instagram followers and will no doubly take advantage of having professional help turning her 15 minutes of fame into a lasting career. It comes after her time with 'husband' Anthony Cincotta came to an abrupt end after they both decided to write 'leave' during last week's commitment ceremony. 'The time was up for Anthony and I in the experiment, we both decided it was the best thing we could do to end it and are civil,' she said speaking of experience. Selin explained that the highlight of the experiment was being selected to put herself out there and learn that it isn't selfish to find love. Chrissy Teigen shared adorable pictures of her children on Easter to her Instagram page. The 35-year-old model dressed Luna, six, and Miles, three in their Easter outfits. Luna wore a pastel rainbow stripe tiered dress in shades of pink, yellow, green and lavender. Cute: Chrissy Teigen and John Legend , 43, shared adorable pictures of her children on Easter Adorable: The 35-year-old model dressed Luna, six, and Miles, three in their Easter outfits Chrissy shares Luna and Miles with husband John Legend, 43. Miles was dressed in a coordinating outfit with distressed blue jeans and a shirt with mutli-colored dinosaurs. The Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert performer posted 'Easter Sunday' next to the photo on social media. Family: Luna wore a pastel rainbow stripe tiered dress in shades of pink, yellow, green and lavender Chrissy sent a message to those of Christian and Jewish faiths writing, happy easter and chag sameach from my little chickadees!' (sic) Chag Sameach is Hebrew for Happy Holiday and is often used as a Passover greeting. The hashtag #chagsameach began trending when the Ukrainian foreign minister used it in a Passover greeting, writing, 'Happy Passover to all Jewish communities in Ukraine and around the globe celebrating. Life and freedom are Ukraines two most important values. Let us all be united in protecting them and bringing peace to Ukraine. Chag Sameach!' on Twitter. Passover and Easter fell on the same weekend and Muslims began celebrating Ramadan on April first. It's the first time in more than 30 years that the three Abrahamic religions have marked these sacred holidays at the same time. A tisket, a tasket: Six-year-old Luna had lots of luck filling her basket during the family's traditional egg hunt No fear: The kindergartner showed no trepidation in burrowing through the underbrush in search of the brightly decorated eggs The Legend kids seemed to have fun marking their holiday with a traditional Easter egg hunt. Young Luna showed no trepidation in burrowing through the underbrush in search of the brightly colored eggs. Later, they played on a not-so-traditional rock climbing wall. Up the wall: After the egg hunt, Luna decided to take a turn on the climbing wall, wearing fuzzy yellow slippers instead of sneakers Instead of sneakers, the kindergartner chose to show her skills wearing a pair of fuzzy yellow slippers. It's been a busy time for the family filled with lots of adventures. They recently returned from a Spring Break vacation to Hawaii, and then a trip to Disneyland to celebrate Luna's birthday. Four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke shared an incredibly rare snap of his youngest daughters - Indiana, 10; and Clementine Jane, 13 - enjoying Easter festivities on Sunday. The Texas-born 51-year-old - who boasts 2.7M Instagram/Facebook followers - captioned his family slideshow: 'Mother Nature doing its thing. Happy Easter and Spring everyone.' Ethan - last believed to be living in a $3.9M six-bedroom home in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill - posted a snap of chicken statues perched on a grassy field of white and yellow flowers. Family: Four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke shared an incredibly rare snap of his youngest daughters - Indiana, 10; and Clementine Jane, 13 - enjoying Easter festivities on Sunday Hawke also shared a video of sheep and lambs peacefully grazing in the distance. The Reality Bites alum fathered little Indiana and Clementine from his 13-year marriage to his former nanny Ryan Shawhughes, whom he originally met through his literary agent. The 39-year-old Columbia University grad - who was raised in the same town as Ethan - now works as a producer on many of his projects. 'There were never any scandalous thoughts or actions back then. In the years that followed, my marriage [to Uma Thurman] disintegrated due to many pressures, none of which were remotely connected to Ryan,' Hawke assured The Guardian back in 2009. The Texas-born 51-year-old - who boasts 2.7M Instagram/Facebook followers - captioned his family slideshow: 'Mother Nature doing its thing. Happy Easter and Spring everyone' Upstate? Ethan - last believed to be living in a $3.9M six-bedroom home in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill - posted a snap of chicken statues perched on a grassy field of white and yellow flowers Peaceful: Hawke also shared a video of sheep and lambs grazing in the distance 'I know people imagine some kind of Sound Of Music type love affair, but the truth is by the time Ryan and I were falling in love, it had been a long while since I had employed her.' In 2005, The Guilty actor's Gattaca leading lady fueled rumors that he might have had an affair with model Jen Perzow when Oprah Winfrey asked if 'there was some betrayal of some kind.' 'There was some stuff like that at the end,' the 51-year-old Oscar nominee admitted. Still going strong! The Reality Bites alum fathered little Indiana and Clementine from his 13-year marriage to his former nanny Ryan Shawhughes (L, pictured March 22), whom he originally met through his literary agent Team: The 39-year-old Columbia University grad - who was raised in the same town as Ethan - now works as a producer on many of his projects Hawke (pictured in 2002) told The Guardian in 2009: 'There were never any scandalous thoughts or actions back then. In the years that followed, my marriage [to Uma Thurman] disintegrated due to many pressures, none of which were remotely connected to Ryan' 2020 family portrait: Before their five-year marriage ended in 2005, The Guilty actor and the 51-year-old Oscar nominee welcomed 20-year-old son Levon and 23-year-old daughter Maya 'We were having a difficult time, and you know how the axe comes down and how people behave and how people express their unhappiness. Our marriage failed. I should take full responsibility for the failure of my own marriage.' Before their five-year marriage ended in 2005, Ethan and Uma welcomed 23-year-old daughter Maya and 20-year-old son Levon. Hawke currently plays religious zealot/cult leader Arthur Harrow in Jeremy Slater's critically-acclaimed six-episode MCU series Moon Knight, which airs Wednesdays on Disney+. 'The Friendly Type': Ethan plays religious zealot/cult leader Arthur Harrow in Jeremy Slater's critically-acclaimed six-episode MCU series Moon Knight, which airs Wednesdays on Disney+ Hitting US theaters this Friday! Hawke will next portray King Aurvandil War-Raven in Robert Eggers' critically-acclaimed Viking epic The Northman alongside Nicole Kidman (R) The A Bright Ray of Darkness author will next portray King Aurvandil War-Raven in Robert Eggers' critically-acclaimed Viking epic The Northman - hitting US theaters this Friday - alongside Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard, and Anya Taylor-Joy. Ethan also directed a six-hour documentary on the late married Hollywood power couple Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward called The Last Movie Stars, which premieres later this year on CNN+. The doc features readings of old interviews and journals by George Clooney, Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Billy Crudup, Sam Rockwell, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and Zoe Kazan. Alicia Clark wrestled with her physical and psychological wounds on Sunday's mid-season premiere of Fear The Walking Dead on AMC. The episode titled Follow Me opened with Alicia [Alycia Debnam-Carey] in a sepia-toned landscape leading a pack of survivors. A loud voice beckoned to her, 'Padre, follow me. Padre. Follow me' and she approached a lone figure that turned out to be a zombie who wheeled around and attacked her. Mid-season premiere: Alicia Clark wrestled with her physical and psychological wounds on Sunday's mid-season premiere of Fear The Walking Dead on AMC She then woke up in a bedroom with her prosthetic arm on a bedside table after her limb was severed following a zombie bite. Alicia stumbled around in the home as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony played loudly in the background. She called out, but nobody answered and then followed dirty footprints on the carpet. Alicia saw a man with his back to an approaching zombie and yelled out to warn him before breaking his stereo. Dream sequences: The episode titled Follow Me opened with Alicia [Alycia Debnam-Carey] in a sepia-toned landscape leading a pack of survivors The man turned around in time to kill the zombie and then yelled 'What did you do! What did you do!' at Alicia as she passed out. She woke up to find herself in the care of deaf musician Paul. 'You're gonna have to speak a lot slower if you expect me to read your lips,' Paul told her. Hearing loss: 'You're gonna have to speak a lot slower if you expect me to read your lips,' Paul told her Paul revealed that she had been out for two days and he found her passed out in a barn while making a food run. He asked her if she was sick because she'd been running a constant fever. 'I wasn't in a barn. I was on my way back... To the people I was staying with. I must've passed out. But I wasn't in a barn. A girl saved me,' Alicia said. Child savior: 'I wasn't in a barn. I was on my way back... To the people I was staying with. I must've passed out. But I wasn't in a barn. A girl saved me,' Alicia said 'I didn't see a girl,' Paul told her. Alicia tried to make a quick exit, but Paul insisted that she should stay and help him fix his stereo. Paul shared that his home was soundproofed to keep zombies away and he could play music as loud as he wants. Quick exit: Alicia tried to make a quick exit, but Paul insisted that she should stay and help him fix his stereo 'I thought you said you hadn't heard anything in months,' Alicia reminded him. Paul told her that Beethoven when he first started going deaf 'destroyed every piano they put in front of him, just smashed the keys like his fingers were sledgehammers.' 'Why?,' Alicia asked. 'Just 'cause you can't hear music don't mean you can't feel it,' Paul answered. They were then interrupted by Arlo and two of his companions who were searching for Alicia. Search mission: They were then interrupted by Arlo and two of his companions who were searching for Alicia Paul agreed to hide her and she evaded Arlo by concealing herself under Paul's piano. 'She has a habit of getting people hurt,' Arlo said after describing Alicia with her lost arm and fevers to Paul. 'You see her, you give me a call,' Arlo said as he gave Paul a radio to keep in contact. Hidden away: Paul agreed to hide her and she evaded Arlo by concealing herself under Paul's piano Arlo then looked at a photo of Paul posing with other musicians. 'Deaf musician. Aint that a bitch? Apprecite your time,' Arlo said as he walked out. Paul later quizzed Alicia about Arlo and she explained how they used to live at the same place before it went bad and he blames her. Good questions: Paul later quizzed Alicia about Arlo and she explained how they used to live at the same place before it went bad and he blames her They later reached an agreement in which Alicia would help fix Paul's stereo in exchange for his help in finding her friends. Alicia told Paul while they were out how she needed Arno and his people to topple Victor Strand and take over his tower community. 'He wasn't happy to see me. He said I shouldn't be leading anyone anywhere. And...honestly, he's probably right,' Alicia said. Paul then confessed that the bagpipes were a gift for his wife and he felt guilty for criticizing her arrangement of Ode To Joy on the pipes before her death in the nuclear bomb blast. Late wife: Paul then confessed that the bagpipes were a gift for his wife and he felt guilty for criticizing her arrangement of Ode To Joy on the pipes before her death in the nuclear bomb blast They were interrupted again by Arlo who pushed Alicia toward a truck full of zombies who had believed in her Padre community plan. She was rescued by Paul who came out firing a gun and shot Arlo in the hand. Paul dangerously tried to retrieve a stereo but Alicia got him into a vehicle and safety. Zombies waiting: They were interrupted again by Arlo who pushed Alicia toward a truck full of zombies who had believed in her Padre community plan He explained that he needed the music to drown out the sounds of his wife dying. Alicia revealed that she's been tormented by her own dream. 'You asked me why I thought Padre was the place I had to take everyone. That's why,' she said. Recurring dream: 'You asked me why I thought Padre was the place I had to take everyone. That's why,' she said 'That must have been some dream,' Paul said. 'I told them I knew what I was doing, where I was going, and I didn't. You know, it was just a dream,' Alicia said. Paul insisted that she must have heard the voice for a reason. Alicia told Paul that he should stay away from her, but he instead agreed to help her stop Arno. New plan: Alicia told Paul that he should stay away from her, but he instead agreed to help her stop Arno He called Arno on the radio and told him to come to his house after dark. Paul cranked up the Beethoven when Arno showed up to attract zombies and a gunfight broke out between them. Alicia and Paul fought off zombies and Arno was able to shoot Paul in the stomach. Perfect timing: Alicia was about to be fed to zombies before Paul showed up and saved her Paul told Alicia that she was destined to follow her dream and help her people. He then stayed behind and played the bagpipes to give Alicia cover to escape. Paul played Ode To Joy as Alicia ran away from the house until a gunshot rang out and the music stopped. Alicia then woke up and was being taken care of by Morgan Jones [Lennie James]. Familiar face: Alicia then woke up and was being taken care of by Morgan Jones [Lennie James] She asked for the little girl who helped her and Morgan said there was no little girl. Alicia then realized the person in her dreams was herself. Fear The Walking Dead will return next week on AMC. Freeze the Fear's Wim Hof has credited plunging into the cold with bringing him 'back to life' following the death of his wife. The sportsman, 62, who is noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures, is the star of the new BBC One reality series Freeze The Fear with Wim Hof, hosted by Holly Willoughby and Lee Mack. The series sees celebrities including Tamzin Outhwaite, Professor Green, Strictly's Dianne Buswell and Patrice Evra exposed to cold water therapy with the help of 'Iceman' Wim. Help: Freeze the Fear's Wim Hof has credited plunging into the cold with bringing him 'back to life' following the death of his wife Speaking to The Sun, the Dutch athlete told how he was left with 'no money' and 'deep agony' following his wife's suicide. He said: 'I truly realised the benefit of the cold when I was grieving the death of my wife, Olaya, in 1995. 'She had depression and spiralled into darkness. I was left alone with four kids to look after and no money, dealing with deep emotional agony yet needing to be strong for my children. 'The children made me survive but it was the cold that brought me back to life. It healed me.' Heartbreaking: The Dutch athlete told how he was left with 'no money' and 'deep agony' following his wife's suicide but said his children 'made [him] survive' (his wife Olaya pictured) Show: The sportsman who is noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures, is the star of the new BBC One reality series Freeze The Fear with Wim Hof, hosted by Holly Willoughby and Lee Mack Wim added that cold water led him to 'stillness' and gave him a chance to 'rest, restore and rehabilitate'. The athlete has set Guinness World Records for swimming under ice and prolonged full body contact with ice. Wim's passion for the cold has rubbed off on the celebrities he trained in Freeze The Fear with Professor Green saying he now has cold showers every day since doing the show. Meanwhile, presenter Holly Willoughby said she has adopted Wim's breathing techniques to help manage anxiety and stress. Challenge: The first task of the series saw the stars plunge themselves into a pool of water in the ice. Pictured, Strictly Come Dancing pro Dianne Buswell felt the benefits immediately Celebrities spent six weeks with Wim in northern Italy, carrying out a series of challenges that are designed to help them 'freeze the fear'. All the celebrities took part for different personal reasons, and are hoping they will emerge from the experience feeling happier, healthier and stronger The first task of the series saw the stars plunge themselves into a pool of water in the ice. Emerging from the ice, Alfie Boe said: 'It's emotional. You connect with everything in the past, you connect with all of the things you wanted to change about yourself.' Tough: Wim Hof offered the celebrities advice as they plunged into the water (pictured). The programme is hosted by Holly Willoughby and Lee Mack (right) Dianne Buswell added: 'It's so exhilarating when you put your head under.' 'My blood feels champagne bubbly,' gasped rapper Professor Green. Next the celebrities had to hike through the snow to a rocky outcrop and abseil back down to camp, where they are staying in a single luxury yurt. Throughout each task they are given words of encouragement by Hof, who believes withstanding the cold is all about 'awakening the deepest part of the brain' and becoming 'the alchemist in your own body'. Freeze The Fear With Wim Hof airs on BBC One on Tuesdays at 9pm. They're preparing to celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary next month. And Jimmy Barnes has shared a loved-up Instagram post to wife Jane Mahoney in which he praises his wife's cooking. The 65-year-old rocker posed on a beach with his hands on Jane's shoulders and declared 'there's no place like home'. Long time loves: Jimmy Barnes (right) has shared a loved-up Instagram post to wife Jane Mahoney (left) in which he posed on a beach with his hands on Jane's shoulders He added 'it doesn't get much better than @jane13barnes' steak and chips. I did hope to bring back some sunshine and here it is'. In a second image he posed while holding up a steak on a plate and a bowl of wedges. Jimmy and Jane married in 1981, and have four children - son, Jackie, and daughters, Mahalia, Eliza-Jane and Elly-May. Tasty: In a second image he posed while holding up a steak on a plate and a bowl of wedges In his memoir, Working Class Man, Jimmy revealed it was a case of love at first sight when he first met Thai-born Jane back in 1979. 'I'd met a lot of girls in my life, but no one had ever stopped me in my tracks like that girl did. 'She was way out of my class, but I loved her from the minute I saw her. Jane would change my life,' he wrote. In action: Rock legend Jimmy, 65, gave his all as he took to the stage at the Byron Bay Bluesfest on Sunday (pictured) However, at the time Jimmy - then aged 23 - was dating his housemate Bernadette, and was also linked to a woman named Jan who he had been 'seeing on and off for a long time'. Despite this, Jane became the musician's girlfriend shortly after, and they promptly moved in together. The family lived in France for much of the 1990s, before returning to Australia and taking up residence in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Star attraction: The rock legend entertained the crowd after he was introduced by opposition leader Anthony Albanese The post comes as Barnes lent his star profile to the Byron Bay Bluesfest on Sunday. The rock legend entertained the crowd after he was introduced by opposition leader Anthony Albanese. Mr Albanese was initially met with some boos from revellers before receiving boisterous cheers as he promised a funding boost for the arts sector. Jimmy dressed casually in a black ensemble as he took to the stage at the annual music festival held over the Easter long weekend. On the campaign trail: Mr Albanese (pictured) was initially met with deafening boos from revellers before receiving cheers as he promised a funding boost for the arts sector Grounded: Meanwhile, despite his fame, Jimmy remains humble and described celebrity as 'nothing' in an interview with Truly Aus back in May 2020 Meanwhile, despite his fame, Jimmy remains humble and described celebrity as 'nothing' in an interview with Truly Aus back in May 2020. 'When it comes to celebrity, the rest of the world just wants to see you fall. Fame? Money? Yes it can make life easier, but happiness is really all we have,' he said. 'You have to remember to enjoy the journey. Success is doing what you love. I love to sing, and I am lucky to be able to do that, and to travel the country. 'I have been travelling this country since 1973 and there's nothing I enjoy more.' Sam Burgess is getting into the jerky business. The former NRL star, 33, spoke to The Daily Telegraph on Monday revealing he has partnered with brother Luke for the business. The two brothers have joined forces with Dan and Hans Vanderdonk to become part owners of Orara Valley Jerky from Coffs Harbour. All business: Former NRL star Sam Burgess, 33, (pictured) has revealed his shock new career move into the jerky business as he returns to the spotlight following personal battles The venture was started in 2007 by Dan and Hans parents, with the foursome now giving it a renewed push in the hospitality space. 'I had never really had jerky before but I tried Dan's and I was obsessed. I would dream of it and wake up at midnight to eat some,' Sam said. The star went on to admit he would eat so much he got a 'sore jaw' before asking Dan if he could get onboard with the business. Brothers in business: The former NRL star, 33, spoke to The Daily Telegraph on Monday revealing he has partnered with brother Luke for the business. Pictured with their mother, Julie 'I asked Dan if I could get on board and grow the business because I wanted to get the product out there,' he added. As well as the two sets of brothers, Axemen player Ryan Gill is also onboard. The boys already have a distribution deal with Global Foods. The boys are now selling more than 12,000 bags of the jerky each week, up from 900 before the Burgess boys got involved. Success: The boys are now selling more than 12,000 bags of the jerky each week, up from 900 before the Burgess boys got involved. Sam here with kids: Billy, two, and Poppy, four It comes after a tumultuous time for Sam who was cleared by the NRL of domestic violence last month raised by his ex Phoebe in a series of newspaper articles. Phoebe had accused the retired South Sydney star of domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse during their marriage, which ended in acrimony in late 2019. The allegations were published in The Australian newspaper in October 2020 and denied vehemently by Burgess at the time. Personal: It comes after a tumultuous time for Sam who was cleared by the NRL of domestic violence last month raised by his ex Phoebe in a series of newspaper articles Having spent more than 12 months looking at the claims New South Wales Police confirmed its investigation was over last October in a 12-word statement. 'Following extensive inquiries, no further police action is expected to be taken' it read. Phoebe has said she wanted to expose a toxic culture in the NRL which she claimed included covering up bad behaviour by players, particularly against women. Troubles: Burgess underwent a stint in rehabilitation last year and appeared on SAS Australia (pictured) where he admitted infidelity with a woman in Melbourne in 2017 Sam appeared on the last season of SAS Australia where he admitted infidelity with a woman in Melbourne in 2017. Sam and Phoebe married in 2015, separated in late 2018 and resumed their relationship in early 2019. They split permanently on October 2 that year and later divorced. The former couple shares custody of daughter Poppy, four, and Billy, two. Channel Ten's panel show The Project has had to reshuffle their hosts after star Carrie Bickmore stepped away earlier this month. And the long time presenter has revealed she and her family are 'settling in to the UK now' - after a few stops along the way. In a Sunday Instagram post, Bickmore, 41, showed herself, her partner Chris and their kids loaded up at Melbourne airport, ready to fly out for their international adventure. On their way! In a Sunday Instagram post, Carrie Bickmore (left) showed herself, her partner Chris (second from right) and their kids Oliver, Evie and Adelaide loaded up at Melbourne airport, ready to fly out for their international adventure 'Our adventure is well underway can't wait to share what we've been up to over the past few weeks travelling,' the caption began. 'We've packed it in [visiting France, Switzerland and Austria] (perhaps too many stops for our little people!) and we've seen the most incredible places,' Carrie continued. 'Settling in to the UK now,' she concluded, before dubbing the trip '#britmorefamilyadventure or the Chriswolds's family adventure as Chris calls it'. Next steps: The long time Project presenter has revealed she and her family are 'settling in to the UK now' - after a few stops along the way Bickmore first revealed her grand plans with partner Chris Walker and their kids last month. 'In April I'm going to be taking a few months off The Project desk. Chris and I and the kids are heading off on a family adventure together.' 'We've been wanting to do it for a while but for lots of reasons the timing hasn't been right, but we figure it's never going to be the perfect time to go. Time away: Bickmore first revealed her grand plans with partner Chris Walker and their kids last month. 'In April I'm going to be taking a few months off The Project desk. Chris and I and the kids are heading off on a family adventure together' Carrie explained 'It's something we really want to do before my son starts his final years at school so we're doing term two in the UK. So I will be off for a couple of months.' Carrie also said she had been inspired by The Project panellist Kate Langbroek, 56, who spent two years living in Bologna, Italy, with her family. Meanwhile Waleed Aly and Lisa Wilkinson were noticeably absent from The Project in the wake of Carrie's move, but have since returned. Married At First Sight star Seb Guilhaus has found an unlikely ally in his ex-wife's former friend Cyrell Paule, amid backlash for joining Only Fans. Cyrell, who was on-again/off-again friends with Seb's ex Elizabeth Sobinoff, defended the personal trainer on Instagram on Monday. Cyrell, 33, appeared to take aim at the sexism of the backlash Seb, 33, was receiving from followers and fans of the show. Annoyed: Married At First Sight's Seb Guilhaus has found an unlikely ally in Cyrell Paule (pictured) who slammed 'sexist' backlash on Monday to the star's 'choice' to join Only Fans 'When it was other MAFS contestants joining OFs we praised them, called them strong, empowering, independent,' Cyrell wrote. '[We would say] It's her body, her choice... now a man does it but we don't agree... Guess what... It's HIS body, HIS choice,' the star added. Cyrell went on to explain she would not make an Only Fans herself but valued personal choice. 'It's easy to just ignore things you may not agree with rather than make unwanted comments,' she finished, bluntly. Sexist? '[We would say] It's her body, her choice...now a man does it but we don't agree...Guess what...It's HIS body, HIS choice,' Cyrell wrote of the backlash Seb announced himself and new girlfriend Ania are joining adult subscription site OnlyFans as a couple. He unveiled the news on Sunday alongside a photo of the scantily-clad pair sharing a steamy kiss. He captioned the image: 'So Ania and I did thing. O.F. Coming soon.' Making bank: Cyrell didn't mention anyone by name by former co-star Jessika Power (pictured0 has become one of the biggest earners on OnlyFans, pulling in more than $200,000 from the site OnlyFans is a subscription-based adult website where content can range from something as innocent as a suggestive selfie, all the way to hardcore pornography. It's not yet known what sort of content the pair will be creating. Shortly after the announcement, personal trainer Seb was quick to defend the couple's career move in a candid comment. Saucy: Seb revealed that he and his new girlfriend Ania are joining adult subscription site OnlyFans as a couple. He made the announcement alongside this raunchy photo of the pair 'Hahaha I thought this might be a little contentious,' he began. 'Sorry to shock everyone. 'I don't see anything wrong with being empowered sexually with someone I'm close to, and hopefully empowering others to embrace a very important part of life. 'I definitely haven't changed as a human being, just adding a little spice, a new life experience it is of course everyone's prerogative to decide what this means to them.' He added that it is 'upsetting' the some critics have been quick to judge the couple's decision, adding: 'It's like having a favourite sporting team and dumping them after they lose a single game. Defence: Shortly after the announcement, Seb was quick to defend the couple's career move in a candid comment 'In this case no one is being hurt and no one is being forced to explore this lots of love everyone.' Seb went public with his girlfriend Ania in August 2021. But he revealed a month later that the pair had actually met over a decade prior, when he was just 23. Explanation: 'In this case no one is being hurt and no one is being forced to explore this lots of love everyone,' he added. Pictured with Ania Seb said that he had a massive crush on her but didn't let her know because he was 'ultra-insecure, shy and gorky'. Seb explained that while they had great chemistry, a combination of life getting in the way and mis-timing was to blame they never decided to pursue a relationship. 'I was so attracted to her physically and our conversations were always super deep and interesting,' he wrote. Old pals: Seb went public with his girlfriend Ania in August 2021. But he revealed a month later that the pair had actually met over a decade prior, when he was just 23 (left) 'My lack of groundedness, confidence, and probably my inability to express how I felt meant we didn't fully connect then.' Seb said that after a chance encounter earlier last year the pair were able to reconnect and that he was brave enough to ask for her number. 'We both have massive trust issues but we make each other feel safe,' he said. Reconnected: Seb said his inability to express how he felt meant that they didn't fully connect - until they were reunited 10 years later. Pictured recently 'We both communicate in a strange slightly twisted way but understand each other perfectly.' He finished the post writing, 'I really like you beautiful girl'. Seb confirmed he was dating again almost eight months after his split from former Married At First Sight co-star Elizabeth Sobinoff in January 2021. 'Ania is a beautiful girl with a heart of gold and we are just starting to get to know each other,' he told Daily Mail Australia at the time. Bucks Fizz star Jay Aston broke her silence on Sunday after her daughter was hospitalised with bacterial meningitis, with a new photo released by the family showing Josie, 18, in hospital. Josie was rushed to intensive care and put in an induced coma after her organs began to fail last month, and is still currently in a specialist kidney unit. Speaking to Loose Women on Monday, Jay admitted 'we nearly lost her' while a newly released photo shows Josie hooked up to machines in hospital and with the meningitis rash covering her face and body. Emotional: Speaking to Loose Women on Monday, Jay admitted 'we nearly lost her' and broke down in tears as she broke her silence on her daughter's Josie meningitis Over the weekend, her mother, 60, took to Instagram to share an update with her fans about her daughter's condition. Alongside a selfie the teenager had taken prior to becoming ill, Jay wrote: 'My wonderful daughter Josie Cant wait to get you back home!! One day at a time Angel xxx' Fans rushed to the comments to 'send love and prayers' to the teenager as well as 'get well soon' messages. Jay noticed a rash on Josie's arm on March 22 after her daughter called her and said she felt unwell after sitting in the garden. Hospitalised: Bucks Fizz star Jay Aston broke her silence on Sunday after her daughter was hospitalised with bacterial meningitis, with a new photo released by the family showing Josie, 18, in hospital Devastating: Over the weekend, her mother Jay, 60, took to Instagram to share an update with her fans about her daughters condition (pictured in 2019) The star recognised the rash and Josie's other symptoms of a headache, neck pain and a temperature which didnt come down with paracetamol as meningitis as her husband Dave Colquhoun, Josies father, had contracted it 19 years earlier. She rushed her to hospital, which doctors later said saved Josie's life, and within an hour Josies entire body was covered in the rash. The following day, when her lungs began to fail, she was taken to intensive care where she was put into an induced coma, given oxygen and treated with antibiotics. Josie remained in the coma for five days, with Jay sleeping beside her bed in a chair, until doctors took her out of the coma, but there was no improvement. After five days Josie opened her eyes and after a day she began to speak. She was transferred to a specialist unit at Kings College Hospital in London after doctors realised her kidneys had been damaged. She currently undergoing blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. She also still has a rash on her forehead and knees and has been warned she will have permanent scars on her legs where the rash caused the skin to blister and fall off. Speaking on Loose Women on Monday, an emotional Jay admitted: 'We nearly lost her,' as she described how quickly her daughter's condition deteriorated. Terrifying: Her mother broke her silence alongside a selfie the teenager had taken prior to becoming ill, Jay wrote: 'Cant wait to get you back home!! One day at a time Angel xxx' Tears: Speaking on Loose Women on Monday, an emotional Jay admitted: 'We nearly lost her,' as she described how quickly her daughter's condition deteriorated 'She got into my bed and she didn't seem well. She started to get a high temperature, she couldn't get the temperature down. She had an aching neck, joint pain, I thought maybe she had flu.' 'I called 111 and they send "we'll send an ambulance" this was about 6.45pm. 11pm, no ambulance, I'm starting to panic... her eyes were glassy, I gave her medication to keep her temperature down. At 3am she said "mum I'm not right". If she'd gone in her own bed, I don't think I'd have a daughter.' 'At 3am, I turned the lights on and said "let's have a look at you"... my husband had meningitis 19 years ago. She was the silver lining of nearly losing my husband... I saw the rash on her arms. I knew then what it was and I thought "not again'. Her rash was like a blotch. I drove her to A&E and an ambulance man was having a sandwich, he got her in a wheelchair and pushed her through... she was on a drip.' 'Within one hour she was covered in the rash, literally everywhere. She was petrified. A day and a half later all her organs were failing. We need to put her in a coma, she was in a coma for 5 days. She said 'mummy I will be awake on Mother's Day'... she didn't wake up on Mother's Day, but she woke up two days later.' Fighter: Fans rushed to the comments to 'send love and prayers' to the teenager as well as 'get well soon' messages (the mother and daughter pictured in 2021) 'I said 'did you hear us talking to you?'... and she said no 'I don't remember anything'. She said 'I was floating in the universe... she said why am I still asleep, I want to go home, she said I need to text my mum'... that was when she woke up.' Jay also opened up about her daughter's condition to The Mirror, saying: 'Its been absolutely devastating. We were told it was 50/50 whether she would pull through. We still dont know when shell be coming home. 'I sat by her bedside night after night willing her to make it. I couldnt believe this was her fate, because shes such a lovely person. Shes outgoing, kind, good-willed and full of life. It just felt so cruel. Ive been doing a lot of praying. Shes my world were ridiculously close. I just couldnt imagine being without her.' Bacterial meningitis usually occurs when bacteria enters the bloodstream and travels to the brain and spinal cord. It is much more serious and rarer than viral meningitis, and one in 10 cases are fatal. Possible side effects include brain damage, hearing loss and amputation of the affected limbs. Heartbreaking: Jay opened up about the 'devastating' illness and said she was told it was '50/50 whether she would pull through' (pictured 2019) Jay has gone through her own health issues, undergoing seven operations - including having part of her tongue removed - to cure her mouth cancer in 2018 and battling Covid in 2021. Despite this, she said that the fear of losing her daughter made this the 'worst month of my life' and insisted she would 'swap places with her in a heartbeat.' Jay says Josie still has a lot of recovery time to go, and wants her story told so people know the dangers of the infection, which can be spread through sneezing, coughing and kissing. She is hopeful that Josie will be released from hospital this week, but for now is just grateful she is alive, knowing how close she came to losing her. Advertisement James Lock and Chloe Sims were seen standing next to an ambulance as their Easter Sunday night out in London appeared to take a dramatic turn. The TOWIE stars, aged 35 and 40, were seen standing in the crowd outside Jin Bo Law bar on Aldgate High Street as ambulances were parked outside the venue. Blue lights were seen flashing on an ambulance car as Chloe and James chatted with other partygoers and stood in front of the emergency vehicles. Night out: James Lock and Chloe Sims were seen standing next to an ambulance as their Easter Sunday night appeared to take a dramatic turn Emotional: James, 35, appeared to wipe a tear from 40-year-old Chloe's face in one picture The night out appeared to have taken a dramatic turn as one picture appeared to show James wiping Chloe's face. It is understood that neither James or Chloe were involved in the emergency incident, which saw a partygoer taken ill. Other photographs showed the animated pair talking with others as a man who appeared to be a security guard stood behind James. Another snap showed Chloe flashing a smile at James and placing her hand on his arm as the pair appeared to be getting on well. Drama: The TOWIE stars, aged 35 and 40, were seen crowding outside Jin Bo Law bar on Aldgate High Street as ambulances were parked outside the venue Security: A man who appeared to be a bouncer, as he wore a yellow arm band and stood behind James Tension: Blue lights were seen flashing on an ambulance car as Chloe and James chatted with other people and stood in front of the emergency vehicles Ambulances: The night out appeared to have taken a dramatic turn as James appeared animated while chatting to people Chloe and James were joined for their night out by James English, who the reality TV star has been training with on Celebrity MMA, as they took to social media to share videos of them dancing. Chloe had posted videos on social media with her sister Demi at Jin Bo Law bar earlier in the evening and the siblings later went on to nightclub Tape London. She looked dressed for a fun-filled night out as she flaunted her ample assets in a figure-hugging white mini dress, which she paired with over-the-knee black boots. She kept warm in a smart black coat while she wore her golden tresses in a straight fashion for the Easter Sunday outing. Incident: Other photographs showed the animated pair talking with others as a man who appeared to be a security guard stood behind James Evening: James cut a casual figure in cream trousers and an olive shirt, while he kept comfortable in a pair of New Balance trainers Pals: Chloe looked dressed for a fun-filled night out as she flaunted her ample assets in a figure-hugging white mini dress, which she paired with over-the-knee black boots Drama: James appeared wide eyes as he gathered around other pals as they chatted in front of the bar James cut a casual figure in cream trousers and an olive shirt, while he kept comfortable in a pair of New Balance trainers. As the night came to an end, James and Chloe were seen getting into a taxi together at around 11.30pm, according to a source. MailOnline has contacted James and Chloe's representatives and Jin Bo Law for comment. Ambulances: James spoke with another man as a security guard appeared to be talking to the pair next to the ambulances Tense: Blue lights were flashing as James spoke with Chloe and other friends Stress: James ran his fingers through his hair, while he chatted with pals Group: James and other men could all be seen chatting to each other as they stood on Aldgate High Street Group: James stuck with Chloe as they joined their friends and chatted outside the venue Conversation: James pointed as he chatted with his friends outside the rooftop bar, where an incident seemed to have occurred James' night out with Chloe comes after rumours that he has rekindled his romance with ex-girlfriend Yazmin Oukhellou following his split from Megan Barton-Hanson. Last week, James was spotted leaving Yazmin's Essex home after spending the night with Yazmin, 27, and filming now-deleted Instagram stories of him wearing just his boxer shorts from her kitchen. Yazmin and James insisted their toxic relationship was over for good last February before the reality bad boy's fling with ITVBe co-star Chloe Brockett, 21. What happened? Chloe cut a smart figure as she stood in the road alongside James and other pals A source close to Yazmin expressed to MailOnline their fears regarding the couple's reconciliation, believing the reality star is better off without James in her life. They said: 'James and Yazmin getting back together is worrying they seem to be addicted to each other, but it never ends well. 'They've had their good times but that has always been overshadowed by huge rows and public fallouts. 'Whenever James is single, he seems to make his way back to Yazmin and she welcomes him with open arms.' Incident: Neither James or Chloe were involved in the incident Blue lights: The night seemed to have taken a dramatic turn as partygoers crowded outside the venue All smiles: But Chloe appeared to be unfazed by the incident as she laughed while chatting with friends Incident: James was not involved in the incident, which saw someone collapse Emergency: Blue lights were seen flashing as crowds of bargoers stood outside the venue in Aldgate It comes weeks after Megan was reportedly left terrified after her hotel room door was 'kicked in' during a heated row with ex-boyfriend James. According to The Sun, the Love Island star alerted the hotel staff who dialled 999, with police spotted arriving by onlookers at the hotel shortly after. Megan had been staying at the 350-a-night Courthouse Hotel in central London, after she enjoyed a date with another reality star at the same club where James was also partying. Megan was leaving a nightclub at 1.30am with Life On Marbs star Adam Graham shortly after her ex James arrived with a mystery women. Romance: James' night out with Chloe comes after rumours that he has rekindled his romance with ex-girlfriend Yazmin Oukhellou following his split from Megan Barton-Hanson Heading home: As the night came to an end, James and Chloe were seen getting into a taxi together at around 11.30pm, according to a source Cab: James got into the taxi alongside Chloe as the pair got on well Things then reportedly took a serious turn hours later, when it is believed that TOWIE star James was informed of Megan's room number. A source told the publication: 'At one point, the hotel door was kicked. There was a lot of shouting. Megan was shocked. It was all very aggressive'. The source believed James was handed a key by staff after he showed them photos of himself and Megan. The insider added: 'This all happened in broad daylight in a busy hotel. It was very dramatic and Megan's hotel door was damaged in the chaos.' He's played Karl Kennedy on Neighbours for a whopping 28 years. And actor Alan Fletcher has revealed just how he's been able to keep sane while working on the high-pressure soap for almost three decades, in a gushing Sunday Instagram post. The 65-year-old credited his long time co-star Jackie Woodburne, 66, who plays his wife, Susan Kennedy, on the show, for his longevity. How does he do it? Alan Fletcher (pictured) has revealed just how he's been able to keep sane while working on Neighbours for almost three decades, in a gushing Sunday Instagram post 'One of the most asked questions I receive is "how have I managed to work on the same show for almost 28 years?", began Alan's post. 'Here is the answer. Working with #jackiewoodburne makes every day at work creative and fun.' 'There are many reasons to be sad about @neighbours ending and losing this artistic collaboration will be front and centre amongst them. Hail the Queen!' He signed off, 'Please watch #neighbours to the end because the finish is going to be very special. @channel10au @channel5_tv'. His secret weapon: The 65-year-old credited his long time co-star and TV wife Jackie Woodburne (right) for his longevity Co-stars: Jackie plays his wife Susan Kennedy on the show. Pictured on the show The finale of the long-running Australian soap will air on Monday, August 1, after fans were shocked earlier this year to learn it would be ending. The episode will be broadcast on the same day in Australia and the UK, where the show is aired on 10 Peach and Channel 5 respectively. The Australian broadcaster last month confirmed the series was being axed after an incredible 37 years on the air. Farewell, Ramsay Street: The finale of Aussie soap opera Neighbours (cast pictured) will air on Monday, August 1. The episode will be broadcast on the same day in Australia and the UK The last episode will be filmed in Melbourne in June. Channel 10 and production company Fremantle previously told MailOnline: 'It is with sadness that after nearly 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes broadcast, we are confirming that Neighbours will cease production in the summer. 'Following the loss of a key broadcast partner [Channel 5] in the UK, and despite a search for alternative funding, we currently have no option but to rest the show. 'Everyone at Neighbours has been overwhelmed by the love and support from the audience since the news came out. 'The show has brought a sunny slice of Australia into the homes of millions of viewers around the world launching the careers of dozens of household names along the way. 'But as this chapter of Ramsay Street comes to a close, we promise to do everything we can to give the show the send-off it deserves.' Iconic: The Australian broadcaster last month confirmed the series was being axed after an incredible 37 years on the air Stars including Kylie Minogue, who found fame as Charlene Robinson on Neighbours before launching a successful music career, have mourned the loss of the show that helped launch their careers. The pint-sized pop star tweeted: 'I'll be forever grateful for the experience and the friends I made on Neighbours. 'We had no idea how big the show would become and how passionately viewers would take it to heart. Pure love! I can still hear Madge calling CHARLENE!!!!' 'Grateful': Stars including Kylie Minogue, who played Charlene Robinson on Neighbours before launching a music career, have mourned the loss of the show that helped launch their careers. Pictured are Kylie and Jason Donovan, who played Scott and Charlene, in 1988 Channel 10 also said in a statement the axing of the show was a 'difficult decision'. 'Today, Fremantle confirmed that Neighbours will cease production in June, after nearly 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes,' a network spokesperson said. 'This difficult decision came after the search for an alternative UK broadcast partner proved unsuccessful.' Tough call: Australian broadcaster Channel 10 said the axing of the show was a 'difficult decision'. Pictured: Ryan Moloney, who plays Toadie Rebecchi 'A much-loved stalwart of our program schedule for over 35 years it has been a staple of Australian television drama, and Australian cultural exports,' the rep added. 'Ramsay Street, Erinsborough, is a cul-de-sac recognised all over the world and has been home to Scott and Charlene, Des and Daphne, Dr Karl and Susan, Dee and Toadie, Aaron and David and many, many more neighbours. 'Network 10 thanks the cast, crew, all the production team and Fremantle for bringing the perfect blend of soap and sunshine to audiences in Australia and around the world.' Many Hollywood stars, including Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth, began their careers on the show, which premiered in Australia in March 1985. Former MasterChef Australia winner Julie Goodwin has made her return to the TV cooking competition on Monday night. Julie, 51, who won the series 13 years ago, was one of the most anticipated faces to reappear this season on Fans Vs Favourites. The lovable grandmother offered a comical response when asked by the judges how she was feeling about being on the show. Iconic: MasterChef star Julie Goodwin, 51, (pictured) offered some frank words as she made her much-anticipated return to the TV competition on Monday 'Oh, I'm brickin' it,' Julie said, with the kitchen erupting in laughter. 'Everyone's brickin' it that you're here!' affable judge Andy Allen replied. 'So I'm glad that you're brickin' it. Tell me more about that.' Too funny: 'Oh, I'm brickin' it,' Julie said, with the kitchen erupting in laughter. 'Everyone's brickin' it that you're here!' affable judge Andy Allen replied Julie said she couldn't deny her nerves as she returned to the competition after many years off the television. 'I'm, like, fizzy with excitement. My guts are doing strange things,' she said. Julie said she was 'grateful' to make her return to the show. Exciting: 'I'm, like, fizzy with excitement. My guts are doing strange things,' she said. Julie said she was 'grateful' to make her return to the show after so many years away 'I'm so grateful, so grateful, to be back here. It's...it's amazing. It's an amazing feeling. I'm on quite a high,' she said. She finished by praising what a deep learning experience the cooking competition is for all the new home cooks cast this season. Julie has spoken about her ups and downs since appearing on the show, including her harrowing battle with depression. Return: She finished by praising what a deep learning experience the cooking competition is for all the new home cooks cast this season. Pictured: Judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo Julie revealed she spent a five week stay in a mental health facility, while speaking to the Australian Women's Weekly. The star said she found comfort in her granddaughter, Delilah, one. 'In the midst of that really awful time I had decided that I was done,' Julie told the publication. Family: Julie has spoken about her ups and downs since appearing on the show, including her harrowing battle with depression. Pictured with husband Michael (left) and Delilah 'I had nothing left to do, my work here was done. That's where I found myself. That landed me in hospital a bunch of times. 'So, I'm trying to figure out if my life here is not done, then what the hell is it? Delilah is obviously a massive part of that. She's a tiny little human who I want to be around for,' she continued. Delilah is the daughter of Julie's son, Tom. Doing it for Delilah: She told this month's Australian Women's Weekly, 'She's a tiny little human who I want to be around for' Julie sent shockwaves through the showbiz world four years ago when she was charged with drink-driving twice over the legal limit. She was caught after trying to evade a police breath test. After fronting up at court with her husband and acknowledging it was 'an error in judgment' and 'accepting full responsibility', Goodwin was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for six months. Shock: Julie sent shockwaves through the showbiz world four years ago when she was charged with drink-driving twice over the legal limit. Pictured arriving at Gosford Local Court in 2018 She later revealed she had been suffering from depression, for which she had sought treatment at a psychiatric facility. The revelation in February this year came 13 years after Goodwin beat runner-up Poh Ling Yeow with her hearty home recipes in 2009. For confidential support contact Lifeline 131 114 Advertisement Channing Tatum has been seen for the first time since his Magic Mike 3 co-star Thandiwe Newton exited the film following claims of an 'on-set bust-up.' The actor, 41, was seen heading to lunch with girlfriend Zoe Kravitz, 33, at the 34 Restaurant in Mayfair, after Thandiwe was replaced by Salma Hayek in the film. It was also reported on Sunday that Thandiwe, who denied she was axed due to an on-set row, has separated from her husband Ol Parker after 24 years of marriage. EXCLUSIVE: Channing Tatum has been seen for the first time since his Magic Mike 3 co-star Thandiwe Newton exited the film following claims of an 'on-set bust-up' Quit: The actress, who has reportedly separated from her husband Ol Parker, recently denied claims she was sacked from her leading role over an on-set row (pictured during filming) Channing, who had been filming Magic Mike 3 in London, stepped out hand-in-hand with girlfriend Zoe to enjoy an Easter lunch with friends. The actor cut a downcast figure during the unexpected break from production, which came after Thandiwe exited the film last week. Thandiwe has denied claims she was sacked from her leading role in Magic Mike 3 over a heated argument with Channing. Sighting: Channing was seen heading to lunch with girlfriend Zoe Kravitz, 33, at the 34 Restaurant in Mayfair Sad: The actor cut a downcast figure during the unexpected break from production, which came after Thandiwe exited the film last week Supportive: Channing, who had been filming Magic Mike 3 in London, stepped out hand-in-hand with girlfriend Zoe to enjoy an Easter lunch with friends According to a new report in Page Six, staffers on the movie became worried about her health during filming in London, with her agent flying in from Los Angeles to try and 'smooth things over'. The publication reports that Thandiwe has been suffering with emotional and family problems after separating from her husband Ol, 52, with whom she shares children Ripley, 21, Nico, 17, and Booker, eight. Ol is a British filmmaker who previously wrote and directed the 2018 musical film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Split? It was reported on Sundat that Thandiwe has allegedly separated from her husband Ol Parker and is likely headed to rehab (pictured with Ol in 2019) Family: The couple share three children Ripley, 21, Nico, 17, and Booker, eight (pictured with her husband and daughters in 2019) Together: Zoe (left) joined beau Channing (right) for lunch in the capital after Magic Mike 3's leading female role was recast 11 days into filming A source said: 'Thandiwe had been acting strange on set, she has been very highly strung. Her apparent breakdown caused so much disruption, it became clear she couldn't play the role. 'There is a lot going on in her personal life, she and her husband have separated. She seemed so stressed she even brought her two pet rabbits to her hotel for emotional support.' A Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson previously said of her departure from the movie: 'Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures' Magic Mike's Last Dance to deal with family matters.' Drama: According to a new report, staffers on the movie became worried about Thandiwe's health during filming, with her agent flying in from Los Angeles to try and 'smooth things over' Gone: A Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson previously said Thandiwe had departed the film to 'deal with family matters' The insider added that Thandiwe fired her UK agent of three decades as her US agent Gaby Morgerman flew in to try to help. Thandiwe has reportedly fired her UK team at London based agency Independent Talent Group in recent weeks. The insider said of her next steps: 'Thandiwe's team wants her to go to rehab for mental health support. 'She was supposed to leave immediately for a facility, they tried for a Malibu rehab, but they couldn't take her. Arrangements are now being made to go to a facility in Arizona, if she agrees to go.' MailOnline contacted representatives of Thandiwe Newton for comment at the time. At odds: Last week reports said the alleged argument between Thandiwe and Channing, which was said to be 'unimaginably vicious', was over Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars Clash: The statement comes after insiders told The Sun that Thandiwe is planning on suing studio chiefs at Warner Bros over the incident Thandiwe exited Magic Mike's Last Dance after 11 days of filming with Channing due to a 'family matter'. Last week The Sun reported the alleged argument between Thandiwe and Channing, which was said to be 'unimaginably vicious', was over Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. A Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson said: 'Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures' Magic Mike's Last Dance to deal with family matters.' The statement comes after insiders told The Sun that Thandiwe is planning on suing studio chiefs at Warner Bros over the incident. Leaving: The argument reportedly took place on location in Paddington and culminated with Channing driving off set in his car Shocking: A source said: 'After the row he just went, ''I am not working with her anymore''. Him being a producer, it's his movie, so she's off the movie' The argument reportedly took place on location in Paddington and culminated with Channing driving off set in his car. A source said: 'Channing Tatum is the producer and number one on set. Thandiwe Newton is the number two star. But 11 days into shooting and it's all over. 'They fell out over the debacle at The Oscars. I was on set. I watched her and watched him. They were in and out of the house where we were filming having this confrontation. 'After the row he just went, ''I am not working with her anymore''. Him being a producer, it's his movie, so she's off the movie.' Recast: Thandiwe's role in the film will now reportedly be played by Salma Hayek (pictured in February) The source added that all scenes filmed with Thandiwe will now have to be reshot with Salma while the film's director Steven Soderbergh reportedly didn't take a side in the argument. A spokesperson for Thandiwe told MailOnline: 'This report is completely inaccurate.' The original Magic Mike movie premiered in 2012 and was loosely based on Channing's experience working as a stripper in Tampa, Florida. A sequel followed in 2015. Neutral: The source added that all scenes filmed with Thandiwe will now have to be reshot with Salma while the film's director Steven Soderbergh reportedly didn't take a side Channing confirmed that he would reprise his role for Magic Mike's Last Dance in November on 2021. In a recent interview with PEOPLE he spoke about the importance on the movie having a lead female character. 'I want to have an equal, if not even more centralized female character for Mike to really play off of and almost to... I don't want to say, [to have her] take the baton, but really let the movie be about a female's experience and not Mike's experience, because it has been so much about Mike and the guys' experiences. 'These movies are very, very female-forward. At least that is our intention.' Julie Goodwin shocked MasterChef viewers on Monday night as she made her big return to the show after her arrest for drink driving and mental health struggles. The cook, 51, was charged with drink driving twice over the legal limit four years ago, and later revealed she had been suffering from depression for which she sought treatment at a psychiatric facility. Julie was wracked with nerves as she presented her Lebanese Shish Tawook dish to judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo, and fans said she looked 'stressed'. The mother of three, who won her season back in 2009, was shaking though most of the episode and even cut her finger. Nervous: Julie Goodwin shocked MasterChef viewers on Monday as she made her return to the TV show after her arrest for drink driving and mental health struggles. The star was wracked with nerves as she presented her dish to judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo Julie fought back tears as she explained she felt a rush of the adrenaline while finding her her feet in the kitchen after several years of struggle. 'I loved it, and I felt that fantastic adrenaline rush, but also those nerves, man, they just came back like no time had passed at all,' she told the judges. She clasped her hands nervously as she awaited their judges response to her dish. Judge Jock was quick to offer her some encouragement. Stressed: The mother of three, who won her season back in 2009, was shaking though most of the episode and even cut her finger Reaction: Viewers remarked on how 'nervous' and 'stressed' Julie looked during the episode 'You're a competent cook, clearly, right? I just want to talk about what I'm feeling from you, watching you cook today and watching you stand now,' Jock said. He said he thought since Julie was first ever winner of the show, she felt she wasn't as good as other winners who came after her. Julie agreed, saying it had been playing on her mind. Delicious: The star presented Shish Tawook to the judges alongside fattoush, flatbread and toum (pictured) Jock comforted her by telling her, 'I need you to just let it wash through your brain. You're not an OG. You're a winner. 'But what you are, more importantly, is a classic. Okay? And classics never get old. Classics are very hard to beat.' Julie was clearly taken aback by the encouragement. 'I need you to just let it wash through your brain. You're not an OG. You're a winner': Judge Jock Zonfrillo said he thought since Julie was first ever winner of the show, she felt she wasn't as good as other winners who came after her Melissa called the dish 'everything it should have been' and said 'everything had a place'. Andy described the trio of judges as a 'tight-knit family crowded round fighting for a chance to get the last skewer'. 'Julie, you have every bit as much chance of your name on that trophy again. And with food that tastes that good and looks that good... I'm banking on it,' Jock said. Icon: 'Julie, you have every bit as much chance of your name on that trophy again. And with food that tastes that good and looks that good...I'm banking on it,' Jock said The champion chef was then given a round of applause. Julie sent shock waves through the showbiz world four years ago when she was charged with drink driving twice over the legal limit. She was caught after trying to evade a police breath test. After fronting up at court with her husband and acknowledging it was 'an error in judgment' and 'accepting full responsibility', Julie was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for six months. She later revealed she had been suffering from depression and spent five weeks in a mental health facility. Julie spoke about about her harrowing battle with depression in an interview with the Australian Women's Weekly back in 2020. Winner: Judges Andy Allen (left), Melissa Leong (centre) and Jock Zonfrillo all loved the dish She said she found comfort in her granddaughter, Delilah, one. 'In the midst of that really awful time I had decided that I was done,' Julie told the publication. 'I had nothing left to do, my work here was done. That's where I found myself. That landed me in hospital a bunch of times. 'So, I'm trying to figure out if my life here is not done, then what the hell is it? Delilah is obviously a massive part of that. She's a tiny little human who I want to be around for,' she added. Julie famously beat runner-up Poh Ling Yeow on the popular cooking show with her hearty home recipes in 2009. For confidential support contact Lifeline 131 114 MasterChef Australia continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 Julie sent shock waves through the showbiz world four years ago when she was charged with drink driving twice over the legal limit. Pictured arriving at Gosford Local Court in 2018 Battle: She later revealed she had been suffering from depression and spent five weeks in a mental health facility. Amid her mental health battle, she said she found comfort in her granddaughter, Delilah, one Advertisement Thandiwe Newton's apparent split from her husband Ol Parker comes just days after she was allegedly sacked from her leading role in Magic Mike 3 after a heated argument with co-star Channing Tatum - amid growing concerns about her behaviour. Colleagues have become increasingly worried about the actress, 49, with sources describing her as 'acting strange on set', 'always ranting and raving', and being 'very highly strung'. There are now claims she is 'heading to rehab', according to Page Six, which reported a source as saying: 'Her apparent breakdown caused so much disruption, it became clear she couldn't play the role. 'There is a lot going on in her personal life, she and her husband have separated. She seemed so stressed she even brought her two pet rabbits to her hotel for emotional support.' In February, Thandiwe came under fire for a 'cringey' and 'patronising' interview to promote the movie God's Country, during which she burst into tears as she apologised to 'darker-skinned actresses' for 'taking their roles'. In the film she plays a grieving black professor who confronts two white hunters on her property. But Thandiwe told Sky News she considered not taking the role due to concerns about 'colourism'. Beginning to well up, the actress said she 'wanted to apologise every day to darker-skinned actresses'. She said: 'It's been very painful to have women who look like my mum feel like I'm not representing them. That I'm taking from them. Taking their men, taking their work, taking their truth. I didn't mean to.' Thandiwe, who reverted to the African spelling of her name after previously going by 'Thandie', has been married to Ol Parker since 1998. The couple share three children, Ripley, 21, Nico, 17, and Booker, eight. Split? Thandiwe Newton has allegedly separated from her husband Ol Parker and is likely headed to rehab according to a new report (pictured with Ol in 2018) Thandiwe with Channing Tatum on the set of Magic Mike 3 in London EXCLUSIVE: Channing (pictured with his girlfriend Zoe Kravitz) is seen for the first time since his co-star Thandiwe exited Magic Mike 3 following claims of an 'on-set bust-up' Thandiwe has been described as being 'very demanding' and behaving like an 'absolute diva' on the set of Magic Mike 3, according to one crew member. 'Everyone on set found her challenging to work with,' they told The Sun. 'She's an absolute diva. I've watched her have a go at the first assistant director, her costume girl. She's always ranting and raving about something.' A spokesman claimed Thandiwe stepped away from the film - to be replaced by Selma Hayek - because she needed to deal with family matters. But it has been reported her position became untenable after she fell out with co-star Channing Tatum, 41, on set in Paddington, west London. It was claimed they had an unimaginably vicious argument over Will Smiths behaviour at the Oscars, when he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage. An unnamed crew member said: They fell out over the debacle at the Oscars. I was on set... It was a tense exchange of words, but suddenly it escalated Channing got into this car and he disappeared. However, this account of events has not been corroborated by anyone else. An insider added that Thandiwe fired her UK agent of three decades as her US agent Gaby Morgerman flew in to try to help. In February, Thandiwe came under fire for a 'cringey' and 'patronising' interview to promote the movie God's Country, during which she burst into tears as she apologised to 'darker-skinned actresses' for 'taking their roles' Gaby is considered one of the most powerful women in Hollywood, representing stars including Matthew McConaughey and Minnie Driver over her thirty year career at powerhouse agency William Morris. Thandiwe has reportedly fired her UK team at London based agency Independent Talent Group in recent weeks. The insider said of her next steps: 'Thandiwe's team wants her to go to rehab for mental health support. She was supposed to leave immediately for a facility, they tried for a Malibu rehab, but they couldn't take her. Arrangements are now being made to go to a facility in Arizona, if she agrees to go.' MailOnline has contacted representatives of Thandiwe Newton for comment. Thandiwe exited Magic Mike's Last Dance after 11 days of filming with Channing due to a 'family matter'. A Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson said: 'Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures' Magic Mike's Last Dance to deal with family matters.' The statement came after insiders told The Sun that Thandiwe is planning on suing studio chiefs at Warner Bros over the incident. The argument reportedly took place on location in Paddington. A source said: 'Channing Tatum is the producer and number one on set. Thandiwe Newton is the number two star. But 11 days into shooting and it's all over. 'They fell out over the debacle at The Oscars. I was on set. I watched her and watched him. They were in and out of the house where we were filming having this confrontation. 'After the row he just went, 'I am not working with her anymore'. Him being a producer, it's his movie, so she's off the movie.' Quit: The actress, 49, recently denied claims she was sacked from her leading role in Magic Mike 3 over a heated argument with co-star Channing Tatum Family: The couple share three children Ripley, 21, Nico, 17, and Booker, eight (pictured with her husband and daughters in 2019) The source added that all scenes filmed with Thandiwe will now have to be reshot with Salma while the film's director Steven Soderbergh reportedly didn't take a side in the argument. A spokesperson for Thandiwe told MailOnline: 'This report is completely inaccurate.' The original Magic Mike movie premiered in 2012 and was loosely based on Channing's experience working as a stripper in Tampa, Florida. A sequel followed in 2015. Channing confirmed that he would reprise his role for Magic Mike's Last Dance in November on 2021. The film is set to premiere exclusively on HBO Max. The release date has yet to be announced. In a recent interview with PEOPLE he spoke about the importance on the movie having a lead female character. 'I want to have an equal, if not even more centralized female character for Mike to really play off of and almost to... I don't want to say, [to have her] take the baton, but really let the movie be about a female's experience and not Mike's experience, because it has been so much about Mike and the guys' experiences. 'These movies are very, very female-forward. At least that is our intention.' Report: It was claimed the alleged argument between Thandiwe and Channing was 'unimaginably vicious' (Channing pictured centre in Magic Mike, 2012) Recast: Thandiwe's role in the film will now reportedly be played by Salma Hayek (pictured in February) Born in London, Newton grew up in Penzance, Cornwall, where her parents her dad is white British, her mother black, from Zimbabwe sent her to a Catholic school. She said of her school years: 'I was aware that I didn't fit. I was the black, atheist kid in the all-white, Catholic school run by nuns'. She went on to study at Cambridge University, where she read anthropology. She has said she fell in love with her husband Ol at first sight, dumping her boyfriend at the time to be with him when they met in 1997. At the time Ol was a screenwriter and had penned In Your Dreams, which featured the actress. 'It's very unusual to have writers around on set because directors don't want them there. But they love having Ol around. He was on set every day and I fell madly in love with him,' she told InStyle Magazine. 'I'd never experienced that before. Up until then, my relationships had always been more based on people wanting to be with me. When I met Ol, I was dating a really sweet, lovely man and I had to leave him straight away, even though I wasn't even going out with Ol'. 'But as soon as I met Ol, it kind of cut off any other blood vessels to anywhere else. We got married about two years later.' She went on to marry Ol in 1998, with the actress gushing in a 2016 interview about their home life with their three children that the director is 'Soooo calm.' 'And we laugh, because I take the p**s out of him,' she added at the time. 'You know: shoulder-shrugging: 'It's OK, babe.' And he takes the p**s out of my What would you describe it as? Highly emotional. As I'm thinking, the words will come. I don't stop and think.' In a 2019 interview Thandiwe revealed she lost acting roles because she spoke out about sexual abuse in the past. When she was 16 she was groomed by director John Duigan, who was 39 years old at the time. The violations by Duigan lasted five years, two of those years were termed a 'relationship' after he sought Newton's parents' blessing for her to be his girlfriend when she was 18, while asking her to hide their previous intimacy which began when she was just 16. Two years after meeting Duigan, at the age of 18, another director told the actress to intimately touch herself during an audition. Newton obliged, as there was also a female casting director present. Love: The actress has said she fell in love with her husband Ol at first sight, dumping her boyfriend at the time to be with him when they met in 1997(pictured in 2019) But years later, she discovered the unnamed man had kept her tape and was playing it at poker games for other Hollywood elite. Following the violating discovery, Thandiwe began to fight the abuse and call it out - an act that cost the actress many jobs. 'I was very aware of the climate of sexual abuse that was going on around me, so I became the person you didn't want to hire because I would call it out,' she told Marie Claire in 2019. 'In retrospect, I can see many instances where not only would I not be employed, but other actors and actresses would not necessarily want to be associated with me.' 'Probably the worst thing about having your innocence rocked is what stays with you. The sense of worthlessness, shamethese things are very hard to move on from. But you can,' she told the outlet. The star said she terminated a contract with a publicist who begged her to stop talking about being sexually abused because it was 'not good for your reputation'. In 1996 Thandiwe sought help after suffering from an eating disorder, which she explained stemmed from her previous sexual abuse. 'I was lying in bed, so thin, and my heart was beating against my ribcage so hard that I could see it, and my friend Jessica called. I said 'Jessica, I'm worried I'm going to die.' And that was it. I suddenly realised there was something very, very dangerous and dark within. She said, 'You've got to go and talk to somebody'' she told Vogue in 2021. Family: She went on to marry Ol in 1998, with the actress gushing in a 2016 interview about their homelife with their three children that the director is 'Soooo calm' (pictured with two of their children Ripley and Nico in 2016) The star has previously been open about subscribing to the The Hoffman Process, a form of therapy also embraced by the likes of Katy Perry and Sienna Miller. Retreats and courses help attendees 'unlearn' negative behaviors and thereby begin a journey of 'self-understanding'. Justin Bieber described his experience of The Hoffman Process in a 2019 Vogue interview, explaining: 'You sit on a mat, you put a pillow down, and you beat your past out of it. I beat the fact that my mom was depressed a lot of my life and my dad has anger issues. Stuff that they passed on that I'm kind of mad they gave me'. In a revealing interview in 2021, Thandiwe revealed that she was becoming disillusioned with acting, telling Vogue UK: 'I find that acting takes more and more away from me, because I'm more connected to myself than I've ever been, whereas before I was delighted to get an excuse to go off to another personality.' 'I couldn't wait to get away from myself, truly, I had such low self-esteem. Acting was where I felt whole.' The actress was previously credited as Thandie Newton before she reverted to the original spelling of her name three decades after it was misspelled in her first film. She revealed that Thandie was a careless misspelling in the credits of her first movie the 1991 Australian film Flirting, co-starring Nicole Kidman and Noah Taylor and it has stuck ever since. 'That's my name. It's always been my name. I'm taking back what's mine,' she told British Vogue in April 2021. Danniella Westbrook looked sensational as she shared an stunning snap to Instagram of herself and her longtime pal Francine Lewis at GB News on Sunday night. The actress, 48, showed off her incredible sense of fashion as she posed in a yellow patterned blouse ahead of her appearance on the TV channel. She styled her golden tresses swept over to one side in a straight fashion while she bolstered her good looks with a bronzed make-up palette. Wow! Danniella Westbrook looked sensational as she shared an Instagram snap of herself with her longtime pal Francine Lewis at GB News on Sunday night Meanwhile, Britain's Got Talent impressionist Francine Lewis looked effortlessly chic in a white blazer and wore her brunette locks loosely. The friends of 21 years appeared together on GB News to voice their opinions on scientists developing the male contraceptive pill. On the show, Danniella controversially admitted she doesn't think it is a man's 'job' to take contraceptive medication. She said: 'I think you can trust a man to do anything but I don't think it's their job to do it is? I think its a woman's job.' Opinions: She appeared on GB News to voice their opinions on scientists developing the male contraceptive pill, where she said it isn't a man's 'job' to take contraceptive medication When asked if she thought that was sexist, she added: 'Maybe I am sexist, I think there's certain things done for a woman and certain things for a man. Why would a guy want to go out and take the pill?' It comes after Danniella booked herself five surgeries to correct her 'collapsing' face due to a previous cocaine addiction and osteoporosis. Earlier this month, Danniella stepped out with a bandage over her nose, leaving fans convinced that she had already had her nose surgery. But the dressings came after she had skin removed for biopsies to determine whether she is fit for the upcoming procedures. Operations: It comes after Danniella booked herself five surgeries to correct her 'collapsing' face due to a previous cocaine addiction and osteoporosis The star recently revealed her plans to have a rib inserted into her face after years of drug abuse caused her nose to collapse. She previously underwent a rib insertion procedure in 2018, after osteoporosis rotted away her cheekbones and gums and, after spending the last year getting lip filler and Botox, in addition to surgery on her face, she is hoping to get back to her best. The television personality has previously had five reconstructive operations but she is still targeted by cruel online trolls over her appearance. Previously talking about her operation to correct the 'rotting' bones in her face, she said she would have her rib placed under her visage. She also voiced her fears after booking herself five surgeries to correct her 'collapsing' face. Concerns: She also voiced her fears after booking herself five surgeries to correct her 'collapsing' face She told The Sun: 'I've spent the last seven years trying to get someone to fix my face. They kept refusing or wanting to charge me 500,000. 'Before Christmas I couldn't breathe because I had a cold. There was a build up of fluid and after I fell asleep I couldn't wake up properly and ended up in ICU. 'That's why I'm doing this. I need this surgery to survive. It's not for vanity, this is about my health. It harbours my lifestyle on a day to day basis.' Danniella confessed she prays, 'Please let me wake up,' every time she's knocked out with anaesthetia due to her 'love' of plastic surgery - which saw her splash out on no less than six boob jobs. Elsewhere, newly engaged Danniella said there will be 'many sleepless nights' once her secret jailbird fiance David is released from prison. Before: Danniella confessed she prays, 'Please let me wake up,' every time she's knocked out with anaesthetia due to her 'love' of plastic surgery (pictured on EastEnders in the 1990s) He is currently serving time in prison for counterfeit goods and engaging in a 'fight with someone', by her own admission. She detailed her relationship with her convict boyfriend and their future X-rated plans together. WHAT IS OSTEOPOROSIS? Osteoporosis is a disease where bone density is lost leaving patients prone to fractures. Usually, old bone tissue is broken down and replaced with new tissue. Osteoporosis occurs when the breaking down of bone outpaces its replacement. Bisphosphonates are clinically proven to reduce the risk of fractures by increasing bone mass and mineral density as well as filling pits created by overactive bone cells. The drugs bind to the surface of bones, blocking bone removal. Because longer-term treatment can sometimes have side-effects, the doctor may suggest a break from treatment after three to five years. Advertisement She kept quiet on her romance until recently, when she denied dating the father of former The Only Way Is Essex star Grace Andrews and instead revealed her mystery man is behind bars - and on Thursday she admitted he had proposed from prison. With less than a year until David is a free man, the actress is already planning some risque business for the pair of them. And while she has never released a picture of him or talked about his crimes, she has said she won't marry him until he it a free man. After revealing they had already slept together in Spain, Danniella confessed to the Daily Star: 'There's nothing like that going on now though, they listen in to all your phone calls and screen the emails and photocopy all of the letters so we can't risk anything rude on there as all the screws will see it first. 'But there will be many sleepless nights on my gorgeous new bed once he's out.' A smitten Danniella has insisted she will wait until David has been released to tie the knot but they have discussed the prospect of a Maldives wedding as early as next year. She said: 'I've got a big ring that was made for me, and I wore it into the jail and David said, "it was lovely but it's not big enough", so there is a bigger one coming. 'He has asked me to marry him but I told him to wait until he gets home. He asks me all the time, he even asked me at the jail. He didn't get down on one knee or anything but he's like, "we are getting married you know."' Liverpudlian David is 20 years her junior and the pair were previously in a 'tumultuous' relationship after meeting each other other in Spain five years ago. Yet despite their 'up-and-down' romance, Danniella explained: 'We just stayed in touch and he went to jail early 2019 and he got 9 years 9 months. He's home next year though, he's got 11 months to go.' It could be third time lucky for the former Celebrity Big Brother housemate, who has been married twice before. Her first marriage was to van driver Ben Morgan in 1998, but they divorced nine months later. In 2001, the star married businessman Kevin Jenkins, almost four months after the birth of their daughter Jodie. They divorced in 2020. Charlotte Dawson has revealed she's suffered a miscarriage, after learning she was pregnant with her second child last month. The reality star, 29, took to Instagram to pen a heartbreaking post, admitting she and her fiance Matt Sarsfield were 'over the moon' to be expecting again, and despite the loss they hope that 'one day they will have their own rainbow baby.' Charlotte shared a snap of her son Noah holding her positive pregnancy test, alongside a lengthy post detailing her sad loss. Sad: Charlotte Dawson has revealed she's suffered a miscarriage, after learning she was pregnant with her second child last month In the post's caption Charlotte wrote: 'Hi my darlings, I finally feel ready to post this.. I mean I don't know when there is a good time to post this. 'It's been an extremely tough week mentally but also obviously physically I am heartbroken beyond words.. and I know I'm never quiet on here, & always so open and honest with you guys so it's been a shock to you all.. 'I keep getting lots & lots of messages worrying about us all, asking why I'm being quiet & if Noah is ok.. Noah is absolutely fine.. he's amazing. Tragic: The reality star took to Instagram to pen a heartbreaking post, admitting she and her fiance Matt Sarsfield were 'over the moon' to be expecting again Candid: In the post's caption Charlotte said she had shared her pregnancy with loved ones after discovering the news on Mother's Day Upsetting: Charlotte also shared a video of the moment she told her son Noah he was going to have a sibling, beaming as she held the positive pregnancy test in the clip 'I'm the one that's not OK... unfortunately I've suffered with a miscarriage. Obviously our families & close friends have known about me being pregnant, but didn't announce anything until I got further down the line.. I was so excited to share our happy news with you all. 'Noah's little brother or little sister, as you can imagine Matthew & I were absolutely over the moon our little family was going to be growing. 'I also found out on mother's day which was just so special. But sometimes it's just not meant to be, I really thought it was but it just wasn't this time. Miscarriages are so common & not spoke about enough. 'We are so heartbroken right now have no words and just don't feel up to posting being my happy silly self right now... also please can people stop sending Matthew & I nasty messages about our parenting skills. 'I clearly show and say far too much, we are bloody good parents and Noah is so loved and is our life. Tragedy: In her post, Charlotte wrote that she and Matt had been through an 'extremely tough week,' and despite their loss hope that 'one day they can still have their rainbow baby' 'Not OK': It comes after Charlotte took a break from social media last week, simply telling her followers that she had received some 'awful news' 'And these horrible forums talking about us, these trolls are just awful but they won't win.. any nasty vile comments I get on here about this you will be getting blocked and reported. 'Thank you for all your love & support always, I don't ever want to let go of Noah.. I feel so lucky to have Noah, one day we will get our rainbow baby' Alongside the post, Charlotte also shared a video of the moment she told her son Noah he was going to have a sibling, beaming as she held the positive pregnancy test in the clip. It comes after Charlotte took a break from social media last week, simply telling her followers that she had received some 'awful news,' but noting her son Noah was 'absolutely fine.' The tot was rushed to A&E last week after banging his head on a table at a wedding. Scary: At the time Charlotte reassured her followers that Noah was 'absolutely fine', after he rushed to hospital days earlier after banging his head on a table at a wedding reception 'Receiving so many messages why i've been quiet and is Noah ok.. Noah is absolutely fine, he's amazing. It's me that's not ok,' Charlotte wrote. 'We have just had some awful news and just trying to come to terms with it. Will be back soon. Love you all X' Charlotte welcomed Noah with fiance Matt in January 2021, recently enjoying a family holiday to Dubai. The parents posted a host of sun-soaked snaps from the getaway, as they stayed at the luxurious Atlantis, The Palm. Charlotte flaunted her incredible figure on the holiday in a host of swimwear, after recently losing over three stone. If you have been affected by this story, you can seek advice at www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk or by calling 01924 200 799. Sunrise star Sam Mac has revealed he believes his pregnant girlfriend will give birth to a girl. The 40-year-old expectant father spoke to New Idea magazine on Monday and guessed the baby's gender. Sam said he had a 'gut instinct' Bec was carrying a girl, but she believes the couple are having a boy. Guess: Sam Mac, 40, has revealed he believes his pregnant girlfriend Rebecca James is carrying a girl during an interview with New Idea, after announcing the couple are pregnant. Both pictured 'We're both so happy,' says Sam of the pregnancy. 'I'm over the moon and can't wait for that moment to meet the little one.' Sam announced he was going to be a first-time father on Instagram a little over a week ago. Sweet: 'We're both so happy,' says Sam of the pregnancy. 'I'm over the moon and can't wait for that moment to meet the little one' Sam shared a sweet image of Rebecca holding an ultrasound to her stomach, saying the pair were absolutely delighted with the pregnancy. 'Wowsers! Mini Mac coming soon. Bec just can't wipe the joy off her face,' Sam wrote. Rebecca added: 'Well this escalated. See you in September baby Mac'. Daddy: Sam announced he was going to be a first-time father on Instagram a little over a week ago The couple then shared a heartwarming video of them surprising their loved ones with the news, with Rebecca lifting her top to show the baby scan. The happy pair purchased a home in Sydney's inner west together in October. 'We bought a bloody house! In Sydney! Already drinking our way through the pain as we calculate the stamp duty #Pray4Us,' Sam wrote. Joy: 'Wowsers! Mini Mac coming soon. Bec just can't wipe the joy off her face,' Sam wrote They're homeowners! Sam's post comes after the couple announced they purchased their first property together in October In the accompanying image, the new homeowners were overjoyed as Sam carried a set of keys in hand, while Rebecca gripped onto a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne. Sam and Rebecca first went public in March last year, and spent much of their relationship in different states due to the Covid pandemic. 'She's just so calm, down-to-earth, and caring, as well as being absolutely beautiful,' he told Stellar of his girlfriend in April. In two weeks time the Strictly stars will take to the stage for Strictly Come Dancing - The Professionals UK Tour. And the show's stars Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Dianne Buswell and Gorka Marquez were all spotted leaving rehearsals for the upcoming performance in London on Monday. Karen, 39, looked incredible as she rocked a new curly hairstyle on her highlighted blonde and raven locks. Busy day: Strictly's Karen Hauer debuted curly locks and flasheed her abs as she joined her fellow professionals leaving dance rehearsals in London on Monday The Venezuelan-American pro dancer flashed her toned abs in a black crop top and matching leggings as she enjoyed the sunny weather outside of the studio. Karen added a long silver pendant necklace and opted for a large pair of sunglasses while sporting just one black leg warmer with white trainers. Fellow dancer Katya dressed up as she exited the practice in a pair of towering wedged Adidas lace up heels. Absolutely amazing: Karen, 39, flashed her toned abs in a black crop top and matching leggings as she as she enjoyed the sunny weather outside of the studio Hot to fox lock: Karen, 39, looked incredible as she rocked a new curly hairstyle on her highlighted blonde and raven locks (pictured right in October) The 32-year-old Russian dancer showcased her incredible legs in a short black mini skirt which had a dazzling star print on. Katya opted for a white and black shirt which she tucked half into the petite skirt before adding a oversized black denim jacket. She swept her dark locks up into a ponytail leaving strands out at the front to shape her face while sporting a large mirrored pair of sunglasses. Stunning: Katya Jones, 32, dressed up as she exited the practice in a pair of towering wedged Adidas lace up heels and showcased her incredible legs in a short mini skirt Fashionista: The Russian dancer opted for a white and black shirt which she tucked half into the mini skirt before adding a oversized black denim jacket Dianne seemed in high spirits as she rocked a colourful Nike T-shirt over a pair of fishnet tights. The red headed dancer swept her vibrant locks up into a high ponytail as she opted for a blue jacket and a par of white trainers. The 32-year-old Australian dancer carried her personal belongings in a large orange backpack and a shopping bag. Colourful: Dianne Buswell, 32, seemed in high spirits as she rocked a bright Nike T-shirt over a pair of fishnet tights Stepping out: Cutting a casual figure, Gorka Marquez, 31, sported a grey short sleeved T-shirt showcasing his impressive tattoo collection on his arm Cutting a casual figure, Gorka, 31, sported a grey short sleeved T-shirt showcasing his impressive tattoo collection on his arm. The Spanish dancer looked ready for home as he threw his jumper over his shoulder while wearing black trousers and a pair of Vans. The twinkle-toed stars posed for a selfie with director Jason Gilkison and their other co-stars including Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova who have recently taken the next step in their relationship. Selfie: The twinkle-toed stars posed for a selfie with director Jason Gilkison and their other co-stars (left to right - Neil Jones, Jake Leigh, Dianne Buswell, Kai Widd, Gorka, Michael, Nadiyam Katya, Luba Mushtuk, Karen) The couple moved in together after going Instagram official with their romance last week. They are thought to have been dating since January following Nadiya's split from her ex-fiance Matija Skarabot. A source said: 'Moving in together was the obvious next step for Nadiya and Kai. Theyve grown so close and it just made sense. 'Kai helped Nadiya move in her belongings this week and theyre excited about making their property feel like a shared home.' Khloe Kardashian took to Instagram on Monday morning to share a birthday tribute to her older sister Kourtney Kardashian who has turned 43-years-old. But the image choices the Good American designer made were not the kindest. In several of the photos, Kourtney looks her worst, which is a stark contrast to the sexy swimsuit photos Kim shared. Not pretty: Khloe Kardashian took to Instagram on Monday morning to share a birthday tribute to her older sister Kourtney Kardashian who has turned 43-years-old. But the image choices she made were not the kindest; from 2005 Khloe, 37, almost seemed to want to make the eldest Kardashian look bad. One showed the college graduate with straws in her nose, which is a drastic difference from the slick, well groomed image she likes to present to her fans. The POOSH founder is also seen with bulging eyes, which is not the best image of her. And yet another image showed Kourtney with her head back as a waiter feeds her a shot of booze. The two were seen fighting on the final season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. These photo choices seem to prove they are still on rocky footing. Aww, now this just isn't nice: The POOSH founder is also seen with bulging eyes, which is not the best image of her Khloe explained in her caption the photos were from their trip to Cabo many years ago as she added a sassy 'you're welcome.' Khloe snapped: 'Found these epic pics from 2005 in Cabo. youre welcome.' But her post was for the most part gushy: 'Happy birthday Kourt! Happy birthday to one of the loves of my life! 'Ive never seen you so happy. Your happiness is to the point that other people start foolishly smiling simply because they feel this incredible energy radiating off of you. It looks great on you boo. Bottle it up and never stop drinking your love potion. Proof Kourt is a party girl: And yet another image showed Kourtney with her head back as a waiter feeds her a shot of booze 'Every single year I love to profess my love to you. Every single year I make sure to remind you just how special you are to me. You are my best friend, my soulmate, my everything. Words dont do our bond justice. If you know us than you know our relationship. 'You know how much I love and adore you. How much I look up to you. You know how happy I am to see you as you are today. 'Kourt, I pray this birthday is one of your best ones yet. You have taught me that Life only gets better if you allow it to. You have taught me to live life to the fullest and to act as if no one is watching. This one is better but not by much: Kourtney looks a little out of it on the far left, but so does Kim (center). Khloe, far right, however, is glamorous and radiant 'In the wise words of the birthday girl my vibe right now is just living life. Never stop baby girl!' But Kim Kardashian shared stunning images. Kim was the first to hit her keyboard at 6 am as she posted images of the two in royal blue swimwear while in the ocean. In her caption, the 41-year-old SKIMS founder said that her older sister has taught her so much in life. Happy birthday! Kim Kardashian, right, shared sizzling photos of Kourtney on Monday Ladies who swim: Kim had on a blue SKIMS suit while Kourtney was in a one piece 'Each year around the sun with you I learn and grow and evolve more because of you!' began the ex-wife of rapper Kanye West. 'Thank you for teaching me to always go for it and follow my heart even if no one else understands,' added the siren who is starring with her family in the Hulu show The Kardashians this year. And Kim ended with: 'They just arent on our growth path lol Happy Birthday!' Babe watch: In her caption, the 41-year-old SKIMS founder said that her older sister has taught her so much in life Thanks Kourt: 'Each year around the sun with you I learn and grow and evolve more because of you!' began the ex-wife of rapper Kanye West Then she brought up Kourtney's newfound glow thanks to her relationship with fiance Travis Barker. Kourtney has seemed to be in a much better place since she started dating the drummer; when she was with baby daddy Scott Disick she was often in a sour mood due to his serial infidelity and partying. Together Kourtney and Scott have three kids: Mason, 12, Penelope, nine, and Reign, seven. 'Happiness looks so good on you,' remarked Kim as she ended with, 'I love you so much!!!' Dive time: 'Thank you for teaching me to always go for it and follow my heart even if no one else understands,' added the siren who is starring with her family in the Hulu show The Kardashians this year The law student also shared several flashback photos with Kourtney from when they were younger, partying in Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The little ones were seen dressed up for the holidays and playing at home. Other family members include Khloe, Kendall, Kylie and Rob. Party twins: The law student also shared several flashback photos with Kourtney from when they were younger, partying in Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles 20s spirits: In some of these images Kim and Kourtney looked different in their 20s Momager Kris Jenner shared flashback photos of Kourtney; one image showed her in a light blue dress. 'Happy birthday to my beautiful daughter @kourtneykardash!!!' began the girlfriend of Corey Gamble. 'You are my first born little angel and my very special best friend from the moment you were born.' Long before fame she was a sweet child: Momager Kris Jenner shared flashback photos of Kourtney; one image showed her in a light blue dress Mommy and me: 'Happy birthday to my beautiful daughter @kourtneykardash!!!' began the girlfriend of Corey Gamble With papa: Lawyer Robert Kardashian, who helped defend OJ Simpson during his murder trial, is seen holding Kourtney She then raved about what a great person Kourtney is. 'You are such an amazing daughter, mommy, sister, cousin, auntie and fiance!!!!!!' she wrote. 'I am so very proud of the woman you are and I thank God every single day for choosing me to be your Mommy.' said the TV producer. She continued: 'I am so blessed and grateful to be on this journey of life with you and I love you more than I can ever explain you are my heart Happy Birthday sweet girl .' Christmas time: She then raved about what a great person Kourtney is. 'You are such an amazing daughter, mommy, sister, cousin, auntie and fiance!!!!!!' she wrote When she was a teen: Kourtney had razor thin eyebrows in the 90s as a teenager Jennifer Grey is opening up about her infamous decision to get a nose job at the height of her career in the early '90s, and how she felt she wasn't a 'natural match' for her Dirty Dancing co-star Patrick Swayze. The 62-year-old actress would go on to have two rhinoplasty surgeries after finding worldwide recognition in the 1987 box-office smash where she played Baby Houseman - but her new look left her unrecognizable, with the actress now admitting that it led to her 'losing her identity and her career overnight'. Speaking about the reaction to her altered appearance, Grey recalled attending a premiere shortly after she'd undergone her nose job - revealing that her actor friend Michael Douglas had no idea who she was because she looked so different. 'That was the first time I had gone out in public,' Grey tells PEOPLE in an interview to promote her new memoir, Out of the Corner. 'And it became the thing, the idea of being completely invisible, from one day to the next. In the world's eyes, I was no longer me. Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey has detailed her regret at getting two nose jobs after starring in the hit 1987 movie, saying the rhinoplasties led her to 'lose her identity and her career overnight' (pictured left at the Dirty Dancing premiere and right in October 2021) The actress, pictured in the movie alongside Patrick Swayze, has revealed that her mother encouraged her to get a nose job so she would be 'easier' to cast in movies However Grey (pictured in 2019) says that the plastic surgery had the opposite effect, essentially leaving her unrecognizable 'And the weird thing was that thing that I resisted my whole life, and the thing I was so upset with [was] my mother for always telling me I should do my nose.' She added: 'I really thought it was capitulating. I really thought it meant surrendering to the enemy camp. I just thought, 'I'm good enough. I shouldn't have to do this.' That's really what I felt. 'I'm beautiful enough.'" It has long been understood that Grey's decision to get a nose job effectively finished her career in Hollywood, preventing her from ever reaching the same heights of that one bona fide hit movie on her resume. In her book, Grey touches on being shunned from Hollywood, writing: 'I spent so much energy trying to figure out what I did wrong, why I was banished from the kingdom. That's a lie. I banished myself.' She adds of the consequences of her nose job: 'Overnight I lose my identity and my career.' No chemistry: Jennifer also talks about how she wasn't a 'natural match' for her co-star Patrick Swayze (pictured together in 1987) However, Grey recalls in the interview how everyone from Andy Warhol would comment on her nose shape pre-surgery, with the artist remarking that her father, Oscar-winner Joel Grey, had also got his nose done. 'There was only one thing [Warhol] said to me, about me. And it was like, "And, you know, I would look at Jennifer. I would wonder, you know, why was her Um, her dad got a nose job. Why wouldn't he make sure she had one too", or something like that.' She continued: 'It's like everywhere I went, I'd be like, "Wait. Excuse me. I'm a person with other features and other amazing characteristics. Why is everyone so hung up on the nose?" But it was Grey's mother, actress Jo Wilder, that really put the idea in her head as a young girl about changing her appearance. Both her parents underwent rhinoplasty surgery and Grey hints that it was down to her mother not wanting them to look Jewish in order to be cast in a wide range of roles. 'She was saying, "Guess what? It's too hard to cast you. Make it easier for them." And then I did and she was right. It wasn't like, 'You're not pretty.' It's like, 'Guess what? If you don't want to be an actor, okay. But if you wanna be an actor...' Opening up: Grey, 62, has written her memoir titled Out of the Corner, a reference to the famous line 'Nobody puts baby in the corner' 'But when I was a kid, I was completely anti-rhinoplasty. I mean it was like my religion. I loved that my parents did it. I understand it was the 50s. I understand they were assimilating. I understood that you had to change your name and you had to do certain things, and it was just normalized, right? 'You can't be gay. You can't be Jewish. You know, you can't look Jewish. You're just trying to fit into whatever is the group think.' Elsewhere in the interview, Grey talks about her late Dirty Dancing co-star Patrick Swayze, who died in 2009 at the age of 57 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Admitting they shared zero chemistry during filming, Grey said: 'The same way Baby and Johnny were not supposed to be together a natural match, right? And we weren't a natural match. And the fact that we needed to be a natural match created a tension.' Looking back, the star wishes that she could have gone about the filming differently with the actor. 'I actually just had a thought about Patrick. I feel like if I could say anything to him now I would say, 'I'm so sorry that I couldn't just appreciate and luxuriate in who you were, instead of me wishing you were more like what I wanted you to be.'" In her memoir, Grey also talks about dating Matthew Broderick in her early twenties, and later with actor Johnny Depp. Life-changing role: The hit film catapulted Grey to stardom, but her career never quite recovered from her changing her appearance with rhinoplasty surgery She talks about the 'serious traumatic lasting effects' of a fatal car accident in 1987 in Northern Ireland, where Broderick was driving and two people lost their lives. 'There was some very, very heavy stuff that went down that changed my life forever and there was no one to blame,' she said. On Depp, Grey hints at electric chemistry, saying: 'There was some heat. It was a f***ing bonfire.' She adds: 'I've never seen a guy like this. And energetically, what it was like being with him, it was like, "Oh, I'm being totally, totally compensated for the s*** I just went through.' In 2020, Grey announced that was divorcing her actor husband Clark Gregg after 19 years of marriage. 'After 19 years together, we separated in January, knowing we'd always be a family who loves, values and cares for each other,' she wrote at the time. 'We recently made the difficult decision to divorce, but we remain close and are deeply grateful for the life we've shared and the wonderful daughter we've raised. - jennifer & clark p.s. totally crying as we post this.' The couple's divorce announcement came just weeks before what would have been their 20th wedding anniversary. Jennifer and Clark married July 21, 2001 and share daughter Stella, 20, together. China's property investment up 0.7 pct in Q1 Xinhua) 10:36, April 18, 2022 BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- China's investment in property development rose 0.7 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2022, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday. During the period, property investment stood at around 2.78 trillion yuan (about 435.44 billion U.S. dollars), NBS data showed. Investment in residential buildings went up 0.7 percent year on year to about 2.08 trillion yuan in the January-March period. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) News Details Auto major Stellantis goes for Qualcomm's digital-framework for its cars Date: 18-04-22 Global Auto maker Stellantis who owns 14 brands of cars such as Jeep, Fiat, Chrysler and Opel is going for Qualcomm's Snapdragon automotive digital framework, named by Qualcomm as "Digital Chassis". Autnomous Driving and ADAS is part of this Digital Chassis. Stellantis has a clear plan to digitise and electrify its new models of cars yet to be launched. Stellantis said it has a plan to have 98% of its vehicles in Europe and North America to get electrified by 2025. Stellantis already has integrated Level 2 autonomous driving in some of its vehicles. Qualcomm's Snapdragon Cockpit Platform is part of this digital chassis. Stellantis plan to merge all software domains into high performance computers powered by Snapdragon chips. Our technology collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies is another example of how we are identifying industry leaders to work alongside our passionate and talented internal teams as we transform our vehicles through a software-defined approach. This will ultimately better meet the needs of our customers lifestyles through safe, personalized, and always-connected features, said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. Qualcomm Technologies broad experience in automotive and scale as a semiconductor leader will enable us to vertically integrate key elements of our new platforms and more closely manage the complete electronics supply chain to provide access to the best technologies enable the fulfillment of Stellantis volume potential and achieve our Dare Forward 2030 ambition. Qualcomm is honored to expand our work with Stellantis to redefine vehicles in the 21st century by bringing Snapdragon Digital Chassis solutions to their future vehicles, said Cristiano Amon, President and CEO, Qualcomm Incorporated. By creating open, scalable, and comprehensive automotive platforms that encompasses semiconductors, systems, software, and services, we are empowering Stellantis, as well as the broader automotive ecosystem, to lead the transformation to the digital era of automobiles. Stellantis to use Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms to power the in-car communication and infotainment systems for STLA SmartCockpit, which is being designed and engineered in partnership with Amazon for cloud and content access services and Foxconn for manufacturing. Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms feature HD graphics, voice-control and more. Snapdragon Cockpit is said to have highly intuitive artificial intelligence (AI) features,such as Over-the-air (OTA) updates, Personalized experiences, and Improved user experiences. The first application to be launched in its Maserati brand named vehicles to power the next generation Stellantis infotainment system. Doctor Who fans descended into a frenzy following Sunday's Easter Special, as the time traveller confessed her love for her female companion Yasmin. In emotional scenes after defeating the villainous Sea Devils, the heroine admitted that 'if it was going to be anyone, it'd be her,' but noted that she could never act on her feelings because of her immortality. Following hints that the pair would finally address their growing feelings, the touching scene sent Who fans into a frenzy, with one even admitting they were 'absolutely sobbing' after watching the scene. At last! Doctor Who fans descended into a frenzy following Sunday's Easter Special, as the time traveller confessed her love for her female companion Yaz During the episode, which saw The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and her companions Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop) transported to 19th Century China, the trio were tasked with battling the iconic Sea Devil villains. In a standout moment, The Doctor transported the TARDIS to the bottom of the ocean leaving both herself and Yaz in awe of the stunning underwater views. As the Time Lord quipped: 'Not a bad date, am I?' Yaz could be seen gazing at her in the emotionally-charged moment. Love is in the air! In emotional scenes after defeating the villainous Sea Devils, the heroine admitted that 'if it was going to be anyone, it'd be her' While Yaz later came dangerously close to confessing her feelings, it was The Doctor who made the move first, telling her companion: 'Dates are not something I really do. I mean I used to. Have done. And if I was going to, believe me: it would be with you. 'I think you're one of the greatest people that I've ever known If it was going to be anyone, it'd be you. But I can't.' Questioned by Yaz, she added: 'There's no point. Time always runs out,' alluding to her immortal state, famously noted by The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in response to his growing feelings for companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). Love is in the air! In a standout moment, The Doctor transported the TARDIS to the bottom of the ocean, before she quipped: 'Not a bad date am I?' So much romance! Yaz could be seen gazing at her in the emotionally charged moment In the episode's final scene, the pair once again addressed their growing feelings, with The Doctor telling Yaz: 'I can't fix myself to anything, anywhere, or anyone. I've never been able to. That's what my life is. 'Not because I don't want to, because I might. But if I do fix myself to somebody, I know sooner or later it'll hurt Can we just live in the present of what we have, while we still have it?' Making a wish on a skipping stone, she added: 'I wish this could go on forever.' It can't happen: While Yaz later came dangerously close to confessing her feelings, it was The Doctor who made the move first Tragic: While she noted that Yaz was 'one of the greatest people she had never known,' they could never act on their feelings due to her immortal state The vindication that Yaz's feelings for The Doctor were reciprocated sent die-hard fans into a frenzy, with many flooding Twitter with their reaction. One wrote: 'that thasmin beach scene is actually one of my favourite scenes in chibnalls whole era,' while another added: 'nah, last night's ep actually happened? thasmin is canon? thirteen reciprocates? what timeline do we live in?' 'IF IT WAS GOING TO BE ANYONE ITD BE YOU. EXCUSE ME WHILE I DIE,' one hysterical fan tweeted. It's happening! The vindication that Yaz's feelings for The Doctor were reciprocated sent die-hard fans into a frenzy, with many flooding Twitter with their reaction A fan tweeted: '13 said if she'd date anyone it'd be Yaz.... she just told Yaz she loves her too OH MY GOD.' 'Absolutely sobbing omg. Love them #Doctorwho #Thasmin,' a hysterical fan added. Fans have been calling for Doctor Who to address the time traveller's growing feelings for Yaz, marking her first same-sex relationship with a companion. Coming soon: Following the episode, Doctor Who teased the return of two former companions in the spellbinding trailer for its centenary special (pictured in-character) Following the episode, Doctor Who teased the return of two former companions in the spellbinding trailer for its centenary special, airing later this year much to the excitement of fans. The titular character, played Jodie Whittaker, is told that she is going to die in the gripping footage, having announced her departure from the iconic role last year. She'll be joined by Aussie air stewardess Tegan Jovanka (Sophie Aldred) who starred alongside Sylvester McCoy in the late 80s, as well as Ace (Janet Fielding) having worked with Tom Baker and Peter Davison earlier in the same decade. Return: The Doctor will be joined by an Aussie air stewardess Tegan Jovanka (Sophie Aldred) who starred alongside Sylvester McCoy in the late 80s Usual favourites including the Daleks and Cybermen feature in the 30-second extravaganza while the Doctor is seen regenerating in another clip, despite being told it would be the 'end of her existence'. The sci-fi drama hit the small screen in 1963, however the BBC is celebrating one hundred years since its launch as a radio station in October 1922. Current Time Lord Jodie's role comes to an end this autumn with a regeneration episode after she became the first ever female Doctor in 2017. Doctor Who will return later this year for BBC's Centenary Special. Gemma Oaten has revealed she's been rushed to hospital after her kidneys went into 'distress' The Emmerdale actress, 37 - who is also currently battling COVID-19 - said she had experienced a 'scary day' but was now in 'safe hands'. She shared an update with her followers on Twitter, posting a photo of her from her hospital bed, giving a thumbs up. Hospital dash: Gemma Oaten has revealed she's been rushed to hospital after her kidneys went into 'distress' Alongside, she wrote: 'In hospital and in safe hands. Scary day. Signing off for sleep after more tests. Much love.' Her fans and friends flooded her with support and well wishes, while she explained her admission was caused by her kidneys, not Covid. Gemma thanked everyone for their kind messages and shouted out the NHS staff, while vowing she would 'fight back'. She added: 'Hopefully Ill be able to go home in a few days. I have Covid but this is actually to do with my kidneys being in distress. 'Poorly': The Emmerdale actress, 37, - who is also currently battling Covid - said she had experienced a 'scary day' but was now in 'safe hands' 'Really scary but the NHS services have been a lifeline for me today. So poorly and stress hasnt helped but will fight back.' Her hospital dash comes after Gemma revealed she thought about taking her own life as she battled anorexia like her late pal Nikki Grahame. Former Big Brother star Nikki died in April last year at the age of 38 after she relapsed with her anorexia, which she had suffered with from since the age of 18. Speaking to Fabulous magazine last week, Gemma said her battle with anorexia started when she was 10 years old, which led to bulimia in her teens'. Get better soon: Her fans and friends flooded her with support and well wishes, while she explained her admission was caused by her kidneys, not Covid She admitted: 'It could so easily have been me... an eating disorder doesnt care whats right or wrong. When it gets hold of a person, it will do everything it can to destroy them.' Gemma continued: 'People go to the extreme lengths of taking their own lives, because not being here is easier than being here. 'I know that because Ive had that in my own life. At one point, I planned to take my own life, but my dad called out my name as I was about to do it and pulled me back from the brink.' Reality star: Former Big Brother star Nikki died in April last year at the age of 38 after she relapsed with her anorexia, which she had suffered with from since the age of 18 Last month Gemma spoke to MailOnline, where she said she is concerned mental health services are unable to cope with the amount of people who need help, adding it's 'nonsensical' to let people suffer. She explained: 'Look at Nikki Grahame. We are nearly up to the anniversary of her passing. It is such a postcode lottery. 'There are some areas in the UK that are spot on. And some parts of the country that are absolutely shocking. There are far too many areas where CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) cant cope. 'Even adult mental health services cant cope. It is like the blind leading the blind and that is what happened with Nikki. 'She was left to get to a point where there was a point of no return. Even when she was on deaths door she was still fighting. 'Her family and friends were still fighting for her to get treatment. And to me I look at the situation about the system and I am appalled. I worry things havent changed. 'It was such a difficult situation because we were in the heart of lockdown. I cant speak for Nikki or the family but from my understanding that really didnt help.' For support with an eating disorder contact SEED on hello@seed.charity, 01482 718 130 or visit https://seed.charity/. Jessica Chastain is not resting on her laurels after taking home Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards ceremony for her role in the Eyes Of Tammy Faye. The actress, 45, bundled up in an Army green jacket over a blue turtleneck as she shot a scene for a new untitled movie in New York City on Monday. The 355 star added gray pants with a greenish tinge to her look and tall black combat boots. Back at it: Jessica Chastain isn't resting on her laurels after taking home Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards ceremony Her red hair whipped wildly around her face, and she seemed to bring her hands up to her face to brush it away. The California native's young co-star donned a dark green jacket over a reddish-brown shirt with 1970s-esque stripes crossing over her middle. She added a pair of blue jeans to the look and gray shoes as well. Her dark red hair was parted in the middle and curled, touching the top of her back. Bundled up: The actress, 45, bundled up in an Army green jacket over a blue turtleneck as she shot a scene in New York City on Monday The It Chapter Two actress didn't take much time off after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in late March. She took home the award for her performance in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, in which she played Tammy Faye Bakker, the wife of Jim Bakker. The pair preached at a megachurch in the 1970s and 1980s before Jim ended up in prison for financial crimes. Chastain's nomination was her third Oscar nomination but just her first win. She was previously nominated as Best Supporting Actress in The Help and Best Actress in Zero Dark Thirty. She won the award over Kristen Stewart for Spencer, Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter, Penelope Cruz for Parallel Mothers and Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos. On to the next thing: The It Chapter Two actress didn't take much time off after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in late March Playing a real person: She took home the award for her performance in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, in which she played Tammy Faye Bakker, the wife of Jim Bakker The Juilliard alum's career isn't slowing down at all. She recently completed filming on The Good Nurse, a film about serial killer Charles Cullen who allegedly murdered as many as 300 patients in 16 years while working as a nurse. Eddie Redmayne will play Cullen while Chastain will star as Amy Loughren, a fellow nurse that helped the police take him down. She currently has two other films in pre-production. The first, titled The Division, is set in an apocalyptic near future where a team of professionals is sent in to save as many people as they can from a deadly virus in New York City. The other movie, Mothers' Instinct, follows two men living charmed lives until a tragic accident completely uproots everything they hold near and dear. Fellow Oscar winner Anne Hathaway will work with Chastain on that movie. After giving birth to her first child last year, Lala Kent has announced she will be getting her breasts done later this week. The Vanderpump Rules star, 31, revealed she will be going under the knife on Friday in celebration of the paperback edition of her memoir, Give Them Lala. 'I want to celebrate. I'm going into surgery to have my boobies done on Friday,' she said on Behind The Velvet Rope podcast with David Yontef. 'I will be taking my new boobs out to celebrate': Lala Kent announced she will be going under the knife on Friday in celebration of the paperback edition of her memoir, Give Them Lala 'I'll be down for a little bit, but the second that I'm up and at 'em, I will be taking my new boobs out to celebrate my national bestseller book,' she added. Lala said her breasts were 'huge and amazing' during her pregnancy but was warned by other mothers that her child would change all of that. 'I've wanted them redone for a while, and then when I was pregnant, oh my gosh, they were so huge and amazing!' she added. 'Other moms told me, "That baby's gonna suck the life outta them,"' she said. 'When I was pregnant, oh my gosh, they were so huge and amazing!': Kent shares daughter Ocean with her ex-fiance Randall Emmett Right now, Lala thinks her breasts are 'cute' but 'sit a little differently' following the birth of daughter Ocean and subsequent breastfeeding. 'I'm just ready to get them up there, maybe a little bigger. I'm gonna get my groove back,' she explained. Earlier this year, Lala talked getting her breasts done after splitting from fiance Randall Emmett. 'By the sound of it, it may sound like Im getting my boobs done for men, but its getting my boobs done for me,' she said on her podcast Give Them Lala. She said she had even had a consultation for the surgery. 'I'm gonna get my groove back': Right now, Lala thinks her breasts are 'cute' but 'sit a little differently' following the birth of daughter Ocean and subsequent breastfeeding 'Once I do get my boobs done, I probably still wont be [ready to date], but Im excited for that for me because its like the bounce back,' she explained. 'Theres nothing hotter than a hot mom.' This is not the first time Lala has had a boob job. Years ago, Lala went under the knife for her breasts but was so unhappy with the results she attempted to sue the surgeon. 'I'll never give out his name. He botched me so badly,' she told Zwivel, a plastic surgery site, five years ago. 'I hate him forever. Whenever someone says, "I love your boobs. Who did you go to?" I tell them to never go see that plastic surgeon. I tried to sue him a thousand and one times, and no one will take my case. I waited too long.' Showing some skin! Kent put her cleavage on display in an image she posted promoting season nine of Vanderpump Rules last year 'I could still get them fixed. I went in three different times in six months, just on one side, for them to be even,' she said. 'Finally I was like, I cant do any more. It was too much. It was horrible. He was in Utah. Maybe Los Angeles is the best place for breast surgery.' Lala is single again after calling off her engagement with movie producer Emmett. Since then, she has been taking note of who is - and isn't - being a loyal friend amid her separation. Back on the market: Kent is single again after splitting from movie producer fiance Randall During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Lala revealed she severed ties Vanderpump Rules co-star Tom Schwartz, 39, after discovering he had recently met up with Randall, 51. 'I learned that Schwartz hung out with that person [Randall] the other day. So, I cut him out,' she said after she was asked who her most and least supportive friends in the break-up had been. Lala also said her co-stars Scheana Shay and Katie Maloney were the 'most supportive' of her after the separation while she also counted Tom Sandoval as her 'least supportive' friend in the split. 'Sandoval has yet to even ask me like, if I'm okay or acknowledge it at all,' she explained. No neutral zone: The 31-year-old revealed she had severed ties with Tom Schwartz after learning he had recently hung out with her ex Andy mentioned that Lisa Vanderpump had admitted to seeing Randall after the split. 'It seemed notable that LVP is still buddies with your ex,' Randall said. 'That kind of came up at the reunion, that she had seen him recently and stuff.' 'I don't know if she's seen him recently, I know when everything was happening, he was trying to reach out to her,' Lala explained. 'And I'm not the type of person to say, like, you have to pick a side. But in this situation, if you don't pick my side or you remain Switzerland, I want nothing to do with you.' He's known for belting out pop anthems with his band Spandau Ballet. And Martin Kemp, 60, looked every inch the performer on Sunday evening as he took to the stage at the River Rooms in Stourbridge, West Midlands. The musician entertained the audience as he hyped them up and mixed together classic anthems on the decks with large black headphones on his head. Legend: Martin Kemp, 60, looked every inch the performer on Sunday evening as he took to the stage at the River Rooms in Stourbridge, West Midlands Martin turned heads in a vibrant pink leopard print shirt which he teamed with a pair of whited jeans and a black belt. He beamed with the spotlight on him, while opting for a clean shave and styled his silver tresses up straight. The star looked in high spirits as he pranced around the stage, returning to his pop star roots. Upbeat: The musician entertained the audience as he hyped them up and mixed together classic anthems on the decks with large black headphones on his head Performer: The star looked in high spirits as he pranced around the stage, returning to his pop star roots The performance comes after Martin's celebrity son Roman has told how he heard 'loads of voices' and couldn't stop crying when he contemplated taking his own life in 2019. The presenter, 28, had a candid discussion about mental health and said he 'couldn't stop worrying about everything' during that period of his life. Speaking on Steven Bartlett's Diary Of A CEO podcast, Roman said he contemplated jumping in front of a train after he came off antidepressants. Looking cool: Martin turned heads in a vibrant pink leopard print shirt which he teamed with a pair of whited jeans and a black belt Fame: Martin is known for belting out pop anthems with his band Spandau Ballet - Tony Hadley, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, John Keeble, Steve Norman, Brielpoort, Deinze, Belgium (pictured left to right in 1985) He said: 'When you're in that zone, in an absolute spiral, everything goes into a blur. All I know I was in my house sat in my pants and I couldn't stop crying. 'I couldn't stop worrying about everything. My head was going like a whirlwind. I was worrying about stuff that wasn't even logical. 'I can't describe what my brain was telling me. Anything that could have been a problem in my head, was a problem. 'You're thinking you look bad, you've not done this, your tax bill, are you ever going to do this... loads of voices. 'At that point I thought, 'I don't know what to do'. The only thing I could think of was, 'OK, I'll take my own life. That's the only way to stop this.' Roman said his mother Shirlie happened to call him at this time and kept him on the phone until she was able to get home. He said: 'My mum called me. She kept me on the phone for about an hour. In my head I was like, 'I'll just go to the train station and jump in front of a train.' Candid: Roman Kemp has told how he heard 'loads of voices' and couldn't stop crying when he contemplated taking his own life in 2019 'That's honestly what went through my head. My mum got there within an hour. It's a strange place to be. They call it a mental breakdown for a reason. Those moments are so intense that your mind implodes.' Speaking further about suicidal ideation, Roman said: 'The problem is no matter what pain you're going through in your head or sadness, you don't get rid of that by taking your own life. 'All you are doing is, you are transferring it to everyone around you.' Jennifer Lawrence and her husband Cooke Maroney enjoyed dinner at Chi Spacca in Los Angeles with friends on Sunday evening. After spending their first Easter with their baby, whose name and gender they have yet to reveal to the public, the lovebirds appeared relaxed on a rare night off from their parental responsibilities. For the occasion, the Oscar-winning actress, 31, paired a flowing cream dress with a structured black jacket and a scarf around her neck. Night out: Jennifer Lawrence and her husband Cooke Maroney enjoyed dinner at Chi Spacca in Los Angeles with friends on Sunday evening The Hunger Games star wore her golden blonde tresses in a low ponytail and had minimal makeup on. Meanwhile, her husband cut a casual figure in a black jacket over a light grey crewneck sweatshirt, dark-wash pants and sneakers. Their latest sighting comes just days after the lovebirds, who wed during a private ceremony in Rhode Island back in 2019, were seen taking their baby out for the first time on a hike with his parents. Stylish as ever: For the occasion, the Oscar-winning actress, 31, paired a flowing cream dress with a structured black jacket and a scarf around her neck Having fun: After spending their first Easter with their baby, whose name and gender they have yet to reveal to the public, the lovebirds appeared relaxed on a rare night off from their parental responsibilities The actress first sparked pregnancy rumors in early September after she was captured out in New York City with a noticeable baby bump. Shortly after, a representative for Lawrence confirmed she was expecting her first child. Sources close to the actress revealed to People that she has wanted to start a family for a long time, and finally found the right partner to have kids with. Bump: Jennifer showed off her pregnancy curves in a glittering floor-length fringed gold gown at a premiere for her film Don't Look Up in November last year 'She loves married life, and they have a solid foundation for a baby. She is very happy and looking forward to being a mom,' the source added. Jennifer and Cooke, a 37-year-old art gallery director, tied the knot on October 19, 2019 in front of pals Adele, Cameron Diaz, and Emma Stone in attendance. Their wedding had 150 guests, including Kris Jenner and her boyfriend Corey Gamble, Amy Schumer, Emma Stone and Ashley Olsen. Pregnancy: In September, a representative for Lawrence confirmed she was expecting her first child; Jennifer pictured in December 2021 For her rehearsal dinner, Jennifer and Cooke hosted a clambake on Rose Island under a white tent, with Cameron Diaz, Sienna Miller, Joel Madden and Nicole Richie seen arriving. The actress was first linked to Cooke after they were introduced by mutual friend Laura Simpson in spring 2018, and by February 2019, the blonde beauty was spotted wearing an engagement ring. Before getting married, Lawrence was romantically linked to actor Nicholas Hoult, Chris Martin and Darren Aronofsky. Critically-acclaimed actor Bob Odenkirk has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The actor, 59, who is an Emmy and SAG award winner, was feted at a ceremony unveiling the star in Hollywood on Monday. Odenkirk's star was placed next to the one belonging to his Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston, and is the 2,720th plaque to be constructed on the Walk Of Fame since its completion in 1961, according to CBS News. Scroll down for video He's a true star! Critically-acclaimed actor Bob Odenkirk has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame A slew of Odenkirk's Better Call Saul co-stars were in attendance, rooting him on. Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian, Tony Dalton, Giancarlo Esposito, Rhea Seehorn, Giancarlo Esposito, Patrick Fabian, and Michael Mando all posed with their co-star before his newly minted star. He was also joined by Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan and writer Peter Gould. David Cross, who starred in the sketch show Mr. Show with Bob and David with Odenkirk, had the actors in stitches as he delivered a speech in his honor. The red carpet welcome! Odenkirk proudly posed by his newly minted star Showing their support! The actor was joined by his Better Call Saul team Odenkirk was looking sharp for the occasion in a navy blue suit, black tie, and pair of sunglasses smartly tucked into his front pocket. The ceremony fell on the day Better Call Saul was set to premiere season six. It marks the final season of the hit series. A spin-off of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul debuted in 2015 and has earned numerous awards and nominations, including 39 Emmy nominations. Oh yeah! Giancarlo Esposito, who stars in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, shook hands with Michael Mando What a crack up! David Cross had Odenkirk in stitches as he gave a speech in his honor Suits him! Odenkirk was looking sharp for the occasion in a navy blue suit, black tie, and pair of sunglasses smartly tucked into his front pocket Showing his support: Cross and Odenkirk previously had their own sketch show, Mr. Show With Bob And David Odenkirk is less than a year removed from suffering a heart attack last July as he was filming Better Call Saul in New Mexico, and was subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital. In February, Odenkirk spoke with The New York Times about the harrowing incident, recalling how it happened after an all-day shoot on the AMC series. He told the paper: 'I'd known since 2018 that I had this plaque buildup in my heart. One of those pieces of plaque broke up.' The Emmy-winning actor said that he ventured to an area near co-stars Rhea Seehorn and Patrick Fabian and began riding on an exercise bike when he tumbled to the floor following the heart attack. Seehorn and Fabian signaled for help and health safety supervisor Rosa Estrada and assistant director Angie Meyer performed CPR on the actor, prior to medics giving him three shocks with an automated defibrillator to restore his pulse. Cheering him on: Banks congratulated his co-star at the event Star-studded! Carol Burnett was among the celebs in attendance She jetted off to Honolulu, Hawaii, for a sun-soaked Easter vacation. And P.E Nation co-founder Pip Edwards was in holiday mode on Sunday as she showed off her incredible bikini body at Waikiki beach. The 41-year-old displayed her flawless figure in a patterned two-piece as she walked out of the ocean with a big smile on her face. Wish you were here? Pip Edwards was in holiday mode on Sunday as she showed off her incredible bikini body at Waikiki beach in Honolulu, Hawaii She beamed for a series of sunny Instagram snaps while drawing attention to her flat tummy and lean legs in the skimpy swimwear. A day earlier, the activewear mogul had gone surfing in a retro-style one-piece. And on Friday, she had rocked another revealing bikini while enjoying a relaxing day by the pool at her oceanfront hotel. Beach babe: She drew attention to her slim waist and lean legs in the skimpy swimwear Stunning: A day earlier, the activewear mogul, 41, had gone surfing in a retro-style one-piece The Bondi-based businesswoman credits her incredible figure to Pilates. Pip is a regular at Fluidform Pilates, a movement method by Kirsten King that is popular in Sydney thanks to its celebrity clientele. 'I spent a lot of time in my early thirties doing weight training and HIIT workouts,' she once said. 'Not moving from here': On Friday, she had rocked another revealing bikini while enjoying a relaxing day by the pool at her oceanfront hotel 'I had a bad injury and kept training with it and then I hit a wall and realised that I needed to look after my body.' 'A friend then recommended a really good Pilates instructor who specialises in rehab Pilates,' she continued. 'Now I make sure that I fit Pilates classes into my schedule three times a week and it's changed my life.' They were crowned Dancing with the Stars champions during the finale on April 3. And one day later, Grant Denyer, 44, and his dance partner Lily Cornish, 22, enjoyed breakfast together in Sydney's Darling Harbour to celebrate their big win. The pals were all smiles as they waltzed down the street before sitting down for a bite to eat, still giddy from their victory the night before. Breakfast of champions! A day after winning Dancing with the Stars, Grant Denyer (right) and his dance partner Lily Cornish (left) went for breakfast together in Sydney's Darling Harbour Lily looked stunning in an ankle-length white dress and brown boots, which she teamed with an over-the-shoulder bag. She wore a touch of makeup to accentuate her striking features, and styled her hair in a gentle beach wave. Meanwhile, father-of-three Grant looked cool and casual in a white T-shirt, dark jeans and brown boots. High spirits: The pals were all smiles as they waltzed down the street before sitting down for a bite to eat, still giddy from their victory the night before Giggly: Grant burst into laughter as Lily showed him something on her phone The pair looked deep in conversation as they sat at the table, enjoying healthy green smoothies and what appeared to be celebratory espresso martinis. The TV host, who first won DWTS in 2006, had walked home with the coveted mirrorball trophy alongside professional dancer Lily a day earlier. Grant, who is married to wife Chezzi Denyer, said after his win: 'This show means the world to me, I absolutely love it. 'If I wasn't dancing or hosting it, I would be changing the light bulbs in the roof. Lovely: The pair looked deep in conversation as they sat at the dinner table, enjoying healthy green smoothies and what appeared to be celebratory espresso martinis Stunner: Lily looked stunning in an ankle-length white dress and boots, which she teamed with an over-the-shoulder bag Style: She wore a touch of makeup to accentuate her striking features, and styled her hair in a long beach wave Chic: Grant looked cool and casual in a white T-shirt, dark jeans and brown boots 'I vowed 15 years ago to never dance again because it was the best memory of my life, I thought I could never top that so why would you even bother.' As well as a shiny trophy, Grant won $20,000 for his chosen charity, The Smith Family. The six finalists were Courtney Act, David Rodan, Deni Hines, Grant Denyer, Kris Smith and Ricki-Lee Coulter. Grant and Lily's journey on DWTS was somewhat tarnished after New Idea published a front-page story on October 18 which falsely accused the pair of having an affair. The magazine included photos of Grant with his hand on Lily's thigh in between rehearsals for Dancing with the Stars: All Stars in Sydney. Champions: The TV host, who first won Dancing with the Stars in 2006, had walked home with the mirrorball trophy alongside his professional Lily a day earlier Passion for dance: Grant, who is married to wife Chezzi Denyer, said after his win, 'This show means the world to me, I absolutely love it' While the photos were accompanied by the headline 'Grant Denyer Caught Out', the full set of images was later released, and offered a more complete picture of what happened. The original article insinuated Grant and Lily were cheating on their respective partners - a claim the Denyers strongly denied - but the photos themselves actually suggested a platonic relationship. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting any infidelity took place. For example, while Grant did place his hand on Lily's thigh at one stage, it wasn't necessarily an intimate gesture. One photo appears to show him patting the young woman's leg in a fatherly manner, which is what he maintains happened. They did it! Grant and Lily were crowned DWTS champions during the finale on April 3 False claims: Their journey on Dancing with the Stars was somewhat tarnished after New Idea published a story on October 18 which falsely accusing them of having an affair There were other moments when they acted like ordinary friends and colleagues. Shots of them looking chummy at the boat party and linking arms outside were seemingly cropped to make it appear as if they were alone. In reality, they were surrounded by their co-stars, including the likes of former Bachelorette Angie Kent and The Morning Show host Kylie Gillies. Grant later admitted he'd 'embarrassed' his family, telling 2Day FM's The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed & Erin the pictures actually showed him consoling his friend after she had received some sad personal news. The images, he said, were taken by a paparazzo just moments after he and Lily had finished speaking to his wife Chezzi over FaceTime. 'It's such a horrible, made-up story that's embarrassing for everyone,' he said. Close: Lily (right) is close friends with Grant (left) and his wife Chezzi (centre). The trio shared this defiant photo after the false claims were reported 'We'd just been on the phone to Chezzi, we had been FaceTiming It had been a bit of a tough day and Lil had a bit going on in her personal life.' 'It's not up to me to divulge what it [the personal issue] is but I was just giving her a bit of a pep talk and fatherly advice,' he added. 'I just gave her a tap on the leg and she sort of leaned in for a bit of a hug after a chat and that's the photo on the [New Idea] front page.' Lily also addressed the New Idea story herself, sharing a post to Instagram thanking her fans for being so understanding. 'Thanks everyone for the kind words and messages. I really appreciate the amount of love that has come out of this yucky / disrespectful situation. Killing it with kindness,' she wrote. Grant and his wife had categorically denied the New Idea report the week it was published in a series of social media posts. Chezzi posted screenshots of the article on Instagram and blasted the magazine for fabricating such a 'gross and mean' story. She went on to claim the photographer who took the photos had apologised to her for the images being 'taken out of context'. Retraction: In December, New Idea apologised to Lily, Grant and his wife Chezzi after publishing the false story. Lily reposted the publication's apology on Instagram (left) and also hared a 7News Sydney report on New Idea's retraction She also pointed out that Lily's long-term boyfriend Jock White had been pictured visiting her during rehearsals for DWTS. Grant later issued his own blistering statement, calling the article a 'brutal' attack on a '22-year-old kid' and a 'dad of three girls'. In December, New Idea apologised to Lily, Grant and his wife Chezzi after publishing the false story. The tabloid reached a confidential settlement with the Denyers after they called in the lawyers over the front-page article that suggested Grant was romantically involved with Lily. The publication printed an apology in its print edition and online, acknowledging the story was false and that Grant and Lily never had an affair. The apology read: 'On 18 October 2021, [publisher] Are Media and New Idea published an article that conveyed that Grant Denyer was having an extra-marital affair with his Dancing with the Stars: All Stars dance partner, Lily Cornish, and that his wife, Chezzi was heartbroken as a result. The article was false. 'Are Media and New Idea acknowledge that Grant Denyer and Lily Cornish are not having an extra-marital affair. They have never had an affair. 'Are Media and New Idea regret publishing the article. 'Are Media and New Idea wish to sincerely apologise to Grant Denyer, Chezzi Denyer and Lily Cornish for the hurt and embarrassment caused by the article.' Shanghai officials say just three people have died from Covid-19 since the megacity's outbreak began China said Monday that just three people have died from Covid-19 in Shanghai since a gruelling lockdown began last month, despite recording hundreds of thousands of cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant in the eastern megacity. Authorities said the first deaths from China's biggest outbreak since the virus wave in Wuhan over two years ago were three people aged 89 to 91, all of whom had underlying health issues and had not received Covid vaccines. Beijing insists that its zero-Covid policy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines has averted fatalities and the public health crises that have engulfed much of the rest of the world. But some have cast doubt on official figures in a nation with low vaccination rates among its vast elderly population. Shanghai health officials noted Sunday that less than two-thirds of residents over 60 had received two Covid jabs and less than 40 percent had received a booster. Unverified social media posts have also claimed unreported deaths -- typically before being scrubbed from the internet. Hong Kong, meanwhile, has attributed nearly 9,000 deaths to Covid-19 since Omicron first surged there in January. The three reported victims in Shanghai "deteriorated into severe cases after going into hospital", according to a government account, with city health official Wu Qianyu telling a Monday press conference that "underlying disease" was the direct cause of death. The eastern business hub has simmered under lockdowns since March, with many of its 25 million residents confined to their homes as daily caseloads have topped 25,000 -- a modest figure by global standards but virtually unheard of in China. Many inhabitants have flooded social media with complaints of food shortages, spartan quarantine conditions and heavy-handed enforcement, circulating footage of rare protests faster than government censors can delete them. Shanghai, China's largest city, has been under a patchwork of lockdowns since March But officials have vowed to continue isolating anyone who tests positive regardless of whether they show signs of the disease -- with asymptomatic infections accounting for nearly 90 percent of the more than 22,000 new local cases on Monday. China last reported new Covid-19 deaths on March 19 -- two people in the northeastern rustbelt province of Jilin -- the first such acknowledged deaths in more than a year. - Political play - China's ruling Communist Party has touted its hardline pandemic approach as proof that it places human life above material concerns -- unlike many Western democracies, which it argues have sacrificed lives by failing to stop the virus. Beijing has also acknowledged that dropping restrictions could let the pathogen run amok through its under-resourced healthcare system, potentially causing millions of deaths -- particularly among the elderly, who are at risk of developing more severe disease. But experts say political considerations are also at play, with the party staking popular legitimacy on crushing emerging outbreaks in a year that will likely see President Xi Jinping secure a precedent-busting third term in office. Some of Shanghai's 25 million residents have chaffed at the inflexible virus restrictions "This is a sensitive and critical year for the regime," said Lynette Ong, associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. "China has always given so much prominence to social stability, and a health crisis is a potentially big disrupter." - Desperation - Those concerns may have motivated officials in Shanghai to zealously implement curbs "to the point that it becomes silly", even as the highly transmissible Omicron strain refuses to be quelled, Ong said. Videos on social media have illustrated creeping public desperation, with clips showing residents scuffling with hazmat-suited police and bursting through barricades demanding food. Internet users have also blasted the filmed killing of a pet corgi by a health worker and a now-softened policy of separating infected children from their virus-free parents. Other posts -- not verified by AFP -- and overseas media outlets have previously said that elderly patients in the city had died after contracting Covid-19 even as no fatalities appeared in official figures. The United States Embassy in Beijing said Monday it had "reconfigured operations" to assist more than 40,000 Americans in its Shanghai consular district. Chinese officials accused Washington of making "groundless accusations" about its Covid policy earlier this month after the surge prompted the consulate to evacuate non-essential staff. BEIJING (AP) - Shanghai authorities on Monday reported the first COVID-19 deaths in the latest outbreak in Chinas most populous and wealthiest city. All three people who died were elderly, had underlying diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and had not been vaccinated against the coronavirus, city Health Commission inspector Wu Ganyu told journalists. "After entering hospital, their conditions grew worse and they died after attempts to save them were unsuccessful," Wu said. The deaths raise to 4,641 the number of people that China says have succumbed to the disease since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019. While China has an overall vaccination rate of around 90%, a low rate among the elderly remains a concern. Only 62% of Shanghai residents over age 60 have been vaccinated, according to the latest data available. Some experts say China needs to raise that rate before it can safely live with the virus. While highly contagious, the omicron BA.2 variant driving the Shanghai outbreak is less lethal than the previous delta variant. However, China's low death toll from COVID-19, which is blamed for more than 988,000 deaths in the United States, has raised questions about how China's authoritarian and often highly secretive government counts such fatalities. Commuters wearing face masks to help protect from the coronavirus look out from a crowded traveling bus during the morning rush hour, Monday, April 18, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Most of Shanghais 25 million residents are being confined to their homes for a third week as China continues to employ a "zero-tolerance" strategy to curb the outbreak, demanding isolation of anyone possibly infected. China on Monday said 23,362 people had tested positive for the virus over the previous 24 hours, most of them showing no symptoms and almost all of them in Shanghai. The city has reported more than 300,000 cases since late March. Shanghai began easing restrictions last week, although officials have warned that the city doesn't have its outbreak under control. Shanghai, which is home to China's biggest port and most important stock exchange, appeared unprepared for such a massive undertaking. Residents have run short of food and other daily necessities while enduring lockdown conditions, and tens of thousands of people put under medical observation have been sequestered in crowded facilities where lights are always on, garbage bins overflow, food is inadequate and hot showers nonexistent. Anyone who tests positive but has few or no symptoms is required to spend one week in a quarantine facility. Concerns have risen about the economic impact of the government's hard-line policy. Chinas economic growth edged up to a still-weak 4.8% over a year earlier in the first three months of 2022 as lockdowns cut production in major industrial cities. Official data showed growth accelerated from the previous quarters 4%. At a meeting Monday, Vice Premier Liu He, President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser, pledged increased spending to stabilize supply chains and provide financial support for health workers and others on the pandemic front lines. While the ruling Communist Party has urged more targeted prevention measures, local officials have routinely adopted stringent regulations, possibly for fear of being fired or penalized over outbreaks in their areas. In the city of Wenzhou, which has seen only a handful of cases, authorities have authorized rewards of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,800) for information about people who falsify their health status, online news site The Paper reported. People wearing face masks to help protect from the coronavirus walk by a wall displaying propaganda posters as they head to work at the Central Business District during the morning rush hour, Monday, April 18, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) HYDERABAD: More skeletons seem to be tumbling out of Osmania Universitys closet after a recent food poisoning incident that rocked the campus, following which students protested against the worst services offered in the hostels by varsity management. Tension prevailed at Osmania University after the food poisoning incident on the campus from Thursday night. Students of Centenary Girls Hostel on the varsitys main campus staged a protest on Thursday night after many hostel inmates allegedly fell ill after consuming food from the hostel mess. Ambulances were summoned to the hostel about four to five times on the day. This triggered the protest by angry students, who were already fed up with several other issues. About 100 students, both from the Centenary Hostel as well as those from other hostels, protested on the street around 8.30 pm. The varsitys vice-chancellor Prof Ravinder and the warden of the hostel then met the students, who explained to them the many issues they faced in the hostel, and assured to resolve them, after which the students dispersed around midnight. The inmates have a long list of complaints regarding facilities in the hostel. They allege that washrooms are not cleaned for long durations and dustbins are not cleared, leading to unbearable stench. Even one-and-a-half months after offline classes began and most students returned to hostels, they still do not have any network or WiFi facility in the hostel. To make any call, they have to step out of the hostel. When this was brought to the Vice Chancellors notice, he promised to hold a meeting soon to address it. Though the management started bus facilities for students to reach colleges, considering the hot weather, students of this hostel have been provided only two buses, which can accommodate only 150 students, and the timings are erratic. Most of us are still walking to colleges, says a student. The students dont even have enough space to sleep, as four students are crammed into a room that only has three cots and they have asked us to adjust with three cots, but how is it possible? asks the student. Strangely, sensor based lights a needless luxury have been installed in the rooms and are in fact troubling the students, as they suddenly switch on or off. Even water is not coming from about 40 taps in the hostel, they allege. Earlier, on March 27 and 28, students of a different block of girls hostel protested on the streets over several basic issues, after students allegedly found a worm in food served in the mess. A security personnel stands next to a damaged vehicle after incidents of stone throwing in some areas of Old Hubballi late on Saturday evening, in Hubballi district, Sunday, April 17, 2022. (PTI) Hubballi: A large number of people allegedly went on a rampage damaging many police vehicles, a nearby hospital and a Hanuman temple in the old town of Hubballi and injured some police officers on duty over a social media post in the early hours of Sunday, police said. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 has been clamped in Hubballi city, police added. "Around 40 people have been arrested and some FIRs have been registered. Twelve of our officers on duty were injured and some police vehicles were damaged. We have taken all precautionary measures so that such incidents do not occur again. We will not spare those who have taken law into their hands," Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Labhu Ram told reporters. According to him, someone had posted a social media post, which others took objection to and lodged a police complaint. Subsequently, the person was arrested after a case was registered. Not satisfied with the action, some people started gathering around the police station. They were persuaded and later dispersed from the spot. Around midnight, a large number of people once again started gathering around the police station, the officer said, adding that their leaders were summoned to the station and apprised about the action taken so far. However, the mob outside the station was not ready to listen to them and they went on a rampage, Labhu Ram said, adding that the mob damaged some police vehicles as they resorted to stone pelting. In this incident, about a dozen police officers have sustained injuries, the police commissioner said. "We will not spare those who took law into their hands. We have taken all preventive measures to stop repetition of such incident," Labhu Ram said. Speaking to reporters in Hosapete, the district headquarters town of the newly carved Vijayanagara district, state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said some police officers have sustained injuries, including the inspector of Old Town police station. "A police officer is in a serious condition. Some people involved in the attack have been arrested. It was a pre-planned attack. The miscreants wanted to create Devara Jeevanahalli and Kadugondahalli like incident in Hubballi," Jnanendra said. The Home Minister was referring to the 2020 riot in Bengaluru where about 4,000 Muslims set on fire the residence of Congress MLA from Pulakeshi Nagar assembly constituency in Bengaluru R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and his sister over a social media post by his relative. The mob then torched many vehicles and set the DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations afire. In that incident, four people were killed including three in police firing. Reacting to the Hubballi rampage, senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal demanded that the government should act tough against the miscreants in a way that they should never think of repeating the incident. Hyderabad: All the seven accused including six Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders and a police inspector, who are alleged to have abetted the suicide of a realtor and his mother, are likely to surrender before the police in connection with the case. A senior political leader is understood to have made consultations with the Kamareddy district police officials to make it easier for the accused to surrender. A day after real estate businessman Gangam Santosh and his mother Padma died by self immolation at a hotel room in Kamareddy, the case was handed over to a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) rank officer in Kamareddy to investigate. DSP Somanatham has initiated a probe by collecting clues. Police officials associated with the investigation team said all the seven accused Ramayampet municipal chairman Palle Jitender Goud, market committee chairman V. Prudvi Raj, S. Yadagiri, Thota Kiran, K. Krishna Goud, S. Swaraj and police inspector T. Nagarjuna Goud - were still absconding. Maintaining silence over the speculations that the accused were trying to surrender before the police or a court of law, the officials said the accused switched off their mobile phones and were absconding. We have intensified probe based on the seriousness of the case and obtained clues such as selfie video and suicide notes from the scene of incident. We have also collected data from the mobile phone of Santosh and verified. We will send them to a forensic lab to examine and after getting a report, we will take action, police officials said. Meanwhile, speculations are rife over a political leaders involvement in allegedly influencing the Kamareddy police for making the accused surrender. With political leaders involved in the case, the Medak police officials said they would assist the Kamareddy police by providing information about the accused as the case was being probed by the Kamareddy police. The victims Santosh and Padma were residents of Gandhi Road of Ramayampet in Medak district. As part of the investigation, Kamareddy police officials sought the complaints lodged by Santosh against the seven accused earlier and the status of the registered cases. Friends and relatives thronged the residence of Santosh and Padma at Gandhinagar road in Ramayampet for consoling the family members on Sunday. The Medak police assured us to take stern action against the accused. If the police fail to fulfil their promises, we will initiate a protest against the police for not taking action, Anjaiah, Santosh's father, said. As precautionary measures, the police provided security to the residences of the accused in Ramayampet to prevent untoward incidents. Delhi Police personnel detain a person, after clashes broke out between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday, at Jahangirpuri in New Delhi, Monday, April 18, 2022. (PTI) Bricks were allegedly thrown at the Delhi Police Crime Branch team at C-block in Jahangirpuri here on Monday where they were probing the violence case. "The recent media report of fresh stone pelting is an exaggeration of facts. It was a minor, one-off incident. Legal action is being taken. One person has been detained," Delhi Police said. Rapid Action Force and police had been deployed in the violence-hit Jahangirpuri area. Earlier on Monday, Delhi police commissioner, Rakesh Asthana said that the police are monitoring social media to curb the spread of misinformation in the wake of the violence that erupted in the Jahangirpuri area, while also stating that action will be taken against culprits attempting to disturb the peace. "Some people are trying to disturb peace through social media posts. We are monitoring social media closely, and legal action will be taken against those who are found spreading misinformation. The public should not pay heed to rumours," Asthana had said. Asthana also said that action will be taken against any person found guilty in the violence. "Action will be taken against any person found guilty irrespective of their class, creed, community and religion," he had said. The police commissioner further informed that nine people sustained injuries in the violence, which included police personnel who were deployed on the duty. "So far 23 accused have been arrested. Nine people including police personnel and one civilian received injuries during the incident," Asthana had said. Talking about the investigation into the incident, he said the police are doing an analysis of the CCTV footage of the incident and digital media. "Analysis of CCTV footage and digital media is being done. Forensic Science Laboratory teams have visited the scene of crime today," Asthana had said. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Crime Branch and the district police are jointly probing the incident, said Ravindra Yadav, Special Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch. Heavy security has been deployed in the violence-hit area to prevent any untoward incident. A TRS councillors son and another man were on Monday detained by the Kodad police for allegedly kidnapping and gang-raping a woman. (Representational Image: DC) HYDERABAD: Close on the heels of suicide incidents in which three persons died at two different places in Khammam and Kamareddy districts following the alleged harassment of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders, a TRS councillors son and another man were on Monday detained by the Kodad police for allegedly kidnapping and gang-raping a woman. Though the incident happened on Friday night, it came to light on Monday when the family members of the victim approached the police, seeking action against the two accused. According to Kodad Inspector Narasimha Rao, the two accused - Sai Kiran Reddy and Sheik Pasha - are friends and residents of Kodad town. The duo lured a known woman for a long ride. The accused took the woman in an auto to an abandoned house on Friday night. In her complaint, the victim said the accused offered soft drinks laced with sedatives. After she consumed a soft drink, she slipped into sleep. "Later, the accused assaulted her sexually. When she woke up on Saturday morning, the victim realised that she was gang-raped by the accused. As she tried to resist the accused, the accused assaulted her physically. The victim was made to drink a soft drink laced with sedatives by the accused. Later, the accused abandoned the victim at an isolated place. The locals passing by noticed the victim and identified her as a resident of Kodad town. Upon informing parents, they came to the spot and rescued the victim with the assistance of the police," he said. In the incident, the victim suffered bleeding injuries. Based on the complaint, the police registered a gang-rape case and detained the two accused. The victim was shifted to the hospital for treatment. It was reported that the accused confessed to having committed the offence. The victim's family members demanded that the police take stern action against the accused. The police seized mobile phones of the accused and verified call data as part of the investigation. Another 25,000 government schools are getting a facelift in phase 2 with a spend of Rs 11,267 crore. (Representational Image/ DC) Vijayawada: The innovative Mana-Badi Nadu-Nedu programme in Andhra Pradesh has brought revolutionary changes in more than 15,000 government schools in its first phase. This is helping in an additional enrollment of nearly two lakh students. Another 25,000 government schools are getting a facelift in phase 2 with a spend of Rs 11,267 crore. This would switch the ambiance of the government education system to a level that will match with the standards of well-run corporate schools. Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy is giving top priority to the modernisation of schools under Nadu-Nedu (Then and Now). This is showing good results as a majority of parents are satisfied with the way government schools have been modernized and are shifting their children to state schools from private schools. Only two years are left for the YSRC government before the next polls. Hence, the chief minister is keen on completion of the modernisation drive in 25,000 government schools, to bring them on par with private and corporate schools. This, he hopes, would encourage a large number of parents to support the YSRC in the 2024 elections. Nearly 44 lakh students are studying in the government schools in AP. Hence, the ruling party aims to increase enrolments in the next two years through modernization of all state schools. The Mana-Badi Nadu-Nedu was started on 14 November 2019, under which ten elements of infrastructure were developed in the schools. Modernisation of toilets with continuous water supply, safe drinking water, necessary repairs to schools, setting up of fans and tube lights for each room, furniture for students and teachers, green chalkboard, painting, English Lab, retaining wall and kitchens have all been arranged. This changes the dull looks of government schools and turns them into modern educational institutions. The government provides English-Telugu dictionaries along with uniforms, school bags, text books, notebooks, workbooks, belts, socks and shoes to the students. Further, English-medium teaching, Amma Vodi and introduction of CBSE syllabus have all turned into a boon to students. As a result, parents are preferring government schools to private schools. This is helping them save on education expenditure for better financial management, a teacher noted. Private sector employees S Chandrasekhar and K Balamurali said that the government schools have been totally reformed in AP on par with the corporate schools in the state. There is no donation, no fee and no extra charges in the government schools. Further, the uniform, dictionary, shoes, socks, textbooks, notebooks, belt and a school bag with Amma Vodi and the offer of English medium are is a big boon to children from ordinary families. Political observers note that nearly 44 lakh students studying in government schools and their parents play an important role in the 2024 assembly elections. Hence, Jagan Reddy aims to complete the modernisation process in the rest of 25,000 government schools too at the earliest, they noted. Education minister Botsa Satyanarayana said APs Nadu-Nedu is the first-of-its kind programme in the country that turned government schools into top-class educational institutions. CM Jagan emphasized on completing the phase-2 of Nadu-Nedu works in 25000 schools, along with 468 junior colleges, soon. Hence, measures were initiated to speed up the works at an expenditure of Rs 11,267 crore, he said. More than 15,000 government schools modernized under the innovative Mana-Badi Nadu-Nedu programme in AP Now, another 25,000 government schools are getting a facelift in phase 2 with a spend of`11,267 crore; switching the ambiance of the government education system. The enrollment in government schools in the state was 42.83 lakh by 2014-15 and it had dropped to 37.21 lakh by 2018-19. The enrollment has reached back to 43.44 lakh by 2020-21. English medium, free provision of all necessities including uniforms, text/note books, shoes, dictionary, school bag, belt, socks with Amma Vodi and CBSE syllabus were attractions in AP. This helped provide good education to children without any expenditure. YSRC government engaged in modernisation of 25K government schools under Nadu-Nedu; benefits to come in 2 years When the priests were chanting Vedik hymns and the temple authorities were offering prasadam and a Lord Hanuman portrait to the minister, the monkey came in and sat pretty on the minister. (Image by Arrangement) ANANTAPUR: There were some interesting moments at the five-centuries-old historic Lord Nettikanti Hanuman Temple at Kasapuram in Gutakal rural mandal of Anantapur district on Monday. A monkey hopped in and perched itself on the Women and Child Welfare Minister Ushasri Charan while she was participating in the rituals there. The monkey, harmless to humans, shared the temple prasadam with the minister with its own hand, much to the curiosity of the devotees and the security staff that accompanied the minister. This was when she was being accorded a felicitation and traditional asheervadam at the temple when the daily ritual started in the morning. Charan, who took charge as minister recently, visited the temple for darshan of Lord Hanuman. The idol had been consecrated by Vijaynagar Empire and the Rajguru of Sri krishna Devaraya as part of the setting up of 732 hanuman temples across South India. At Kasapuram, only one eye of the Lord is visible. The Kasapuram temple is believed to drive away ghosts that cause problems for the devotees. Ushasri Charan, MLA from Kalyandurg, arrived at the temple along with her family members and security cover. After she had darshan of Lord Nettikanti Hanuman, the temple priests blessed the minister and took her closer to Hanuman idol. When the priests were chanting Vedik hymns and the temple authorities were offering prasadam and a Lord Hanuman portrait to the minister, the monkey came in and sat pretty on the minister. The temple authorities convinced the minister and her security that the monkey was being friendly to the devotees and caused no harm to anyone. The monkey perched itself on the woman minister till the completion of the traditional rituals. The monkey accepted prasadam and offered it to the minister with its own hands. Soon after its exit from the spot, a video of the scene went viral on social media. Temple authorities told DC, More than 100 monkeys live in the temple premises, but this is the only monkey that is friendly to humans and causes no harm. It visits the garbhagudi of Lord Hanuman in the early hours of the day. The priests have to put Sindhura Thilakam on its forehead and offer it prasadam. It eats the prasadam and returns from the garbhagudi. The monkey appears in a traditional attire with sindhuram on its forehead. Priests said the temple is famous for its rituals to drive away ghosts from the vicinity of the affected people. Hence, a large number of people with some complaints are brought to the temple by their relatives. "We had a similar experience with the same monkey during our visit to the temple last month," devotees Rishitha and Harshitha said. Some farmers have already sold paddy to middlemen as they are unable to stock paddy after harvesting. AP HYDERABAD: With the paddy procurement by state government agencies in vogue, inter-state borders have been put on alert to prevent entry of paddy from neighbouring states. The state government has set up checkposts on the state borders with AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, some farmers have already sold paddy to middlemen as they are unable to stock paddy after harvesting. There is no godown facility in villages and no space for farmers in their houses. After the governments announcement on paddy procurement, farmers rushed to harvest the produce. HYDERABAD: Around 3,000 party leaders and representatives from across the state are expected to attend the 21st Foundation Day celebrations of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi on April 27, TRS working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao has said. Speaking to reporters after inspecting the Hitex Convention Centre at the HICC in Madhapur on Sunday, Rama Rao said the foundation day will be celebrated like a festival across the state. In addition to the TRS plenary meeting on April 27, the day will also see the TRS party flag being hoisted by all the 12,769 party branches in villages and in 3,600 locations in various cities and towns, he said. The convention in the city will take stock of the development in the state so far under the TRS and new plans and decisions for further development will be discussed during the event. Rama Rao said all TRS leaders invited to the convention will be issued invitation cards and only those who have been called should make plans to attend the event. The TRS was born to represent the self-respect of the people of Telangana state and its identity, Rama Rao said, adding a meeting will be held with TRS leaders from the GHMC area on Monday as part of the preparations for the party plenary. HYDERABAD: A planned visit to Khammam on Monday by minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao has been indefinitely put off, his office announced here on Sunday. The postponement was necessitated because of a parliamentary committee meeting on e-commerce, and unveiling of the state governments Space Technology Policy, his office said. It may be recalled that Khammam has been on a boil with Opposition parties on the warpath since Saturday following the death of a BJP activist S. Sai Ganesh who committed suicide alleging harassment by the police who, according to the deceased, had foisted 16 false cases against him at the behest of transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar. The BJP leaders have been camping in Khammam. Modi also asked people to join the next episode of his monthly radio address on April 24. (PTI) New Delhi: Ahead of this months Mann ki Baat radio address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday shared a magazine based on the last episode of his monthly radio programme. The 38-page digital magazine contains key points highlighted by the Prime Minister. Modi also asked people to join the next episode of his monthly radio address on April 24. Here is an interesting magazine on last months #MannKiBaat in which we discussed diver-se topics like Indias exports jump, Ayurveda start-ups, water conservation and traditional fairs. Do join the next episode on the 24th, tweeted the Prime Minister. The radio programme Mann ki Baat is aired on All India Radio on the last Sunday of every month, through which Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with the nation. In the last edition of the programme, the Prime Minister had mentioned how India had achieved the export target of $400 billion, which he had said that signifies the countrys growing economy but more than that it is linked to Indias potential. During his address, Modi had also called upon start-ups in the health sector especially those in the Ayush sector to put their content online in all languages recognised by the United Nations and not just remain restricted to English. Underlining that the Ayush manufacturing industry is reaching around Rs 1.4 lakh crore, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that Ayush start-ups from India with better quality products will reign all over the world. He had also mentioned some of the start-ups and the tremendous work they have been doing in the sector. Urging the listeners to save every drop of water and also recycle and reuse water whenever possible, the Prime Minister had asked children to be at the forefront of water conservation efforts. Visakhapatnam/Vijayawada: Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy would meet Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar here on Tuesday. The one-on-one meet will be held at a private facility. This has created a buzz among the citizens that there would be chances of cooperation between the two states in fields like industry, particulary in Vizag which is tagged as the IT Capital of Andhra Pradesh. Prior to the meet, IT minister Gudivada Amarnath met the Haryana CM and accompanied Khattar on his visit to the Lord Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam here. The IT minister said that the meet between the two CM was meant to be a friendly gesture. As per the schedule, Jagan will start from Gannavaram airport at 10.25 am and reach Visakhapatnam at 11.05 am. He will proceed to Pema Wellness Resort at Rushikonda here at 11.50 am and meet the Haryana CM. Jagan will leave Visakhapatnam at 1.25 pm and arrive at his residence at Tadepalli at 2.30 pm. The Haryana CM is in the city for the last few days on a personal tour which lasts till April 20. India landed on the list, the USCIRF report said, because of discrimination against Muslims through the law (it cited CAA and NRC), restrictions on propagation and violence on the issue of cow slaughter the lynchings. (Representational Image/PTI) The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, or USCIRF, is an independent and bipartisan US federal government agency. It monitors the right to freedom of religion abroad and makes policy recommendations to the US President, the secretary of state and the US Congress. And then it tracks the implementation of these recommendations. Independent means it is not part of the US federal government and bipartisan means that both major parties, Democrats and Republicans, have representation on the body. In 2020, USCIRF put India on a shortlist of 13 nations which were of particular concern. The other nations are Pakistan, Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam. India landed on the list, the USCIRF report said, because of discrimination against Muslims through the law (it cited CAA and NRC), restrictions on propagation and violence on the issue of cow slaughter the lynchings. The USCIRF recommended that the US government impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals assets and/or barring their entry into the United States under human rights-related financial and visa authorities. It may be remembered that after the 2002 pogrom in Gujarat, the states chief minister was put on a US visa ban list, and that was because of the USCIRFs recommendation. The decision to put India on the list came with some dissent. USCIRF commissioners Gary Bauer (a Republican) and Tenzin Dorjee (a Tibetan refugee) wrote that they were concerned by what was happening in India but the US should not sanction India but instead engage with it. The recommendation for sanctions was not taken up by the administration. In 2021, the USCIRF again retained India on the countries of particular concern list, saying that religious freedom in India continued down negative territory. It cited the pogrom in Delhi, the States violence against CAA protests, the suspension of work by Amnesty International India (of which I am part) under State attack and the acquittal of all in the Babri Masjid case, among other things. Once again it recommended sanctions against Indian government officials and agencies. Once again, this recommendation was not taken up by the new Biden administration. This time nobody in USCIRF dissented. One commissioner, Johnnie Moore wrote: I love India. I have floated early in the morning down the Ganges in Varanasi, walked every alley in Old Delhi, stood in awe of the architecture in Agra, sipped tea next to the Dalai Lamas temple in Dharamsala, circled the shrine in Ajmer, and looked in awe at the Golden Temple. All along the way, I have met Christian brothers and sisters who serve the poor selflessly, often in difficult circumstances. Of all countries in the world, India should not be a country of particular concern, or CPC. It is the worlds largest democracy and it is governed by a pristine Constitution. It is diversity personified and its religious life has been its greatest historic blessing. Yet, India does seem to be at a crossroads. Its democracy still young and freewheeling is creating through the ballot box difficult challenges for itself. The answer, of course, is for Indias institutions to draw upon their rich history to protect their values. India must always resist allowing political and intercommunal conflict to be exacerbated by religious tensions. Indias government and people have everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose from preserving social harmony and protecting the rights of everyone. India can. India must. Next month, the USCIRF will make its recommendations for 2022. It is in this background that we should examine the comments made by the US secretary of state a few days ago at a press conference where S. Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh were present. Antony Blinken said: We regularly engage with our Indian partners on these shared values, and to that end we are monitoring some recent concerning developments in India, including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police, and prison officials. Our government was upset enough by this for Mr Jaishankar, after he returned to India, to say that India was also concerned by the human rights situation in the United States. This was seen as a great comeback, and perhaps it was. But it does not address the issue that is building up in the US. Given the events of the past few months, it is possible and perhaps even likely that India will remain on the list of nations that the US government will be asked to engage with and sanction on human rights. For us as a sovereign nation, we can swallow what is said about us and ignore it or push back vocally as Mr Jaishankar did. However, we must be prepared for this to continue. The world is not blind to what is happening in India today and it is uncomfortable with it. Indias outstanding reputation as a democracy and a friendly and well-meaning nation can no longer cover up the daily events which tarnish it. Naturally, we can assure the world that what is happening is an aberration and that the government is against it, but that is not what we have chosen to do. We have chosen this path that we have taken. For this reason, there will be many in Mr Jaishankars ministry who are waiting to see what the USCIRF says next month, and what it recommends and whether, this time, the US administration chooses to again ignore or to act. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claimed that 40 lakh Indians died during the coronavirus pandemic due to the government's "negligence" and once again demanded that all families of the deceased be given Rs four lakh compensation each. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi shared the screenshot of a New York Times report which claimed that India is stalling the WHO's efforts to make global Covid death toll public. "Modi ji neither speaks the truth, nor lets others speak. He still lies that no one died due to oxygen shortage!" Gandhi charged in a tweet in Hindi along with the screenshot of the report. "I had said earlier also due to the negligence of the government during Covid, not five lakh, but 40 lakh Indians died," the former Congress chief said. "Fulfil your responsibility, Modi ji give compensation of Rs four lakh to every (Covid) victim's family," Gandhi said. Read | Centre questions WHO's methodology to estimate Covid-19 mortalities India on Saturday questioned the World Health Organization's (WHO) methodology to estimate Covid-19 mortalities in the country, saying using such a mathematical modelling cannot be applied to estimate the death figures for such a vast nation of geographical size and population. The Union Health Ministry issued a statement in response to the article titled 'India Is Stalling WHO's Efforts to Make Global Covid Death Toll Public' dated April 16, saying the country has on several occasions shared its concerns with the global health body over the methodology used. The Congress has been alleging that the government has not released the actual Covid-19 death figures and has demanded a compensation of Rs four lakh to the family members of the deceased. According to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday, the death toll from Covid has climbed to 5,21,751 with four fresh fatalities. Watch latest videos by DH here: Hindutva leader Sadhvi Rithambara has urged every Hindu couple to produce four children and dedicate two of them to the nation, and said India will soon become a "Hindu Rashtra". Referring to Saturday's communal violence in Delhi's Jahangirpuri, she said those who "attacked" the Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra (procession) are jealous of the progress made by the country. "Those who are trying to divide Hindu society through political terrorism will be razed to dust," she said. Also Read | VHP's Sadhvi Saraswati asks Hindu youth to carry swords, cites atrocities on Kashmiri Pandits Addressing a Ram Mahotsav programme at Nirala Nagar here on Sunday, she said Hindu women follow the principle of "Hum Do, Hamare Do" (having two children). "But I would like to request all Hindu couples to produce four children each. Of these, two should be dedicated to the nation, while the rest two will be for the family," she said. She went on to add, "Soon, India will become a Hindu Rashtra. She also said a Uniform Civil Code should be implemented in the country, so that there is no population imbalance. "If there is a population imbalance in the country, the future of the country will not be good," she told PTI on Monday. Asked if she has urged parents to dedicate their children to the RSS, she said, "Yes. I have asked them to dedicate them to the RSS. Make them VHP workers and also dedicate to the nation." Rithambara has been associated with the Ram temple movement. She is also the founder of Durga Vahini, the women's wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Check out latest DH videos here Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti on Monday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, triggering speculation about possible Opposition unity in the union territory that may see an Assembly election soon after delimitation. Mehbooba is understood to have discussed the current political scenario in the country with Sonia at the latter's residence here. This is Mehbooba's first meeting with Sonia in some time. The meeting assumes significance as the Opposition is brainstorming on how to wage a united fight against the BJP. Amid speculation that Kashmir may see an election soon after the delimitation exercise, it is expected that the Opposition may explore possibilities of a united fight against the BJP. Earlier, several parties including Congress, National Conference, PDP and CPI(M) among others had come together to fight local body polls but differences had cropped up among the allies. Mehbooba has earlier said it is the Congress that has kept the country safe so far while accusing the BJP of taking efforts to create more Pakistans inside the country. She had formed a government with the support of the BJP in 2016 but had to resign after the saffron party withdrew support. She was put under house arrest along with other Opposition leaders after the Narendra Modi government took away the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Check out DH's latest videos Ocugen Inc, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin partner in the US and Canada, has announced that it would also commercialize the Covid-19 vaccine in Mexico. With the amended deal, Pennsylvania based Ocugen's Covaxin rights now encompass all of the North American continent. COVAXIN is already authorized for emergency use in adults by the health regulators in Mexico, and has been submitted for Emergency Use Authorization for children aged 2-18 years, Ocugen Inc and Bharat Biotech said in a statement on Monday. Last year, Bharat Biotech and Ocugen Inc had announced a definitive agreement to co-develop, manufacture, supply, and commercialize Covaxin for the United States and Canada markets. As per the deal, Ocugen and Bharat Biotech would share the profits from Covaxin sale in a 45:55 ratio. Also Read: Whats the new Omicron XE variant and should you be worried? However, the US Food and Drug Administration last week put on hold the Phase-2/3 clinical trials of Covaxin in the US. The USFDA call was based on the US firm's decision to voluntarily implement a temporary pause in dosing participants of the jab, following the WHO's observations on Covaxin plants in India. On 2 April, the World Health Organisation revealed that it has suspended the supply of Covaxin through the UN procurement agencies, and recommended that countries using the vaccine take action as appropriate. The suspension is following WHO inspection of Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing facilities in March, and the need to conduct process and facility upgrade to address recently identified deficiencies in good manufacturing practices (GMP). Bharat Biotech said that it is addressing the GMP deficiencies and is developing a corrective and preventive action plan for submission to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and WHO. In the interim and as a precautionary measure, the Hyderabad based company has indicated that it will suspend production of Covaxin for export. As a consequence, supply will be interrupted for the foreseeable future, the WHO had said in a statement. However, the world health body said that the risk assessment to date does not indicate change in the riskbenefit ratio. The data, available to WHO, indicate the vaccine is effective and no safety concerns exist WHO had issued Emergency Use Listing for Covaxin in November. Were excited to commercialize COVAXIN in Mexico, as authorities there have made conquering this pandemic a major priority. After meeting with Mexicos Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, in Delhi, we are encouraged by the role COVAXIN can play in Mexicos continuing efforts to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic. COVAXIN is currently under review by COFEPRIS (Comision Federal para la Proteccion contra Riesgos Sanitarios) for emergency use among children between 2 and 18 years of age, and Ocugen is prepared to collaborate with the public health community to help their efforts, said Dr Shankar Musunuri, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Ocugen, Inc on Monday. BBV152 or Covaxin is co-developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research. Watch the latest DH Videos here: India is assessing the implication of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on its security environment as well as supply of military hardware from both the warring nations. The assessment of any impact of Russia-Ukraine war is on the agenda, as the Indian Army commanders assembled for a four-day-long conference in New Delhi on Monday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also expected to interact with the commanders during the conclave, which is being led by Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane. The commanders are expected to assess impact on supply of defence equipment and spares from both Russia and Ukraine and discuss ways to deal with any disruption in supply and services in the wake of the conflict between the two nations, sources told DH on Monday. India's dependence on Russia for military hardware was built over decades. A 2020 report by the Stimson Centre based in Washington DC estimated that 90 per cent of defence equipment, weapons and platforms presently used by the Indian Army had originated from Russia. Nearly 86 per cent of the defence equipment currently in military service in India had origins in the former Soviet Union nation. Also read: US warns 'consequences' if India aligns with Russia Russia, according to the sources, might not be able to deliver the second unit of the S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems to India on time due to its military operations in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by the United States and other western nations on it. However, some training equipment and simulator for the second unit have already arrived. Russia had in December 2021 delivered the first of the five S-400s India procured for $5.43 billion. New Delhi, however, is more worried about disruptions in supply of spares from Ukraine, particularly for some of the tanks and missile systems currently being used by the Indian Army and for gas turbine engines of some of the Indian Navy warships. The commanders, according to the sources in New Delhi, are expected to review the situation along the India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC), where soldiers of the two nations are still engaged in a stand-off that started two years ago with the communist countrys Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) amassing large number of troops along the disputed boundary between the two nations, prompting counter-deployment by the Indian Army. New Delhi has been assessing the possibility of China trying to take the advantage of geopolitical churning triggered by Russia-Ukraine conflict and stepping up its belligerence, not only along the disputed boundary between the two nations in the Himalayas, but also in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. The commanders over the next few days will review the Indian Armys preparedness to respond to any bid by the Chinese PLA, not only along the western sector, but also in the middle and the eastern sector of the long disputed boundary between the two nations. A spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence said that the senior leadership of the Indian Army would review the operational situation along the active borders during the conference, apart from assessing threats in the entire spectrum of conflict. The commanders would also analyse capability voids to further focus on capability development and operational preparedness plans, added the spokesperson. Check out DH's latest videos: Home Minister Aaraga Jnanendra has said that the Old Hubballi incident would have become another DJ Halli and KG Halli violence in Karnataka if police had not handled the situation cautiously. Speaking to media persons here on Monday, he said, there was a conspiracy to disrupt communal harmony there. But police brought the situation under control by arresting those who had indulged in violence. They have also arrested a boy who uploaded an offensive animated video as his WhatsApp status. He said police are nabbing those responsible for violence based on the CCTV footage and other evidence. Over 80 people have been arrested so far. Their intention was to create communal tension in Karnataka. He said leaders of all communities can sit together and talk to resolve the issue. More than eight people were injured in the Hubballi violence. Head constables and inspector-cadre staff were severely injured. He said he interacted with them in the hospital and they are out of danger. He said eight to 10 vehicles were damaged and the perpetrators vandalised the Hanuman temple. It is unfortunate that violent incidents were reported across India on 'Hanuman Jayanti'. But the government would take suitable steps in this regard, he added. Watch the latest DH Videos here: Released: April 18, 2022 The Delaware County Recorder of Deeds Office is now offering a free property fraud protection tool, called FraudSleuth, that provides Delaware County property owners with automatic alerts to help safeguard against property fraud. FraudSleuth is a software-based monitoring tool that alerts property owners when any documentsuch as a mortgage, deed, or mortgage satisfactionrelated to a specific parcel is recorded under that parcels ID. Similar to how credit monitoring services track consumer purchases and payments, FraudSleuth tracks properties and automatically alerts owners to possible fraudulent activity. FraudSleuth is currently used by many counties in Pennsylvania with local governments working to combat an uptick in property fraud and increased calls from residents for assistance. "While it has been relatively rare in Delaware County, various other jurisdictions have experienced an increase in title theft and deed fraud over the past couple of years, explained Robert A. Auclair, Esq., Recorder of Deeds. So, as a proactive, protective measure, our office has made this free monitoring service available to all property owners in the county." To begin using FraudSleuth, property owners need to visit the Recorder of Deeds Online Services website, accessible at delcopa.gov/deeds, and create a profile for the property they wish to monitor. Profiles are quick and easy to create, requiring a limited amount of information, including the property owners name, the parcel ID number, and an email address (where the owner wishes to have their alerts sent). If a property owner wants to monitor multiple properties, then multiple profiles will need to be created; one for each property. To create a new profile from the Recorder of Deeds Online Services website: Create a New User Account Create a New User Account Click Preferences Click Preferences Click Configure FraudSleuth Profile Click Configure FraudSleuth Profile Click Add Profile Click Add Profile Input the Profile details (including your name and the parcel ID) Input the Profile details (including your name and the parcel ID) Click Save to complete the process. When a document is recorded against the information on file with the Delaware County Recorder of Deeds office, the email generated by FraudSleuth will include matched data, including the document type, the document reference number, and the recording date/time of the matching document. The document can then be viewed on the Recorder of Deeds Online Services website. Residents should be aware that an alert does not mean that fraudulent activity has occurred. Legitimate transactions involving the property owner, bank, and other entities will also trigger an alert, and it is the property owners responsibility to monitor the alerts and take action if the activity is suspicious. If the property owner receives an alert regarding activity that appears fraudulent or suspicious or inaccurate, property owners can contact the Delaware County Recorder of Deeds office at (610) 891-4152 or contact the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Unit (CID) at (610) 891-4161. Lyra McKee, the young journalist shot dead by a New IRA gunman in Derry, was remembered today on the third anniversary of her killing. Members of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) gathered on the steps of the Guildhall to remember their colleague who was killed while watching rioting on Fanad Drive in the Creggan area of the city on April 18, 2019. Among those in attendance were the 29-year-old's sister, Nichola Corner, and partner, Sarah Canning, who both renewed their appeals for information to bring the gunman to justice. Today's vigil coincided with a renewed appeal by the PSNI for information. Detective Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan said: Our thoughts are very much remain with her family, partner, friends and colleagues. Lyras family not only continue to mourn for her but also for her mother, who sadly passed away after Lyras murder. "To date, as part of our ongoing investigation, we have made 30 arrests and nine people have been charged, three with murder and six with public order offences. The investigation into Lyras murder remains very active and I would like to thank the community for their response and support throughout our investigation. I want to re-state the commitment of the police service to work with the community as we collectively seek to release communities from the influence of terrorists. While grateful for the considerable public support we have received, we still need the publics help. If anyone has any information about the events which led up to Lyras murder, and they have yet to come forward, please contact detectives in absolute confidence by calling 101. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers charity completely confidentially 0800 555 111. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE (AP) The White House said last Friday that President Joe Biden will travel to the Pacific Northwest this week, visiting both Portland and Seattle in his first visit to the region as president. Additional details are expected in the coming days, but The Seattle Times reported the White House said this Friday's visit in Seattle will center on the administration's efforts to continue bringing down costs for American families and building a more resilient economy. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE An apartment complex at 9527 Interlake Ave. N. recently sold for nearly $5.6 million, according to King County records. The seller was 9527 A&D LLC, which acquired the property in 2018 for a bit over $4.6 million. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE An industrial property at 1620 S. 92nd Place sold for a little over $7.5 million, according to King County records. The seller was Sea King Industrial Park LLC, which had owned the property for decades. . . . Holcim weighs sale of cement business in India: report Holcim Ltd, the worlds biggest cement manufacturer, is considering to exit its India business through a sale of assets, including Ambuja Cement and ACC Ltd, according to a report. The report, quoting unidentified sources, said the Swiss giants focus on core markets is the main reason behind the move to exit India, about 17 years after the Swiss giant entered the country. Holcim is currently gauging interest in its controlling stake in Ambuja", reports cited people familiar with the matter as saying. Ambuja Cement has a market value of around $9.6 billion, and Holcim holds a 63.1 per cent stake in Ambuja through Holderind Investments Limited while Holderind Investment directly holds another 4.48 per cent stake in ACC. A report in the Economic Times said Holcim is in early-stage negotiations with JSW and Adani Group, among others, to explore their interest levels". The report also quoted sources as saying that felers have also been sent to other Indian cement operators, including Shree Cement. Global cement companies who have circled around India for long are also expected to be tapped, since taking over both Ambuja and ACC will catapult any player to the second position with a combined pan India capacity of 66 million tonnes per annum in the highly competitive, fragmented and price sensitive market," said the organisation in the report. In 2015, Holcim had merged with its French rival Lafarge to create European building materials giant LafargeHolcim. Post merger, Holcim was forced to undergo multiple restructurings in order to abide by anti-trust regulations across the world. This was done by divesting assets in several areas, including Europe and Asia. Holcim Group has also recently been on a spree to sell off its non-core assets so as to reduce debt and diversify through acquisitions. In September last year, Holcim sold off its Brazilian unit for $1 billion and is also in talks to divest its business in Zimbabwe, Bloomberg reported. The news of Holcim selling Ambuja Cements and ACC comes at a time when Ambuja said it expects demand in the cement industry to grow over 7 per cent in 2022, adding it is well-braced" to meet the requirements. The growth would be helped by factors such as infrastructure growth, demand for housing, increase in rural incomes and industrial growth, the company had earlier said. Holcim entered India in 2005 and gradually built synergies in ACC and Ambuja Cements, although without a full-fledged merger. In May 2017, ACC and Ambuja Cements announced plans for a merger. In the following year they informed the bourses that they are not proceeding with the plan. In 2018, ACC and Ambuja Cements entered into master supply agreements for the supply of cement, clinker and raw materials such as fuels, fly ash, slag and gypsum and also spare parts. Aditya Birla groups UltraTech Cement is the countrys largest cement maker with a capacity of 117 million tonnes. The combined capacity of ACC and Ambuja Cements is over 65 million tonnes. As of Wednesday, the market capitalisation of Ambuja and ACC when combined stood at Rs 1.14 lakh crore ($15 billion) with Ambuja alone being at Rs73,349 crore ($9.7 billion). The companys shares have increased by 16 per cent since 6April, on anticipation of a possible merger. Infosys exits Russia to end UK political and tax row Indian IT services giant Infosys has announced it will quit Russia, after finding itself at the centre of a political storm in the UK because of its business connections with Russia. Infosys, whose founder Narayana Murthy's daughter is married to top UK politician quit Russia to ending the political and tax row involving millions of dollars. Infosys, which has so far held off without revealing its intentions regarding Russia, on Thursday said the company will pull out of Russia. CEO Salil Parekh. Parekh told investors during Wednesday's Q4 2022 earnings call that Infosys has around 100 employees in Russia, all working for global clients. But, he said, Infosys has no engagements with Russian entities. Parekh said Infosys has decided to move the work performed by staff in Russia to other unspecified locations. He did not elaborate. Infosys also donated $1 million towards Ukrainian relief efforts and said it is "launching a programme to digitally re-skill up to 25,000 individuals." That decision comes after the company's Russian entanglements became a hot topic in the United Kingdom, the residence of Akshata Murthy, herself a successful entrepreneur and fashion designer, and daughter of N R Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosysm is married to Rishi Sunak, the UK's chancellor of the exchequer a cabinet post equivalent to US treasury secretary, or treasurer in other parliamentary democracies. Akshata Murthy currently owns almost one per cent of the services giant a stake worth around $1 billion. The issue of Infosys's failure to join the exodus from Russia was blown up by British media, which started to ponder whether it was appropriate for the chancellor to benefit from Infosys's ongoing activities in Russia. Spoiler alert: most thought the connection was inappropriate in a "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion" kind of way. It developed into a scandal after it emerged that Akshata Murthy, while residing in the UK, was officially domiciled in India and therefore did not pay UK taxes on income earned in other countries. Last week, Akshata Murthy revealed she had re-arranged her affairs to pay more tax in the UK. However, with Infosys deciding to exit Russia, her income cannot now be linked Russia. Infosys, meanwhile, reported strong Q4 and full-year results. Quarterly revenue was , up 18.5 per cent year on year at $4.28 billion. Full year revenue rose 20 percnt to $16.3 billion. Operating profit jumped $430 million. With multi-year deals topping $100 million the company expects 13 to 15 per cent revenue growth for FY 22-23. BlackRock-Mubadala consortium to invest Rs4,000 cr in Tata Power Renewable Buy-out fund BlackRock Real Assets, together with UAE sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company, will invest Rs4,000 crore (about $525 million), for a 10.53 per cent stake in Tata Powers renewable energy subsidiary, Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited. The BlackRock Real Assets-Mubadala consortium has entered into a binding agreement with Tata Power to invest $525 million, by way of equity or compulsorily convertible instruments, for a 10.53 per cent stake in Tata Power Renewable. The investment takes Tata Power Renewables base equity valuation to Rs34,000 crore, while the final shareholding of the equity funds will range from 9.76 per cent to 11.43 per cent on conversion. The first round of capital infusion into Tata Power Renewables is expected to be completed by June and the rest by the end of the year, the companies said in a joint statement on Thursday. The Tata Power Renewables platform will house all clean energy-related businesses of parent Tata Power Co Ltd, including those in utility-scale solar; wind and hybrid generation assets; solar cell and module manufacturing; engineering, procurement and construction contracting; rooftop solar infrastructure; solar pumps and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the companies said. I am delighted to welcome BlackRock Real Assets and Mubadala to join us to take the renewables business to the next level of growth. The collaboration will support us to pursue exciting opportunities that lie ahead in the coming decades," Praveer Sinha, CEO and managing director of Tata Power Co., said in the statement. With one of the largest portfolios of solar and wind assets in the country and a very experienced management team, Tata Power Renewables is at the forefront of Indias ambition to secure greater energy stability for its citizens while positioning its economy for a low carbon future. Indias success in transitioning its energy economy will be crucial to the worlds ability to meet its climate goals," BlackRocks global head of real assets, Anne Valentine Andrews, said in the statement. With around 4.9 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy assets, Tata Power Renewables ranks among Indias largest clean energy firms. It plans to grow its portfolio to 20GW. At the COP26 summit in November last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to meet 50% of Indias energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030, cut Indias carbon emission by 1 billion tonnes by 2030 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. At the entrance, a dappled marble corridor led to the sitting room with its red designer armchairs and sofas, which opened out into the kitchen. From there it continued across parquet floors to the sleeping area, where there were two bathrooms and a bedroom with a double bed. In a box room by the entrance, our transatlantic suitcases were ready to fly to America, where we were to land at the end of the year to start our life in Texas. I believe poetry looked me up in that period because our son had just been born. For that reason it was easy to find us at home, where we passed him from one pair of arms to another, unprepared, exhausted and elated. Proudly gleeful if he eventually fell asleep on our chests, pleading for mercy if he cried without end. Brian Kennedy who is making a return to the Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol on Saturday 7 May shared his delight with his fans about his return to Dundalk, saying he is "very excited about this special wee venue. Up close & Personal!" In what will be an uplifting and joyful performance, Brian Kennedy will share more stories about his recent adventures. Over the last number of weeks he fundraised for the Red Cross Ukraine Appeal through his online performances of the Seaview sessions. During his last visit to the Oriel Centre, his audience was treated to tales of his antics in London with Eddi Reader, his adventures with Riverdance in New York and his cancer battle. After the show Brian delighted all those looking for selfies with him by gamely posing alongside them and bantering away with everyone on their way out. The Oriel Centre is the perfect venue to showcase Brians vocals (and sense of humour!). Tickets are 30 and limited tickets are available for the Oriel Centre and online at www.orielcentre.ie. Other dates coming up in the Oriel Centre include acclaimed violinist Vladimir Jablokov on Saturday 11 June and Cork legends The Frank & Walters on Saturday 22 October. Tickets available from www.orielcentre.ie There was a large turnout, despite the inclement weather conditions, for Sinn Feins annual Easter commemoration at St Patricks Cemetery, Dowdallshill on Sunday, which was addressed by Dundalk TD Ruairi O Murchu. The deputy said it was the first time since 2019 that republicans had been able to gather in such numbers for the Easter commemoration which, he said, "allowed people to give the proper dignity and respect, in person, to our patriot dead". In his speech, Deputy O Murchu said that Ireland has "changed utterly" and is "a very different place than it was, even in 2019" He said that there was now "a real opportunity that should not be squandered to deliver what men and women, for generations, have fought for a united Ireland". Referencing the war in Ukraine, the Dundalk TD said: "I am very glad that people in Ireland and around the world are now understanding the difficulties that people face in relation to self-determination, invasion, colonisation and oppression". He said that annually, "fraternal greetings" are sent by republicans at Easter to Catalans, Basques and to Palestinians and this year, he wanted to send fraternal wishes to the people of Ukraine who are suffering under Russian aggression. Deputy O Murchu said it was important to "remember the sacrifices and struggle that people have gone through. The Ireland we live in is still far from perfect, but it is a better place because of the sacrifices of those who have gone before us. One hundred years ago, we were going through a revolutionary period where there was great hope, but it was followed by a civil war where that hope was dashed. "We ended up with two conservative states an apartheid state in the North where nationalists were treated like second class citizens, and a conservative state in the South that has, to this day, absolutely failed its people and has done nothing but stand on the side of vested interests, big business and not on the side of the people". He said the elections in the North, on May 5, provided an opportunity to change politics in the North and Michelle ONeill as First Minister would be followed by Mary Lou McDonald as Taoiseach of a Sinn Fein government for the people, delivering the republican objective of Irish unity, all about equality where there is no room for hate. The Louth TD said: "We have all seen the terrible tragedy in Sligo recently and thats not good enough. We want an Ireland that is a voice for justice, not just domestically, but internationally also". An Tain Arts Centre are thrilled to announce the launch of Threading the Tain, an inter-county community, visual arts project, where 5 tapestries have been created to celebrate the Tain Bo Cuailnge. Funded by Creative Ireland and produced by An Tain Arts Centre in association with Creative Spark, each tapestry depicts scenes from the great epic that relates to each of the five counties that the Tain March Festival march through tracing the route of the Tain, namely Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Meath and Louth. A variety of textile techniques have been used in the creation of the tapestries, including dyeing, painting, felting, applique, faux chenille, hand embroidery, quilting and hand and machine sewing. The project was helmed by Louth based artist Sophie Coyle and Sophie has worked closely with archeologist Paul Gosling and Mel O Loan from the Tain March Festival, to determine which parts of the epic to include in the tapestry. The project was guided by a textile artist in each county who have led a group of community sewers in creating each panel. The artists are Frances Crowe Roscommon, Catherine Gray Longford, Claire Delabre Westmeath, Ina Olohan Meath and Una Curley Louth. Over 40 volunteers took part in the project and when placed together the five tapestries portray the overall story of the Tain, while each piece stands alone as an individual artwork. The project is a further development of the relationship between An Tain Arts Centre and the Tain March Festival. Mary Claire Cowley, of An Tain Arts Centre and Project Manager of Threading the Tain says The project has very much been inspired by the passion for the Tain demonstrated by Paul Gosling and Mel O Loan and all the team at the Tain March Festival. This has been a wonderful opportunity for us as counties bound by the ties of the Tain to come together in this collaborative, historical celebration of our identity and culture through craft and we are delighted to be launching Threading the Tain in conjunction with the Tain March Festival 2022. Starting on the 10th June in Cooley, this years Festival will trace the route of the Brown Bull as it made its way to from Cooley to Connaught. Over three weekends the Festival will visit key sites in Cooley, Dundalk, Ardee, Teltown, Kells, Mullingar and will finish in Roscommon Town on the 26th June. Threading the Tain will be available to view as a five-piece artwork by the public at An Tain Arts Centre, Crowe Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth from Saturday 23rd April until Saturday 11th June, coinciding with the start of the Tain March Festival. The Tapestry will then go on display in Roscommon for the end of the festival on the 26th June. Each piece will then be returned to its relevant County to go on semi-permanent display. A new crime drama starring Cork actress Siobhan McSweeney will start on Virgin Media One tonight. 'Redemption' was created by Sean Cooke and features a leading Irish cast led by Paula Malcomson. The six-part series begins just as McSweeney bids farewell to her role in Derry Girls as Sister Michael, with the beloved comedy currently airing its final season. Starring alongside McSweeney and Malcomson in Redemption is Ian Lloyd Anderson, Moe Dunford, and, Keith McErlean. The show centres around a detective who comes to Ireland to help Gardai find out the truth about her daughter's death. "In episode one, we meet Liverpool-based DI Colette Cunningham (Paula Malcomson) as she gets an unexpected call from Dublin. A body has been found, and Colette is listed as next of kin to which she knows nothing about," Virgin Media said. "She takes the next ferry to Dublin to learn that it is her daughter, Kate, who disappeared 20 years ago. Consumed by grief, Colette resolves to stay in Ireland to work for the Garda, while also piecing together the truth about Kate's death." McSweeney is also currently starring in 'Holding', a four-part series based on Graham Norton's book of the same name that was filmed in Cork. Redemption' airs Mondays at 9pm on Virgin Media One. CORK City Council has set its sights on expanding the amount of places and spaces for art in the city over the next five years. The strategic priority - one of five identified by the council - is set out in the Draft Arts and Culture Strategy 2022-2026, currently in its final consultation stage. In the draft plan, Michelle Carew, the councils Arts Officer, said after the difficulties of the pandemic and notwithstanding ongoing challenges, the development of the new strategy is optimistic and affirmative. Ms Carew said the priorities identified in the draft plan have been informed by a robust programme of research and consultation. One of the priorities outlined in the draft plan is space for art a goal which the council says demands innovative short and long-term solutions and the collective efforts of stakeholders, including the council, the arts and culture sector, private developers, government and statutory agencies. Over the next five years, alongside the planned major capital developments of the Events Centre and Crawford Art Gallery, we will explore and advance opportunities to augment space for art sustainably across the city. In particular, we will pursue the recognised potential for arts and culture in the regeneration of the city centre, the draft plan stated. As part of this goal, Cork City Council has said it will work towards the development of a flagship arts creation facility in the city. Other priorities identified in the plan are: to encourage and enable more people across all communities to access and enjoy art; to build on the tradition of outdoor arts in Cork city; to advance the culture and conditions that make Cork a city for artists; and an aim to invest in people, knowledge and advocacy to encourage the pursuit of arts and culture in the city. Observations or submissions regarding the Draft Arts and Culture Strategy 2022-2026 can be made before midday on Thursday, May 5. This can be done in writing: Arts and Events Section, Community, Culture & Placemaking Directorate, Cork City Council, City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork City, T12 T997; or visit www.consult.corkcity.ie. MORE than 500 second-level teachers from schools all over Ireland will come together in Corks Clayton Hotel Silver Springs tomorrow, April 19, for the ASTIs three-day Annual Convention. Our first face-to-face Convention in three years, it provides the perfect opportunity for the ASTI to re-ignite our key pre-pandemic education campaigns. In 2021, the OECD report Education at a Glance ranked Ireland in last place out of 36 countries in terms of government expenditure on second-level education as a percentage of GDP. In Ireland, the chronic and on-going lack of investment in schools has resulted in large classes, lack of access to specialist services (such as Guidance Counselling and psychological supports), skeleton management structures in schools, high teacher workload and teacher shortages. Over the coming days, delegates at the ASTI Convention will debate these issues in detail. Pandemic lessons The pandemic, including periods of school closures highlighted the important role schools play in the lives of children and young people. In March 2020, teachers and their students had to transition to remote teaching and learning overnight. While school communities all over the country rose to this challenge, the 2020 lockdown exposed and worsened significant educational inequalities. Since then, the ASTI has called for every possible step to be taken to ensure schools can be kept open in a safe manner, so that disruption for students is minimised. We acknowledge that additional funding and resources made available to schools during this period has helped schools in their efforts. However, if schools are now to ensure students can move on from the pandemic, we cannot go back to pre-pandemic levels of staff and funding. At the very least, the extra resources given to schools during the pandemic must become permanent. Making teaching attractive Second-level schools have been experiencing difficulties recruiting teachers for a number of years. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic. This is extremely concerning. As stated above, students have already suffered as a result of disruption due to the pandemic. A recent survey by RED C, commissioned by the ASTI, found that most schools (93%) have experienced difficulties recruiting teachers in the current school year. A majority of schools (55%) currently have unfilled vacancies; indeed (84%) per cent of principals surveyed said they have experienced situations where no teacher applied for an advertised post in their school this year. Now that the students are back in their classrooms, they need their teachers. Much more needs to be done to ensure that teaching is made attractive again. Entry into second-level teaching is a demoralising experience for young teachers due to unequal pay and precarious contracts. At the ASTI Convention delegates will call for an end to unequal pay. Other motions at Convention will seek to tackle the cost of qualifying as a teacher. Second-level teaching normally requires a degree and a Professional Master of Education (PME). For the majority of teachers this means a qualifying period involving approximately six years. The cost of the PME over two years is estimated to be in the region of 10,000 - 15,000. Student teachers are required to undertake classroom teaching practice, but do not receive any pay/ allowance. The high cost of qualifying together with a two-year time commitment, impacts on the attractiveness of teaching as a career and is a barrier to diversity within the profession. Teaching conditions Teachers working conditions influence students learning conditions. A recent global report found that teacher workload increased during school lock downs and did not reduce when schools re-opened. This is very concerning for a career that is already known for stress and burnout. Teaching is a highly relational activity. Teachers teach up to 200 students a week. In Ireland second level teachers spend more time in the classroom with their students than the OECD average. As well as this, teachers undertake at least the same level of non-teaching duties as their OECD counterparts. Leaving Cert Our Convention takes place just weeks after the surprise announcement by the Minister for Education Norma Foley on her plans for Senior Cycle and the Leaving Cert. Teachers know only too well that changes to education policy can have far reaching implications for students, the education system and society. Teachers voice is key to any curriculum change process, as is the use of sound scientific research and evidence. Our Convention will allow teachers from all over Ireland to give their views on the Ministers plans and discuss how they will respond. The spotted tree frog was already recovering from local extinction when the Black Summer wildfires of 2019 to 2020 raged through New South Wales (NSW) in Australia. Of 250 to 300 frogs once released into the wild, only about 10 survived. But now, the critically endangered species is receiving yet another lease on life. The government has released 80 spotted tree frogs into Kosciuszko National Park. Releasing these 80 Spotted Tree Frogs back into the wild despite all the setbacks this species has faced is a reminder to have optimism about the conservation work were doing, because its clearly making a positive difference, NSW Minister for Environment James Griffin said in a press release. The spotted tree frog (Litoria spenceri) is a medium-sized amphibian that lives alongside mountain rivers in the Australian states of NSW and Victoria, according to the Victoria state government. The females are slightly larger than the males, growing to around 60 millimeters in length, and have a dappled olive-gray and green skin that helps them blend in with streamside vegetation. The Spotted Tree Frog is fundamental to the maintenance of ecosystem health in the NSW upland rivers where it lives, Department of Planning and Environment senior threatened species officer David Hunter said in the press release. It occupies many streams where they are the only frog species, and tadpoles of this species consume nutrients and algae in large numbers. They are also food for other species such as snakes, birds, mammals and predatory invertebrates, playing an important role in the food web. Australian Museum amphibian biologist and conservationist Dr. Jodi Rowley told The Sydney Morning Herald that the frogs were bioindicators, meaning that it is possible to use them as a proxy for the overall health of their environment. They are the glue that sticks ecosystems together. In places where frogs have had dramatic declines there are nothing that steps up to fill that role, she said. There are irreversible changes: the streams are full of algae because the tadpoles arent there to eat it, animals that rely on frogs waste away. We need frogs. However, the frogs have been struggling for years because of chytrid fungus. Scientists have called this amphibian-targeting fungus the most destructive pathogen ever, and it has already driven 90 species to extinction in the last 50 years. The spotted tree frog itself became extinct in NSW in 2001 because of the disease, but the NSW Governments Saving our Species program and the Amphibian Research Centre in Melbourne worked together to breed the frogs and re-release them beginning in 2015, the NSW government said. In Victoria, the species is no longer found in half of the sites it previously inhabited, and the government says it will go extinct without help, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. In addition to the fungus and threats from the climate crisis such as bushfires, the frogs also face pressure from introduced predators like cats and foxes. However, scientists are hopeful that they can give the frogs the support they need. To have these 80 frogs back in the wild, and hopefully thriving and helping boost their population numbers, is fantastic, Rowley told Australias ABC News. Its one of the most threatened frog species in Australia and its holding on, just clinging on, thanks to these amazing conservation works. With their branches reaching up like knobby arms with tufts for fists, western Joshua trees are an iconic part of the California desert ecosystem, and environmental advocates want to make sure they stay that way in the face of development and the climate crisis. To that end, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a petition in 2019 to grant the trees protections under the California Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. But, on Wednesday, Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists argued that the trees were not imperiled enough to qualify. While the Department recognizes the threats faced by the species, and the evidence presented in favor of the petitioned action, the scientific evidence that is currently possessed by the Department does not demonstrate that populations of the species are negatively trending in a way that would lead the Department to believe that the species is likely to be in serious danger of becoming extinct throughout all or a significant portion of its range in the foreseeable future, the report authors concluded. The western Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is one of two species of Joshua tree that lives in the California desert, according to CBD. Currently, the trees are relatively widespread and abundant in the state, the department wrote. However, environmental advocates are concerned that this will not always be the case. A 2019 study found that Joshua Tree National Park would lose almost all of its namesake trees by the end of the century if nothing is done about the climate crisis. Warmer temperatures have already forced the trees to migrate towards higher elevations in the park, and trees in the warmer, lower areas are reproducing less. Currently, the western Joshua trees entire range is experiencing severe drought, the Los Angeles Times reported. Further, advocates are worried that desert development, including for renewable energy, will put additional pressure on the species. We should take care of these trees now, before we have fewer options to work with, California State University Northridge evolutionary geneticist Jeremy Yoder told the Los Angeles Times. After CBD filed its petition in 2019, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to grant the trees candidate status in 2020, meaning that they were legally protected while their status was reviewed, CBD explained. This made it illegal to kill a Joshua tree without a permit. California wildlife officials just proposed open season on Joshua trees, CBD conservation director Brendan Cummings, who lives in Joshua Tree, said in a CBD press release. Before state protections took effect, developers were bulldozing these beautiful, fragile trees by the thousands to build roads, warehouses, power plants, strip malls and vacation rentals. If Joshua trees are to have any hope of surviving in a warming world, we have to stop the widespread killing of them. The departments decision does not necessarily mean the trees dont have a chance to retain these protections. Instead, the commission will review their advice and issue a final decision by June. However, the Los Angeles Times pointed out that the state of California has never protected a species purely based on the threat of the climate crisis. Only one species has gained protections on a federal level for this reason the polar bear. The states upcoming decision on protecting Joshua trees is a litmus test that will show whether its climate leadership is real or just empty rhetoric, Cummings said in the release. The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced its plans to resume oil and gas drilling on federal lands, which would violate one of President Joe Bidens big campaign promises. The Interior Department said in a press release that it planned to auction off drilling leases across 225 square miles in nine states Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, Alabama, Nevada, North Dakota and Oklahoma, reported the Associated Press. About 30 percent less land is being offered than officials had nominated for sale in November, and 80 percent less than the oil and gas industry had initially proposed. As gas prices have increased since Russias invasion of Ukraine, Biden has been under pressure to expand oil production in the U.S., while also facing calls from fellow Democrats to take action to reduce fossil fuel emissions in the country. The government plans to charge greatly increased royalty rates for companies to drill and conduct an assessment of the climate impact of developing the land, reported Reuters. The new royalty rate will be 18.75 percent, up from 12.5 percent. It is the first time royalty rates have been increased since the 1920s, said the Associated Press. How we manage our public lands and waters says everything about what we value as a nation, said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, as Reuters reported. The Department of the Interior press release said that the Bureau of Land Management will issue its sale notices for upcoming lease sales, as well as the final environmental assessments, today. The Interior Department said that many recommendations from its November 2021 Report on the Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Program will be incorporated into the lease sales, including community input and consultation with Tribes. For too long, the federal oil and gas leasing programs have prioritized the wants of extractive industries above local communities, the natural environment, the impact on our air and water, the needs of tribal nations, and, moreover, other uses of our shared public lands, Haaland said, as reported by The New York Times. Today, we begin to reset how and what we consider to be the highest and best use of Americans resources for the benefit of all current and future generations. The announcement drew a confused response from the oil industry. Its a mixed message and strangely incoherent, said CEO of the Independent Petroleum Association of America Jeff Eshelman, as the New York Times reported. This administration has begged for more oil from foreign nations, blames American energy producers for price gouging and sitting on leases. Now under pressure, it announces a lease sale with major royalty increases that will add uncertainty to drilling plans for years. The lease sales drew criticism from environmental groups, who denounced them as heedlessly dismissive of the climate crisis. The Biden administrations claim that it must hold these lease sales is pure fiction and a reckless failure of climate leadership, said public lands program director for the Center for Biological Diversity Randi Spivak, as reported by Reuters. Its as if theyre ignoring the horror of firestorms, floods and megadroughts, and accepting climate catastrophes as business as usual. Uncertainty looms large over the future of Odisha medical students who returned from war-torn Ukraine last month. Hence, together, they have urged Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education, Government of India to accommodate them in Indian medical colleges on humanitarian grounds. Around 100 students met the Union Minister while he was visiting capital city Bhubaneswar on April 16, Saturday and submitted a memorandum to him seeking admission to medical colleges in the country. Sharing that their academics has been affected due to the ongoing war, the students said uncertainty looms over the completion of their education. After their return to India, Poland and Hungary governments had allowed the students to continue their medical education in their countries till things normalise in Ukraine. In the memorandum, the students informed that medical fees and the cost of living in countries like Poland, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic are more than double of Ukraine. "The quality of medical education in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is not good. In the European countries, we will again have to learn the local language and affording the medical fees is next to impossible now having already spent a lot of money in Ukraine," they said in the memorandum. From over 22,000 medical students who India brought back from Ukraine after the Russian invasion on February 24, around 500 are from Odisha studying in various medical colleges including those in Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Sumy. Earlier, Kandhamal MP Dr Achyuta Samanta had urged the Centre to formulate a special strategy for the Ukraine returnee students. There are 605 medical colleges in India, of which 325 are in the private sector. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, besides Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, to come up with a concrete policy for assigning students to different medical colleges in India. So far, students who have graduated from medical colleges in Ukraine are allowed by the National Medical Commission to complete their internship in India provided they clear the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination. Edinboro geologist and European colleagues produce major taxonomic revision of fossil lobsters A team of scientists led by an Edinboro University Geosciences professor has completed a major reclassification of a group of clawed lobster and shrimp species. The group is characterized by very unusual claws with long, slender fingers bearing needle-like denticles. Dr. Dale Tshudy, a paleontologist, teamed up with European crustacean paleontologists Matus Hyzny (Slovakia), Martina Kocova Veselska (Czech Republic), and John W.M. Jagt (Netherlands) and recently published a taxonomic revision of the extinct clawed lobster genus Oncopareia and many other, unrelated species. My research over 37 years has produced several neat discoveries and a number of firsts, said Tshudy, who has taught at Edinboro since 1992. For me, the current paper is right there among them a favorite as contributions go. Tshudy began the reclassification process in 1987 as part of his Ph.D. dissertation on lobster evolution examining first-hand every known species. He then spent three weeks touring European museum collections and borrowing specimens from all over the world. Over the next few years, researchers found links that were missing when the fossils were originally discovered and classified dating back to the 19th Century. It was a train stop in Brussels, Belgium, that sparked this current study. In a dust-covered box in the basement of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Tshudy found what would be the nucleus of his research for the next three decades. What was supposed to be a quick visit to compare a published description from 1849 with the museums holotype specimens a single type specimen upon which the description and name of a new species is based turned out to only befuddle Tshudy. Something wasnt right. Tshudy had the whole collection shipped to him at Kent State University in Ohio for further examination. After weeks of study, he discovered that the fossil lobster species described and illustrated in 1849 as Oncopareia bredai was in fact an accidental composite of two very different lobster species. As Tshudy describes it like the head of a deer and the back of a cow. And this species was unchecked and unconfirmed, then perpetuated in the literature for the next 150 years creating a convoluted mess, a taxonomic nightmare, Tshudy explained. Compounding the confusion was what scientists call convergent evolution the process whereby distantly related organisms independently evolve similar traits to adapt to similar necessities in the claws of these crustaceans. These unrelated species were often erroneously considered related because of their nearly identical claws. Tshudy worked on this group from 1990 to the present, collaborating with marine biologists and paleontologists in Europe and Asia and publishing solutions in parts along the way. In 2016, he recruited Hyzny, Veselska and Jagt to help in completing a comprehensive revision of this group, reclassifying the original specimen and many others. The team presented their findings in 2018 at the 9th International Crustacean Congress in Washington, D.C. In April 2022, their manuscript was accepted for publication. The original species was based on specimens found in dinosaur-age fossils from western Europe. Related, and very similar-looking, species of lobster are known today from the deep oceans. Related fossil specimens are also known from dinosaur-age rocks worldwide. Tshudys work in crustaceans didnt stop with the scientific paper. In the fall of 2021, he was invited to coauthor a segment in Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, which Tshudy describes as every paleontologists desk reference. Tshudy has now published 28 peer-reviewed papers in international journals and books. Photo: The remedied illustration of Oncopareia bredai, completed by Dr. Dale Tshudy and his European counterparts. Egg prices rising due to bird flu and Russia's invasion into Ukraine As Russia's invasion into Ukraine affects grain exports to Europe and the Middle East, severe outbreaks of avian flu in the United States and France are also limiting global egg supply and hiking costs for the food staple, Reuters reported. Consumers who rely on eggs as a low-cost source of protein and a replacement for more costly meat are more affected. In the US and Europe, demand for eggs spikes around the Easter and Passover holidays. According to Reuters' assessments of federal and state government statistics, bird flu has killed more than 19 million egg-laying hens on commercial US farms this year, the largest outbreak since 2015, wiping out roughly 6% of the country's flock. Meanwhile, France is facing its biggest bird flu outbreak ever, with almost 8% of egg-laying hens being killed. Entire flocks of chickens are killed when they become infected by bird flu to stop the spread of the virus. The deadly virus and the Ukraine conflict are the newest issues for egg producers, who are already dealing with labour shortages and rising energy and livestock feed costs. Higher egg prices cut into bakeries' and food industries' revenues, which are already struggling to keep up with rising wheat and other commodity costs. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, world food prices rose about 13% in March to a new record high, as the conflict in Ukraine, a key supplier of wheat and maize, pushed up grain prices. Producers predict egg costs to remain high for some time since bird flu affected farms will take months to reopen. Work at facilities that turn shell eggs into goods like dry eggs and liquid eggs used in culinary items like cake and pancake mixes and egg sandwiches are also hampered by infections. Marcus Rust, CEO of Rose Acre Farms, the second-largest egg producer in the US, said the product industry is in a general panic, adding that the company lost around 1.5 million egg-laying birds at a bird flu-infected Iowa farm, which also shut down a processing unit. With the culling of two flocks containing more than 5 million laying hens, Iowa, the top egg-producing state in the US, has suffered greatly. Nebraska state said on Wednesday that it will cull a flock of over 1.7 million laying hens. In comparison to Europe, where farms are smaller, the impact on the US food sector was expedited by the sheer size of major chicken firms. According to data provider Urner Barry, wholesale prices for large eggs in the United States Midwest hit US$3 per dozen in March, the second-highest amount ever, up roughly 200% from a year earlier on the spot market. Prices stayed below the all-time high of US$3.09 per dozen achieved at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, egg products such as liquid whole eggs are at all-time highs, according to Urner Barry. Wholesale shell egg prices in France have increased by 69% year over year, according to the French farm office FranceAgriMer. As a result, customers may see an increase in the price of egg-based foods. Jean-Philippe Puig, CEO of French agri-food business Avril, which owns sauce producer Lesieur, said it is tough when you make mayonnaise and egg costs rise. He said they need to approach supermarkets and persuade them to accept a price increase. According to US official statistics, during the country's worst-ever avian flu outbreak in 2015, the US increased egg imports from nations such as France, Italy, and Spain to improve supply. Because of the outbreaks in Europe, analysts believe that imports are no longer a realistic alternative. The emergence of war, not only virus outbreaks, is affecting Middle East buyers' supply chains. Santosh Kumar, an egg importer for Farzana Trading in the UAE, said he hasn't heard of any shipments from Ukraine entering the UAE in the last two weeks. Farzana is importing eggs from Turkey. According to figures from Ukraine's federal statistics department, the country produced 14.1 billion eggs in 2021. According to the French egg industry association CNPO, output reached 16.2 billion eggs a year ago, above the 15.7 billion produced in France, the EU's top egg producer. In recent years, Ukraine has surpassed the US as the EU's primary egg producer, accounting for almost half of all imports. Middle Eastern nations who bought Ukrainian eggs before the conflict are looking for replacements in Europe, according to CNPO vice president Loic Coulombel. He said bird flu is an issue in France, but it's also a problem throughout Europe as there are no other European countries with the volume to make up for the gap. Coulombel said to cope with high egg prices, French food manufacturers will likely reduce output of some processed goods or change their recipes. The CNPO produces about 1 million eggs in the Brittany and Normandy regions of France. Liz Rehberg, owner of The Bakery in Green Bay, Wisconsin state, US, said the price of 15 dozen eggs had risen from US$26 to US$45 in recent weeks. She's debating whether or not to raise her rates or lower the size of her baked goodies. - Reuters Aviagen North America supports Mississippi State University's new poultry feed mill Aviagen North America recently pledged financial support earmarked for a new poultry feed mill to be located at the Mississippi State University (MSU) H. H. Leveck Animal Research Center. MSU is one of the six universities in the United States with stand-alone poultry science departments. The new modern facility with leading-edge features and equipment will produce biosecure feed for the university's research flocks, as well as nutrition trials and feed formulation trials. Located on MSU's Poultry Science research farm, the mill will include a 4,950 square-foot process area, a 2,250-square-foot bagged ingredient and finish feed storage area and an additional 2,720 square feet in ancillary support areas. It will provide hands-on training for MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students, as well as continuing education opportunities for industry mill managers. Additionally, the feed mill will also be used for research in the university's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Dr. Kelley Wamsley, associate professor of nutrition and feed manufacture for MSU's Poultry Science department, said: "We pride ourselves in providing our students with practical, hands-on learning experiences to complement classroom learning. This investment allows us to do that, increasing student preparedness for employment upon graduation, while also allowing us to better serve the poultry industry through enhanced research and feed milling workshops." "Our Poultry Science graduates enjoy 100% job placement, which means we are doing our part in preparing them for careers of making a difference in the exciting world of poultry," said Mary Beck, former head of MSU Poultry Science department. "We share with Aviagen a commitment to the future of our industry, and we thank them for this generous contribution to our state-of-the-art feed mill." "Aviagen is honored to contribute to MSU's Poultry Science Research Farm and the great development and innovation that takes place there," said the president of Aviagen North America, Marc de Beer. "Training our next generation of leaders is among the most important work we can engage in. Our motto at Aviagen is "to breed the best, we need the best" and MSU and Aviagen have the common goal of securing the sustainability of the industry by finding and encouraging creative up-and-coming professionals. "These future leaders have a passion for feeding the world with affordable, nutritious chicken meat, while creating efficiencies that promote the sustainability of our environment and the economic sustainability of poultry growers around the world." - Aviagen Kazakhstan to restrict wheat exports until mid-June Kazakhstan will limit exports of wheat and flour until June 15, Agriculture Minister Yerbol Karashukeyev said. In 2021, the country harvested more than 16.4 million tonnes of grains and pulses, a decrease of 18.2% compared to 2020, when Kazakhstan's harvest was 20.06 million tonnes. The decrease is due to drought in some regions of the country last year. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture also revised the wheat export outlook upward for the 2021-2022 marketing year to about 7-7.3 million tonnes. - Italian Trade Agency Bird flu confirmed in US states of Pennsylvania and Utah The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed bird flu cases in a commercial chicken flock in Pennsylvania state and another among backyard flock in Utah, as the virus has spread to more than 30 US states, Reuters reported. In early April, the USDA said it was looking into developing a bird flu vaccine as the country copes with its worst outbreak of the virus since 2015. More than 20 million chicken and turkeys in commercial flocks have been killed due to bird flu since February 2022. The USDA said bird flu samples were tested and confirmed at the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory and Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, both part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. Additional surveillance and testing will be conducted by federal and state officials. The US has shunned vaccines in the past over concerns that importers will impose a ban on US poultry imports if they cannot distinguish infected birds from vaccinated ones. The US is the second biggest poultry meat exporter in the world. The country exported US$$4.2 billion worth of poultry and poultry product exports globally in 2020. Bird flu outbreaks have been reported in Asia and Europe, and the USDA is working with other countries in developing a vaccine for the virus. Key importers such as China has banned poultry shipments from US states with reported outbreaks. - Reuters USDA: China's 2022 pork imports expected to fall close to 20% China's pork imports are forecast to decline nearly 20% this year, pushing global trade lower and more than offsetting a recovery in demand among other major importing countries as they recover from COVID-19-related disruptions, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. As growth in other markets will not offset the decline in China, most major pork exporters will experience a second consecutive year of contracting shipments. Last year, as China recovered, imports were 20% lower than the record levels of 2020, Previously, the country's import demand for pork surged in the wake of supply deficits caused by African swine fever and in 2020, imports nearly quadrupled. As a result, hog sectors around the world expanded production, shifted products out of their domestic markets and redirected pork from other destinations. The European Union, the top pork supplier to China and the world's largest exporter, is forecast to see exports decline 5% to just under 4.8 million tonnes this year. Exporters in the EU are expected to find some relief from lower China demand in the form of stronger demand in the United Kingdom, where imports are projected 7% higher in 2022. The EU will also boost shipments to Japan, South Korea and Australia countries to which EU exports declined in recent years as sales shifted to China. Competitive EU carcass prices compared to US and firm demand will propel higher shipments to these markets in 2022. US pork exports are forecast 6% lower year-over-year. China's demand for US product was among the first to come under pressure, with US shipments to this important market falling during every month of 2021 compared to the previous year due to high US prices and retaliatory tariffs. These factors are expected to persist in 2022 causing further declines in US market share. Partially offsetting losses in China, demand for US pork is expected to grow in Mexico. Going forward, Colombia and the Dominican Republic are expected to grow further, although more slowly than last year as high US prices create headwinds. Canada's exports are expected to decline modestly in 2022, sliding 1% year over year. Like the United States, Canada faces headwinds in China. Currently, the majority of Canadian pork production remains suspended from China due to reported COVID-19 cases at several plants. However, most cases occurred months ago and do not necessarily represent active outbreaks. Tight supplies in the US Canada's top export market will help offset declines to China. Of the four largest exporters, only Brazil saw overall shipments grow in 2021 on strong production gains, competitive prices and a weak real. Even exports to China increased year over year as Brazil boosted its share in that market to 16%. In 2022, Brazil is expected to sustain aggregate exports, seeing modest growth of less than 1%. In China, Brazil will likely capture a larger portion of a shrinking share due to more competitive pricing than other major exporters. Meanwhile, Brazil continues to perform well in Vietnam and the Philippines and demand is growing in neighboring Argentina and Uruguay. - USDA USAPEEC and USPOULTRY hold opening ceremonies for new office in Georgia, US The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) and US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) recently held individual ribbon-cutting ceremonies for their newly renovated office space in Tucker, Georgia, the United States. The space is owned by The Coop Group, LLC, a partnership of USAPEEC and USPOULTRY. Jim Sumner, president of USAPEEC, said:"We are so pleased to call these fine offices our new home. Co-owning this marvelous building suits our needs now and helps to assure our future so that we can continue to serve the growing export needs of the US poultry and egg industry." Sumner added: "It is fitting that we were joined for the ribbon-cutting ceremony by members of the board of the Central American Poultry Export Quota, as USAPEEC's share of the building's construction costs was entirely financed through revenue generated by chicken export sales conducted under the Central American Free Trade Agreement." - USPOULTRY RTHK: Air strikes hit western Ukraine city of Lviv Air strikes killed at least seven people in Ukraine's western city of Lviv on Monday, as Russia pounded targets across the country and massed forces for an expected all-out assault in the east. The air strikes in Lviv came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of wanting to "destroy" the entire eastern region of Donbas bordering Russia. Russia's defence ministry said it had hit 16 military targets at various locations across Ukraine. Following the attack on Lviv, black smoke billowed from the gutted roof of a car repair shop in the northwest of the city as air raid sirens wailed. "Fires were set off as a result of the strikes. They are still being put out. The facilities were severely damaged," Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytsky said on social media. In the south, Russia continued its push to capture the besieged port city of Mariupol where the last remaining Ukranian forces prepared for a final stand. Ukraine has pledged to fight on and defend the strategic city, defying a Russian ultimatum for remaining fighters inside the encircled Azovstal steel plant to lay down their arms and surrender. Russian state TV on Monday broadcast a video of what it described as "Britons" captured fighting for Ukraine and demanding that Prime Minister Boris Johnson negotiate their release. The two haggard-looking men asked to be exchanged for Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian tycoon close to President Vladimir Putin, who was recently arrested in the pro-Western country. Ukraine then aired its own video featuring Medvedchuk calling for his exchange in return for an evacuation of civilians and troops from Mariupol. "I want to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to exchange me for Ukrainian defenders and residents of Mariupol," he said in the video published by Kyiv's security services, wearing black clothes and looking directly into the camera. Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraine's unexpectedly fierce resistance since Russian troops attacked the former Soviet state on February 24. While several large cities were under siege, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, not one with the exception of Kherson in the south had fallen, and more than 900 towns and cities had been re-captured. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russia to have a land bridge between the Crimea peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, and the two Moscow-backed separatist statelets in Ukraine's east. In the east, Ukrainian authorities urged people in Donbas to move west to escape a large-scale Russian offensive to capture its composite regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. "Russian troops are preparing for an offensive operation in the east of our country in the near future. They want to literally finish off and destroy Donbas," Zelenskyy said. Lugansk governor Sergiy Gaiday said the coming week would be "difficult". "It may be the last time we have a chance to save you," he wrote on Facebook. Heavy bouts of shelling also resumed in the country's second city of Kharkiv on Monday morning. The shelling comes a day after at least five people were killed and 20 wounded during a string of strikes in the city just 21 kilometres from the Russian border on Sunday. More than 4.9 million Ukrainians have fled their country, the United Nations said on Monday warning of the risks of women and child refugees being exploited. "Refugees from Ukraine, the vast majority women and children, face increased risks of sexual exploitation, abuse and human trafficking," the UN refugee agency said. Ukraine officials also said on Monday they were halting the evacuation of civilians from frontline towns and cities in the east for a second day, accusing Russian forces of blocking and shelling escape routes. "In violation of international humanitarian law, the Russian occupiers have not stopped blocking and shelling humanitarian routes," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on social media. But Lugansk governor Gaiday announced earlier that he had proceeded with evacuations. "At our own peril and risk, we took out several dozen people anyway, but it's already dangerous," he told Ukrainian media. During an interview with CNN broadcast on Sunday, Zelenskyy said he had invited his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence that Russian forces have committed "genocide" a term Macron has avoided. "I just told him I want him to understand that this is not war, but nothing other than genocide." Zelenskyy, describing the situation in Mariupol as "inhuman", has called on the West to immediately provide heavy weapons a request he frequently airs. But Russia has warned the United States this week of "unpredictable consequences" if it sent its "most sensitive" weapons systems to Ukraine. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2022-04-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Shanghai tackles logistics bottlenecks amid virus resurgence Xinhua) 10:51, April 18, 2022 Liu Zengyu, a delivery man from Jiangxi Province, delivers goods in Shanghai, April 15, 2022. Recently, Hema Fresh, a Chinese fresh items' supermarket, has organized aid teams from more than 20 cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Hefei and Wuhan to support Shanghai in the delivery of living supplies. [Photo/Xinhua] SHANGHAI, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai is working hard to overcome bottlenecks in logistics and help e-commerce platforms increase production and transport capacity amid strong COVID-19 flare-ups. The megacity of 25 million people reported 3,590 confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 19,923 local asymptomatic carriers on Friday, the municipal health commission said on Saturday. "The epidemic rebound in Shanghai has caused severe pressure on online shopping, bearing in mind that many delivery persons are under closed-off management and some large warehouses have been temporarily closed," said Liu Min, deputy director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, at a press conference on Saturday. "Shanghai is going all out to restore transport capacity," Liu said. A total of 42 non-epidemic-hit warehouses of Shanghai's e-commerce platforms have resumed operations so far, with more than 18,000 delivery drivers completing about 1.8 million orders per day. Also, supermarkets and other offline stores of key suppliers are gradually resuming business. As of Friday, 1,011 non-epidemic-hit stores of major supermarkets had opened. The number of employees had increased by 37 percent compared with the previous period. To further improve the efficiency of distribution, some supermarkets in the economic hub have launched a variety of supply packages involving necessities such as rice, noodles, vegetables, fruits and toiletries, which will be delivered to local communities through third-party logistics companies after residents report their needs to neighborhood communities or place orders on the supermarkets' apps, Liu said. The city has strengthened health testing for anti-epidemic workers including delivery people, providing convenient testing services. Shanghai adopts a "2+2" testing mode for logistics workers, requiring them to take two antigen tests every other day, and one antigen test and one nucleic acid test the following day. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Government gun confiscation attempt: 122 killed By Mark Alexander web posted April 18, 2022 In the bowels of New York's subway system, crime has surged 65% . The city's new mayor, Eric Adams, had to walk back his assertion that there was an undue "perception of fear" about the subway system after a woman was shoved in front of an oncoming train. Former NYPD Commissioner Howard Safir set the record straight: "Perception often is reality, and if you happen to be one of the victims it's certainly reality." That reality struck hard again last Tuesday in the borough of Brooklyn, as an assailant injured 10 people in a premeditated attack, five of whom are in critical but stable condition. After setting off a smoke bomb in a transit car to obscure his actions, the black male suspect , Frank James, fired a weapon into the crowd of morning commuters. The attack has the imprint of a hate crime, given the suspect's racist social media rants except the notion of a " black supremacist " weaponized by Marxist Black Lives Matter radicals does not fit the Left's profile of a "hate crime." It's a deadly irony that in a city that ranks at the top of those with the strictest gun control laws in the nation, the bad guy had a weapon, but none of the law-abiding citizens could defend themselves against the assault and stop him. Where weapons are outlawed, only outlaws have weapons, which explains why the deadliest large cities in the nation including Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Baltimore, and Washington, DC are those with the most restrictions on firearms, and all under the control of Democrats. The week before, armed thugs assaulted and killed six individuals in Sacramento, but before the blood had dried and a more detailed narrative could emerge, Joe Biden blamed the deaths and injuries on "gun violence" in our nation's urban centers rather than the assailants. Predictably, he used the assault to promote his Second Amendment deconstruction agenda , opportunistically claiming : "America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence. ... We know these lives were not the only lives impacted by gun violence last night. ... We must do more than mourn; we must act ... to implement my comprehensive gun crime reduction strategy." Despite Biden's superhero crime fighter facade, " gun violence " was not the cause of death in Sacramento any more than it was the cause of yesterday's injuries in New York. It is just a manifestation of the violent criminal problem the Democrats have propagated for seven decades . If Biden really wanted to address what he calls an "epidemic of violence," he would make the epidemic of black-on-black assaults and murder in America his administration's highest priority. But he won't. He is too busy promoting his " white supremacy " bogeyman. Fact is, almost half of new gun owners are women , and there has been a surge of legal firearm purchases by black citizens . Furthermore, after the election of Biden, there were more than 18 million firearms purchased by all Americans in 2021. There has also been a significant increase in the issuance of carry permits as support for gun rights grows . But Biden is busy vilifying all of them. It is notable that last year, the week before our Patriots' Day commemoration of the battles of Lexington and Concord a case study of consequences when tyrannical governments attempt to disarm the people Biden announced six incremental executive orders aimed at the Left's ultimate goal of deconstructing and repealing the Second Amendment . He declared then, "No amendment to the Constitution is absolute." Likewise, last week, Biden announced his leftist ATF nominee and more gun control regulations , specifically his intent to "ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines," and "ghost guns" two perennial anti-2A straw men and one brand-new one to be trotted out to undermine the first civil right of all Americans, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." James Madison's Supreme Court appointee, Justice Joseph Story, noted: "The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of the republic; since it offers a strong moral check against usurpation and arbitrary power of the rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them." In honor of our upcoming Patriots' Day, April 19th, and with Biden's latest effort to infringe on the rights of the people as a backdrop, let's take a brief stroll down the path that gave rise to our Republic and recall the first time central government tyrants attempted to confiscate weapons from grassroots Americans Patriots . On December 16th, 1773, "radicals" from Boston, members of a secret organization of American Patriots called the Sons of Liberty, boarded three East India Company ships and threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This iconic event, in protest of oppressive British taxation and tyrannical rule, became known as the Boston Tea Party . Resistance to the Crown had been mounting over enforcement of the 1764 Sugar Act, 1765 Stamp Act, and 1767 Townshend Act, which led to the Boston Massacre and gave rise to the slogan, "No taxation without representation." The 1773 Tea Act and resulting Tea Party protest galvanized the colonists in opposition to British parliamentary acts, which they believed violated their natural, charter, and constitutional rights. In response to the rebellion, the British enacted additional punitive measures, labeled the "Intolerable Acts," in hopes of suppressing the burgeoning insurrection. Far from accomplishing their goal, however, the Crown's countermeasures led colonists to convene the First Continental Congress on September 5th, 1774, in Philadelphia. By the spring of 1775, civil discontent with their royal rulers was growing, and American Patriots in Massachusetts and other colonies were preparing to cast off this yoke. On the evening of April 18th, 1775, General Thomas Gage, acting as the Crown's military governor of Massachusetts, dispatched a force of 700 British Army regulars with secret orders. These troops, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, were to arrest 53-year-old Boston Tea Party leader Samuel Adams, Massachusetts Provincial Congress President John Hancock, and merchant fleet owner Jeremiah Lee. But what directly tied Gage's orders to the later enumeration in our Constitution's Second Amendment of the innate "right to keep and bear arms" was the primary mission of his Redcoat brigades. They were charged with undertaking a preemptive raid to confiscate arms and ammunition stored by Massachusetts Patriots in the town of Concord. Patriot militia and minutemen, under the leadership of the Sons of Liberty, anticipated this raid, and the confrontations with British regulars at Lexington and Concord proved to be the fuse that ignited the American Revolution. Near midnight on April 18th, a prominent 41-year-old Boston silversmith, Paul Revere, who had arranged for advance warning of British movements, departed Charlestown (near Boston) for Lexington and Concord in order to warn John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and other Sons of Liberty that the British Army was marching to arrest them and seize their weapons caches. Revere's Ride was memorably captured by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. ... One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country-folk to be up and to arm. After meeting with Hancock and Adams in Lexington, Revere was captured, but his Patriot ally, Samuel Prescott, continued to Concord and warned militiamen along the way. The Patriots in Lexington and Concord, with other citizen militias in New England, were bound by "minute man" oaths to "stand at a minute's warning with arms and ammunition." The oath of the Lexington militia read thus: "We trust in God that, should the state of our affairs require it, we shall be ready to sacrifice our estates and everything dear in life, yea, and life itself, in support of the common cause." In the early dawn of April 19th, those oaths would be tested with blood. Under the command of 46-year-old farmer and militia Captain John Parker, 77 militiamen assembled on the town green at Lexington, where they soon faced Smith's overwhelming force of seasoned Redcoats. Parker did not expect a battle, but his orders were: "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." Within close musket range from the Patriots' column, British Major John Pitcairn swung his sword and ordered, "Lay down your arms, you damned rebels!" Not willing to sacrifice his small band of Patriots on the green, as Parker later wrote in a sworn deposition, "I immediately ordered our Militia to disperse, and not to fire." But his Patriots refused to lay down their arms. Then, under Pitcairn's orders, as Parker testified, "Immediately said Troops made their appearance and rushed furiously, fired upon, and killed eight of our Party without receiving any Provocation therefor from us." Ten other Patriots were wounded. As the American militia retreated toward Concord with the British in pursuit, their ranks grew to more than 400. In Concord, the British divided in order to search for armament stores. Before noon, the second confrontation between regulars and militiamen occurred as 100 British light infantry from three companies faced the ranks of militia and minutemen at Concord's Old North Bridge. From depositions on both sides, we know that the British fired first, killing two and wounding four. This time, however, the militia commander, Major John Buttrick, ordered, "Fire, for God's sake, fellow soldiers, fire!" And fire they did. The volley commenced with what poet Ralph Waldo Emerson later immortalized in his Concord Hymn as "The Shot Heard Round the World." With that shot, farmers, laborers, landowners, and statesmen alike brought upon themselves the sentence of death for treason. In the ensuing firefight, the British suffered heavy casualties. In discord, the Redcoats retreated to Concord proper and, after reinforcing their ranks, marched back toward Lexington. During their Concord retreat, the British took additional casualties in sporadic firefights. The most notable of those was an ambush by the reassembled ranks of John Parker's militia, which became known as "Parker's Revenge." Despite reinforcements when they returned to Lexington, the king's men were no match for the Patriot ranks. The militia and minutemen inflicted heavy casualties upon the Redcoats along their 18-mile tactical retreat to Boston. By day's end, the Patriots had suffered 49 killed, 39 wounded, and five missing. The British casualties totaled 73 killed, 174 wounded, and 26 missing. Upon hearing of those first shots in what would become an eight-year struggle for American Liberty , Samuel Adams declared to fellow Patriot John Hancock, "What a glorious morning this is!" Indeed it was, and it has remained so with every sunrise over our free nation since. Thus began the great campaign to reject tyranny and embrace the struggle to secure individual Liberty. "The People alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government and to reform, alter, or totally change the same when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it," wrote Samuel Adams. Two months after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Continental Congress, under its president, John Hancock, declared on June 12th, 1775: "Congress ... considering the present critical, alarming and calamitous state ... do earnestly recommend, that Thursday, the 12th of July next, be observed by the inhabitants of all the English Colonies on this Continent, as a Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, that we may with united hearts and voices, unfeignedly confess and deplore our many sins and offer up our joint supplications to the All-wise, Omnipotent and merciful Disposer of all Events, humbly beseeching Him to forgive our iniquities ... It is recommended to Christians of all denominations to assemble for public worship and to abstain from servile labor and recreations of said day." Why would that first generation of American Patriots forgo, in the inimitable words of Sam Adams, "the tranquility of servitude" for "the animating contest of freedom"? The answer to that question Liberty or Death defined the spirit of American Patriotism then, just as it defines the spirit of American Patriots now. We, today, are the ideological descendants of those who once pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Just as our forebearers were, we must be willing to " support and defend " Liberty as enumerated in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in our Constitution . In 1776, George Washington wrote in his General Orders, "The time is now near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die." Of that resolve, two centuries later President Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation." Indeed, the time is always at hand when American Patriots must reaffirm whether we are to be free men or slaves. Patriots, through the trials we face now, stand firm and fast , and remember who YOU are, brothers and sisters and who WE are together. During the American Revolution, musicians, particularly drummers, were a primary means of communicating and expediting battlefield orders. While the Continental regulars wore blue coats with red cuffs, drummers wore red coats with blue cuffs in order to be more visible on a battlefield. In the words of George Washington , "Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind." Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. In an increasingly divided world, the UK needs to show that it is a reliable and robust member of the community of liberal democracies: one that follows through on its commitments and lives up to its stated values. In the year since the release of the Integrated Review a comprehensive articulation of the UKs national security and international policy the UK has taken important steps to pursue its four broad international priorities. It used its G7 presidency in 2021 to bring together a wider community of countries including allies in the Indo-Pacific that are committed to defending their own liberal democracies and to supporting others who adhere to a common set of values. This G7 Plus is better able to challenge China in the development of critical technologies and global infrastructure, and has delivered a more powerful and concerted response to Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 than might otherwise have been expected. The UK has also been a leading contributor to the defense of the liberal democratic community, its second main objective. In the crisis with Russia over Ukraine, the UK has lived up to its ambition to be the leading European ally within NATO, and has been one of the most robust supporters of the embattled government in Kyiv in its struggle to resist the invasion and ensure Ukraine remains a sovereign country. It provided critical military assistance to Ukraine in the lead-up to Russias invasion, strengthened its military presence in the Baltics, and implemented coordination mechanisms and exercises among the northern European group of countries that form part of the Joint Expeditionary Force. During 2021, the UKs deployment of a carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific, and a series of bilateral exercises and new security agreements, underscored the countrys parallel strategic tilt to the region. The UK cannot persistently bring the same resources to bear in the Indo-Pacific as in Europe, but it has deepened its commitments to its allies in the region within the constraints of its resources. The governments record has been more mixed on its third objective, of promoting global resilience to the challenges of climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and their impacts on poverty and inequality. The UK presided over a successful lead-up and conclusion to the November 2021 COP26 summit in Glasgow. But it failed to mobilize the G7 to deploy Covid vaccines in anywhere close to the numbers needed by the most vulnerable low-income countries. Combined with the governments severe and sudden cuts to its ODA spending, the UK contributed to a growing divergence between the worlds richest and poorest countries during 2021, with all the risks this holds for the future. In terms of the Integrated Reviews fourth objective, of ensuring the UKs international economic policy supports the welfare of British citizens, the government can point to its successful renegotiation on a bilateral basis of all the trade deals the UK previously enjoyed with third parties as an EU member. The subsequent opening and completion of negotiations on a small number of new bilateral agreements, along with steps to pursue regulatory innovation in the financial, digital and biotechnology sectors, represent an important down-payment on the ambition to be a science and technology superpower, and on ensuring the UK remains one of the worlds more competitive economies. In contrast, UK relations with its neighbors in the EU remained fragile and fractious throughout 2021. The UK focused its positive agenda almost exclusively on NATO and on bilateral relationships in Northern and Central Europe. At the start of 2022, there was a clear risk that relations with the EU would get worse before they get better, given the still rising barriers to the two sides trade and broader economic interaction following the UKs exit from the European Single Market and Customs Union. But the urgent need to coordinate an effective response to Russias invasion of Ukraine affords an opportunity to rebuild the relationship between the UK and the EU around the fundamental values and security interests that unite them, as well as the deep economic interdependence that will always connect them. This means that the UK government needs to develop a positive agenda with the EU as an institution, and not just with individual EU member states or other selective groupings, as it has done recently with the Visegrad Four, for instance. Given the EUs central role alongside NATO in responding to the grave threat from Russia, and the Biden administrations support for closer coordination between the two institutions, the UK could try to link its ideas for upgrading NATOs Strategic Concept in 2022 with the EUs new Strategic Compass and member states growing commitments to strengthen Europes defense capabilities. Allowing frictions to continue over bilateral trade and the Northern Ireland Protocol would pointlessly undermine these opportunities and weaken both sides at a moment of acute danger. The continuing centrality of the US, alongside the EU, to the UKs long-term security and economic well-being was captured in the signing, by President Biden and Prime Minister Johnson, of a new Atlantic Charter, just ahead of the G7 Carbis Bay Summit in June 2021. And, most recently, the close UKUS coordination on military and intelligence support to Kyiv in the lead-up to Russias invasion of Ukraine has served as a reminder of one of the special aspects of this bilateral relationship. Even so, the UK needs to be wary of being over-reliant on the US relationship for its future. The Biden administration is investing far more effort than its predecessors in strengthening the US relationship with the EU, including in economic and regulatory areas that cut to the heart of the UKs own interests. The UK will inevitably be excluded from certain aspects of closer USEU cooperation, as the worlds two largest markets coordinate better on everything from digital trade to carbon border taxes, to ensure that their collective economic and political strength can stand up to challenges from their autocratic rivals. This deepening of the USEU relationship has been accelerated by the EUs unexpectedly strong response to Russias invasion of Ukraine, and its willingness to coordinate with the US on common steps. If the US does turn away from the EU in the future for instance as a result of a change in the political environment in Washington between now and 2024 this will present more rather than fewer problems for the UK, as it would also signal a retreat by the US from the global priorities that the UK shares with the Biden administration as well as the rest of Europe. For both these reasons, the UK needs to think truly globally when it talks about a community of liberal democracies. Having been at the centre, during its G7 presidency, of the initiative to link up the G7 with members of the Indo-Pacific Quad, the UK would benefit from investing continued effort in turning this nascent G7 Plus into a more stable and persistent grouping: one that is capable of and willing to build an open, transparent and sustainable global economy, protect the foundations of its members own liberal democracies, and lend support to those countries committed to the same values and outcomes. Strengthening the coordination mechanisms and common purpose of this larger grouping could also help lessen the risks of the UK being sidelined by growing USEU cooperation. Instead, the G7 Plus could become a vehicle for the UK to pursue its international priorities as a more equal partner alongside a wider community of allies. The UK also now has the flexibility to negotiate and strike some new trade deals and sectoral arrangements with countries whose comparative advantages are complementary to those of the UK, some of which are struggling to make progress with the EU. Although the net benefits of these deals will not compensate in the near term for the loss of barrier-free trade with the EU, they will help some specific businesses and sectors. But perhaps more importantly, given the current geopolitical context, they will strengthen the UKs diplomatic voice and geo-economic presence in parts of the world that are increasingly important to its foreign policy. This means that the UK needs to focus its trade strategy in 202223 on those countries and regions that could be important partners in the intensifying division between Russia and China on the one hand, and the G7 Plus on the other. Completing entry to the CPTPP would send an important signal in this respect. So would undertaking trade deals with countries outside the UKs network of liberty, such as Egypt and Vietnam, which could yet be drawn into a network of autocratic states. Finally, having promoted itself as a leading contributor to the resilience of the poorer members of the international community, the UK needs to live up to its commitments, whether on climate finance, on transfer of medical know-how, or on sustainable infrastructure investment. The disruptive spillovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, compounded now by spiking prices of essential commodities due to the conflict in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, constitute a huge shock to the most vulnerable parts of the world. Leaders and citizens in the worst-affected countries will not forgive the UK and other developed democracies if they do not support them through this turmoil. The UK is especially open to charges of hypocrisy following the severe cuts to its foreign aid budget in 2021, as well as its poor record on refugees and asylum policy. These are not the hallmarks of a truly global Britain. As the UK endeavors to make its mark as a more autonomous global actor post-Brexit, justifiable accusations of double standards and evidence of hypocrisy will be deeply damaging not least for its much-valued soft power. Conversely, there will be few more precious assets in the future for Britains influence in the world than a reputation for being a reliably robust member of the community of liberal democracies, and one that follows through consistently on its commitments. Global Britain in a Divided World Research Paper by Robin Niblett Chatham House / The Royal Institute of International Affairs. The Research Paper can be downloaded here LIBYA Despite rumors that Russias infamous Wagner Group will fight in Ukraine, Western analysts expect the paramilitary organization to stay in conflict-torn Libya. The shadowy paramilitary group tied to the Kremlin, has played a significant role in Libya, supporting renegade military commander Khalifa Haftars self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) in the countrys civil war. Observers had recently begun wondering whether the Wagner forces would be withdrawing from Libya to shift their focus on supporting Russias invasion of Ukraine. Although the Kremlin might need to adjust and reconfigure its mission in the North African country, there is good reason to expect the Russians to continue their campaign there. Before 24 February, there was no indication that the clandestine Russian mission [in Libya] was withdrawing, shrinking, or anything of the sort, according to Jalel Harchaoui, a researcher specializing in Libya. While there are some unconfirmed reports that Russian mercenaries have been withdrawn from the country to fight in Ukraine, the majority have remained. But experts suggest that sustaining a military presence in Libya is key to Russias agendas elsewhere on the African continent, especially in the Sahel region. You clearly have reliance on the perennial and permanent character of the Russian footprint in Libya. It wasnt about to shrink, says Harchaoui. RWANDA The controversial agreement with Rwanda that the United Kingdom unveiled on Thursday (14 April), which will see thousands of asylum seekers sent to the East African country to have their applications processed, is likely to spark legal challenges. The two governments say that the partnership will disrupt the business model of organized crime gangs and deter migrants from putting their lives at risk. Under the program, which will see the UK pay Rwanda 150 million, potentially thousands of asylum seekers arriving in the UK will be flown one way to Kigali, where their cases will be dealt with. While in Rwanda, they will be entitled to full protection under Rwandan law, with equal access to employment and enrollment in healthcare and social care services. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the scheme would save countless lives from human trafficking. We cannot sustain a parallel illegal system, he said, adding that our compassion may be infinite, but our capacity to help people is not. However, the agreement is very likely to face a legal challenge, with NGOs and human rights lawyers arguing that the outsourcing of asylum claims without appropriate legal protections breaks international law. Denmark has a similar arrangement, also with Rwanda, for which it changed national law to allow it to relocate asylum seekers to countries outside the EU. In response, the European Commission expressed concerns that the Danish law could breach EU law. The UN High Commission for Refugees has warned that outsourcing asylum claims would leave the UK in breach of its international obligations. MALI Although the European Unions recent decision to limit the training of Malian soldiers is correct and long overdue, the bloc also must not forget Mali and leave it to its own devices, argues Dirke Kopp in an opinion published in Deutsche Welle. For months there has been serious doubt over the sincerity and transparency of the Malian transitional governments policies. Since the military coup detat, there have been no signs that the army is interested in returning the country to democracy anytime soon. All efforts by the West African trade bloc ECOWAS and the international community have run aground. The relationship between Mali and former colonial power France is at an all-time low. In contrast, Malis cooperation with Russia, and especially with the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group, seems to be running smoothly. The recent atrocities against Malian civilians and current images from Ukraine give an indication of what these soldiers and the regular Russian army are capable of doing yet another reason why the EU should not train Malian soldiers or security forces. However, it is critical that the EU does not completely end its activities in Mali. Instead, the bloc should continue to advise security forces and train them on the rules of warfare in the interests of observing human rights. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbocks recent visit to Mali, is therefore timely and sends a strong signal, because talking to Malis new rulers is crucial. Germany has a better reputation in Mali than France and has been perceived as a key ally ever since it recognized Malis independence. Baerbock should use this advantage to convince Malis government that Russias assistance comes at a cost, and that it risks entering into new form of dependency: One that will trample on the human rights of ordinary Malians. The Knot Worldwide, a global digital wedding planning company & the parent company of WeddingWire India, has announced that Jenny Lewis, former Head of US & Canada Marketing for Uber Technologies, Inc. has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer. Lewis will lead all marketing, insights, and editorial initiatives for The Knot Worldwide and its 19 global brands across 16 countries. The Knot Worldwide, a global leader in lifestage brands and wedding planning, is used by millions of engaged couples each year to plan weddings that are uniquely their own. The company has most recently scaled its eCommerce offerings, which include The Knot Registry, The Knot Invitations, WeddingWire Invitations, and more, the company said. Lewis, an expert in scaling two-sided marketplaces and growing and advancing the visibility and impact of well-known brands, was most recently the Head of US & Canada Marketing for Uber and UberEats. As one of Ubers earliest marketing hires, she helped transform the start-up into an iconic household name. Over the course of her 7+ years with Uber, Lewis was the driving force behind a number of product and brand-defining initiatives, including UberPOOL and the brands COVID-19 response campaign. Before Uber, Lewis worked at Undertone Advertising and Fox Networks Group (FX, National Geographic Channel, Fox Sports), where she developed co-marketing strategies with Fortune 500 brands such as MillerCoors and Volkswagen. She is a graduate of George Washington University with a B.A. in Political Communication, the company said. As a global leader in weddings, The Knot Worldwide has achieved longstanding success in providing couples and guests with an unmatched all-inclusive wedding planning solution, while supporting small businesses through its global marketplaces. As the number of weddings around the world will hit an all-time high this year, Im thrilled to join this talented leadership team at such a pivotal moment when our services are needed more than ever, said Lewis. I look forward to further developing and implementing a strategy that supports our global growth plans, eCommerce business objectives, and above all, provides couples with an unparalleled experience during one of the most important moments of their lives. It is a great honour to welcome Jenny Lewis to The Knot Worldwide family. She is a highly experienced, seasoned business leader responsible for building one of the most well-known global marketplace brands: Uber, said Tim Chi, Chief Executive Officer of The Knot Worldwide. I am confident that Jennys consumer-centric approach to full-funnel marketing and ability to anchor a brands relevancy with current and prospective consumers will drive innovation for the millions of engaged couples and hundreds of millions of wedding guests that we serve each year in the $200 billion global wedding industry. Anam Zubair, Associate Director of Marketing- WeddingWire India, said, Jenny joins us at a pivotal time when the market opportunity is immense. She brings on board a wealth of experience from managing brands like Uber, where she has been instrumental in driving growth. This empowers The Knot Worldwide and WeddingWire India to identify new growth opportunities and derive actionable insights from an audience that is extremely digital-savvy. We are certain that with Jennys leadership, well be able to make WedTech an indispensable part of every Indian consumers life. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) PRESS RELEASE April 18, 2022 Using Humor In Business To Lead, Featuring Jan McInnis on The Entrepreneur MBA Podcast On today's podcast, Jan McInnis and Stephen Halasnik from Financing Solutions, a leading provider of interest only business lines of credit, discuss using humor in business to lead. Business leaders who have mastered the art of humor in administration effectively engage their workers in the most creative way to promote productivity and efficiency. That's to say, knowing how to make your employees laugh at the workplace will positively impact your business. Employees feel motivated and animated when they're in their best mood. And there's no other way to foster employees' happiness than the use of humor in the workplace. Listen to the Podcast or read summary by clicking here: Using Humor In Business To Lead About Jan McInni, from The Work Lady Jan McInnis is a keynote speaker, comedian, Master of Ceremonies, and comedy writer. She has written for Jay Leno's The Tonight Show, the Jerry Springer Show and many others. For over 25 years, she's traveled the country sharing her unique and practical tips on how to use humor in business. She's been featured in The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post for her clean humor, and she's the author of two books: Finding the Funny Fast How to Create Quick Humor to Connect with Clients, Coworkers, and Crowds, and Convention Comedian: Stories and Wisdom From Two Decades of Chicken Dinners and Comedy Clubs.Convention Comedian: Stories and Wisdom From Two Decades of Chicken Dinners and Comedy Clubs. About Stephen Halasnik, The Entrepreneur MBA Podcast and Financing Solutions Financing Solutions is a leading provider of small business lines of credit. The credit line is fast, easy, inexpensive, and costs nothing to set up making it great for emergencies or opportunities. Stephen Halasnik, Managing Partner of Financing Solutions is also the host of the popular, The Entrepreneur MBA Podcast If you would like to learn more about the line of credit program, please visit Business Line of Credit Here or call at 862-207-4118. From mental illness and a cult to Christian ministry and political office By Rachel Alexander web posted April 18, 2022 A young man turned his life around after getting involved in a cult and suffering from schizophrenia, and now later in life is a leader in Christian ministry and running for Phoenix City Council. Nick Griemsmann has gone through a lot, but through the grace of God he was able to turn his life around and now helps others. He recently wrote an autobiography called Becoming Gods Friend . Griemsmann wasnt raised as a Christian, and having trauma as a young boy no doubt set in motion some bad things. He developed addictions and dropped out of high school. He found a job working as a bartender at Barcelonas, a nightclub in Scottsdale, Arizona, but realized after a while that the party lifestyle was unfulfilling. But he then went to the other extreme, deciding to become a monk. His attempt failed, as he ended up walking around hot and thirsty in the New Mexico desert, never making it to the monastery. The onset of schizophrenia was starting. However, he still yearned in his heart for God. When he was 22, he found a flyer on his car from Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. It said they provide a place for people to stay, which sold him. He called and spoke to a woman there on the phone, who prayed for him during their conversation. He could feel something changing inside of him that was supernatural. However, they wanted him to move to Arkansas, and his parents warned him that it was a cult. He moved anyway and it was the beginning of a deep, dark experience. He was taught that if he ever left that ministry, it would blasphemy the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven, and he would go to hell. They said his family and friends were of the devil and instructed him to cut them off. Alamo claimed he was one of the final two witnesses written about in the book of Revelation. His teachings were so disturbing, frequently focused on hell, that Griemsmann would see people shaking while listening to his messages. Cult members were required to attend church every night. Griemsmann started having spiritual hallucinations, likely brought on by a lack of sleep from the rigorous work schedule, which consisted substantially of long hours placing flyers on cars. He eventually tried to leave the cult, and voices in his head told him to loudly pray at the airport, which he did until the police took him to a mental hospital. Another time the voices told him to take his clothes off in public if he wasnt ashamed of Jesus, which he did. During this time, a psychiatrist told him that he would be catatonic in 10 years and had no hope for recovery. Finally, God intervened in his life, and he was able to leave the cult for good and seek treatment. He became involved with several regular churches in Phoenix, and eventually felt a spiritual force leave him. With the help of his family and supporters, he weaned off all medication for schizophrenia in 2007 despite the fact that he was told that it was incurable. He found a job helping others with the exact type of mental health problems hed gone through. As for Alamo, he was eventually prosecuted for the sexual exploitation of women and girls and died in federal prison. Griemsmann started a ministry called The Fathers Friends . He wrote a book called Defeating Mental Illness about his journey, which did well and he was invited on large Christian TV shows to talk about it. He learned that letting go of carrying the burdens of others is vital to ones own emotional well being. He also discovered that Individuals do not end up with a big issue like schizophrenia randomly. It usually has been built inside the person over time through continued lies, trauma, substance abuse, etc. His interesting journey continued, taking a trip to Juarez, Mexico, with others and discovering through prayer that some people experienced the miracles of healing. He became an assistant pastor in Phoenix. He started livestreaming street evangelism in Harlem, New York and Europe. Later on, he traveled to remote villages in Pakistan, where his team prayed to heal people miraculously. He did big events ministering in Kenya, where he continued to preach the Gospel and pray for sick people. Some reported healings of what he used to have, schizophrenia. Griemsmann talks about the negative aspects of life that hes had to learn to deal with and overcome as Misters. For example, Mr. Condemnation keeps a person stuck in negative mindsets and emotions, inside a spiritual prison. He makes you feel like you are never good enough for God or anyone. Others include Mr. Discouragement, Mr. Self-Righteous, Mr. Fear, Mr. Anxiety, Mr. Lust, Mr. Addiction, Mr. Mental Illness, Mr. Rejection and Mr. Anger. What worked for him was not focusing on the bad, like making a list of all your sins. Instead, he focuses on spiritual freedom, and teaches others to look for the good, since the fruits of the Spirit are positive attributes; love, joy, peace, kindness, etc. Griemsmann's journey has now taken him into politics, taking on incumbent Democrat Phoenix City Councilman Carlos Garcia in District 8. Although the district leans heavily Democrat, its a nonpartisan race and Garcia has a hostile relationship with Phoenix Police. When Garcia was pulled over by the police for driving a car with suspended license plates, he tried to intimidate the police by pulling rank. Political consultant Stan Barnes told KNXV that "the councilman is anti-police officer, and he's playing it out in real time for all of us to see." Griemsmann wants to represent everyone, and says , I am a supporter of the Phoenix police. Due to his background with not only overcoming schizophrenia and his vast ministry experience, but also his past career as an administrator in behavioral healthcare, he can be a real champion for solving homelessness, community safety, healthcare, education, and helping the incarcerated transition back into society. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative . She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications. Home Therapists aren't permitted to reveal anything about their patients because they are constrained by confidentiality and ethics. But that's not always the case and sometimes they can reveal everything they know in specific circumstances. When can they tell all they know and to whom? There is a belief among the general public that everything that is said in a therapy session remains between the therapist and the client. Currently, Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard are embroiled in a defamation suit that Depp brought against Heard and for which he is seeking $50 million in damages. To support his case, Depp has asked one of his therapists to come to the trial and to discuss aspects of his therapy and drug addiction treatment. This is one of the cases where a therapist may reveal whatever the client has indicated they have approved. One thing that a patient holds, and which is theirs alone to release, is something called privilege. If a therapist is asked to reveal information, they may not do so because of confidentiality, but if the patient indicates their willingness, it means the patient has exercised their right of privilege. Licensed therapists are held to ethical standards by both licensing boards as well as professional organizations and the standards clearly outline what is permissible and what is not. For instance, any licensed therapist may reveal and is mandated to reveal, any instance of ongoing domestic violence, abuse, neglect of children, or abuse of the elderly or people with disabilities. Should a child still be in a situation of abuse, even if the therapist does not know this for a fact but suspects it, it must be reported to authorities. Other instances where confidentiality does not hold is in future crimes or a danger or suggestion of danger to the self or others. Anyone hinting that they are considering suicide must be taken seriously and should be referred for additional assistance at that point. In some states, the person might be involuntarily held on a psychiatric unit for a discrete period of time, often about three days. In the case of intention to harm others, there is a classic case that involved the University of California and a student, who was in therapy with a school counselor. He indicated that he was having violent thoughts about a young woman student, Tatiana Tarasoff, who he had dated and suggested that he might want to kill her. The actions taken by the school therapist did not result in warning the young woman or her family or other appropriate authorities and she was murdered. We now have a duty to protect and to warn intended victims of crimes. Courts may also call a therapist to testify in a case and under certain circumstances, the therapist who refuses may be sent to jail. If a patient is involved, the therapist might request that the patient exercise their right of privilege so that the therapist might comply with the court order. In cases of married couples, all that is needed is one member to exercise the privilege and the therapist may reveal whatever material is germane to the case. Anyone wishing to have more information on this aspect of therapeutic constraints should consult an attorney. The defamation case of Depp heard has already indicated that Heard alleges Depp physically abused her while they were married. The belief that everything said in a therapeutic environment is secret, therefore, is open to question and each therapist has a responsibility to inform the new patient about the boundaries of confidentiality and privilege either at the first session or in a written outline of it at that time. No one should be expected to walk into a therapy session and feel that anything and everything that they discuss will never be provided to anyone else, even a legal authority. This is not the case and clients must be made aware of this immediately. Therapists who are naive or foolish enough to reveal information about their patients in any setting other than a supervisory one or a legal situation can be sued for this action. The San Antonio Symphony board terminated its contract with Music Director Emeritus Sebastian Lang-Lessing on Friday, cutting ties after 12 with the man who had been the public face of the orchestra and its staunchest advocate. The dismissal of Lang-Lessing, an internationally renowned conductor whose tenure coincided with the opening of the symphonys new home in the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, is the latest turn in more than six months of discord between the musicians and management. Ten concerts have been canceled and five postponed. Musicians are on strike and have lost their health insurance and other benefits, and both sides have filed charges with the National Labor Relations board. Lang-Lessings firing came after it was announced that he would conduct a pair of concerts May 12 and 13 by the striking musicians of the San Antonio Symphony at First Baptist Church. The concerts are part of a series being presented by the recently formed nonprofit MOSAS (Musicians of the San Antonio Symphony) Performance Fund independent of the San Antonio Symphony. Lang-Lessing was scheduled to conduct two of the three classics series concerts remaining on the San Antonio Symphonys 2021-22 season. One of those concerts is on May 13, the same date as a concert by the striking musicians. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of 3 TOM REEL Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Robin Jerstad, Freelancer / For the Express-News Show More Show Less Corey Cowart, executive director of the San Antonio Symphony, said Lang-Lessings decision to conduct those MOSAS concerts violated a radius clause in his contract with the symphony. According to a letter Cowart sent on Friday to symphony board members and staff, the symphonys standard contract for guest artists like Lang-Lessing states that Artists shall neither make nor announce any appearances in San Antonio, Texas within 60 days prior to or following the performance dates of the concerts. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio Symphonys season may end before 6-month-old strike is resolved When it was announced that he was conducting concerts that were not with the San Antonio Symphony, that were with another organization, he was in breach of his contract, Cowart said, and thats when the symphony board decided to terminate his contract. Since the strike began, the symphony has been canceling or postponing concerts in small blocks, sometimes just days in advance. Unless the strike ends before May 13, the San Antonio Symphony concert scheduled for that day would be canceled. Lang-Lessing said on Monday thats why he does not believe he was in breach of contract. One concert can only happen if the other one doesnt happen, he said. That was the whole condition that was always made clear. He said the provision in the contract is related to attendance. If I come to San Antonio and conducted the Houston symphony or the Austin symphony, that would be a violation of the contract because it basically would be taking audience away from the concert they are promoting. Lang-Lessing still plans on conducting the concerts at First Baptist Church. Its very important, especially during a labor negotiation, that the music keeps playing, he said. It keeps our patrons lined up and engaged, and thats what we need for the future. The symphonys musicians went on strike Sept. 27 during contentious contract negotiations with the Symphony Society of San Antonio, the nonprofit that runs the orchestra. The strike was called in response to the Symphony Societys decision to impose a contract on the musicians that cut their pay and the number of full-time musicians. The musicians and the board began working with federal mediators in February and have met three times so far, most recently on March 8. On ExpressNews.com: Striking San Antonio Symphony musicians, board at odds on orchestras financial health Lang-Lessing said the termination of his contract was a minor detail in a way bigger problem. Frankly, the musicians havent been paid in the last six to seven months, and its a way bigger problem than my contract being canceled at the last minute by an administration desperate to do anything they can do to repudiate someone who is supporting the musicians. Lang-Lessing served as music director for the San Antonio Symphony from 2010 through 2020. During that time, he oversaw the symphonys move in 2014 from the Majestic Theatre to the Tobin Center, a venue designed to showcase live music. His programming innovations included commissioning new works and programming festivals designed as deep dives into the works of individual composers such as Tchaikovsky and Strauss. He brought an international perspective to the job, having worked with opera companies in Paris, Los Angeles, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm and having served as artistic director of Opera National de Lorraine and music director of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. At the time of his firing, he was in the second year of a two-year contract as music director emeritus and guest conductor. Cowart said Lang-Lessing served as an advocate for the organization as music director emeritus, but the guest conducting dates were his primary responsibility. The symphony has worked with artistic advisers on tasks typically carried out by a music director such as auditions and planning seasons. Cowart went to work for the symphony in 2019, near the end of Lang-Lessings tenure as music director. He said he has heard from both musicians and symphony patrons that as Lang-Lessing led from the podium and hired and auditioned many of our principal players that the quality, the sound of the ensemble has absolutely improved. That is something that we hope are next artistic leader continues as well, Cowart said. Lang-Lessing is not ready to say that his association with the San Antonio Symphony has come to an end. The future only can tell, he said. The big question is whether we have a symphony in San Antonio in the future. Cowart said the symphony is doing everything it can to resolve the strike so it can resume presenting live music in the spring. We think thats the best way to help musicians who have been on strike to negotiate a contract we can all agree to, he said. Wed hope others involved would be invested in that goal as well. As of late afternoon Monday, the symphony had not canceled its May classic series concerts and was working to hire replacement conductors for those concerts Lang-Lessing was scheduled to conduct. Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Corey Cowarts name. Staff writer Deborah Martin contributed to this report. jkiest@express-news.net | Twitter: @en_salife KYIV, Ukraine (AP) The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, a guided-missile cruiser that became a potent target of Ukrainian defiance in the opening days of the war, sank Thursday after it was heavily damaged in the latest setback for Moscow's invasion. Ukrainian officials said their forces hit the vessel with missiles, while Russia acknowledged a fire aboard the Moskva but no attack. U.S. and other Western officials could not confirm what caused the blaze. The loss of the warship named for the Russian capital is a devastating symbolic defeat for Moscow as its troops regroup for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine after retreating from much of the north, including the capital, Kyiv. In his nightly video address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alluded to the sinking as he told Ukrainians they should be proud of having survived 50 days under attack when the Russians gave us a maximum of five. Listing the many ways Ukraine has defended against the invasion, he noted those who showed that Russian warships can sail away, even if its to the bottom of the sea. It was his only reference to the missile cruiser. The Russian Defense Ministry said the ship sank in a storm while being towed to a port. Russia earlier said the flames on the ship, which would typically have 500 sailors aboard, forced the entire crew to evacuate. Later it said the blaze had been contained. The Moskva had the capacity to carry 16 long-range cruise missiles, and its removal reduces Russias firepower in the Black Sea. It's also a blow to Moscow's prestige in a war already widely seen as a historic blunder. Now entering its eighth week, the invasion has stalled amid resistance from Ukrainian fighters bolstered by weapons and other aid sent by Western nations. During the first days of the war, the Moskva was reportedly the ship that called on Ukrainian soldiers stationed on Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender in a standoff. In a widely circulated recording, a soldier responded: Russian warship, go (expletive) yourself. The Associated Press could not independently verify the incident, but Ukraine and its supporters consider it an iconic moment of defiance. The country recently unveiled a postage stamp commemorating it. The news of the flagship overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Moscow's forces have been battling the Ukrainians since the early days of the invasion in some of the heaviest fighting of the war at a horrific cost to civilians. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday that 1,026 Ukrainian troops surrendered at a metals factory in the city. But Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraines interior minister, rejected the claim, telling Current Time TV that the battle over the seaport is still ongoing today. It was unclear how many forces were still defending Mariupol. Russian state television broadcast footage that it said was from Mariupol showing dozens of men in camouflage walking with their hands up and carrying others on stretchers. One man held a white flag. Mariupol has been the scene of the some the war's worst suffering. Dwindling numbers of Ukrainian defenders are holding out against a siege that has trapped well over 100,000 civilians in desperate need of food, water and heating. David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, told AP in an interview Thursday that people are being starved to death in the besieged city. Mariupols mayor said this week that more than 10,000 civilians had died and the death toll could surpass 20,000, after weeks of attacks and privation left bodies carpeted through the streets. Mariupol's capture is critical for Russia because it would allow its forces in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to fully link up with troops in the Donbas region, Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland and the target of the coming offensive. The Russian military continues to move helicopters and other equipment together for such an effort, according to a senior U.S. defense official, and it will likely add more ground combat units over coming days. But its still unclear when Russia could launch a bigger offensive in the Donbas. Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukraine in the Donbas since 2014, the same year Russia seized Crimea. Russia has recognized the independence of the rebel regions in the Donbas. The loss of the Moskva could delay any new, wide-ranging offensive. Maksym Marchenko, the governor of the Odesa region, across the Black Sea to the northwest of Sevastopol, said the Ukrainians struck the ship with two Neptune missiles and caused serious damage. Russias Defense Ministry said ammunition on board detonated as a result of a fire, without saying what caused the blaze. It said the main missile weapons were not damaged. In addition to the cruise missiles, the warship also had air-defense missiles and other guns. The Neptune is an anti-ship missile that was recently developed by Ukraine and based on an earlier Soviet design. The launchers are mounted on trucks stationed near the coast, and, according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, the missiles can hit targets up to 280 kilometers (175 miles) away. That would have put the Moskva within range, based on where it was when the fire began. Launched as the Slava in 1979, the cruiser saw service in the Cold War and during conflicts in Georgia and Syria, and helped conduct peacetime scientific research with the United States. During the Cold War, it carried nuclear weapons. In 1989, the Slava was supposed to host a meeting off Malta between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President George H.W. Bush, but gale-force winds moved the talks to the docked cruiser Maxim Gorky. On Thursday, other Russian ships that were also in the northern Black Sea moved further south after the Moskva caught fire, said a senior U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal military assessments. Before the Moskva sank, Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraines defense minister, told AP its removal would mean we can only have a sigh of relief. While the U.S. was not able to confirm Ukraines claims of striking the warship, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan called it a big blow to Russia." Theyve had to kind of choose between two stories: One story is that it was just incompetence, and the other was that they came under attack, and neither is a particularly good outcome for them, Sullivan told the Economic Club of Washington. Russia invaded on Feb. 24 and has lost potentially thousands of fighters. The conflict has killed untold numbers of Ukrainian civilians and forced millions more to flee. It has also further inflated prices at grocery stores and gasoline pumps, while dragging on the global economy. The head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday that the war helped push the organization to downgrade economic forecasts for 143 countries. Also Thursday, Russian authorities accused Ukraine of sending two low-flying military helicopters some 11 kilometers (7 miles) across the border and firing on residential buildings in the village of Klimovo, in Russia's Bryansk region. Russias Investigative Committee said seven people, including a toddler, were wounded. Russias state security service had earlier said Ukrainian forces fired mortar rounds at a border post in Bryansk as refugees were crossing, forcing them to flee. The reports could not be independently verified. Earlier this month, Ukrainian security officials denied that Kyiv was behind an air strike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, some 55 kilometers (35 miles) from the border. ___ Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine A six-second video of a man firing a handgun equipped with what appears to be an extended magazine outside two Galleria restaurants is the latest burst of gun violence to unfold at the high-end Houston mall. The gunman fires at least two rounds outside the malls Shake Shack with the nearby Joey Uptown visible across the way and spins around to flee, according to footage shared widely on social media. The short, blurry clip shows people running, yelling and scrambling to get away from the gunfire. On HoustonChronicle.com: Rusk woman dies in motorcycle accident on Easter Sunday Police are investigating whether the video is connected to a shooting around 7 p.m. Saturday in which a man was shot in the leg and critically wounded, officials said. The video, which was shared across multiple social media platforms by different users, gained more than 3.1 million views from one Twitter post alone. Graphic warning: This content contains graphic material that may be harmful or traumatizing to some audiences: The shooting happened in the 5000 block of Westheimer Road. Police found a man with a gunshot wound to the leg and he was taken to a hospital in critical condition. What prompted the shooting was not known, police said. No arrests have been made. Mayor Sylvester Turner said he discussed the shooting and mall security Monday with Chief Troy Finner. The Galleria is probably the last place anyone would want to do anything illegal, Turner said, adding that the venue is packed with security cameras, inside the mall and out in the parking lots and garages. He expects private security and HPD patrols to increase at the mall. The Galleria issued a statement Monday afternoon. The Galleria takes seriously its role in ensuring a safe and enjoyable shopping experience for its shoppers and work environment for its employees and tenants, according to a portion of the statement. Our security program is extensive and contains numerous measures designed to deter crime and respond quickly to incidents. That includes a large security patrol comprised of Houston Police Department, private security and K9 weapons detection, along with ample surveillance throughout the property. In the afternoon, a security guard driving a cart cruised through a parking lot on Westheimer Road and three mounted patrol officers trotted past storefronts on horseback. While the video caused a stir on social media, people at the Galleria on Monday seemed unfazed by the weekend shooting. Shoppers streamed in and out of an entrance near the crime scene carrying bags and pushing strollers while cars packed garages and lots. Christian Santamaria, 21, strolled into the mall with his girlfriend to visit the Samsung store for a new phone. He said he had not heard about the shooting before a reporter informed him. It doesnt really bother me, he said with a shrug. Most of the time (shootings are) targeted. Sia Ngevao walked into the same entrance to exchange a blazer at H&M. She said she had heard about the shooting and was trying to get in and out of the mall. I mean, honestly, with anywhere that you go, theres always going to be that risk of something like that going on or happening, she said. You just have to be careful and vigilant. It doesnt matter where you are. Several other patrons said they were visiting from out-of-town and had not heard about the shooting. One valet driver said he was working on Saturday when he heard gunshots from across the parking lot. It was a busy moment, though, so he quickly returned to work and was not worried, he said. Violence at the highly-trafficked mall which Simon Group says has more than 30 million visitors annually and which accrued about $1.03 billion in sales before the pandemic has happened in the past. The shooting comes within a month of another Galleria shooting in which a man was killed. Police responded on March 19 to a parking garage at 5150 Hidalgo Street and found the man, Joseph Lockhart, under a vehicle, believing that he was shot during a robbery and then run over by a driver also fleeing the gunfire. Court records reveal that Lockhart may have stolen several boxes of Apple Air Pods, which police found scattered and covered in blood in the parking spot where he was shot. Police arrested Roderick Moore, of Elkhart, on a capital murder charge in Lockharts death. Moore told a roommate that he made a deal to buy the Air Pods at a discount from Lockhart but that he planned to rob him instead, according to court records. He thought Lockhart was reaching for a gun during the robbery and shot him, the records continued. A third roommate was with Moore at the time of the shooting but he has not been charged with a crime. Moore remains jailed on a $750,000 bail. Police have also warned in the past of crime rings targeting patrons in the Simon and Calpers-owned Galleria and surrounding area for high-end jewelry and other goods. Law enforcement in 2021 arrested multiple people accused of following shoppers leaving posh stores to their homes and robbing them. Police officials did not have readily-available statistics on crime at the shopping mall. Houston, like many other U.S. cities, experienced a rise in violent crime during the pandemic. The worst of that crime, however, has since diminished, officials said. Stopping crime is the joint responsibility of elected officials, the police department, businesses and citizens, and we remain committed to doing our part, The Galleria continued in its statement. We are grateful for the continued support of the City of Houston, Houston Police Department and their officers. Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Major Assaults & Family Violence Division at 713-308-8800 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Homeowners across Texas are experiencing sticker shock this month as home values skyrocket, but experts have one message: Dont panic just yet. Appraisal notices started trickling in over the past few weeks, and the latest estimates have raised home values by hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases. The increases are just the latest reflection of Texas competitive housing market, as the state continues to experience rapid population growth. It goes up every year, but this is the biggest and I'm sure I'll remember this for the rest of my life, said Martha Valiquette, a realtor from San Antonio whose home value increased by $110,000 this year. Shes already protested the estimate and is now helping others do the same. Home values are used to calculate state property taxes, and Texans will likely face bigger tax bills later this year. In Houston, the average price of a single-family home climbed to $400,000 for the first time, and in San Antonio, median home sales have surpassed $300,000. Asking prices for homes are increasing beyond anything you have likely ever seen, the Bexar Appraisal District officials said in a statement this week. Fewer properties offered for sale and high demand for housing means price increases that shatter records. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Texas already has some of the highest property taxes in the nation, relying heavily on that revenue because the state does not tax income. Only six states Wisconsin, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Illinois and New Jersey have higher property tax rates, according to the personal finance website WalletHub. But, experts say, its not over until its over. Appraised home values are just the first steps before property taxes are calculated, and homeowners have the opportunity to protest their quotes. Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer All Texans should remember that their actual property tax bill is based on two factors, said Dick Lavine, a senior fiscal analyst at the nonprofit Every Texan. The first is the taxable value of the home, which is based on the appraisal and can be adjusted via protest and various exemptions. The second is the tax rate set by local governments and other taxing units. Just because your value goes up, you still do not know what your tax bill is going to do until the whole process is finished, Lavine said. In the immediate future, homeowners should get a plan and protest their appraised value if they have a case, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who has championed several property tax relief measures in recent years. Most big counties have an online appeals system, where residents can upload evidence that their appraised value doesnt match what they were quoted. That could include recent home sales in the area that fall below the value, for example, or estimated costs to repair damage to the home. If youre lost, ask a realtor or consult your local appraisal district for help. We have gone through similar boom cycles in Texas as far back as the as far back really as the 1980s, Bettencourt said. Things can get spectacularly hot, like they are now, but it will cool off. The key thing is take action this year. Don't let these higher values submit if you know for sure that you're overvalued. There is a silver lining, Bettencourt said: As home values hit record levels, tax rates will come down. The state Legislature approved an overhaul of property tax policies in 2019, slowing tax increases in the years following but not completely eliminating them. Plus, most homeowners are eligible for a homestead exemption, which offers a $25,000 break on school property taxes. Texas law also caps year-over-year increases to a homesteads taxable value at 10 percent. And finally: Before the final tax bills are computed, Texans can head to the polls on May 7 to vote on additional property tax relief. Bettencourt authored the two proposed constitutional amendments, which passed both chambers last summer with bipartisan support. Proposition 1 would approve the tax cuts for elderly and disabled homeowners beginning in 2023, while a second measure seeks to raise the states homestead exemption to $40,000. The first proposal would offer relief for about 1.8 million seniors and 180,000 homeowners with disabilities, amounting to roughly $220 million in savings in 2024, Bettencourt said. The increased homestead exemption for schools, meanwhile, would save homeowners about $176 annually starting this year, he added. Actual savings would vary depending upon local tax rates. cayla.harris@express-news.net If you read about Gov. Greg Abbotts about-face at the border, your head must be spinning. First, he slowed northbound traffic from Mexico by ordering the Texas Department of Public Safety to stop every commercial truck and inspect it. It duplicated what U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement already does and created miles-long waits at the border. After criticism from the left and right, Abbott reversed course, declaring victory by getting what he called commitments from Mexican governors for increased border enforcement. Its political spin. Views & Voices: Get the weeks best commentary from the Express-News Editorial Board and more delivered to your inbox. Sign up for the free Views & Voices newsletter. When asked if the inspections resulted in any drug seizures, he chose to answer a different question in his head instead. Texas DPS troopers inspected more than 6,000 trucks and found 20 percent had correctable safety hazards, Abbott said, noting brake, light and tire issues because those are the only issues within DPS purview. The Washington Post reported it blithely: Abbott said he anticipated that these inspections had saved lives. He offered no evidence to support that claim, nor was that part of his plan. A photo of Chihuahua Gov. Maria Eugenia Campos Galvan might have captured another moment of political spin. Taken in Austin and published on the Texas Standards website, Campos was pictured sitting next to Abbott as he announced the end of his border charade. A photographer caught the Chihuahua governor in a side-eye look of exasperation. A cartoon bubble over her head might as well have said, Im in Austin for this? The news site El Paso Matters offered context about Abbotts claim to have secured security measures from her. It reported that those measures may not be any different than those in place since September 2021 and have been part of the state of Chihuahuas existing policies. Campos expression reminded me of the one Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky nervously flashed in 2019, when he was asking for U.S. military aid that was being held up by the Trump administration. In that cringe-worthy moment, former President Donald Trump suggested Zelensky investigate corruption in his country. It was a request to dig up dirt on his presidential rival, Joe Biden. Abbott might have claimed victory in having reached border security agreements with Mexican governors, but as the New York Times reported, that aim was never mentioned in Mr. Abbotts roll out of the inspections last week. Instead, he had said the inspections were part of a broad response to the Biden administrations announcement that it would be ending a Trump-era policy of turning back most migrants at the border under an emergency public health rule, known as Title 42. Critics will say Abbott failed, that his nine-day border circus won him no new re-election support. Theyre essentially saying his political spin was successful, too. Abbotts campaign strategists eventually may see that this episode galvanized their voters, even Latino conservatives and some Latino Democrats whove become as anti-immigrant as the rest of the Republican Party. Abbott, the candidate, will claim victory because he collected positive news coverage opposing the lifting of Title 42. Such coverage will show legal asylum seekers, inaccurately called illegal immigrants, being dropped off in Washington, D.C., conveniently in front of a building housing Fox News offices. This was part of Abbotts stunt. On Wednesday, a chartered bus in Texas transported 24 migrants to the nations capital, followed by 14 Thursday and 30 on Friday. His re-election commercials will use some of the language he has used in the last few weeks. Texas is tired of being the unloading dock for illegal immigrants crossing the border. Its all political spin, political posturing. His was a stunt, a charade, a mess. All show. News sites comfortable with profanity put another four-letter word before show. All of it fits. Abbott created a crisis at the border so that Abbott could solve it. It risked jobs, paychecks, produce sections and higher prices. Heres what to remember. Abbott has threatened to reinstate DPS inspections. Theyll happen when a poll shows the race tightening between him and Democrat gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke. Thats because Beto can run statewide. eayala@express-news.net The Texas Education Agency released statewide standards for how school districts should remove and prevent obscene content from entering Texas public school libraries. In the agencys model policy, there is an emphasis that parents should have a role in how books are selected. The agency says that districts should make new selections readily available for parents to review. School librarians or staff should be encouraged to ask parents what their children can and cannot read. The new guidelines suggest that school boards have final approval of all new books and that a committee should be put in place to review books if parents file a formal request for reconsideration. To avoid obscene content in libraries, the agency reminded school districts that state law spells out that handing out inappropriate materials to minors is a crime. Texas librarians, school administrators and public education advocates have denied allegations that there are inappropriate or pornographic materials in school libraries or that theyre handing out such content. The standards are to be used as guidance for school district officials as they develop new procedures or alter their policies for selecting or removing library books. School districts, which are largely independent governmental entities and run by locally elected trustees, are not required to adopt the agencys recommendations. The TEAs new standards come about five months after Gov. Greg Abbott directed that agency, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and State Board of Education to develop such guidelines. In his directive, Abbott cited two memoirs about LGBTQ characters, which include graphic images and descriptions of sex, that were found in some Texas school libraries. There have been several instances recently of inappropriate materials being found in school libraries, TEA commissioner Mike Morath said last week in a letter to Abbott. This model local school board policy will serve as a helpful guide to school boards as they create the policies for their school district libraries. In his letter, Morath said that his agency worked with the states library and archives commission and the SBOE chair to develop the guidelines. Shannon Holmes, executive director of the Association of Texas Professional Educators, warned school district officials to be wary of what policies they decide to adopt. Holmes said they should listen to their communities and not to be taken away by the politics surrounding the situation. As we have said since these latest book controversies began, elected school boards have for decades had the means to work with educators and parents to determine what library content meets the needs of their local communities, Holmes said. Last week, Barry Perez, spokesperson for the San Antonio areas Northside Independent School District, the states fourth-largest district, said officials there dont yet know if the guidance will affect them. But he said the district already has long-standing protocols to deal with concerns about books or any instructional materials. We will continue to follow these protocols and address any specific concerns on a case by case basis and with thoughtful consideration of students interests, age, maturity, and reading skills level, Perez said in a statement. The TEA was directed to create such standards after parents around the state caught Abbotts attention as they called for certain books with depictions of sex to be removed from school libraries. As Abbott seeks a third term in office, he has made parental rights in education a priority issue promising a parental bill of rights amendment to the Texas Constitution even though parents already have a myriad of rights when it comes to their childrens education. Those include Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe, which depicts the authors journey of discovering their gender identity and sexual orientation. It includes a few pages of explicit illustrations depicting oral sex. Another book challenged and removed was Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez, which depicts racism in a Texas town but also makes reference to anal sex. While these books were being challenged and debated in school board meetings during the fall, state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, sent a list to school districts in October of some 850 books including Kobabes asking for information about how many are available on their campuses. Krauses list includes several books that discuss race, sexuality and puberty. Most were written by women, people of color and LGBTQ authors. Disclosure: The Association of Texas Professional Educators has been a financial supporter of the Texas Tribune, Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune s journalism. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Partly cloudy early, then mostly cloudy and windy this afternoon. High 52F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 31F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. How the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict differ By Amb. Alan Baker web posted April 18, 2022 The tragic Russia-Ukraine conflict, with the broad panoply of humanitarian, political, and legal issues that have arisen and continue to arise, has given vent to several not-unexpected phenomena in manipulative propaganda principally aimed at vilifying Israel. Many political groups, organizations, politicians, and columnists seeking to further their own political agenda or to adapt the facts of the situation to such an agenda appear to be bending over backward to seek, invent, or generate similarities between the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, on the one hand, and the Israel-Palestinian conflict, on the other. There appear to be several factors driving this phenomenon. First and foremost is the fear that the Russia-Ukraine war, with the daily footage of vast, mass violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, might be overshadowing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and removing it from the forefront of international attention, relegating it to a lesser status. Secondly, there is the concomitant fear that the international community, witnessing in real-time the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine, might indeed come to realize the utter transparency and hollowness of its long and tedious preoccupation with Israel. Such obsession has been stoked artificially and ceaselessly by a well-polished propaganda campaign and by manipulating international organizations led by the UN and its specialized agencies. Moreover, they have left a legacy of hundreds of politically generated resolutions aimed at singling out and delegitimizing Israel. Recently, prominent human rights groups, like Amnesty International, have published scathing reports alleging that Israel has an apartheid regime. Thirdly, it is likely that the high-intensity Russia-Ukraine armed conflict will sooner or later come to some form of termination or hiatus, while the Israeli-Palestinian low-intensity battle will almost certainly continue to simmer with renewed and periodic outbreaks of violence and terror. To prepare the international arena for such an eventuality, those same propagandists are seeking to utilize the shock, indignation, and sensitivity of the international community in the face of the massive Russian violations of international law to establish a convenient platform from which to generate and direct comparisons with Israels treatment of Palestinian terror and violence. While one might hope that the international community would not be so easily duped by false attempts to equate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the war in Ukraine, such an assumption cannot be made when it comes to Israel. Therefore, those regular purveyors of anti-Israel propaganda will exploit the present wave of international indignation in the context of the Ukraine war to rejuvenate and revitalize their campaign to delegitimize Israel whatever the means. Clearly, attempts to equate Israels actions in the territories in response to Palestinian terror and violence with Russias massive international-law violations in Ukraine would be unrealistic, presumptuous, and manipulative. However, such attempts have already begun and must be rejected outright. The differentiation between the Russia-Ukraine situation and the Israeli-Palestinian issue is clear and unmistakable. It must be impressed upon the international community and media in such a manner as to prevent false manipulations directed against Israel. Russia is conducting an open, high-level war of aggression, with an indiscriminate and massive bombardment of civilian population centers, schools, hospitals, and railway stations, as well as religious and cultural centers and monuments, in violation of the basic and widely accepted norms and principles of international humanitarian law. Russia is employing cluster bombs and other forms of weaponry in violation of international conventions and protocols prohibiting such weaponry. Russia has caused masses of refugees, consisting of a significant percentage of Ukraines civilian population, to leave their homes, towns, and villages. Russias violations of international law are the subject of litigation against it by Ukraine in the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Similarly, violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian leadership and military commanders are documented in numerous complaints submitted to the International Criminal Court by state members of the international community. Absolutely No Comparison between Russia and Israels Conduct Ongoing and future attempts to compare or equate the Russian mode of operation and massive violations of international law in Ukraine with Israels actions to defend its population from Palestinian terror attacks are patently lacking bona fides and the most basic sense of fairness and proportion. The motivation behind such attempts is insincere, superficial, false, and deceitful. Those who attempt to manipulate international awareness by equating Russian aggression and war crimes with Israels actions to defend its population are driven by an overriding and irresponsible penchant to vilify, defame, and delegitimize Israel. They come to the international community with unclean hands. Israel does not conduct any high-level war of aggression against its Palestinian and other neighbors, nor does it employ prohibited and inhumane weaponry. Furthermore, Israel does not willfully and deliberately target civilians or civilian concentrations or attack religious, cultural, educational, and medical sites. Israel faces ongoing terror that includes periodic, massive rocket attacks against its civilian population and continuous excavation of offensive tunnels under its sovereign territory to conduct attacks within its towns and villages. Israel is faced with attacks by incited Palestinian individuals in its towns and villages inspired by terror organizations whose purpose of existence is to terrorize Israels population. Hamas parade of rockets in Gaza, May 2021. Israel legitimately responds in self-defense by selectively and proportionately targeting only those specific military targets, tactical terror headquarters and facilities, rocket emplacements, and ammunition-storage facilities that serve the military aim of the terror organizations. As part of their tactical operating procedure, Palestinian terror organizations, commanders, and operatives conceal themselves within and under civilian homes, medical facilities, schools, commercial buildings, office blocks, and mosques. They use and abuse the civilian population as human shields in violation of all humanitarian norms and principles. The Palestinian mode of operation includes using civilian facilities schools, hospitals, clinics, mosques, and private homes as weapons storage facilities and rocket emplacements. In addition, they use high-rise commercial buildings as tactical, operational, and communications headquarters, all to shield their facilities from Israeli targeting procedures. Such cynical abuse of humanitarian norms is perhaps seen most starkly in the vast web of tactical tunnels that the Palestinian terror organizations have constructed underneath Palestinian towns, civilian roads, and significant facilities. Israel is obliged by its military doctrine to avoid civilian casualties despite such Palestinian tactics. Before any military action and often while prejudicing its own tactical advantage, Israel provides early warning to civilians so that they may distance themselves. The Palestinian terror groups regularly and openly engage in environmental and agricultural terror in violation of international humanitarian and ecological conventions and norms by using illegal weaponry, launching exploding kites and incendiary balloons, and releasing toxic smoke and fumes at Israels civilian population and agricultural areas. Despite such Palestinian abuse, Israel goes to considerable lengths to strictly observe all relevant international norms, principles, and conventions in coping with such Palestinian violations. Unlike the situation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Israel does not target Palestinian public utility facilities, power plants, or locations and monuments of religious, cultural, or historical significance. Israel enables a constant flow into Palestinian areas of thousands of trucks carrying supplies, food, provisions, medicines, and materials through the various border passage points. Palestinian political tactics include manipulating and abusing the International Criminal Court by openly attempting to turn it into an international political organization devoted to delegitimizing Israel in violation of its Statute. They do this by referring hundreds of trumped-up complaints to the Court despite the questionable legal status of such complaints as well as legal doubts over the Palestinians own status before the Court. It is clear from the above that attempts to draw a comparison between the massive and brutal actions of the Russian military in Ukraine and the international reactions thereto and Israels response in defending its civilian population from ongoing Palestinian terror are artificial and contrived, to the extent of being inherently willful and malicious. All self-respecting national parliamentary institutions and leaders and responsible media organizations are urged to reject out of hand such fake attempts to delegitimize Israel. Amb. Alan Baker is Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center and the head of the Global Law Forum. He participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, as well as agreements and peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. He served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Israels ambassador to Canada. Home Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Rajkummar Rao has made his place in the industry as someone who picks movies with the most unique stories and adds life to them with his acting prowess. In more than a decade-long career, he has picked impactful movies such as Shahid (2012), Kai Po Che (2013), and Newton (2017). Meanwhile, he has also picked some comedic marvels such as Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana (2017, and Stree (2018), to name a few. The actor recently got critically acclaimed for his latest release Badhaai Do, which is a comedy-drama directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni. The movie throws light upon two actors in a lavender marriage. It has also been reported that he has finished shooting for his next movie, Bheed, directed by Anubhav Sinha. A recent update about the actor is that he will be collaborating with Anubhav Sinha for his untitled directorial next. The anthology will be highlighting short stories set against the backdrop of the pandemic. Rajkummar Rao will be playing a pivotal part in the anthology. The short films are by Sudhir Mishra, Hansal Mehta, and Ketan Mehta among others. A leading daily reported that a source said, When Anubhav shared the premise of his short film with Raj, it resonated with him. The director felt Raj is someone who connects with the movie on a personal level. Casting is key for Anubhav, and he almost always knows from the get-go who he is envisioning in the role. He felt Raj was the perfect choice for the part, Director Sudhir Mishra has also reportedly roped in Taapsee Pannu and Parambrata Chatterjee for his short film. Commenting on this, Taapsee said that she is thrilled to work with Sudhir Mishra in a socio-political drama that spans two generations. GUANGZHOU, China, April 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 131st Canton Fair has hosted the first "Discover Canton Fair with Bee and Honey" event on April 15 on Facebook, attracting over 183,000 viewers worldwide. The mascot hosts Bee and Honey presented China's top household appliance and electronics manufacturers to global audiences. "The idea of this promotion event series is to focus on the needs and demands of buyers and bring attention to key exhibition sectors, brand enterprises and local industrial clusters. Through social media, we are able to promote the exchange and interaction between exhibitors and buyers and showcase the power and charm of 'Intelligent manufacturing in China,'" said Alan Liu, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Canton Fair. Six top household appliances companies interacted with Bee and Honey at the trade promotion livestreaming: Beijing Puppy Vacuum Cleaner Group Co., Ltd. presented its latest intelligent cordless vacuum product that has won the Red Dot Design Award. Its vacuum products have accumulated 1,012 patents at home and abroad, the products are now sold in 86 countries and regions. presented its latest intelligent cordless vacuum product that has won the Red Dot Design Award. Its vacuum products have accumulated 1,012 patents at home and abroad, the products are now sold in 86 countries and regions. Whirlpool ( China ) Co., Ltd. highlighted its intelligent tilting washing machine that brings convenient and high-efficiency user experience. highlighted its intelligent tilting washing machine that brings convenient and high-efficiency user experience. Shenzhen Sky Dragon Audio-Video Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in sound products; it can also customize audio solutions according to customers' needs. specializes in sound products; it can also customize audio solutions according to customers' needs. Guangzhou Havit Technology Co., Ltd. has participated in 30 Canton Fairs. The brand showcased high-tech new products including Bluetooth earphones, smart riding glasses and smart watches. has participated in 30 Canton Fairs. The brand showcased high-tech new products including Bluetooth earphones, smart riding glasses and smart watches. Guangzhou Conwide Technology Co., Ltd. has 20 years of experience in the innovative R&D of coffee machines and is a top 10 coffee machine supplier in China . has 20 years of experience in the innovative R&D of coffee machines and is a top 10 coffee machine supplier in . Guangdong Vanward New Electric Co., Ltd. is a leading household appliance manufacturer specializing in water heaters, kitchen appliances and hot water systems. "This event has made it easier for customers to participate virtually and better helped Whirlpool (China) to reach global buyers and audiences, breaking through the limits of time and space and allowing global customers to experience Whirlpool products comprehensively," said Wang Yu, deputy director of OEM business department of Whirlpool (China) international trade company. Chen Minling, sales director of Sky Dragon, said that the livestreaming event is of great benefit for the company to enhance its reputation internationally, and it's hoped that through this event, more potential buyers can understand the company better and bring in more foreign trade orders. Khashing Cai, a buyer from the Philippines, is participating in the Canton Fair for the first time. He commented that although many people cannot attend the offline exhibitions due to the pandemic, promotion events like this can provide the opportunity to learn about China's high-end companies, and he will explore more companies and their products further online. The Canton Fair will continue to host seven "Discover Canton Fair with Bee and Honey" events from April 16 to 22. Visit https://www.cantonfair.org.cn/en-US/register/index#/foreign-email for more opportunities. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1798341/131st_Canton_Fair_hosts__Discover_Canton_Fair_Bee_Honey__trade.jpg Hyundai Motor to become the first automaker to enter the community-based NFT market, including a website and channels on Discord and Twitter Hyundai Motor today released a short film introducing its NFT universe 'Metamobility Universe,' which reflects the 'Metamobility' concept revealed at CES 2022 Hyundai Motor to issue 30 limited NFTs celebrating the release of a short film that reveals its collaboration with 'Meta Kongz,' the NFT brand Profits from the sale of Hyundai NFTs will be used for the project's management and community members SEOUL, South Korea, April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today announced that it is entering the online community-based Non-Fungible Token market in collaboration with the 'Meta Kongz' NFT brand. Hyundai Motor is the first automaker to enter the NFT market with its own NFT community, including the Hyundai NFT official website and channels on Discord and Twitter. The Hyundai NFT community will provide its users with the Hyundai brand experience in the metaverse by sharing NFTs depicting its mobility solutions. The Hyundai NFT Discord and Twitter channels opened on April 15, and the official NFT website is scheduled to open in May. By providing dedicated channels for the Hyundai NFT community, the company will continuously manage the asset value of its NFTs. The online platforms will provide an open 24/7 communications channel between the company and community members, with real-time updates on the asset value of its NFTs. Today, the company released a short film introducing the Hyundai NFT universe concept 'Metamobility Universe,' which reflects the 'Metamobility' concept revealed at CES 2022. In the film, the 'Meta Kongz' gorilla character drives in both a classic PONY and modernly reinterpreted heritage series PONY from Earth to the Moon, visualizing how mobility solutions can transcend time and space. The film at the end also teases a shooting star-shaped NFT that will be released in May. Hyundai Motor will also issue 30 limited editions 'Hyundai x Meta Kongz' NFTs on April 20 to commemorate the release of the film. Hyundai NFT projects will be continued throughout the year to keep expanding the Hyundai NFT Universe. Profits from the sale of Hyundai NFTs will be used for the project's management and community members. "The Hyundai NFT Universe will extend the Hyundai brand experience, especially with MZ generation, in a completely new way, further reinforcing our commitment to innovation in both the real world and in the metaverse," said Thomas Schemera, Hyundai Motor's Global Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Customer Experience Division. "We are extremely excited to introduce 'Metamobility' through our own NFTs and start this journey with 'Meta Kongz'." Hyundai Motor Company shared its vision of a 'Metamobility' concept at CES 2022 with the goal of pioneering a smart device-metaverse connection that will expand the role of mobility to virtual reality (VR), ultimately allowing people to overcome the physical limitations of movement in time and space. For more information, please visit: http://globalpr.hyundai.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1797067/1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1797068/2.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1797069/3.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761625/Hyundai_Motor_Group_Logo.jpg Mountain V Oil & Gas is a privately held Oil & Gas Operator headquartered in Bridgeport, West Virginia that invests and owns over 1,600 wells across the Appalachia, as it embarks together with Controlled Capital on its latest Drilling Program in Gilmer and Clay County, West Virginia New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2022) - The future of sustainable energy is looking brighter than ever in the Appalachia with Mountain V Oil & Gas these days, as the Company recently announced the completion of construction on its first well in a 33 horizontal well drilling program in the Appalachia, as the company now prepares to drill. Controlled, established in 2017, is a Global Private Equity Advisory Firm headquartered in New York, NY. To-date, Controlled Development Partners has advised on over $550.0M in executed debt and private equity transactions. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8520/120658_41a3666384e46b62_001full.jpg "We recognize the difficulty in predicting what will happen tomorrow, especially as we rise out of a global pandemic, amongst an administration change within our Nation, and conflict amongst Global Leaders," says Mike Shaver, President and Owner of Mountain V Oil & Gas. "But when greater forces overexert their control over what appear to be simple inputs to a greater economic equation - for example, control over things like oil production levels, or excessive taxes on privately owned non-operated mineral leases - it only pushes companies and investors like us further towards a privatized market. We are extremely supportive of increasing private ventures similar to our latest drilling program - ventures that are community driven, and for the betterment of America, and our economy." "We are already seeing overwhelming support from many High Net Worth Individuals, Single and Multi Family Offices, Private Equity Funds that are eager to reap the long term positive cash flow and the short term tax benefits associated with financing drilling programs that are sponsored by highly experienced Private and Public oil and gas operators in the Appalachia, the Permian Basin, and the Gulf Coast across Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Texas, and Western Louisiana, respectively," says Josh Cohen, President and Owner of Controlled Capital, an advisor to Mountain V Oil & Gas. The latest development onsite with Mike Shaver, President and Owner of Mountain V Oil & Gas, a private company that owns over 1,600 wells across the Appalachia and is headquartered in Bridgeport, West Virginia To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8520/120658_41a3666384e46b62_002full.jpg "This isn't so much about the poker game our Global Leaders play over the price of oil. This is about utilizing our nation's resources in the most environmentally conscious, and economically efficient and impactful way. This is about creating jobs, creating viable investment opportunities to both private and public investors to create generational wealth. This is about providing purpose for tens of millions of Americans," says Cohen. For more information, visit www.controlledcap.com. With media inquiries, please contact Public & Investor Relations, Controlled Development Partners: (917) 584-7042 or info@controlleddev.com. ABOUT MOUNTAIN V Oil & Gas Mountain V Oil & Gas is a privately held Oil & Gas Operator headquartered in Bridgeport, West Virginia that invests and owns over 1,600 wells across the Appalachia, as it embarks together with Controlled Capital on its latest Drilling Program in Gilmer and Clay County, West Virginia ABOUT CONTROLLED CAPITAL: Controlled, established in 2017, is a Global Private Equity Advisory Firm headquartered in New York, NY. To-date, Controlled Development Partners has advised on over $550.0M in executed debt and private equity transactions. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/120658 TOKYO, Apr 18, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced a key development in its global innovation strategy with the establishment of a new research center, "Fujitsu Research of India Private Limited" (hereinafter FRIPL), on April 1, 2022. FRIPL represents the latest addition to Fujitsu's global R&D network and will focus on research and development into AI and machine learning technologies, as well as quantum software.As one of its first key initiatives, FRIPL will embark on joint research with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad(1) and the Indian Institute of Science(2) to promote innovation in leading-edge AI technologies. The joint research activities will initially focus on improving the accuracy and resilience of AI and machine learning technology. R&D with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad will focus on AI technology to discover causal relationships with higher accuracy, while collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science will center on technology to automatically generate AI through autonomous training in response to various environmental changes.Vivek Mahajan, Chief Technology Officer (Corporate Executive Officer, SEVP) Fujitsu Limited, comments: "Innovation has a growing role to play in solving societal and environmental challenges. As one of the world's leading technology companies, Fujitsu plays a key role in driving innovation, and we will harness technologies like AI and quantum to contribute to solutions to these issues. These efforts require access to top talent. Strengthening our presence in India will allow us to tap into the enormous potential offered by world class researchers with local institutions and universities that drive global software technology development. We look forward to conducting more agile and challenging joint research together to deliver a more sustainable future for humanity."A new research hub to drive innovation in strategically critical fieldsFujitsu has established FRIPL as a new research center focusing on AI and quantum software to enhance software technologies essential for R&D in key technology areas. Fujitsu will continue to hire exceptional talent in this field in India and aims to boost the number of its researchers to 50 by fiscal 2024. Moving forward, the Fujitsu Group will expand its research fields into security and other areas and will conduct world-leading software R&D in collaboration with Fujitsu's wider global network of research centers in areas including Japan, Europe, and the United States with the aim of creating software for global distribution.Name of the research center: Fujitsu Research of India Private LimitedLocation: Bangalore, IndiaDate of establishment: April 1, 2022President: Hirotaka Hara (EVP, Fujitsu Limited)Fujitsu's joint research projects with local Indian universities at FRIPL1. Joint research with the Indian Institute of Technology HyderabadFujitsu will collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad on research into AI technology to discover causal relationships with higher accuracy. This technology combines the technology of Fujitsu's AI for scientific discovery(3) for high speed discovery of cause-and-effect relationships between large volumes of data with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad's expertise in geometric statistical theory. The new technology will allow researchers to extract complicated causalities(4) that could not be processed with existing technologies until now to discover causal relationships with high accuracy from a wide range of data. In this way, Fujitsu and the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad aim to provide an effective tool for innovative discovery and contribute to a wide range of fields including drug discovery and new material development.2. Joint research with the Indian Institute of ScienceFujitsu will collaborate with the Indian Institute of Science on research into technology to automatically generate AI through autonomous learning in response to various changes.Within their joint research, the parties will leverage Fujitsu's knowledge in adaptive machine learning (including reinforcement learning) and the Indian Institute of Science's leading expertise and technology gained through research on advanced deep learning with the aim to conduct R&D on an automatic deep learning model generation method that is able to make highly accurate predictions without trial and error intervention by experts.In this way, Fujitsu and the Indian Institute of Science aim to contribute to the autonomous evolution of AI, with the aim of realizing an AI that can be applied in areas that require constant responses to environmental changes including automated operation of large-scale systems and management decision support to maximize business KPIs.(1) Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad:Hyderabad, India; Director: Prof. B.S. Murty(2) Indian Institute of Science:Bangalore, India; Director: Prof. Govindan Rangarajan(3) AI for scientific discovery:AI technology developed by Fujitsu that is able to discover new theories from on-site data.(4) Complicated causality:Characteristic causal relationships that cannot be represented by linear functions.About FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 126,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$34 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2022 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. OSAKA, Japan and TOKYO, Japan, Apr 18, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Shionogi & Co., Ltd. and NEC Corporation, today announced the execution of a strategic research collaboration agreement for the development of a novel hepatitis B therapeutic vaccine. NEC OncoImmunity, an NEC subsidiary that specializes in artificial intelligence-driven biotechnology, is also participating in this research collaboration.Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Chronic infection with HBV results in a high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. About 300 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B infection worldwide, and hepatitis B resulted in an estimated 820,000 deaths in 20191. Although the widespread use of hepatitis B vaccines in infants has considerably reduced the incidence of new chronic HBV infections under the age of 5, the number of new infections by other routes continues to increase2.Interferon (IFN) and nucleotide analog therapy are currently used in the treatment of hepatitis B. However, treatment with IFN has a high frequency of side effects, and nucleotide analog therapy has a high recurrence rate if treatment is interrupted, so it is necessary to take drugs for a lifetime3. Therefore, the unmet medical need for safe and highly effective drugs that can finally achieve a complete cure for hepatitis B is high.Isao Teshirogi, President & CEO, Shionogi said:"Shionogi has been engaged in the research and development of infectious diseases for over 60 years. As a leading infectious disease company, we are taking on the challenge of protecting people from the threat of infectious diseases and realizing total care. One company, and even the entire pharmaceutical industry on its own, can only go so far in dealing with a global pandemic like COVID-19. We will further enhance our contribution to global health by integrating NEC's AI technologies while leveraging our strengths."Nobuhiro Endo, Chairman of the Board, NEC Corporation said:"NEC is committed to our vision of 'Orchestrating a brighter world,' and we are delighted to collaborate with Shionogi to realize this vision through the development of novel treatments for patients. The innovative AI technologies of the NEC Group have the potential to overcome several challenges in what is usually a long and labor-intensive drug discovery process. Through this new partnership with Shionogi, a recognized leader in the field of infectious disease, we aim to maximize the contribution of our AI to accelerate the pace of drug discovery, and thereby to contribute to society."By fusing Shionogi's drug discovery capability, focused on the infectious disease field, with NEC's expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), the companies will accelerate the progress toward a new therapeutic vaccine. Going forward, the companies will continue to actively expand such joint research into other infectious diseases where unmet medical needs remain.About Shionogi & Co., Ltd.Shionogi is committed to "Protect people worldwide from the threat of infectious diseases" as our key focus. We are not limiting ourselves to the research and development of therapeutic medications, but are also focused on the total care of infectious disease, through detection and forecast, prevention, diagnosis, and treating exacerbations, as well as the infection itself. For more information, please visit https://www.shionogi.com/global/en/.About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.About NEC OncoImmunity ASNEC OncoImmunity AS is an AI-driven biotechnology company that has developed proprietary machine learning-based software which addresses the key knowledge gaps in the prediction of bona fide immunogenic neoantigens for personalized cancer immunotherapy, in addition to infectious disease vaccines. The AI technology can be used to identify optimal neoantigen targets for truly personalized cancer vaccines and cell therapies in a clinically actionable timeframe, and also facilitate effective patient selection for cancer immunotherapy. For more information, visit NEC OncoImmunity AS at https://www.oncoimmunity.com/.Source: NEC CorporationCopyright 2022 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Finvasia today announced that it has appointed Tajinder Virk as the interim Chief Executive Officer for ZuluTrade. He will replace the previous CEO from the company, effective immediately. "Tajinder has been instrumental in building upon Finvaisa's success and has an impressive track record in delivering growth for our group companies," said Sarvjeet Singh Virk, CMD Co-founder Finvasia. "We have seen Tajinder (A.K.A. Natty) in action first hand and have the utmost confidence that his deep financial experience and leadership skills will drive results and accelerate ZuluTrade's business in this interim role." Tajinder Virk is the CEO of Finvasia Group of companies and is an exceptional leader with deep familiarity with all aspects of the business that allows him to develop and lead the execution of the group's strategic vision, assess risks and guide the group's growth. He has worked with some of the largest investment banks and hedge funds on Wall Street and has managed multibillion-dollar funds for major US banks, before co-founding Finvasia. At ZuluTrade, Tajinder will work closely with the team to deliver on the business expansion plan. Commenting on the appointment, Tajinder said, "Finvasia is known for its innovative business approach and for its ability to create value for its clients. We see ZuluTrade as the largest Social Wealth Management platform that will bring more asset classes and industry participants together under a single platform. "ZuluTrade is among the largest and the original social trading platforms that revolutionised copy trading in 2008. ZuluTrade 2.0 will maintain its legacy of being broker neutral, so it has no conflict of interest with its investors. We will be offering a variety of asset classes, encouraging more investors, leaders and brokers to join the platform whilst creating a conducive environment for them to grow their wealth," he continued. Finvasia's board has simultaneously commenced a formal search for a permanent CEO for ZuluTrade who can deliver on the Group's expectations for future ready products while maintaining its core values and cultures. About ZULUTRADE (https://www.zulutrade.com) ZuluTrade is the original social trading platform that revolutionised copy trading in 2008. It offers a massive database of Algo signals and strategies currently available across the market, catering to both advanced and novice investors alike. It's a broker neutral platform that has catered to over 2.5 million clients in over 100 countries and supports over twenty-six languages. About FINVASIA (https://finvasia.com) Finvasia is a multi-disciplinary, multinational organisation that owns and operates over a dozen brands across financial services, technology, real estate and healthcare verticals. Finvasia Group has managed funds for some of the notable hedge funds of Wall street, launched the first and only commission free ecosystem for financial products in India and is now aggressively expanding its presence in the European market. The Group has provided technology to some of the notable listed and unlisted financial services entities across the globe. Furthermore, its healthcare division recently launched a medically proven diabetes reversal program in India and has engaged scientists from various specialised fields in an effort to build nano and micro medical devices that will cater to the future of medical engineering. In the last 13 years, Finvasia has catered to a few million clients in over 180 countries directly or via its subsidiaries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220418005251/en/ Contacts: Media: Sandy Samra ssamra@finvasia.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 18, 2022) - CENTR Brands Corp. (CSE: CNTR) (FSE: 303) (OTCQB: CNTRF) (the "Company") announced today that it completed non-brokered private placement financings (the "Financings") on April 13 and April 14. Pursuant to the Financings, the Corporation issued an aggregate of C$4,554,643.60 of units of the Company (the "Units") at an issue price of $0.65 per Unit. Each Unit is comprised of one common share (a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant of the Company (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $1.50 per Warrant Share for a period of three years following the date of issue, subject to a redemption timing adjustment in certain events. Certain founding shareholders and insiders of the Company participated in the Financings and subscribed for a total of 3,128,640 Units, which is a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The issuances to the insiders are exempt from the valuation and the minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing of the Financings as the details of the Financings and the participation therein by related parties were not settled until shortly prior to closing and the Company wished to close on an expedited basis for sound business reasons. A further closing of the private placement on similar terms is expected to be completed within the next few weeks. The net proceeds of the Financings will be used for growth-oriented production, continued expansion of the recently launched online channel, new product innovation, and general working capital. The Company paid a finder's fee in connection with the sale of certain of the Units to subscribers introduced to the Company by finders. About CENTR Brands Corp. CENTR Brands Corp. is one of North America's leading functional beverage companies, and maker of the #1 selling CBD beverage brand in the United States, according to Brightfield Research. CENTR develops and markets non-alcoholic, functional ingestibles for the global market. The Company produces CENTR and CENTR Sugar Free, both sparkling, low-calorie CBD beverages as well as CENTR Instant, a family of on-the-go, adaptogen-based CBD powders. Visit www.findyourcentr.com and follow on Instagram at @findyourcentr. Find Your CENTR means living our most fulfilled lives and finding your heart in the everyday chaos. For further information, contact media@findyourcentr.com. Consumers that do not yet have a local CENTR Brands retailer can visit CENTR's online store at: www.findyourcentr.com/shop. On behalf of the Board, CENTR BRANDS CORP. /s/ Joseph Meehan Joseph Meehan, Chief Executive Officer This press release may contain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information . Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's intentions regarding its objectives, goals or future plans and statements, including with respect to the intended use of the net proceeds of the Financings and the proposed sale of additional Units of the Company on similar terms as the Financings. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/120683 KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 18, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - PLS Plantations Berhad today announced their receipt of Silver3 ratings by RAM Sustainability for its principal plantations and trading segments, reflecting some gaps and the early stages of the Company's ESG practices that are crucial for reforestation and plantation-related sectors.The sustainability ratings by RAM Sustainability, a leading provider of independent ESG analytics, captures the Company's corporate sustainability performance based on all the environmental, social and governance (ESG) themes, as well as relevant international and domestic guidelines by Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) Climate Change and Principle-based Taxonomy (CCPT).PLS Plantations' Independent Non-Executive Chairman, Tan Sri Nazir Razak said, "This rating sets the baseline for the Company, in providing clear forward strategy in terms of our priorities and focus areas, across our business and operations, especially in areas for improvement. Equally as important, it offers our stakeholders - investors, regulators, business partners, suppliers, and clients - an objective and transparent assessment of our commitment to sustainability and responsibility as a reliable supplier, business partner, and an employer. PLS Plantations is working hard to execute against our strategy towards becoming Malaysia's leading sustainable, agrofood provider in the coming years."RAM Sustainability's Chief Executive Officer, Promod Dass said, "PLS Plantations is establishing a starting point for its ESG journey by subjecting itself to the rigors of a sustainability rating and positioning that transparency is a priority even though it points to its high ESG risk profile - for this it must be commended, and we look forward to monitor its sustainability progress. We hope that this will set a precedent for more companies to embark on their sustainability journey and aspire to achieve the highest ratings."As part of the Company's turnaround journey, PLS demonstrates strong commitment to expand on its corporate governance framework and policies, especially in areas of sustainability governance, pending a dedicated group-wide framework and policies to govern the Company. As a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), PLS Plantations' vision is to contribute to the nation's food security and positive socioeconomic impact through initiatives in supporting local farmers, specifically the B40 and indigenous communities. The Company commits to produce quality products and services evidenced by the various certifications obtained such as the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification for its plantation segment. The Company's trading business has received Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Malaysia Good Agricultural Practices (myGAP), HALAL and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certifications, among others and has dedicated policies to manage human resource and human rights including the Good Social Practices Policy, Occupational Safety and Health Policy, Child Labour Policy and Sexual Harassment Policy.For more information, or to download the complete the PLS Plantation's RAM Sustainability rating report, please click here. https://www.ram.com.my/pressrelease/?prviewid=5964About PLS Plantations BerhadPLS Plantations was incorporated in Malaysia in 1987 and was listed on the Second Board of Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1994. Currently listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad, PLS and its subsidiaries are involved in the management and operation of forest, oil palm and durian plantations, as well as the processing, distribution and sale of durian products.Forward-Looking StatementsThe statement included in this press release, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statement generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan," "seek," or "believe." These forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations about future event. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statement, including, but not limited to our ability to win additional business. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future result, level of activity, performance, or achievements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements apply only as of the date of this press release; as such, they should not be unduly relied upon as circumstances change. Except as required by law, we are not obligated, and we undertake no obligation, to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements that might reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release or those that might reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.Media Contact:Cheong Sue FyennNarro CommunicationsE: suefyenn@narrocomms.comT: +6016 910 7625PLS Plantations Berhad: https://plsplantations.my/PLS Plantations Berhad: 9695 / [BURSA: PLS]Source: PLS Plantations BerhadCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. SAN FRANCISCO, April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global jewelry market size is expected to reach USD 518.90 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2022 to 2030. The luxury goods industry continues to drive the market for jewelry, amid challenges concerning varying economic trends. Key Insights & Findings from the report: The ring product segment held the largest revenue share in 2021. The segment stood as the most popular product amongst end users as consumers' interest is growing in the intricate designs and details of the rings. Moreover, they are perceived as elegant and stylish statement-making jewelry among both men and women, which is supporting the growth of the segment. The gold material segment is projected to register the fastest growth rate over the forecast period. In 2020, the jewelry industry used over 1,400 metric tons of gold accounting for more than one-third of all gold demand worldwide. Asia Pacific held the largest revenue share in 2021. Highly populated and developing economies of the region including China and India generate humongous demand for jewelry boosting its consumption and revenue. Additionally, the high significance of jewelry in Indian culture, improving living standards, rising per capita income and spending power, and the rising influence of social media on consumers are fueling the growth of the market in Asia Pacific . Request a free sample copy or view report summary, "Jewelry Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Necklace, Ring, Earring, Bracelet), By Material (Gold, Platinum, Diamond), By Region (North America, Europe), And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030", published by Grand View Research. Jewelry Market Growth & Trends The demand for jewelry is increasing as the world is recovering from a recession and the global financial crisis of 2008. Over the past few years, consumer preference has turned to branded jewelry. This trend is more prominent among the emerging upper middle class or wealthy consumers, particularly in Asia Pacific, for whom branded jewelry is a status symbol. According to the World Gold Council, India and China accounted for more than 50% of the global gold jewelry demand in 2018. Most consumers buy jewelry from international or established brands as they offer authentic and trustworthy products and unique designs. E-commerce is another important trend in the industry. Most consumers in this market prefer to research online before purchasing any product, and many make purchases from online portals for convenience. Technological advancements have been transforming the jewel industry, from mining and discovering precious metals to cloud solutions and e-commerce platforms. Computer-aided design (CAD), 3D printing, and augmented reality (AR) are among the most notable technologies that have been prompting the growth of the industry in recent years. From a distribution standpoint, the emergence and popularity of these technologies have been aiding jewelry manufacturers around the world to realize higher profit margins in retail outlets. A key trend that has been gripping the jewelry industry over the years is the transformation of the shopping experience using technology. For instance, in June 2017, YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP, an Italian online fashion retailer, partnered with Lumyer Inc., a U.S.-based app developing company, to launch an AR camera app designed to enable users to try on jewelry, sunglasses, and handbags in virtual reality. The rising number of double-income households in emerging economies such as India, China, and Brazil have resulted in increased spending on luxury goods, including jewelry. Spending on luxury products is expanding at a more substantial rate in tier-II cities in India than in tier I cities. According to American Express, high-end spending in tier II cities between 2013 and 2018 grew 30 times faster than that in tier I cities. The rise in luxury spending in tier I and tier II cities is due to strict measures by the Indian government, such as an increase in excise duty on gold and diamond, demonetization, and a rise in taxes on luxury items to curb black money. Jewelry Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global jewelry market on the basis of product, material, and region: Jewelry Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Necklace Ring Earring Bracelet Others Jewelry Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Gold Platinum Diamond Others Jewelry Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) North America U.S. Europe Germany France Asia Pacific China India Central & South America Brazil Middle East & Africa & Saudi Arabia List of Key Players of Jewelry Market Tiffany & Co. Louis Vuitton SE Signet Jewelers Limited Pandora Jewelry, LLC H.Stern Richemont Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited Malabar Gold & Diamonds SWAROVSKI GROUP GRAFF Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research: Costume Jewelry Market - The global costume jewelry market size is expected to reach USD 39.2 billion by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 6.5% in the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing fashion consciousness, increasing number of working women, and rising disposable income are some of the factors for the market growth. The global costume jewelry market size is expected to reach by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 6.5% in the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing fashion consciousness, increasing number of working women, and rising disposable income are some of the factors for the market growth. Precious Metal Market - The global precious metal market size is estimated to reach USD 362.1 billion by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., expanding at a CAGR of 9.0% from 2020 to 2027. Rising demand for precious metals in industrial applications is likely to positively influence the market growth. - The global precious metal market size is estimated to reach by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., expanding at a CAGR of 9.0% from 2020 to 2027. Rising demand for precious metals in industrial applications is likely to positively influence the market growth. Diamond Market - The global diamond market size is anticipated to reach USD 123.83 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 3.0% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is mainly driven by strong jewelry demand from emerging economies. Browse through Grand View Research's Clothing, Footwear & Accessories Industry Research Reports. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Grand View Compass | Grand View Pipeline Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 18, 2022 / Gratomic Inc. ("Gratomic", "GRAT" or the "Company") (TSXV:GRAT)(OTCQX:CBULF)(FSE:CB82) is proud to welcome Fernando Luis Pereira Calha to the executive team. Mr. Calha will be stepping onboard as the Company's new Director of Graphite Sales and Business Development. Mr. Calha is experienced in strategic operations and business to business development in the field of technical solutions, with a focus on measurable and sustainable results. He is also experienced in complex contract negotiations, strategic marketing, Business Units management and has extensive knowledge of Mining and O&G commissioning projects. This new addition to the team has a strong and diverse educational and working background that makes him the optimal candidate for this position. Given his MBA in Business Management, Master's in Occupational Health, Safety and Hygiene, Diploma in Mechanical and Production Engineering and Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering coupled with his extensive working background, Mr. Calha is more than equipped to represent Gratomic as Head of Graphite Sales and Business Development. With substantial expertise in international markets, extensive experience leading start-up of businesses and establishment of new product lines complimented by his vast experience in strategic marketing and "go-to-market" planning, the Company believes Mr. Calha to be well-suited to his new position with Gratomic. Mr. Calha will be responsible for establishing a working relationship between Gratomic and its targeted end users through tailored product offerings and price strategies aimed at seizing the largest possible share of that market by ensuring that the Company has a complete and up-to-date understanding of the existing players and their unique specifications and requirements. He will manage the daily contacts with existing and potential customers, as well as the negotiation and execution of strategic supply contracts and offtakes. He will also liaise with institutional market entities, ensuring that Gratomic is always up to date with the latest developments. About Gratomic Gratomic is a multinational company with projects in Namibia, Brazil, and Canada. The Company is focused on becoming a leading global graphite supplier and aims to secure a strong position in the EV (Electric Vehicle) battery supply chain. With the continued development of its flagship Aukam project and further exploration on the Company's Capim Grosso property, Gratomic sets itself apart by seeking out unique top-quality assets around the world. True to its roots, the Company will continue to explore graphite opportunities displaying potential for development. The Company ranked third place in the top 10 preforming mining stocks on the 2022 TSX Venture 50. Large quantities of high-quality vein graphite have been shipped for testing to confirm its viability as an anode material. Gratomic is confident that the test results will provide a unique competitive advantage in its desired target markets. The Company will continue to update the public on the status of these tests and will provide results as soon as they become available. The Company has formed a collaboration agreement with Forge Nano. With its patented ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) coating, this cooperation with Forge Nano is a key element to support Gratomic's strategies towards the value-added phases of production of graphite for anode applications, namely micronization, spheronization and coating, making Gratomic graphite a preferred choice for use in lithium-ion batteries. For more information: visit the website at www.gratomic.ca or contact: Arno Brand at abrand@gratomic.ca or (416) 561- 4095 Subscribe at gratomic.ca/contact/ to be added to our email list. For Marketing and Media information, please email: info@gratomic.ca "Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). SOURCE: Gratomic Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/697605/Gratomic-Welcomes-New-Director-of-Graphite-Sales-and-Business-Development Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 18, 2022) - Keon Capital Inc. (TSXV: KEON.H) (the "Company") is pleased to announce its intention to complete an arm's length private placement of up to 2,000,000 Common shares at $0.25 per share for gross proceeds of $500,000 (the "Private placement"). The proceeds of the private placement will be used to repay approximately $148,268 of loans and trade payables. The balance will be used for general working capital purposes. In conjunction with, and contingent upon the completion of, the Private Placement, the Company also proposes to issue 951,576 Common shares at a deemed price of $0.25 per share to settle Company debts of $237,874, including certain amounts owing to Company insiders (the "Debt Settlement"). The issue price of $0.25 per share represents an approximate discount of 25% to the Company's last closing share price of $0.325. The completion of these transactions remains subject to customary conditions, including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). To the extent that the transactions constitute a related party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions the issuer intends to rely on applicable exemptions from the formal valuation and shareholder approval requirements. The shares issued upon closing of the Private Placement and the Debt Settlement will be subject to a statutory 4-month hold period. There are no finder's fees or commissions payable in connection with these transactions. John Watson will, upon closing of the transactions, resign from the Board of the Company. John McCleery has agreed to accept an appointment to fill the resulting Board vacancy. Mr. McCleery has been involved in the junior capital markets for over 40 years, primarily in the resource sector. He has served as a director of several reporting issuers and has been a catalyst behind various start-up and early-stage companies. On behalf of the Board of Directors "William Murray" President, CEO and Director Tel: (604) 288 2553 Email: willi.murray@outlook.com Forward-Looking Statement Cautions: This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to, among other things, the proposed completion of the Private Placement and the Debt Settlement transactions, the intended use of proceeds of the Private Placement, and an anticipated changes to the Company's board of directors. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Readers are urged to refer to the Company's public disclosure record available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/120678 PS5 restocks are expected to pour down in the United States for this week. Many retailers with the likes of Target, Walmart, and Amazon might reveal some supplies on their shelves starting from Monday, Apr. 18 to Sunday, Apr. 24. Here's what you need to know about the highly-anticipated console drops in the United States. PS5 Restock Updates For April 18 to 24 Since the launch of PlayStation5 units, Sony sees its demand quickly climbing on the charts. It appears that the popularity of this next-gen console is not showing any signs of slowing down. With the arrival of many games on the platform, such as "Ghostwire: Tokyo" and "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands," it should be noted that several people are looking forward to playing them in a new unit. According to Gaming Intel's recent report, select retailers are rumored to be releasing PlayStation5 units this week. Since these are only speculations, it's always important to take them with a grain of salt. Target PS5 Restock For Target customers, expect that no restocks will be coming from the store. It should be noted that the last restock date for this retailer took place last Apr. 15. For some time, reports say that there are some PS5 supplies in Target's warehouses. The restock has already arrived at the retailer a week prior, so we assume that there will be no second drop for this week. Related Article: PS5 Restock: Target Hints on Potential Drop Soon, But Here's More Antonline PS5 Restock Another known retailer that you need to watch out for is Antonline. It was on Apr. 8 when this store last replenished its PS5 stocks. Gaming Intel wrote that the retailer might not be releasing new units for this week since it already dropped some bundles on Apr. 14. For those who are unfamiliar with Amazon drops, the store has an irregular pattern when it comes to this. Sometimes, it holds surprise drops twice a month. A "no restock" scenario can also happen in several months. Best Buy PS5 Restock Best Buy is rumored to be unveiling some stocks this week. There might be a potential in-store drop in select locations in the US. If it happens down the line soon, expect it to be exclusive to TotalTech members. Amazon PS5 Restock The Mar. 30 drop for Amazon was timely for those who missed the previous restock events from other shops. Truly, it's been a massive happening that every aspiring console owner should not miss. Amazon shows an obvious pattern when it comes to holding PS5 restocks. It usually does it on or after the 20th day of a month. With that being said, we could see that Amazon has a slim chance of dropping consoles from Apr. 18 to 24. Walmart PS5 Restock Many users have been annoyed by the left-and-right canceled orders of PS5 units from Walmart. This series of events kicked off last Mar. 14. We might see a potential drop on this store on Thursday, Apr. 21 at around 12:00 P.M. or 3:00 P.M. ET. GameStop PS5 Restock The last store that could reveal a surprise drop is GameStop. If the rumor is true about this retailer, the next PS5 drop could happen on Saturday, Apr. 23. PS5 Restock in the UK HITC reports that Very and Amazon UK might be the next retailers to drop PlayStation5 consoles in select regions for UK-based customers. Read Also: PS5 Controller Could Adopt an Increased PC Support Soon, New Leak Suggests This article is owned by GameNGuide Written by Joseph Henry SHERMAN OAKS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 18, 2022 / Petroteq Energy Inc. ("Petroteq" or the "Company") (TSXV:PQE)(OTC PINK PQEFF)(FSE:PQCF), an oil company focused on the development and implementation of its proprietary oil sands extraction and remediation technologies, provides an update with respect to the extension of the all-cash takeover-offer (the "Offer") of Viston Swiss United AG (the "Offeror"), which announced that the time for acceptance of the Offer has now been extended until 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on June 17, 2022. The Offer is being extended in order to allow additional time for the Offeror to obtain clearance under U.S. national security regulations, which is a condition to the Offer. Except for the extension of the Offer, all other terms and conditions of the Offer continue to remain in effect and unchanged. Petroteq's CEO and CTO, Vladimir Podlipsky Ph.D. stated, "Pursuant to our announcement on February 25, 2022, in which we indicated our willingness to assist Viston with the CFIUS filings and following discussions between representatives of the Offeror and Petroteq, the Offeror's U.S. counsel engaged with representatives of Petroteq in order to jointly prepare the Notice. On April 6, 2022, the Offeror and Petroteq pre-filed the Notice with CFIUS. We will continue to assist Viston with its CFIUS filings. The Board still believes that the immediate cash value offered to Shareholders under the Viston Offer is more favorable to Shareholders than the potential value that might otherwise result from other alternatives reasonably available to Petroteq. The Petroteq Board of Directors unanimously recommended acceptance of Viston Offer on January 04, 2022 and voted unanimously on January 26, 2022 to tender its shares also." Subsequent to Viston's press release several major Petroteq shareholders contacted us to express their continued support for the tender offer. Cantone Asset Management, LLC and its affiliates, which hold and have tendered approximately 120,000,000 shares of the Company's common stock have also indicated that they continue to view the Offer as the best near-term alternative and support the Offer. Common Shares Tendered to Offer Kingsdale Advisors, the Depositary and Information Agent for the Offer, has advised the Offeror that, as of 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on April 14, 2022, approximately 598,439,128 Common Shares had been validly tendered to the Offer and had not been validly withdrawn. Based on Viston's understanding of the share capitalization of Petroteq, the tendered Common Shares represent approximately 78.835% of the currently issued and outstanding Common Shares and approximately 75.875% of the Common Shares, measured on a fully diluted basis. For or More Information and How to Tender Shares to the Offer Shareholders who hold Common Shares through a broker or intermediary should promptly contact them directly and provide their instructions to tender to the Offer, including any U.S. dollar currency election. Registered shareholders that hold Common Shares in their own name need to complete a Letter of Transmittal and send, along with share certificates or DRS statements to the Depositary at the address listed on the Letter of Transmittal. For assistance or to ask any questions, Shareholders should visit www.petroteqoffer.com or contact Kingsdale Advisors, the Information Agent and Depositary in connection with the Offer, within North America toll-free at 1-866-581-1024, outside North America at 1-416-867-2272 or by e-mail at contactus@kingsdaleadvisors.com Background to Viston's Press Release and the CFIUS Condition Viston United Swiss AG, together with its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary, 2869889 Ontario Inc. has issued a press release on April 14, 2022 providing an update with respect to filings made with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States in connection with its all-cash offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX-V: PQE; OTC: PQEFF; FSE: PQCF), and has announced that it will mail a notice of extension dated April 14, 2022 (the "Notice of Extension") to the registered shareholders of Petroteq, extending the time for acceptance of the Offer to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on June 17, 2022. The Notice of Extension will also be filed on Petroteq's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. CFIUS is a group of Cabinet-level officials in the U.S. government who are authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States, in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States. On January 6, 2022, the Offeror made a voluntary declaration filing (the " Declaration ") with CFIUS. The Declaration was made for the purpose of securing a clearance by CFIUS that the Offeror's acquisition of Common Shares pursuant to the Offer and the subsequent second-step acquisition by the Offeror of any Common Shares not acquired by it in the Offer (the " Transactions ") as reflected in (i) a written notice from CFIUS that the Transactions do not constitute a "covered transaction" under relevant government regulations, (ii) a written notice from CFIUS that it has completed its assessment, review, or investigation of the Transactions and has concluded all action under Section 721 of the U.S. Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (the " DPA "), or (iii) an announcement by the President of the United States, made within the period required by the DPA, of a decision not to take any action to suspend or prohibit the Transactions (each of (i), (ii), or (iii) being a " Clearance "). On February 24, 2022, Viston announced that following the expiration of the assessment period, CFIUS notified the Offeror that it was unable to complete action under the DPA and grant a Clearance on the basis of the Declaration. Accordingly, Viston and the Offeror determined to file a voluntary notice (the " Notice ") with CFIUS seeking a Clearance, in order to satisfy the conditions to the Offer. Viston and the Offeror commenced the preparation of the Notice with the objective of preparing the Notice on an expedited basis, submitting the Notice to CFIUS and commencing the 45-day notice review period as soon as practicable. About Petroteq Energy Inc. Petroteq is a clean technology company focused on the development, implementation and licensing of a patented, environmentally safe and sustainable technology for the extraction and reclamation of heavy oil and bitumen from oil sands and mineable oil deposits. The versatile technology can be applied to both water-wet deposits and oil-wet deposits - outputting high-quality oil and clean sand. Petroteq believes that its technology can produce a relatively sweet heavy crude oil from deposits of oil sands at Asphalt Ridge without requiring the use of water, and therefore without generating wastewater which would otherwise require the use of other treatment or disposal facilities which could be harmful to the environment. Petroteq's process is intended to be a more environmentally friendly extraction technology that leaves clean residual sand that can be sold or returned to the environment, without the use of tailings ponds or further remediation. Additional Information In connection with the Offer, Petroteq has filed with Canadian securities regulators a Directors' Circular dated November 6, 2021 (the "Directors' Circular") and a Supplement to the Director's Circular dated December 29, 2021 (the "Supplement"). Petroteq has also filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") the Board's Solicitation/ Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 dated November 6, 2021 (the "Schedule 14D-9") which includes the Directors' Circular as an exhibit, and an amendment to the Schedule 14D-9 dated January 4, 2022 (the "Schedule 14D-9/A") which includes the Supplement as an exhibit. Any additional amendments to the Schedule 14D-9 filed by Petroteq that is required to be mailed to shareholders, will be mailed to shareholders of Petroteq. SHAREHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ THESE AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH CANADIAN SECURITIES REGULATORS OR THE SEC IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS THEY WILL CONTAIN CERTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Shareholders will be able to obtain the Supplement, the Directors' Circular, the Schedule 14D-9/A, the Schedule 14D-9, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and other documents filed by Petroteq with Canadian securities regulators and the SEC related to the Offer, for no charge: on SEDAR under Petroteq's profile at www.sedar.com; on EDGAR at www.sec.gov; or www.petroteq.com. Any questions and requests for assistance may be directed to Petroteq's Information Agent, Shorecrest Group Ltd. (North American Toll-Free Phone: 1-888-637-5789; e-mail: contact@shorecrestgroup.com; outside North America, banks and brokers call collect: 647-931-7454). For more information, visit www.Petroteq.energy. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. and Canadian securities laws. Words such as "may," "would," "could," "should," "potential," "will," "seek," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to the Company, including: the plan to proceed with construction of a 5,000 bpd extraction plant sands processing facility and related infrastructure; and the expectation that the plant, once completed, would be capable of yielding 8,000 tons of sand per day with a target of EPA Tier 1 quality for the resulting sand; are intended to identify forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that there is no certainty that it will be commercially viable to extract oil or sand from the identified reserves. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect the Company's current views and intentions with respect to future events, based on information available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation: the technology performing as expected; availability of labor and parts; adequate capital raising efforts; and Petroteq's ability to execute on its operational plans. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. While forward-looking statements are based on data, assumptions and analyses that the Company believes are reasonable under the circumstances, whether actual results, performance or developments will meet the Company's expectations and predictions depends on a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition of the Company to differ materially from its expectations. Certain of the "risk factors" that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation: the risk that SITLA will not approve the assignment of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases to TMC Capital; that full scale commercial production may engender public opposition; changes in laws or regulations; the ability to implement business strategies or to pursue business opportunities, whether for economic or other reasons; status of the world oil markets, oil prices and price volatility; oil pricing; litigation; the nature of oil and gas production and oil sands mining, extraction and production; uncertainties in exploration and drilling for oil, gas and other hydrocarbon-bearing substances; unanticipated costs and expenses; loss of life and environmental damage; risks associated with compliance with environmental protection laws and regulations; and directors; risks related to COVID-19 including various recommendations, orders and measures of governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, non-essential business closures, quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social distancing, disruptions to markets, economic activity, financing, supply chains and sales channels, and a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession; and other general economic, market and business conditions and factors, including the risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's disclosure documents, filed with United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov (including, without limitation, its most recent annual report on Form 10-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), and with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Should any factor affect the Company in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward- looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. CONTACT INFORMATION Petroteq Energy Inc. Vladimir Podlipsky Interim Chief Executive Officer Tel: (800) 979-1897 SOURCE: Petroteq Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/697778/Petroteq-Energy-Inc-Provides-Update-on-the-All-Cash-Takeover-Offer-of-Viston-United-Swiss-AG VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 18, 2022 / Searchlight Resources Inc. ("Searchlight" or the "Company") (TSXV:SCLT)(OTC PINK:CNYCF)(FSE:2CC2) is pleased to announce the initial results of the high-resolution aeromagnetic and radiometric surveys on the Company's Duddridge Lake Uranium - Copper project, located approximately 75 kilometers northwest of La Ronge, Saskatchewan. Highlights Radiometric uranium survey highlights known Duddridge Lake Uranium Deposit Survey also highlights other uranium targets within Duddridge Lake claims Duddridge Lake claim area expanded to 191.8 square kilometres In September 2021, Special Projects Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, completed high-resolution aeromagnetic and radiometric surveys covering approximately 42.9 sq km of the Duddridge Lake claims. Preliminary radiometric results have highlighted the known Duddridge Lake Uranium Deposit (Map 1) and multiple additional potential uranium targets. The aeromagnetic survey has outlined a 5-kilometre long geophysical target which includes the Duddridge Lake Uranium Deposit and similar geology along strike (Map 2). "The Duddridge Lake project hosts a suite of Critical Elements including copper, cobalt, and vanadium in association with a known uranium deposit. In past exploration the focus has been on uranium, though we see potential for a multi-metal exploration focus", says Stephen Wallace, Searchlight's CEO The Duddridge Lake project is accessible by an all-season gravel road (Highway 910) to within 12 km of the deposit, with direct access by winter road and ATV trail in summer. The Uranium Deposit hosts a historic 43-101 inferred resource estimate of 227,880 tonnes, with a grade of 2.14 lbs/tonne U3O8, completed by Fission Energy Corp ("Fission") in 2007. Additionally, Fission had sampled 39 boulders in the deposit area with results of up to 1.91% uranium and 0.69% copper, plus 0.14% cobalt and 0.55 % vanadium (see press release https://searchlightresources.com/news/2018/searchlight-resources-acquires-cobalt-vanadium-property-in-saskatchewan/). The Duddridge Lake Uranium Deposit is described as stratabound uranium and copper mineralization with abundant polymetallic mineral occurrences associated with basal quartz conglomerate and carbonaceous-bearing lenses in red bed (hematitic) arkosic metasediments. Map 1. Uranium results (ppm) from 2021 airborne radiometric survey, overlaid on bedrock geology, Duddridge Lake Project Map 2. Uranium results (ppm) from 2021 airborne radiometric survey, overlaid on Total Magnetic Intensity (nT), Duddridge Lake Project Data Source The 43-101 technical report titled "Report on the Duddridge Lake Uranium Property, Northern Saskatchewan, NTS 73O/9", was submitted by Stuart C. Fraser, P. Geol. on June 15, 2007. The Duddridge Lake Uranium deposit technical report was not commissioned or completed by Searchlight and therefore is being treated as a historical resource estimate under 43-101 disclosure. The historical resource estimate used "inferred mineral resource", which is a category of NI 43-101. As a result, Searchlight considers the historical resource estimate as reliable as well as relevant as it represents a key target for work to be done by Searchlight. Searchlight has not undertaken any independent investigation of the resource estimates, nor has it independently analyzed the results of the previous exploration work in order to verify the resources, and the Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current resource. Qualified Person Stephen Wallace, P.Geo., is Searchlight's Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. About Searchlight Resources Inc. Searchlight Resources Inc. (TSXV:SCLT, US:CNYCF, FSE:2CC2) is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on Saskatchewan, Canada, which has been ranked as the top location for mining investment in Canada by the Fraser Institute. Exploration focus is on gold and battery minerals throughout the province, concentrating on projects with road access. Exploration focus is on gold, uranium and battery minerals throughout the province. Searchlight holds over 1,395 square kilometres of claims in Saskatchewan. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Stephen Wallace" Stephen Wallace, President, CEO and Director SEARCHLIGHT RESOURCES INC. For further information, visit the Company's website at www.searchlightresources.com or contact: Searchlight Resources Inc. Alf Stewart, Chairman (604) 331-9326 info@searchlightresources.com Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: Searchlight Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/697773/Searchlight-Resources-Identifies-Uranium-Targets-from-Airborne-Survey-at-Duddridge-Lake-Project RC DRILL PROGRAM UPSIZED TO 5,575 FEET VACAVILLE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 18, 2022 / Athena Gold Corporation (OTCQB:AHNR)(CNSX:ATHA) ("Athena" or the "Company")is pleased to announce the successful completion of its reverse circulation ("RC") drill program (the "2022 Drill Program") at its Excelsior Springs project (the "Excelsior Springs Project" or the "Project") in Esmeralda County, Nevada (see news releases dated March 30, 2022, March 8, 2022 and February 9, 2022). The 2022 Drill Program was upsized to 5,575 feet from the originally planned 5,000 feet and was completed in early April 2022. A total of 11 vertical and angle holes were completed on both the patented and unpatented claims comprising the Project, ranging from depths of 350 to 900 feet. All RC samples were shipped to American Assay Laboratories, an independent laboratory, in Reno, Nevada on April 6, 2022 for analysis and the results are pending. The 2022 Drill Program was designed to better delineate and expand known mineralization along strike at the Excelsior Springs Project, aggressively test target areas and further substantiate that the Project is a regional-scale, intrusion-related, gold-bearing, hydrothermal system. John Power, Athena's President & CEO commented, "Our 2022 RC drill program was completed as planned at the Excelsior Springs Project. Our drilling contractor and our consulting technical team did an excellent job. We are encouraged by intersections of mineralization and alteration in several drill holes, and we will anxiously await results from the assay lab." Figure 1. RC drilling at the Excelsior Springs Project, Nevada Quality Assurance and Quality Control Statement Procedures have been implemented to assure Quality Assurance Quality Control (QAQC) of drill hole assaying being done at an ISO Accredited assay laboratory. All intervals of drill holes are being assayed and samples were securely stored for shipment, with chain of custody documentation through delivery. Mineralized commercial reference standards and coarse blank standards were inserted every 20th sample in sequence and results will be graphed to assure acceptable results, resulting in high confidence of the drill hole assay results. When laboratory assays are received, the QAQC results will be immediately evaluated and graphed to analyze dependability of the drill hole assays. As the Excelsior Springs Project advances, additional QAQC measures will be implemented including selected duplicate check assaying on pulps and coarse rejects at a second accredited assay laboratory. All results will be analyzed for consistency. About the Excelsior Springs Project The Excelsior Springs Project mining claims cover an area of 3.5 km2 including the historic Buster mine, which had estimated historical production of 18,000 tonnes (T) at 37.3 grams gold per tonne (g Au/T) gold to a maximum depth of 70 m. The Excelsior Springs Project is located in the Walker Lane tectonic zone of southern Nevada, which hosts a number of large historic gold mines. Total gold production from the Walker Lane tectonic zone has exceeded 20 million ounces (Moz) including notable deposits by Goldfields (5 Moz), Bullfrog (2 Moz), Tonopah (2 Moz), Mineral Ridge (1.5 Moz) and Comstock (8 Moz Au, 200 Moz Ag). The reports of past production on the Excelsior Springs Project are historical in nature and may not accurately indicate the extent or grade of mineralization present at the Excelsior Springs Project. Although the Company believes the source of the historical information to be generally reliable, such information is subject to interpretation and cannot be verified with complete certainty due to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data and other inherent limitations and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that the Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in any of the above-mentioned properties, other than the Excelsior Springs Project, and that the mineral deposits, and the results of any mining thereof, on adjacent or similar properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Excelsior Springs Project or any potential exploitation thereof. From the mid-1980s through 2011, several exploration companies conducted drilling programs at the Excelsior Springs Project, primarily on the patented claims, that began to define the near-surface Buster Mine gold zone. Gold mineralization at the Excelsior Springs Project occurs within an east-west trending zone that is 200 to 400m wide and at least 3 km long. Gold mineralization discovered at the Excelsior Springs Project to date occurs in quartz vein stock-works and silicified zones in hornfels and calc-silicate altered country rock and is generally close to porphyry dykes. The best mineralization (grade and thickness) is found in altered sediments immediately above porphyry dykes that have intruded along existing east- and east-northeast trending faults. Some mineralized stock-work vein zones are shallow and have a relatively flat plunge, making them amenable to open pit mining methods. Most historical exploration at the Excelsior Springs Project has focused on a 2.5 km long section in the central part of the Buster zone where mineralization is at or near the surface. Surface mapping and an Induced Polarization (IP) geophysical survey conducted by Zonge International Inc identified multiple zones of silicification that correlate well with the known mineralization. Many of the silicified zones defined by the IP (resistivity highs) surveys have not been tested by drilling and remain targets for future exploration. Qualified Person John Hiner, Licensed Geologist and Registered Member of SME (Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration), a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis of this press release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Hiner is not independent of the Company as he is a director of the Company and holds stock options in the Company. About Athena Gold Corporation Athena is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit and to conduct its exploration program on the Excelsior Springs Project, located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, approximately 45 miles southwest of Goldfield, Nevada. For further information about Athena Gold Corporation and our Excelsior Springs Gold project, please visit www.athenagoldcorp.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors John Power Chief Executive Officer and President Contact: Phone: John Power, 707-291-6198 Email: info@athenagoldcorp.com Cautionary Statement to U.S. Investors This press release references NI 43-101, which differs from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") permits mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can legally extract or produce. Pursuant to SEC Industry Guide 7 under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves. Currently Athena has not delineated "reserves" on any of its properties. Athena cannot be certain that any deposits at its properties will ever be confirmed or converted into SEC Industry Guide 7 or any successor rule or regulation compliant "reserves". Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the historic Buster Mine gold zone will ever be confirmed or converted into reserves or that it can be economically or legally extracted. The SEC has adopted amendments to its disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for issuers whose securities are registered with the SEC under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These amendments became effective February 25, 2019, with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and historical property disclosure requirements for mining registrants that were included in SEC Industry Guide 7 will be rescinded from and after such date. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the results from the 2022 Drill Program, future results from exploration, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "potential", "scheduled", or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that there will be investor interest in future financings, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration and development of the Company's projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the exploration and development of the Company's projects and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the inability of the Company to obtain the necessary financing required to conduct its business and affairs, as currently contemplated, the timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in future financings, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, including the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and other factors and risks that are discussed in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC and disclosed in the final long form prospectus of the Company dated August 31, 2021. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this press release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. SOURCE: Athena Gold Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/697703/Athena-Gold-Completes-Drilling-Program-at-Excelsior-Springs-Gold-Project-Esmeralda-County-Nevada Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 18, 2022) - ION Energy Limited (TSXV: ION) (OTCQB: IONGF) (FSE: 5YB) ("ION" or the "Company") is excited to provide an operational update, while our team conducts site visits in Mongolia. ION Energy's CEO, Ali Haji, is in Mongolia for strategic site visits from April 16th to 26th, in anticipation of sharing plans with the market for our pending drilling programs. He will be accompanied by senior technical team members, including: ION Director, Enkhtuvshin Khishigsuren, with 30 years of Mongolian mineral discovery experience, Don Hains, P.Geo, MBA, Lead Technical Advisor, and Dr. Mark King, PhD, PGeo. "Now that borders are fully open, I'm delighted to have foremost industry experts see our projects firsthand and work with our Mongolian team to kick off the next phase of our fully-funded exploration programs. Our preliminary results have reinforced the long-term lithium potential at our Baavhai Uul project and Urgakh Naran projects, as we strive to play a pivotal role in Asia's battery metals supply hub. I'm really excited to provide updates from Mongolia, over the coming days," says Ali Haji, CEO & Director of ION Energy Ltd. This visit also provides ION's CEO the opportunity to personally thank the dedicated exploration team members for their commitment and flexibility since the onset of the pandemic, in furthering our maiden drilling program at the flagship Baavhai Uul lithium brine site, while keeping each other safe and healthy. ION's Exploration Programs: This in-country visit is a significant milestone for ION Energy, after two years of pandemic-related delays and border closures. The following highlights how the Company plans to advance each of these programs: TEM Geophysics; and Hydrogeological Sampling Figure 1. Baavhai Uul and Urgakh Naran Projects' Site Visit. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6906/120728_2e5ccbe094873a90_002full.jpg Figure 2. Urgakh Naran 2022 Exploration Plans: Already Commenced To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6906/120728_2e5ccbe094873a90_003full.jpg "Live from Mongolia": 15 minute Shareholder Summit - April 25th : Save the Date, and Join Us on April 25th at 8:30 am EST. ION Energy's CEO will provide a quick update following the site visits, and you'll have an opportunity to ask him questions about our next key milestones. Register HERE. About ION Energy Ltd. ION Energy Ltd. (TSXV: ION) (OTCQB: IONGF) (FSE: 5YB) is committed to exploring and developing Mongolia's lithium salars. ION's flagship, 81,000+ hectare Baavhai Uul lithium brine project, represents the largest and first lithium brine exploration licence award in Mongolia. ION also holds the 29,000+ hectare Urgakh Naran highly prospective Lithium Brine licence in Dorngovi Province in Mongolia. ION is well-poised to be a key player in the clean energy revolution, positioned well to service the world's increased demand for lithium. Information about the Company is available on its website, www.ionenergy.ca, or under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For further information: COMPANY CONTACT: Ali Haji, ali@ionenergy.ca, 647-871-4571 MEDIA CONTACT: Siloni Waraich, siloni@ionenergy.ca, 416-432-4920 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information 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. Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, potential mineralization, exploration and development results, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from ION Energy's expectations include, among others, uncertainties relating to availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, risks related to international operations, the actual results of current exploration activities, delays in the development of projects, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of lithium, and ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/120728 RICHMOND HILL, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 18, 2022 / Helix BioPharma Corp. (TSX:HBP) ("Helix" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing unique therapies in the field of immuno-oncology, based on its proprietary technological platformDOS47, is pleased to announce that Artur Gabor has been appointed as the Company's Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. The Company is also pleased to announce the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors (the "Board"). Jerzy Leszczynski, Christopher Maciejewski and Jacek Antas have been appointed to the Board effective immediately. These appointments are designed to improve the Company's independence, diversification and corporate governance with an aim of strengthening the Company's future growth capabilities. Jerzy Leszczynski is a shareholder of the Company, has spent more than 35 years developing businesses and has served in the capacity of board member of various real estate development companies. Mr. Leszczynski obtained his Masters of Science in Chemistry from the Warsaw Institute of Technology. Christopher Maciejewski is a consultant to an international flight medicine transport service. Prior to this role, Mr. Maciejewsi served as the Chief Medical Officer of MedEvac Canada, a leading non-emergency patient transfer company. He has spent more than thirty years building and leading businesses in medical field, specifically within air ambulance transport. Mr. Maciejewski has an extensive educational background and attended Silesian University in Wroclaw, Poland where he studied Applied Medical Manual Sciences. Mr. Maciejewski is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Jacek Antas has spent more than 25 years in the financial services industry holding various positions in sales and consulting. Mr. Antas obtained a master's degree from the Warsaw School of Economics and has served as a board member of various companies throughout his career. "It's a pleasure to welcome these three distinguished members to join the Board of Helix. I look forward to working closely with them on Helix's next growth chapter" said Artur Gabor, Chief Executive Officer. About Helix BioPharma Corp. Helix BioPharma Corp. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing unique therapies in the field of immune-oncology for the prevention and treatment of cancer based on our proprietary technological platform DOS47. Helix is listed on the TSX under the symbol "HBP". For more information, please contact: Helix BioPharma Corp. 9120 Leslie Street, Suite 205 Richmond Hill, Ontario,L4B 3J9 Tel: 905-841-2300 x 233 Frank Michalargias, Chief Financial Officer ir@helixbiopharma.com Forward-Looking Statements and Risks and Uncertainties This news release contains forward-looking statements and information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements and information that are not historical facts but instead include financial projections and estimates, statements regarding plans, goals, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to the Company's future business, operations, research and development, including the Company's activities relating to DOS47, and statements regarding expected improvements to the Company's independence, diversification and corporate governance and the Company's expectations regarding strengthening its future growth capabilities. Forward-looking statements can further be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "ongoing", "estimates", "expects", or the negative thereof or any other variations thereon or comparable terminology referring to future events or results, or that events or conditions "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved, or comparable terminology referring to future events or results. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that are also uncertain. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward- looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements, including financial outlooks, are intended to provide information about management's current plans and expectations regarding future operations, including without limitation, future financing requirements, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Certain material factors, estimates or assumptions have been applied in making forward-looking statements in this news release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including without limitation; the risk that the Company's assumptions may prove to be incorrect; the risk that additional financing may not be obtainable in a timely manner, or at all, and that clinical trials may not commence or complete within anticipated timelines or the anticipated budget or may fail; third party suppliers of necessary services or of drug product and other materials may fail to perform or be unwilling or unable to supply the Company, which could cause delay or cancellation of the Company's research and development activities; necessary regulatory approvals may not be granted or may be withdrawn; the Company may not be able to secure necessary strategic partner support; general economic conditions, intellectual property and insurance risks; changes in business strategy or plans; and other risks and uncertainties referred to elsewhere in this news release, any of which could cause actual results to vary materially from current results or the Company's anticipated future results. Certain of these risks and uncertainties, and others affecting the Company, are more fully described in the Company's annual management's discussion and analysis for the year ended July 31, 2021 under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" and Helix's Annual Information Form, in particular under the headings "Forward-looking Statements" and "Risk Factors", and other reports filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com from time to time. Forward-looking statements and information are based on the beliefs, assumptions, opinions and expectations of Helix's management on the date of this new release, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement or information should those beliefs, assumptions, opinions or expectations, or other circumstances change, except as required by law. SOURCE: Helix BioPharma Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/697809/Helix-Biopharma-Corp-Announces-Appointment-of-Permanent-CEO-and-Independent-Board-Members As per DelveInsight analysis, the Common Warts market will experience a significant impact in the coming years owing to the rising research and Common Warts prevalence along with the emergence of novel therapies from key Common Warts companies such as Nielsen BioSciences, Veloce BioPharma, Verrica Pharmaceutical, and others. LAS VEGAS, April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's Common Warts Market Insights report provides a comprehensive understanding of current treatment practices, Common Warts emerging drugs, market share of individual therapies, and current and forecasted Common Warts market size from 2019 to 2032, segmented into 7MM (the United States, the EU5 (the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, and Germany), and Japan. Key Takeaways from the Common Warts Market As per DelveInsight's estimates, the Common Warts market size was USD 720.03 million in 2020 which is further expected to increase by 2032 in the 7MM. in 2020 which is further expected to increase by 2032 in the 7MM. The US accounted for the maximum Common Warts market size compared to EU5 countries and Japan in 2020. in 2020. The leading Common Warts companies such as Nielsen BioSciences, Veloce BioPharma, Verrica Pharmaceutical, Maruho Co., Ltd, Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc., and others are developing therapies that are expected to launch their drugs in the Common Warts market in the coming years. and others are developing therapies that are expected to launch their drugs in the Common Warts market in the coming years. Key Common Warts therapies in the pipeline include Candin, VBP-245, VP-102, CLS006, expected to bring a positive shift in the Common Warts market along with others. expected to bring a positive shift in the Common Warts market along with others. The key driver for the surge in Common Warts market size is the rise in the Common Warts prevalence in the 7MM. For further information on how the emerging therapies would shift the Common Warts market landscape download the sample at Common Warts Market Outlook Common Warts Overview Common Warts, also known as Verruca Vulgaris, are caused by non-malignant strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV Common Warts are typically benign lesions with a low risk of malignant transformation. They appear on the skin as rough, painless papules that can be grey or flesh-colored and are found in various body areas. Other HPV subtypes associated with cervical cancer are not the same strains that are linked with the causes of Verruca Vulgaris. Common Warts can be distinguished from other common types of warts, including genital, filiform, and plantar warts. Common Warts on hands and Common Warts on fingers are the most common, but they can also be found on the knees, ankles, arms, and legs. The Verruca Vulgaris symptoms include small, fleshy, grainy bumps, Flesh-colored, white, pink, or tan, Rough to the touch, Sprinkled with black pinpoints, which are small, clotted blood vessels. Common Warts Epidemiology Segmentation As per DelveInsight, the total Common Warts prevalent cases were approx 2.7 million cases in the 7MM in 2020. Among EU5 countries, Germany has the highest Common Warts prevalence, while Spain had the lowest in 2020. The Common Warts Market Report proffers epidemiological analysis for the study period 2019-2032 in the 7MM segmented into: Diagnosed prevalent cases of Common Warts Gender-specific Prevalence of Common Warts Know how the epidemiological trends are going to look like in 2032 for the 7MM by downloading at Common Warts Epidemiological Insights Common Warts Market Common Warts account for nearly 70% of all viral warts and are more common in school-aged children. Despite the high incidence rate, the Common Warts treatment landscape is limited and ambiguous. Even though the majority of warts disappear on their own, some require treatment. The goal of treatment for Common Warts is to either destroy the wart or to stimulate an immune system response to fight the virus. It is possible that Verruca Vulgaris treatment will take weeks or months. Warts tend to recur or spread even after treatment. Salicylic acid, freezing (cryotherapy), laser treatment, and other antiviral products such as 5-flourouracil, imiquimod, and others dominate the current Common Wart treatment landscape. Furthermore, the current Common Warts market for wart-specific treatment is extremely limited. However, a few market participants have pipeline products in the disease indication. These include Candin, VBP-245, VP-102, and others. Discover more about Common Wart treatment at Best Treatment for Common Warts Common Warts Pipeline Therapies and Key Companies Candin: Nielsen Biosciences VBP-245: Veloce BioPharma VP-102: Verrica Pharmaceutical CLS006: Maruho Co., Ltd. A-101: Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. Discover more about therapy set to grab substantial Common Warts market share at Drugs for Common Warts Common Warts Market Dynamics The current market landscape, governed with salicylic acid does not provide an opportunity for curing the warts, thus the recurrence is high. This challenge is dubbed as the Common Warts market driver for the continuing and future developmental activities for the indication. The Common Warts market's growth can be further attributed to the rising prevalence of human papillomavirus infections, recurrence of warts, and development of new products. Moreover, increasing awareness regarding warts is expected to foster market growth during the forecast period. Major pharmaceutical players are committed to developing the current pipeline to address the unmet needs and improvise the current Common Warts treatment landscape, further bolstering the overall revenue generation during the forecast period. As a result, the dynamics of the Common Warts market are anticipated to change in the coming years owing to the increasing awareness, the rising research and Common Warts prevalence along with the emergence of novel therapies. The expected launch of these therapies will fuel the Common Warts market size during the forecast period (2021-2032). Know more about which pharma player in the Common Warts market is set to emerge as the trendsetter at Common Warts Companies Scope of the Common Warts Market Report Study Period: 2019-2032 2019-2032 Coverage: 7MM [ The United States , EU5 ( Germany , France , Italy , Spain , and the United Kingdom ), and Japan ] 7MM [ , EU5 ( , , , , and the ), and ] Key Common Warts Companies: Nielsen BioSciences, Veloce BioPharma, Verrica Pharmaceutical, Maruho Co., Ltd, Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc., and others Nielsen BioSciences, Veloce BioPharma, Verrica Pharmaceutical, Maruho Co., Ltd, Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc., and others Key Pipeline Therapies : Candin, VBP-245, VP-102, CLS006, and others : Candin, VBP-245, VP-102, CLS006, and others Therapeutic Assessment: Common Warts current marketed and emerging therapies Common Warts current marketed and emerging therapies Common Warts Market Dynamics: Common Warts market drivers and barriers Common Warts market drivers and barriers Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter's five forces, BCG Matrix, Market entry strategies SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter's five forces, BCG Matrix, Market entry strategies Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, Common Warts Market Access and Reimbursement Discover more about the future Common Warts market share of treatment therapies at Verruca Vulgaris Treatment Market Table of Contents 1. Key Insights 2. Report Introduction 3. Common Warts Market Overview at a Glance 4. Executive Summary 5. Disease Background and Overview 6. Management and Treatment 7. Epidemiology and Patient Population 8. Patient Journey 9. Emerging Therapies 10. Current Marketed Therapies: Generics 11. Other Topical Agents 12. 7MM Common Warts Market Analysis 13. Common Warts Market Outlook 14. Common Warts Market Drivers 15. Common Warts Market Barriers 16. KOL Views 17. Unmet Needs 18. SWOT Analysis 19. Appendix 20. DelveInsight Capabilities 21. Disclaimer 22. About DelveInsight Get in touch with our Business executive at Healthcare Due Diligence Services Related Reports Common Warts Pipeline Common Warts Pipeline Insight, 2022 report provides comprehensive insights about the pipeline landscape, pipeline drug profiles, including clinical and non-clinical stage products, and the key Common Warts companies involved such as Nielsen BioSciences, Veloce BioPharma, Verrica Pharmaceutical, among others. Common Warts Epidemiology Forecast Common Warts Epidemiology Forecast to 2032 report delivers an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical, and forecasted Common Warts epidemiology in the 7MM. Warts Market Warts Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast-2032 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, as well as the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key Warts companies such as Maruho, Aclaris Therapeutics, among others. Genital Warts Market Genital Warts Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast-2030 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, as well as the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key Genital Warts companies such as Verrica Pharmaceuticals, Novan Inc., G&E Herbal Biotechnology, among others. Genital Warts Pipeline Genital Warts Pipeline Insight, 2022 report provides comprehensive insights about the pipeline landscape, pipeline drug profiles, including clinical and non-clinical stage products, and the key Genital Warts companies involved such as ViroXis Corporation, bioRASI, LLC, Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc., Orgenesis, among others. Warts Pipeline Warts Pipeline Insight, 2022 report provides comprehensive insights about the pipeline landscape, pipeline drug profiles, including clinical and non-clinical stage products, and the key Warts companies involved such as Cytovation, Novan, Verrica Pharmaceuticals, among others. Other Trending Dermatological Reports Atopic Dermatitis Market Atopic Dermatitis Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast-2032 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, as well as the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key Atopic Dermatitis companies such as Sanofi, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Japan Tobacco and Torii Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly and Company, among others. Rosacea Market Rosacea Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast-2032 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, as well as the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key Rosacea companies such as Sol-Gel Technologies, Maruho Co., Ltd., AOBiome LLC, CAGE Bio Inc., among others. Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections Market Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast-2032 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, as well as the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections companies such as Basilea Pharmaceutica, MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, TenNor Therapeutics Limited, among others. About DelveInsight DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant, and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports Pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve. Connect With Us at LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter Contact Us Shruti Thakur info@delveinsight.com +1(919)321-6187 www.delveinsight.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082265/DelveInsight_Logo.jpg NANJING, China, April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In April 2022, the English cultural and tourism magazine "Jiangsu Glimpses", produced by the "Charm of Jiangsu" Global Communication Center, has launched a new spring version which recommends interesting spring folk customs, beautiful museums and fun routes in Jiangsu. What winter takes from here, spring will give it back. This classic verse by Heine is especially evident in "Charm of Jiangsu". After a winter of dormancy, the flowers on the Meihua Mountain in Nanjing are budding, the Biluochun tea stretches on the Xishan Mountain in Suzhou, the Artemisia Selengensis and Kalimeris Indica emerge from the ground, and the puffer fish also feel the warmth of the spring river. When spring comes to Jiangsu, people will see the beautiful flowers, tea and food of spring. It has become a habit for Chinese tourists to come to Jiangsu to see flowers in spring. The city flower of Nanjing is the plum blossom, which glows on the Meihua Mountain near the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum; Yuantouzhu scenic spot of the Taihu Lake is one of the three major cherry blossom viewing spots in the world, also a story of Sino-Japanese friendship; Rape Flower in Taizhou Xinghua Duotian is one of the four major flower seas in the world; Yancheng Dafeng Holland Flower Sea is known as the "Best tulip scenic spot"; Yangzhou Marco Polo Flower World has the world's largest flower carpet; "Natian Flower Sea" is located in Santai Mountain National Forest Park, Suqian, Jiangsu, which includes 612 flower fields that are "stitched" together... Spring comes and grows on the branches of these flowers, releasing the unique fragrance of spring in the south of the Yangtze River. Tea is another gift that comes with the spring of Jiangnan. Every bud sprouting in spring awakens on mountains in Jiangsu, making the spring scenes tastable and admirable. Many teas with poetic names are all from Jiangsu, such as Suzhou's Biluochun tea, Nanjing's Yuhua tea, Liyang's white tea, Yixing's Yangxian tea, Yangzhou's Lvyangchun tea and Maoshan's Changqing tea. During this period, the tea field can not only produce quality teas but also is a nice place for tourists to go for a walk. Tea trees are pickier to choose their planting sites than humans. Nowadays, people follow the footsteps of looking for tea and enjoy one-stop services in Jiangsu including transportation, accommodation, sightseeing, and food. In addition to the tea fields, tourists can also walk into the surrounding tea houses, scenery parks, picturesque villages, modern tea factories and tea museums. In the spring of Jiangsu, tourists must not miss the fresh food such as Qingtuan and Preserved and Braised Fresh Meat. In addition, Huai'an Kaiyang Cattail, Yangzhou Puffer and River Clam from the "City of Gastronomy" as well as seasonal wild vegetables such as Toona sinensis, Kalimeris Indica and Artemisia Selengensis are very suitable to enjoy in spring. For the beautiful and interesting spring scenery of charming Jiangsu through appreciating and tasting, please visit the English cultural and tourism magazine "Jiangsu Glimpses": https://www.jnsheji.cn/book/UxknPlftgI. Attachments: Jiangsu Glimpses.jpg (http://asianetnews.net/Download.asp?ID=419291) Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1798664/Jiangsu_1.jpg COLORADO SPRINGS, CO / ACCESSWIRE / April 18, 2022 / Fortitude Gold Corp. (OTCQB:FTCO) (the "Company") reports preliminary production results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 of 9,875 gold ounces. Fortitude Gold is a gold producer, developer, and explorer with operations in Nevada, U.S.A. offering investors exposure to both gold production and dividend yield. During the first quarter the Company processed ore from its Isabella Pearl mine including high- and low-grade ore stockpiles. Mine operations in the first quarter focused primarily on waste removal of the phase one open-pit layback. With phase-one now complete, the Company is now focused on phase-two mining with access to the mine's high-grade Pearl zone over the next three years. The Isabella Pearl deposit's average proven and probable gold grade at December 31, 2021 was estimated at 3.75 grams per tonne gold. The Company maintains its 2022 production Outlook targeting 40,000 ounces of gold (a range of 36,000 to 40,000 ounces). The production Outlook assumes no disruptions from the COVID-19 global pandemic or unforeseen operational challenges. Full financial results for the first quarter will be available at the time the Company files its quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Fortitude Gold Corp.: Fortitude Gold is a U.S. based gold producer targeting projects with low operating costs, high margins, and strong returns on capital. The Company's strategy is to grow organically, remain debt-free and distribute substantial dividends. The Company's Nevada Mining Unit consists of five high-grade gold properties located in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt and a sixth high-grade gold property in west central Nevada. The Isabella Pearl gold mine, located on the Isabella Pearl mineralized trend, is currently in production. Nevada, U.S.A. is among the world's premier mining friendly jurisdictions. Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. If you are risk-averse you should NOT buy shares in Fortitude Gold Corp. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are 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. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding the Company's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to the Company on the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, the scope, duration, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mining operations, Company employees, and supply chains as well as the scope, duration and impact of government action aimed at mitigating the pandemic may cause future actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Also, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate. Contact: Greg Patterson 719-717-9825 greg.patterson@fortitudegold.com www.Fortitudegold.com SOURCE: Fortitude Gold Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/697812/Fortitude-Gold-Reports-Preliminary-First-Quarter-Production-Of-9875-Gold-Ounces The Company provides additional guidance on the Automotive sector West Jordan, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - April 18, 2022) - Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. (OTC Pink: FLXT) is pleased to announce significant growth in glove orders from several top virtual reality leaders, Manus VR, Neofect, and Gloreha. Flexpoint's Bend Sensor continues to be highly sought after as the Virtual Reality (VR) market accelerates and the demand for innovative medical equipment grows. Flexpoint continues to make advances in implementing its technology developed to be used in the Automotive manufacturer's vehicles with the ability to be licensed to other manufacturers. The Company believes this will add significant revenue in 2022 and further expand the patented Bend Sensor's capabilities. "We are pleased with the reception of our sensor technology in so many varied and diverse applications. We have experienced a significant upturn in sensor orders over the last quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 and expect that this trend will continue throughout the balance of 2022 and into the future," stated Flexpoint's President, Clark More. He continued, "During the last quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of this year we have received and delivered orders for approximately 2,900 gloves and over 33,000 additional sensors totaling approximately $130,000 in revenue, plus orders for additional gloves and sensors to be delivered this year. We have also received additional orders to continue development of sensors for automotive manufacturers." About Manus VR - https://www.manus-vr.com/ Well known industries and companies are currently using the virtual reality gloves. Manus gloves featuring Flexpoint's Bend Sensor are assisting in virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality experiments that, for example, train astronauts how to maneuver through the International Space Station in a zero-gravity environment. The value key customer relationships such as BMW, Audi, and Airbus which utilize Manus VR gloves with Flexpoint's Bend Sensor technology to test drive future models before production has even started. Volkswagen uses Manus VR gloves to give the feeling of a real steering wheel to experience what happens if an accident were to occur. Manus VR has many clients of large industries such as Netflix, Google, and Rolls Royce. Manus VR is widely known for its role in virtual reality gaming and can allow the hands of the user to feel like and be used as controllers. The Manus VR glove will revolutionize the VR market. It is poised to play a huge role in the on-going virtual reality revolution. Manus VR believes in open innovation through sharing knowledge and experience. The possibilities of the Manus VR gloves are virtually endless and extend far beyond virtual reality. About Neofect - https://www.neofect.com/us Partnering with healthcare organizations and improving patient satisfaction and therapy compliance with turnkey telerehabilitation models. Clinical partners include Medstar Health, NYU Langone Medical Center, Stanford Healthcare, Department of Veterans Affairs, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Genesis; just to name a few. A med-tech company helping stroke survivors and people with spinal cord injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, or neurological conditions regain independence and live fuller, more active lives. Its game-based rehabilitation solutions deliver more engaging, quantifiable therapy to improve cognitive, hand, arm, and leg function, while its robotic orthosis creates an artificial grip to increase hand mobility. About Gloreha - https://www.gloreha.com/ Gloreha devices are the most advanced, effective and user-friendly combination of technology to support motor rehabilitation of the upper limb and neurocognitive recovery. Serving patients, doctors, therapists: through therapies and protocols that accompany all stages of the rehabilitation process, Gloreha devices promote the functional recovery of patients and their reintegration into daily life. Gloreha is the result of a synergistic, motivated and original approach. A group of 11 SMEs from the industrial area of Lumezzane, Brescia (Italy) decided to start a unique and innovative experience, leading to a powerful network of companies, research facilities, Italian and European rehab centers. Idrogenet represents the foresights of those 11 companies which wanted to go beyond their traditional borders, challenging themselves by investing in R&D, focusing on innovative markets. About Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. (FLXT) is an innovative technology firm specializing in developing products that feature the Company's patented Bend Sensor and related technology. The Bend Sensor is a groundbreaking sensing solution that is revolutionizing applications in the automotive, safety, medical and industrial industries. The Bend Sensor single-layer, thin film construction cuts costs and mechanical bulk while introducing a range of functions and stylistic design possibilities that have never before been available in sensing technology. Flexpoint's technology and expertise have been recognized by the world's elite business and academic innovators for over 17 years. The company is setting a new standard for sensing solutions in the "smart" age of technology. Please visit https://www.flexpoint.com/ for more information. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" and involve both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such uncertainties include, among others, certain risks associated with the operation of the company described above. The Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results. Contact Information: Flexpoint Sensor Systems Clark Mower, President 801-568-5111 Brokers and Analysts Chesapeake Group 410-825-3930 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/120764 Russia's invasion of Ukraine not only has human and infrastructure casualties but also various environmental effects as experts warn of Moscow's potential nuclear armaments that could lead to further disaster. When the war began, Narhiza Shkrobotko, who was living in Orikhiv, which was a small-scale city found roughly 100 miles northwest of Mariupol, said she saw a flash of bright light when shells fell in the region. She feared the worst because she was living about 70 miles from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Russia's Potential Nuclear Attacks In an interview, she shared that she was very scared at the time because of what could happen to the nuclear power plant. The 22-year-old resident said she immediately started trying to get on the internet and figure out if there was any threat to her region. While she found out that the light she saw was not what she feared, it revealed something similarly frightening. Russia's military forces were responsible for attacking the power plant, with Mar. 3 reports say that it went up in flames due to fighting Ukrainian troops. Moscow's forces gained control of the area and the situation was left precarious, as per USA Today. Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a warning that every nation worldwide should take the war seriously and prepare for the possibility that Russia will move forward with the use of nuclear weapons. In an interview, the official said that he and other world leaders should be worried about the horrifying idea. Read Also: Militant British National Captured in Mariupol Claims That Pro-Ukraine Soldiers Abandoned Civilian Welfare as the Russians Stormed the Port City Furthermore, Zelensky said that Moscow could easily use either nuclear or chemical weapons in its invasion of Ukraine because President Vladimir Putin did not value the lives of its citizens. The Ukrainian president's message is a dramatic shift from his remarks last month. At the time, he said that Putin's threat of using nuclear force if Western nations got involved was simply a "bluff." According to The Hill, the Ukrainian president's comment came after Putin ordered that his country's nuclear forces be put on higher alert after Zelensky called for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country. In early March, he said that if Russia did use nuclear weapons, it was more than just murder, it was "suicide." Effects on the Environment The warnings of the environmental crisis are due to animals and nature being part of the casualties of Russia's attacks. The Black Sea Biosphere, which is located on the southern coast of Ukraine, is a haven for migrating birds. There are more than 120,000 birds that spend the winter in the area, including several rare species; the white-tailed eagle, red-breasted merganser, and black-winged stilt. Furthermore, many endangered species make the reserve their home, including the sandy bind mole rat, the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, and even rare flowers. A deputy minister of environmental protection and natural resources in Ukraine, Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, said that the reserve was not being occupied by Russian forces. The official said that there was currently no information or details on the environmental losses that have occured since Russia's war. Military activity has already caused fires large enough to be seen from space, causing many to express concern regarding the destruction of critical bird breeding habitats, the New York Times reported. Related Article: Russia Expresses Irritation, Warns of 'Unprecedented Consequences' if US Keeps Helping Ukraine in War @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 18, 2022) - The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE" or "the Exchange") today announced its market statistics for the month of March 2022. March 2022 Operating Statistics Trading volume of CSE-listed securities totaled 2.0 billion shares; Trading value of CSE-listed securities was $1.0 billion; CSE issuers completed 71 financings that raised an aggregate $346 million; and The CSE welcomed listings from 13 new companies, including two fundamental changes of existing issuers, bringing total listed securities to 770 as at March 31, 2022. "The Canadian Securities Exchange was built largely on the back of the mining industry, so we are delighted by the recent strength in this sector," said Richard Carleton, CSE Chief Executive Officer. "During the month of March, mining companies on the CSE completed more financings and raised more capital than CSE-listed companies from any other sector. The activity was highlighted by Asante Gold Corp.'s $102.3 million financing, which represented the single largest financing completed by any of our mining issuers since 2016. With commodity prices booming and investor demand for mining securities remaining strong, our mining issuers are positioned for continued strength in the months ahead." What's On at the CSE With COVID-19 restrictions being eased across Canada, the CSE is excited to co-host the Capital Markets Comeback Tour! The tour, which is co-hosted by irlabs, features in-person investor events in Canada's four most populous cities: Vancouver (May 11), Calgary (May 12), Montreal (June 1), and Toronto (June 2). The events provide an opportunity to see interviews with top-tier public companies, speak with their senior management, and mingle with those peers in the investment community that you haven't seen outside of Zoom in two years. Registration and further details are available here. The CSE is pleased to be a silver sponsor of the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, a premier gathering of cannabis entrepreneurs and investors, to be held on April 20-21 in Miami, Florida. The in-person event features a wide range of interactive panels and presentations featuring the biggest names in the cannabis sector, one-on-one meeting booths, a new exclusive VIP lounge, and much more. Richard Carleton will speak on a panel on April 20 titled, "Companies Building Global Opportunities." Please click here for more information. Attendees are invited to stop by the CSE's booth and connect with members of the team. The CSE is also pleased to be attending and co-sponsoring the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, presented by Cambridge House International on May 17-18. The in-person conference features more than 225 commodity investment opportunities and a diverse line-up of high-profile speakers, including former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Please click here for more information and to register. Richard Carleton will be speaking at the Scotiabank FinTech Conference, taking place at the bank's Toronto headquarters on May 17. Participants will hear from leaders in one of the world's most dynamic and rapidly-growing industries, and learn about exciting investment opportunities. New Listings in March 2022 Albert Labs International Corp. (ABRT) - Fundamental Change GeneTether Therapeutics Inc. (GTTX) Gold Tree Resources Ltd. (GTX) Voltage Metals Corp. (VOLT) - Fundamental Change Nirvana Life Sciences Inc. (NIRV) Cosa Resources Corp. (COSA) Westmount Minerals Corp. (WMC) Buscando Resources Corp. (BRCO) Tactical Resources Corp. (RARE) Gander Gold Corporation (GAND) Recharge Resources Ltd. (RR) Cannibble Food-Tech Ltd. (PLCN) Labrador Uranium Inc. (LUR) About the Canadian Securities Exchange: The Canadian Securities Exchange is a rapidly growing stock exchange focused on working with entrepreneurs to access the public capital markets in Canada and internationally. The Exchange's efficient operating model, advanced technology and low fee structure help companies of all sizes minimize their cost of capital and maximize access to liquidity. The CSE offers investors in Canada and abroad access to a multi-sector collection of growth companies through a liquid, reliable and highly regulated trading platform. The Exchange is dedicated to entrepreneurship and has established itself as a leading hub for discourse in the entrepreneurial community. STAY CONNECTED WITH THE CSE ============================= CSE TV on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/csetv HashtagFinance Podcast: https://blog.thecse.com/pe-podcasts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadianexchange/ Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/canadian-securities-exchange Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanadianSecuritiesExchange/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSE_News Blog: https://blog.thecse.com/ Website: https://thecse.com/ Contact: Richard Carleton, CEO 416-367-7360 richard.carleton@thecse.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/120783 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 18, 2022) - Kovo HealthTech Corporation (TSXV: KOVO) (the "Company" "Kovo") - a leader in healthcare technology and Billing-as-a-Service ("BAAS") - provided a Board of Directors update today. The Company announced that Steve Parry and Miriam Tuerk have resigned from the Company's Board of Directors. The Company thanks them for their service and wishes them well in their future endeavours. Directors Harp Gahunia, Dr. Peter Bak and Greg Noble will continue to serve on the Company's Board of Directors. About Kovo HealthTech Corporation and US Healthcare Billing-as-a-Service Kovo HealthTech Corporation is a growing healthcare technology company that specializes in Billing-as-a-Service offering SaaS-style recurring revenue contracts and software for US healthcare clinics, hospitals and private practices. Kovo helps healthcare providers digitally track and manage complex patient care registration, services, billing and payments in a seamless way, using its industry-leading OneRev technology platform. Kovo and its subsidiaries are now processing more than $250 million CAD in total annual billing claims to allow its 1700+ healthcare provider clients to focus on offering quality care. To learn more about Kovo and to keep up-to-date on Kovo news, visit www.kovo.co. For more information: Greg Noble, CEO investors@kovo.co 1-866-558-6777 Manish Grigio manish@kovo.co Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/120734 Students get short of time too many times in college that they dont get to write their essays by themselves. Instead, they outsource it to online writing services such as UK assignment writers. Thankfully, there have been many of these services online, so students take their time to choose the best one rather than sit down with the time-consuming task in their hands. If you can choose a good assignment writing service, you can be sure that youll get the value for your money on every assignment. What to consider when hiring professional assignment help service Before you hire writers from online writing services, there are certain things that you have to consider. First, make sure they have a good market reputation before hiring them. Check their track records and be sure that they produce quality content. The fact that you want to submit a high-quality assignment to get the best grades means that you have to check the number of years theyve been providing this service to be sure they have enough experience. Once youre sure that these things are in place, you can go ahead to hire them and enjoy the benefits of a professional assignment help service. Benefits of a professional assignment help service Youre bound to enjoy several advantages by hiring writing professionals. Some of these are: Saves effort and time A significant advantage of professional writers for students is that they help the students save a lot of time. This may come in handy for students when they are overwhelmed with work and are short on time. This also ensures that you have more time to face your studies, partake in extra-curricular activities, and face other chores more efficiently. With help from these professionals, you can improve the balance between your studies and other tasks, which invariably saves you from stress. So, when youre sure you dont have enough time to research a topic and work on it properly, it may be better to hire a professional and let them do it for you. You get an expert guide. Many students struggle to write. Its important to realize that writing is a skill, and not everyone is blessed with this skill. In some cases, you may not even understand the topic or its concept, making it impossible to think, research, or write anything valuable about it. Hiring a professional ensures that you get expert help and advice on how to write your essays. With their help, you may be able to write future essays with impeccable quality. They can guide and put you through because of their level of experience and expertise in essay writing. Timely delivery All student assignments come with deadlines, and failure to meet these deadlines may attract punishments. With your hands complete as a student, outsourcing your assignments to professionals ensures that you can submit high-quality work within a given deadline. Professional writers stick to the agreed deadline, which helps you meet your lecturers set deadline. You have a template for the future. You may not be able to speak personally with the professional to get further guidance from them to help you write your essays. However, the assignments they write for you are enough templates to follow in the future. For instance, when you have to handle the writing technicalities of case studies or a business report, going back to the copy of the assignment they helped you with can be the template for you to write yours and do it excellently. Studying the assignments from professional assignment writers gives you more ideas on how to write your future assignments. This works best for technical assignments, which you can use as a sample or template for other assignments youre doing by yourself. Thorough research Professional writers take their time to carry out thorough research when working on an assignment. They also have the expertise to know what and where to look out for during their research to produce excellent work. These professionals also use modern devices to ensure they deliver high-quality content to their clients. Before sending you a completed assignment, it goes through different quality checks to ensure it has everything necessary and provides the correct answers to the questions. So, youre sure to have high grades on their assignments. Plagiarism-free content Plagiarism is an important concept when discussing essays and assignments for students because it is considered a criminal offense in many quarters. However, many students dont know this, and they still engage in it intentionally or not. In addition, some students dont learn to use sources while writing their essays without plagiarizing them, which is a big problem. However, you can be sure that youre getting plagiarism-free work with assignment writers. Every assignment they do is unique and original for each of their clients. Apart from their ability to write without plagiarizing, they also use several modern tools to check their work and ensure that no part of it is plagiarized before sending it to their clients. This is a primary reason why many students outsource their assignments to them. It helps them solve their problem with plagiarism. Conclusion Students hiring a professional writer to help with their assignments have been ongoing for many years now, and many students and graduates have benefitted from it. However, it has become even more common in previous years because of the flurry of activities students now deal with. Thankfully, it continues to be beneficial for students, and some of its benefits are discussed in this article. Coda Payments, a Singapore-based independent platform for digital content monetization, raised $690m in funding. Backers included Smash Capital, Insight Partners, and Singapores sovereign-wealth fund GIC. Apis Growth Fund II, a private equity fund managed by Apis Partners LLP, and other existing shareholders retain equity positions in Coda moving forward. The company intends to use the funds for international expansion. Led by Neil Davidson, Executive Chairman and Co-founder, Coda Payments operates Codashop, an independent source for games and in-game currencies. Coda also offers Codapay, which allows publishers of digital content to accept the same range of 300+ payment methods available on Codashop on their own websites, and xShop, which allows publishers to distribute their products through a range of e-commerce and other consumer-facing platforms. FinSMEs 18/04/2022 EX-Fusion Team Photo, from left to right: Kenjiro Takahashi, Takayoshi Norimatsu, Kazuki Matsuo, Yoshitaka Mori, Koichi Masuda EX-Fusion Inc., an Osaka, Japan-based startup aimed at commercializing laser based fusion energy, closed a pre-seed round funding of 130m Japanese yen. The pre-seed round was led by ANRI, a Tokyo based venture capital firm, along with Osaka University Venture Capital (OUVC) and was the first company funded within ANRIs latest ESG specific fund. The funding enables the company to accelerate the development of the continuous target supply system (CTSS) and the laser target tracking system (LTTS), both fundamental systems for the commercialization of laser powered nuclear fusion reactors. By combining the two systems, EX-Fusion aims to demonstrate the feasibility of high frequency repetition laser plasma experiments using high power pulse lasers and to demonstrate the ability to continuously generate neutrons in sequential laser fusion reactions. Co-founded by Kazuki Matsuo, postdoctoral research fellow at University of California San Diego, Shinsuke Fujioka, professor at the Institute of Laser Engineering at Osaka University, and Yoshitaka Mori, associate professor at the Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, EX-Fusion company aiming to develop the first commercial laser based nuclear fusion reactor for power generation. The company is collaborating with the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE) at Osaka University, the Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries (GPI) as well as multiple private sector corporations in its development of these technologies. The joint development project with ILE involves the development of the CTSS, which will allow for material targets to be placed inside the fusion reaction chamber continuously, consistently and congruently against the high powered pulse laser system. The collaboration with GPI will be focused on developing the LTTS, which will allow for real-time alignment of multiple lasers such that it can direct the energy at maximum efficiency towards the reactor target. FinSMEs 18/04/2022 Expertia AI, a Bengaluru, India-based deeptech virtual recruitment platform, raised $1.2m in seed funding. The round was led by Chiratae Ventures and Endiya Partners with participation from Entrepreneur First and angel investor Archana Priyadarshini. The company intends to use the funds for assembling a team of AI Researchers and Software Engineers and creating brand, product awareness in the Indian market. Founded in 2021 by Akshay Gugnani, Research Scholar from IBM and MIT and serial entrepreneur Kanishk Shukla, Expertia AI offers a hiring solution to SMEs to automatically source and identify Top 10 candidates from a pool of applicants invited from 25 plus job boards. Businesses are encouraged to connect their company website with their Expertia Career Page to collect all applicants to a smart centralized talent pool, helping them find relevant profiles across all open positions instantaneously. The company today has over 500 companies, 1000 recruiters and over 100k professionals actively using the platform to automate sourcing of qualified candidates and relevant jobs. FinSMEs 18/04/2022 South Carolina police said that a second shooting in the state in the last two days has resulted in nine people getting injured at a restaurant after an incident at a mall that already left 14 residents injured. The latest horrific shooting occurred on Sunday morning at Cara's Lounge in Furman, South Carolina. The area of the crime was roughly 50 miles northwest of Columbia, said the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The agency said it received a request from the Hampton County Sheriff's Office to lead the investigation of the incident. South Carolina Shootings Authorities said that the circumstances leading up to the shooting incident were not yet clear and police did not release further information or details. The previous incident, a shooting at a mall in Columbia, happened the day before and ended with 14 people being injured. Police said that the victims of the first shooting were trying to flee the area when the gunman started firing at people. The victims of that incident ranged in age from 15 to 73 years old and police said they have arrested a 22-year-old on a charge of unlawful carrying of a pistol, as per ABC News. The suspect that the police arrested was identified to be Jewayne M. Price and was one of three people initially detained as a person of interest. Currently, he is still in police custody and is expected to be charged with other crimes in the near future. Read Also: Brooklyn Subway Shooting Suspect Arrested After Frantic Manhunt: "There Was Nowhere Left For Him To Run" Among the victims, only the 73-year-old is still being given hospital treatment while the others have already been released or will be released shortly. The first attack, police said, was not a random shooting. According to NPR, Columbia Police Chief W.H. "Skip" Holbrook said that his department believes that the armed people arrested knew each other and something resulted in the shooting. The latest incident had no fatalities but two of the injured were in critical condition. A Separate Incident The two incidents in South Carolina also come after a horrific mass shooting in Brooklyn, New York was considered to be the worst crime on the subway in decades. The suspect in the shooting was described to be wearing a gas mask when he removed a canister from one of the bags he was carrying and let smoke billow out into the subway car he was in. Then, the man quickly pulled out a handgun and started indiscriminately shooting at other passengers, which the conductor was unaware of while he was in the second car. A teacher on his way to school in the Williamsburg section, Eric Acevedo, was standing at one of the stations, 45th Street. He then noticed the lights in the second car of the train suddenly go dark. He then heard three shots and saw one of the windows shatter, quickly looking at the stranger beside him and saying, "That doesn't sound good." Passengers in the car immediately tried to flee but found the exits at the front and rear locked. One of the people inside, a woman, shouted that she was pregnant and another man, identified to be 27-year-old Houaru Benkada, went to assist her after she was knocked aside by the panicked passengers. The incident left people lying on the floor bloodied and seething in pain as the suspect was quick to make his escape, the New York Times reported. Related Article: Brooklyn Subway Shooting: Person of Interest Frank James Has Ties to Milwaukee; $50,000 Reward Offered for Any Info to Arrest the Suspect @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Edible Brands President, Cheikh Mboup, Accepted into Forbes Business Council Forbes Business Council Is an Invitation-Only Community for Successful Business Owners and Leaders April 18, 2022 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA - Cheikh Mboup, President of Edible Brands, LLC. has been accepted into the Forbes Business Council, the foremost growth and networking organization for successful business owners and leaders worldwide. Cheikh was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience in retail, franchising and economics. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors. Through challenging and unprecedented times, Cheikh has served as a source of guidance for business leaders. In 2020, Cheikh was featured in Forbes for his leadership and Edible Arrangements ability to quickly pivot its business model to respond to the coronavirus. We are honored to welcome Cheikh Mboup into the community, said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Business Council. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world." As an accepted member of the Council, Cheikh will serve as a point of reference for other business leaders in America, giving feedback on the current economic trends and advice on how to tackle micro and macro-economic challenges. He will connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum and at members-only events. Cheikh will also be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts. Im honored to have been selected to be a part of the Forbes Business Council, said Cheikh Mboup, President of Edible Brands. I look forward to working alongside this remarkable community of industry leaders, sharing best practices and developing the next generation of business leaders. About Forbes Councils Forbes Councils is a collective of invitation-only communities created in partnership with Forbes and the expert community builders who founded Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together with the people and resources that can help them thrive. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com. About Edible Brands Edible Brands is the parent company of Edible, a leading retailer and e-commerce provider as well as the world's largest franchisor of stores offering all-natural fruit, snacks, dipped treats and fresh fruit arrangements with more than 1,000 locations worldwide. Since its founding in 1999, the company has been recognized as an industry leader, ranking first in its category in Entrepreneur magazine's annual "Franchise 500," Entrepreneur's Top 40 of "Fastest Growing Franchises" and "America's Top Global Franchises" as well as being included among the "Inc. 5000" list of the fastest growing privately-held companies. Edible fresh fruit arrangements, chocolate Dipped Fruit, fresh fruit smoothies, fresh produce boxes and other treats can be ordered through any local Edible store or online at edible.com. Edible is now licensing its products in retail destinations. SOURCE Edible ### Media Contact: Elizabeth Diamond All Points PR Cell: 971-217-2866 ediamond@allpointspr.com Add to Request List Added Request Information Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Greenberg is the second Fred Hutch luminary to serve in the leadership of AACR. Dr. Nancy Davidson, executive vice president for clinical affairs and senior vice president and director of the Clinical Research Division, was AACR president for the 2016-2017 term. She holds the Raisbeck Endowed Chair for Collaborative Research. After joining Fred Hutch in 1976, only a year after the Seattle research center opened its doors, Greenberg has played pivotal roles in understanding how the human immune system can be harnessed to eliminate cancer. Holder of The Rona Jaffe Foundation Endowed Chair, he is an internationally recognized expert in T cells, infection-fighting blood cells that can be reprogrammed to target cancers even more effectively. Immunotherapy as a treatment strategy is exploding, he said. The trajectory since the start of the millennium has been just remarkable. What we are doing is engineering cells to create an immune response that never existed. We could not have dreamed of doing many of these things a decade ago and we were dreamers 10 years ago. They were different dreams then, and theyre getting better. Greenberg will have to squeeze in his new leadership role with his work as a bench scientist, professor and head of the Hutchs Program in Immunology. At the top of his list: a 'Bio-Hub' As AACR president-elect, he will sit on the board of directors for the next three years, serving first as president-elect, then as president, and finally as immediate past president. He will use this period to shape the organizations policy and advocacy work, pushing for several initiatives close to his heart. At the top of his list is for AACR to develop or support development of what he called a Bio-Hub that would make it easier for scientists at smaller institutions to access the advanced technologies that are driving the latest breakthroughs in cancer research. Those of us at wonderful centers like Fred Hutch generally get access to new technologies relatively quickly, but it is hard for any individual institution to keep pace with new developments. A Bio-Hub would allow people to have access to validated technologies so that all labs, in more places, can essentially move more quickly, he said. Wider access to technologies would also expand access for patients to the medical advances that flow from research, and Greenberg said another top priority for him is to promote diversity and inclusion in training, research and access to care. 'We want to be part of the solution' The problem we have in academic research is that weve been very ineffective at recruiting and engaging minorities. Its unfortunate, but Id say its something the vast majority of us have never paid adequate attention to, he said. The events of the last few years have made a lot of us wake up and look into the mirror and say, Am I part of the solution or part of the problem? And the answer is that, whatever we think we were, we want to be part of the solution. In the same way, he said, the research community has an obligation to ensure that the advantages that come from participation in clinical trials should be available to minority groups. Underlying this is a trust issue, he said. For painfully good reasons, these populations are not very trustful of scientific institutions, and we need to change that. The lack of trust in science is not limited to minority communities, which is underscored by the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have to assume thats our failure, that weve not communicated adequately, Greenberg said. One of the things Im talking with AACR about is to find ways we can communicate more effectively and create programs to train research academicians to do so. A return to in-person meetings Greenberg will be assuming a leadership role at a time when everyone is hoping that the world is emerging from the pandemic. COVID-19 disrupted cancer research efforts, and understandably made immunocompromised patients more reluctant to participate in trials that require multiple visits to medical centers. I think the research community performed admirably during the pandemic, he said. He noted that, for safety reasons, there were times when only two or three people could work in labs. Experiments with mice were curtailed, and many cancer researchers appropriately turned their skills and attention to the desperate work of finding ways to prevent and treat COVID-19. During the years ahead in leadership roles at AACR, Greenberg said he looks forward to the return of in-person academic conferences, such as the current annual meeting. Personal interaction with other scientists, he said, provides important feedback. It generates excitement and new ideas. The Zoom culture of the past two years does not allow presenters at scientific meeting to read the audience, to sense whether their ideas are getting through. He observed that, like most people, scientists thrive on social contact. It is something I think all of us in science have greatly missed, he said. SEATTLE April 6, 2022 A new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that women receiving certain common therapies for breast cancer may be at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, other cardiovascular events, and death. Study authors say that even though more women are surviving breast cancer because of the increased effectiveness of treatments, the linkage of cancer therapy to increased cardiovascular events means researchers must now focus on understanding potential mechanisms and toxicities to develop clinical strategies protecting the heart health of breast cancer survivors. We hope to raise awareness that women who are breast cancer survivors must receive comprehensive, ongoing follow-up care and monitoring for cardiovascular risk, and scientists and clinicians must prioritize research that will reduce this risk, said Dr. Heather Greenlee, a public health researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and lead author of the JCO article. Greenlee and senior author Dr. Marilyn Kwan, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, led another recent study, also published in JCO, that reported an association between breast cancer treatment and the development of cardiovascular risk factors. This paper takes the additional step of reporting an association between treatments and the risk of cardiovascular disease itself, Dr. Kwan said. Cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death among women in the U.S., is emerging as a major health concern of breast cancer survivors. Although researchers know that many breast cancer therapies can be toxic to heart tissue, little is known about the underlying mechanisms or other factors that may be involved or how to address them. Most research in the field has focused on single breast cancer treatments and small samples of patients, but this study, part of the ongoing, prospective Pathways Heart Study at KPNC, included 13,642 women with breast cancer and 68,202 women without breast cancer who were of a similar age, race, and ethnicity. The patient follow-up period was up to 14 years, with an average of seven years. The Pathways Heart Study is funded by the National Cancer Institute. Using data from KPNC electronic health records, the researchers found that the risk of developing different types of cardiovascular disease in breast cancer survivors compared to women without breast cancer varied by the specific treatment or treatments they had received. These included commonly used chemotherapies, endocrine therapies and radiation therapy. For chemotherapies, the researchers focused on anthracyclines, such as Adriamycin, and the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab, also known as Herceptin, because both are widely used for breast cancer treatment and are known to be toxic to the heart. Radiation therapy analyses included radiation to either side of the body, with special attention paid to radiation on the left side, which has been associated with increased risk of heart disease. Endocrine therapy was grouped by those receiving aromatase inhibitors versus those receiving tamoxifen because the two therapies work differently to reduce the cancer-promoting effects of estrogen and have different effects on the cardiovascular system. Among findings: Women who received anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab had high risk of heart failure or cardiomyopathy, compared to women without a history of breast cancer. The highest risk was seen in women receiving both drugs. High risk of heart failure or cardiomyopathy was also seen in women who had received radiation therapy and aromatase inhibitor therapy, relative to women without a history of breast cancer. Although degree of risk varied with different forms of treatment, the researchers found that women undergoing breast cancer treatments had elevated risks for stroke, arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, venous thromboembolic disease (blood clots in deep veins), cardiovascular disease-related death, and death from any cause compared to women without a history of breast cancer. Although this analysis did not investigate treatment combinations across different therapy types, doses or durations, the researchers plan to address these specifics in future studies. There are more than 3.8 million women survivors of breast cancer now living in the U.S., and that number is growing rapidly. But while improvements in treatments are extending the lives of breast cancer patients, survivors are facing new risks from heart disease. Although this study represents a significant step in helping us recognize the effects of cancer treatments on cardiovascular health, much more work lies ahead in understanding the mechanisms leading to disease and developing new strategies to protect our patients, said Dr. Jennifer Specht, a breast cancer specialist who treats patients at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Additional authors from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Kaiser Permanente Northern California (Oakland), Oakland Medical Center (California), Walnut Creek Medical Center (California), Xiamen University (China), and Columbia University Irving Medical Center (New York) contributed to the article. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute R01CA214057 and U01CA195565. The researchers declare no additional disclaimers or potential conflicts of interest. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.21.01736 # # # Media Contacts: Kat Wynn 206.667.2210 kwynn@fredhutch.org At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutchs pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nations first cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Womens Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Moscow claims that Ukrainian casualties are more than Kyiv wants to admit, as foreign media emphasizes Russian deaths. According to Russian authorities, the total number of deaths is 23,367 combatants, including all services. They are the army, national guard, and foreign mercenaries fighting the Russians on active fronts; and experiencing unreported losses. Kyiv Conceals Actual Casualties Nothing much is known about the losses of Kyiv that have been confirmed since February 24, when the Kremlin allowed the special operation in Donbas; the Ministry of Defense released it last Saturday, reported the Daily Telegraph. Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov reported the numbers that included 4000 casualties, with foreign mercenaries and neo-Nazis from the notorious Azov and Aidar regiments involved in the Mariupol offensive. Adding that documents show that Kyiv's losses are not made up that would soon be published with detailed information. Konashenkov claimed the proof of Ukraine's losses that would be published to show how the enemy's troops were decimated. Ukraine claims that it has lost between 2,500 and 3,000 soldiers throughout the country. In an interview with CNN on Friday, Zelensky claimed that the Russian military had suffered up to 20,000 deaths that were not verified. Moscow heavily disputes Zelensky's claims. Russian officials admit it had lost just over 1,350 troops. He called out the Ukrainian leader who is keeping the actual number of fatalities that would be a blow to the morale of the ultranationalists and neo-Nazis fighting in parts of the country. Assaults Ukraine targets Moscow says that it executed high-precision missile strikes on six Ukrainian military equipment sites and seven troop strongholds during the day, according to Konashenkov, as Russian air aircraft demolished 67 troop and equipment sites, cited AA. They are included in the Ukrainian casualties. Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Children: Does the Ukraine President Have Kids? Soldiers near Odesa shot down a Ukrainian military transport jet, which had armaments delivered by the West to fight Russian forces. Foreign arms shipments would be deemed as targets, said officials. US President Joe Biden approved an $800 million shipment of heavy weapons for Ukraine early this week, comprising artillery and helicopters. A flight of weaponry from this shipment was due to come to Ukraine within a day, based on a CNN report last Friday. According to the Russian general, the launching of high-precision attacks last Friday and Saturday morning to destroy a military vehicle manufacturing plant in Kyiv and a military repair depot in the city of Nikolaev located in southern Ukraine. Overnight, 16 targets, comprising Ukrainian military formations, weapons and ammunition stores, and radar sites, were struck, he claimed. In retaliation for Ukraine's bombardment of Russian territory, Moscow warned earlier this week that it would escalate such strikes and target "decision-making centers" in Kyiv and disputed that such strikes on Russian soil had occurred. Strikes have ramped up as a response to the loss of the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, just after fire broke out on board and spread to munitions storage. Kyiv claims to have launched an anti-ship missile at the warship. Volodymyr Zelensky will contest Moscow and its figures on the Ukrainian casualties as it will amount to the low morale of their forces. Related Article: Vladimir Putin Calls Bucha Massacre Accusations False, Belarus Claims Evidence Was Staged To Discredit Russia @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Creativity has always been a part of Dr. Vida Hendersons DNA. Not literally, perhaps, but it has repeatedly shown up in her many endeavors. There were the years of dance lessons ballet, tap and jazz before she went on to college to become a pharmacist; the Master of Fine Arts in creative writing she earned while toying with the idea of leaving pharmacy work to teach poetry. Theres her love for Cajun cooking not surprising, she hails from Louisiana and creating low-carb versions of her favorite desserts. And then theres her science. Im really interested in learning more creative ways to disseminate and use science, said the public health researcher who came to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center from Chicago, where she earned a Ph.D. in community health services. Im not interested in science that just sits on a shelf. In whatever I do the programs and interventions I want it to be of use and usable and actually help somebody in some way. The former pharmacist discovered the importance of public health when Hurricane Katrina hit her home, New Orleans. Henderson lost everything her home, her clothes, her neighbors. I literally had a car, a pair of jeans and shoes and two tank tops, she said. I went to live with my parents and worked remotely. But when I came back to New Orleans, it opened my eyes. Henderson worked with community groups to create makeshift pharmacies out of trailers amid the destruction. It was this collaboration that inspired her to go back to school. I dont think I even knew then what public health was, she said. But I saw that the social environment impacts everything mental health and physical health. I decided to go into health communications research and community-based participatory research. There, her artistic predisposition played a role, as well. The writer and creative person in me had an affinity for qualitative methods, she said. (Qualitative refers to research that gathers non-numerical data via first-hand observation, interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, etc.). I basically get to ask people questions and learn about them. One of the reasons I love health communication research is because you get to be creative to write scripts and videos and narratives. TUESDAY Academy for Lifelong Learning, 9:30 a.m., online. Hilary Boudet, associate director of graduate programs at the School of Public Policy, Oregon State University, will present "Personal Experience with Extreme Weather and Views on Climate Change." Extreme weather events are expected to increase in frequency and severity due to climate change, yet it is unclear what role personal experience with such events plays in shaping public policy. Based on both surveys and interviews in impacted communities, results indicate that extreme weather events can promote action, but not always. Climate policy change is often limited post-event because rescue and recovery processes can be overwhelming. Boudet teaches courses on energy, climate and society. ALL invites nonmembers to attend one or two classes at no charge to see if they are interested in becoming a member. Email admin@academyforlifelonglearning.org if you are interested. "Illuminating... Advance Care Planning," noon, online. The first in a three-part series, "Illuminating Series about Advance Care Planning." Workshops can be taken individually or consecutively. Learn how to start the conversation with loved ones about your end-of-life wishes, which forms are necessary and right for you, and what do to with your estate and financial situation. No cost. Registration: 541-757-9616 or outreach@luminahospice.org. Academy for Lifelong Learning, 1:30 p.m., online. Kimberly Halsey, associate professor of microbiology at Oregon State University, will present "Scaling from a Single Cell to the Globe." The ocean's food web is fueled by a diversity of single-celled plants called phytoplankton. Researchers study how different groups of phytoplankton respond to the environment. Understanding these behaviors allows quantitation of phytoplankton growth at regional and global scales. Researchers find a large group of phytoplankton growing much faster than previously thought by scavenging fuel from surprising sources. Information about group-specific behaviors reveals how phytoplankton distributions are shifting in response to climate change. ALL invites nonmembers to attend one or two classes at no charge to see if they are interested in becoming a member. Email admin@academyforlifelonglearning.org if you are interested. WEDNESDAY Meet-up with Helen Higgins, Benton County Commissioner Democratic primary candidate, 4:30 to 6 p.m., outside, Woodstock's Pizza Parlor, 1045 NW Kings Blvd., Corvallis. Drop by and meet Helen, share your questions, learn what a county commissioner does, and hear why she is stepping forward to serve Benton County in the county commissioner role. Beverages available at Woodstocks. Information: votehelenhiggins@gmail.com. FRIDAY Music a la Carte: "Double-Reed Divas with Molly Myers," noon, lounge, Memorial Union, 2501 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis. The Double Reed Divas from Vancouver, Washington are a chamber ensemble of the Oregon Chamber Players. Performers are Victoria Racz, oboe/oboe d'amore/English horn; Ann van Bever, oboe/oboe damore/English horn; and Dagny Rask-Regan, oboe/English horn/bassoon/piano. This concert will include music ofFrancois Gossec, Amy Beach, Elizabeth Aitkens, Timoteus Racz and others. Joining the Divas for this performance will be Oregon State University music senior Molly Myers, playing a double-reed arrangement of Gustav Holsts Second Suite in F. Information: erin.sneller@oregonstate.edu. 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. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 At least three people in the Swedish city of Norrkoping required medical attention after being injured by police bullets during violent riots over far-right politicians threatening to burn the Quran and pour "pork blood" on the holy book. The incident occurred over the Easter weekend with some counter-protesters attacking police ahead of planned right-wing extremist demonstrations. In a statement, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has condemned the violence. Violent Swedish Protests In an online statement, police said that three citizens were struck by bullets that ricochet and noted that the victims were transferred to a hospital and were being treated. Law enforcement officials said that the three people were arrested on suspicion of a crime. They also added that the injuries were non-life-threatening. Police said that the situation in the Swedish city was relatively calm on Sunday evening after they had been engaged with protesters in serious clashes in the days prior. At the time, several police officers were injured and protesters torched several vehicles in the area, as per Reuters. The violent riots began on Thursday after a demonstration organized by the leader of the Danish far-right political party "Hard Line," Rasmus Paludan. The official had permission for a series of demonstrations across the country during the Easter weekend and is known for burning Qurans. Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: Experts Warn of Environmental Disaster Aside From Radiation Due to Crisis Anti-muslim and far-right political party Stram Kurs also planned to hold a demonstration in the town of Landskrona. However, they announced a change to the venue and made it to the city of Malmo due to protesters throwing stones and setting fires on cars, tires, and garbage cans in the original area. According to Fox News, a spokesperson for the police in southern Sweden, Kim Hild, said that authorities were not planning to revoke permission for the anti-Muslim demonstrations. They cited that they did not breach the threshold to deny free speech. Anti-Muslin Demonstrations The protesters included up to 100 mostly young people who put up a barrier fence in order to obstruct traffic, said Swedish police. Video footage and photographs from chaotic scenes in Orebro showed police cars on fire and citizens hurling objects at officers who were wearing riot gear. Hild said that the right of protesters "to demonstrate and speak out weighs enormously, heavily, and it takes an incredible amount for this to be ignored." Law enforcement personnel were believed to have used pepper spray after being forced to disperse protesters in the area who turned violent. Paludan was also struck by a stone on his leg during the chaotic protests but police reported no serious injuries at the time. Clashes have also occurred in Stockholm and in the city of Linkoping since Thursday. The areas affected were all where Stram Kurs either planned to have or had conducted demonstrations. Paludan, who is a Danish lawyer who also holds Swedish citizenship, set up Stram Kurs or also called Hard Line in 2017. The party's website says "Stram Kurs is the most patriotic political party in Denmark" as it is known to run on anti-immigration and anti-Islam agenda, the Associated Press reported. Related Article: Russia Warns of Nuclear Force Amid Finland, Sweden Talks To Apply for NATO Memberships @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By Douglas Helm | 3 weeks ago It seems the four space tourists who recently went to the International Space Station are going to have to extend their space vacation a little longer. Earlier this month, a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully launched three passengers and a former NASA astronaut into orbit. This marked the first time that an all-private crew funded by private companies went to the ISS. The mission was put together by SpaceX and Axiom Space and was meant to go for ten days. It looks like the mission has now been extended to about 12 days instead. Fortunately, it looks like the private crew aboard the International Space Station isnt too broken up about the development. In fact, during a live-streamed event where the crew answered questions from kids at NASAs Space Center in Houston, they mentioned that they would be willing to go to the Moon next. While the Moon is a much bigger and costlier target than the International Space Station, this is undoubtedly the way that space tourism is heading. The crew members aboard the current mission around spent a whopping $55 million per person to head up to the ISS, so the cost of the Moon trip would presumably be a lot higher. Plus, there isnt currently a spacecraft ready to take civilians to the Moon. So, it looks like these eager tourists will just have to enjoy the two extra space days theyre getting. As of now, the private crew on the International Space Station is scheduled to undock on Tuesday and land in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. A successful landing will mark the end of the first all-private, private-funded voyage and will help prove the possibilities of the rapidly developing space tourism industry. Axiom Space, one of the companies behind this mission, is even keen to develop a space station of its own. While visiting the ISS must be one of the coolest experiences out there, the station is designed for research, observation, and exploration. Presumably, the Axiom station will be designed with tourism in mind, making it quite a different experience than the ISS. Hopefully, they wont be charging $55 million dollars a trip by then. NASA has already approved Axiom for their next private space mission, so clearly, the collaboration between the government agency, SpaceX, and the growing space tourism company is something that will continue to grow in the future. With SpaceX continually developing more feasible means of space travel with more affordable production, NASAs years of research and technology, and the money and innovation that Axiom brings to the table, the future of commercial space flights and space hotels may be sooner than we all think. SpaceX, for their part, continues to test and develop the Starship spacecraft which is designed to carry crew and cargo. This is a much bigger and more powerful craft than the Dragon and will presumably be used to take human tourists and astronauts to space stations, the Moon, and even Mars. So, if your dream is to visit space, you might get your wish soon if you have the cash to cover it. A Kentucky employee was awarded $450,000 by a jury last month for lost wages and emotional distress after he was fired days after suffering from a panic attack over a surprise birthday party at his workplace. The individual, identified as Kevin Berling, was a staff member at a medical laboratory, the Gravity Diagnostics in Covington, Kentucky for about 10 months when he talked with his office manager, asking not to be thrown a birthday party because he had an anxiety disorder. Unwanted Birthday Party The victim's lawyer, Tony Bucher, said that the surprise birthday party was planned by other employees at the workplace while the office manager was away. He said that the situation quickly spiraled out of control. When Berling learned about the planned lunchtime celebration for his birthday, which was supposed to include birthday wishes from colleagues as well as a banner decoration, he had a panic attack. He decided to instead celebrate his birthday inside his car and eat his lunch meal during break time, as per The Seattle Times. The planned birthday party resulted in the deterioration of his relationship with his coworkers due to him maintaining distance. The following day, Berlin was called in for a meeting where his superiors "criticized" him for how he handled the party, causing him to have another panic attack. Read Also: South Carolina Convict the First To Be Executed by Firing Squad in the US in More Than 10 Years Bucher said that at that point, his client started to employ other coping techniques that he has been working on for several years with his therapist. Berling explained that he started hugging himself and asked his superiors to stop. According to Fox Business, the worker's superiors then sent him home for the remainder of the week and sent him a letter the following Monday. The document revealed that he was being informed that he had been fired from his position with the company. Berling then sued his workplace for disability discrimination and retaliation. $450,000 Compensation Berling's supervisors said that they confronted him about his "somber behavior" following the surprise birthday party. But in a court filing, the company said that the firing of the worker was because he became "violent" in the meeting and scared the supervisors who told security not to let the employee return. The jury in charge of the trial that lasted two days reached a verdict on Mar. 31 that concluded Berling had experienced an adverse employment action because of disability. They awarded him $150,000 in lost wages and benefits and another $300,000 for suffering, embarrassment, and loss of self-esteem. However, the judge in charge of the case has not yet entered a judgment regarding the verdict of the jury. On Saturday, a lawyer for Gravity Diagnostics, John Maley, said that the company would file post-trial motions that would challenge the verdict on legal grounds. It would assert that one juror had violated court orders about obtaining information outside the trial. Furthermore, Maley said that the case of Berling did not meet the standard for a disability claim because did not disclose his condition to the company and that he had not met the legal threshold to qualify as having a disability, the New York Times reported. Related Article: Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Trial: Marriage Counselor Shares Heartbreaking 'Mutual Abuse' Between Ex-Couple @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NEW YORK, April 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that class actions have been commenced on behalf of stockholders of AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) and Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR). Stockholders have until the deadlines below to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff. Additional information about each case can be found at the link provided. AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) Class Period: April 30, 2021 August 31, 2021 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 6, 2022 AbbVie is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. The company's revenues will come under significant pressure in the coming years when its best-selling drug, Humira, will lose patent protection in 2023. Accordingly, AbbVie's future revenue and earnings depend in large part on its ability to develop new sources of revenue to offset Humira's lost sales. Rinvoqan anti-inflammatory drug manufactured by AbbVie and used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other diseases by inhibiting Janus kinase (JAK) enzymeswas touted as one such drug. Rinvoq was initially approved in the United States to treat only moderate to severe RA. However, AbbVie was actively pursuing additional treatment indications and, in 2020, asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve Rinvoq for the treatment of several other diseases. As is relevant here, Rinvoq is similar to other JAK inhibitor drugs, including Xeljanz, manufactured by Pfizer Inc. When the FDA approved Xeljanz in 2012 for the treatment of RA, it required an additional safety trial to evaluate Xeljanz's risk of triggering certain serious side effects. Beginning in February 2019, the FDA repeatedly warned the public that the safety trial indicated that Xeljanz's use could lead to serious heart-related issue, cancer, and other adverse events. Notwithstanding the similarities between Rinvoq and Xeljanz, during the Class Period, Defendants assured investors that Rinvoq was far safer than Xeljanz and not subject to the same regulatory risks. However, investors began to learn the truth about Rinvoq's significant risks on June 25, 2021, when AbbVie revealed that the FDA was delaying its review of expanded treatment applications for Rinvoq due to the safety concerns associated with Xeljanz. On this news, the price of AbbVie common stock declined $1.76 per share, or approximately 1.5%, from a close of $114.74 per share on June 24, 2021, to close at $112.98 per share on June 25, 2021. Then, on September 1, 2021, the FDA announced that final results from the Xeljanz safety trial established an increased risk of serious adverse events, even with low doses of Xeljanz. As a result, the FDA determined that it would require new and updated warnings for Xeljanz and Rinvoq because Rinvoq "share[s] similar mechanisms of action with Xeljanz" and "may have similar risks as seen in the Xeljanz safety trial." The FDA also indicated that it would further limit approved indications for Rinvoq as a result of these safety concerns. On this news, the price of AbbVie common stock declined $8.51 per share, or more than 7%, from a close of $120.78 per share on August 31, 2021, to close at $112.27 per share on September 1, 2021. After the Class Period, on December 3, 2021, AbbVie announced that the FDA had updated Rinvoq's label to require additional safety warnings and limit marketing of Rinvoq to only its use after treatment with other drugs has failed. On January 11, 2022, Defendants admitted that these changes to Rinvoq's label would negatively impact sales, forcing the Company to reduce its long-term guidance for Rinvoq's sales in 2025. The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, the Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, about the company's business and operations. Specifically, Defendants misrepresented and/or failed to disclose that: (1) safety concerns about Xeljanz extended to Rinvoq and other JAK inhibitors; (2) as a result, it was likely that the FDA would require additional safety warnings for Rinvoq and would delay the approval of additional treatment indications for Rinvoq; and (3) therefore, Defendants' statements about the company's business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis, As a result of the Defendants' wrongful acts and omissions, and the significant decline in the market value of AbbVie's securities, AbbVie investors have suffered significant damages. For more information on the AbbVie class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/ABBV Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) Class Period: March 24, 2022 April 1, 2022 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 13, 2022 Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and Space-X, and according to Forbes, the richest person in the world, started to acquire shares of Twitter beginning in January 2022. By March 14, 2022, Musk had acquired more than a 5% ownership stake in Twitter, requiring him to file a Schedule 13 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) within 10 days, or March 24, 2022. Musk did not file a Schedule 13 with the SEC within the required time and instead continued to amass Twitter shares, eventually acquiring a 9.1% stake in the Company before finally filing a Schedule 13 on April 4, 2022. By the time Musk filed the required Schedule 13, revealing his ownership stake in Twitter, the Companys share rose from a closing price of $39.31 per share on April 1, 2022, to close at $49.97 per share on April 4, 2022 an increase of approximately 27%. Investors who sold shares of Twitter Stock between March 24, 2022, and before the actual April 4, 2022 disclosure, missed the resulting share price increase as the market reacted to Musks purchases. By failing to timely disclose his ownership stake, Musk was able to acquire shares of Twitter less expensively during the Class Period. For more information on the Twitter class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/TWTR About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, California, and South Carolina. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Contact Information: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Brandon Walker, Esq. Alexandra B. Raymond, Esq. (212) 355-4648 investigations@bespc.com www.bespc.com DHAKA, Bangladesh, April 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recently, Jarafa announced the launch of their reseller and wholesaler marketplace in Bangladesh. Jarafa fundamentally works as a reselling platform . Both B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Customers) business models are maintained by Jarafa. Simply put, resellers, and wholesalers will be able to communicate clearly through Jarafa. Then, anyone can sell and buy products from any part of the country. Jarafa's main goal is to connect wholesalers and resellers with the help of its website and app, so all they have to do is click to make money. Also, Jarafa will be offering a loan program in near future since bank loans and other sources of funding are dicult to come by at the primary level. Furthermore, wholesalers and resellers stand to gain a larger marketplace to sell their products and earn a lot more than before without having to incur any additional costs. Md. Fahad, CEO of Jarafa states "The Jarafa team will work tirelessly and sincerely to facilitate the creation of a social commerce ecosystem that is safe and secure. By using this strategy, digital commerce and entrepreneurship will both be boosted to a larger extent. With the best technical and nancial support available to our resellers and wholesalers, Jarafa hope to reach a strong and stable position in the next 2-3 years." He continues, "Jarafa's chief mission is to develop an eCommerce environment that will allow digital businesses to grow and expand throughout the country. Ultimately, Jarafa aim to become a one-stop tool that helps businesses sell their products through Facebook and other social media platforms." Shortly, Jarafa will act as a buffer between wholesalers and resellers, providing them with the best support and management systems to help them expand their businesses. In the near future, Jarafa hopes to have a full inventory of business products. Jarafa holds the belief that each seller has a talent for a specic type of product. And by providing specic products to a variety of entrepreneurs, Jarafa's motto is to evolve as a comprehensive business platform. With Jarafa.com, users can dream big, work hard, and play harder to grow quickly, and gain a competitive edge in their eld. Jarafa can help users start and grow an online business by providing the following services: Investment-free marketplace. Wholesale pricing on high-quality products. Cash on delivery (COD) is available. Ensuring the fastest delivery system. Invest in and start users' own product line with a small loan. Suppliers, resellers, customers, couriers will be getting individual sites (free domain), a dashboard to operate all the things. Individual payment gateway will be provided to respective suppliers, resellers, customers, and couriers. Jarafa aimed at making users' dreams come true by providing individual websites for users. Having said that, get their small business going with Jarafa, and make themselves protable effortlessly. About Jarafa: The company is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Jarafa.com was founded knowing that small businesses are the backbone of Bangladesh's economy, contributing to 80% of its gross domestic product. In spite of this, these businesses still operate oine and have not been successful online. It is Jarafa's belief that the Bangladeshi economy will truly be digitized once small businesses become successful online, and they are dedicated to helping those businesses succeed. To digitize Bangladesh; Jarafa is offering resellers a free complete e-commerce website to gain the trust of the customers. This way, resellers can also do business without making any investment. Jarafa hope that this will lead to a lot of entrepreneurial activity in the e-commerce sector and will play a key role in reducing unemployment in this country. It's worth mentioning, ThemeLooks .com will be working as a technology partner with Jarafa.com. Moreover, despite attracting many middle-class housewives (ranging from 25 to 45), this platform is reaching a group of young and old, regardless of their gender. On the other hand, suppliers can offer their products at a commission rate of zero percent (0%). Furthermore, Jarafa offers its own dashboards as well. With this feature, suppliers can easily monitor their daily sales, product inventory, and income from their phones. Entrepreneurs and traders will become more interested in product production, which will lead to the creation of new businesses. Over time, the company realized most online retailers were those who don't own physical shops but love to sell products through social networks. Clearly, small businesses will continue to operate in this manner in the future. Together, the team developed a marketplace that democratizes social commerce and makes it possible for anyone to start a business. Today, according to estimates, their products have assisted more than 100K entrepreneurs. Together with the government, Jarafa strives to eradicate unemployment, create a credible and secure e-commerce market system, and establish a digital Bangladesh. Media Contact Company: Jarafa Email: fahad@jarafa.com Website: https://jarafa.com/ Address: 965/1/A, East Shewrapara, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh SOURCE: Jarafa Dublin, April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Molecular Diagnostics at the Point of Care: By Application, Technology, Place, Product and by Country, with COVID-19 PoC Breakout and Executive Guides" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Make investment decisions and valuations with confidence using the latest data andfive year market forecasts. The COVID-19 pandemic is ushering in a new world of point of care diagnostics. Infectious disease Dx is changing and will change more in the future. Can a rapidly growing market expand even faster? Find out all about it in this comprehensive report on Molecular Diagnostics at the Point of Care. Are targeted tests for specific pathogens going to be obsolete? Will diagnostics replace physicians? Will Point of Care testing move into the Physician's Office or even the Home? How much Covid-19 testing is being done at the Point of Care? Point of Care testing is proving itself in the market. Players are reporting double-digit growth. Lowering costs, improving outcomes and even helping in the battle against Anti Microbial Resistance. Learn about this market including the issues and outlooks. The two key trends of Point of Care Testing and Molecular Diagnostics are merging with spectacular success. It could possibly displace most frontline test protocols AND save money at the same time. Key Topics Covered: Market Trends Factors Driving Growth New Genotypes Creating New Markets Aging Population a Boon for All Diagnostics Developing World Driving ID Dx Growth Point of Care - Why Centralization is Losing Steam Self Testing The Need for Speed The COVID Pandemic Factors Limiting Growth Lower Costs Infectious Disease is Declining Wellness Hurts Economic Growth improves Living Standards Instrumentation and Automation Instruments Key to Market Share The Shrinking Machine Multiplex, Point of Care and The Speed Factor Diagnostic Technology Development The Sepsis Testing Market - A New Direction? POCT/Self Testing as a Disruptive Force The Genetics Play - One Test for All Known Infections Antibiotic Resistance Genes - Simplifying Diagnostics Molecular Dx - Infectious Disease Recent Developments Home Test Company Prenetics to go Public Roche to Acquire TIB Molbiol to Expand Infectious Disease Portfolio Lucira Health Posts Revenue Growth on OTC C19 Test BforCure Preparing Multiple Panels for Point-of-Care qPCR Platform Talis Biomedical Discusses Point-of-Care Roche to Acquire GenMark Diagnostics for $1.8B Pandemic Pushes Handheld qPCR Devices Closer to Commercialization Hologic to Acquire Mobidiag Lucira Health Focuses on User Friendly Approach to Home Testing Infectious Disease Dx Firm Talis Biomedical Raises $254M in IPO Fluidigm Plans 'Durable' Diagnostics, Clinical Business Thermo Fisher Scientific to Acquire Mesa Biotech for Up to $550M Mammoth Biosciences Developing Pathogen Detection Tech Illumina, IDbyDNA Developing Sequencing-Based Respiratory Tests Scanogen Developing 90 Minute Infection Test Malaria Assays Use CRISPR for Point-of-Care Multispecies Detection FDA Provides Self Testing SARS-CoV-2 EAU Guidance Mammoth Biosciences Announces Rapid, CRISPR-Based COVID-19 Diagnostic Genetic Signatures Gets CE Mark for Coronavirus Molecular Test Qiagen Respiratory Panel with Coronavirus Receives CE Mark Lumos Diagnostics Closes $15M Series A Funding Fusion Genomics to Assess NGS-Based Respiratory Tract Infection Assay New Genomic Tests Diagnose Deadly Infections Faster Biotia Raises $2.4M Seed Round STDs resurge in US Ares Genetics signs R&D agreement with leading global IVD corporation Cell-Free DNA Used for Infectious Disease Testing One BioMed Raises $5M Profiles of Key MDx Companies Abacus Diagnostica Abbott Diagnostics Accelerate Diagnostics Ador Diagnostics Akonni Biosystems Alveo Technologies Applied BioCode Aus Diagnostics Beckman Coulter Diagnostics Becton, Dickinson and Company Binx Health Biocartis bioMerieux Diagnostics Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc Bosch Healthcare Solutions GmbH Cepheid (now Danaher) Chembio Co Diagnostics Credo Diagnostics Biomedical Cue Health Curetis N.V. / Curetis GmbH Diagenode Diagnostics Diascopic Diasorin S.p.A Eiken Chemical Enzo Life Sciences, Inc Eurofins Scientific Fluxergy Fulgent Genetics Fusion Genomics Genedrive Genetic Signatures GenMark Dx Grifols Hibergene Diagnostics Hologic Illumina Immunexpress Inflammatix Invetech Janssen Diagnostics Karius Lexagene LightDeck Diagnostics Luminex Corp Lumos Diagnostics Mammoth Biosciences Maxim Biomedical Meridian Bioscience Mesa Biotech Millipore Sigma Mindray Mobidiag Nanomix Operon Oxford Nanopore Technologies Panagene Perkin Elmer Primerdesign Prominex Qiagen Gmbh Quantumdx Quidel Roche Molecular Diagnostics Saw Diagnostics Seegene Siemens Healthineers Sona Nanotech SpeeDx T2 Biosystems Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc Veramarx Veredus Laboratories Vir XCR Diagnostics The Infectious Diseases - Market Analysis by Disease HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus (AIDS) HBV - Hepatitis B HCV - Hepatitis C HPV - Human papillomavirus Influenza CTGC - Chlamydia/Gonorhea Tuberculosis MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus VRE - Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus Blood Screening COVID-19 Pandemic Diagnostics Risk Management - Spark and Spread Dx Technology - Nucleic Acid-Based Dx Technology - Immunoassay & Serology Time to Market and Preparedness Issues Unrecognized Role of Multiplex in Pandemic Management Industry Overview Players in a Dynamic Market Academic Research Lab Diagnostic Test Developer Instrumentation Supplier Distributor and Reagent Supplier Independent Testing Lab Public National/regional lab Hospital lab Physician Office Labs and Clinics Audit Body Certification Body The Clinical Laboratory Market Segments Traditional Market Segmentation Laboratory Focus and Segmentation Industry Structure Hospital Testing Share Economies of Scale Hospital vs. Central Lab Physician Office Lab's Physician's and POCT For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/58d1bq EU to provide another 50 mln euros of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Moldova Xinhua) 11:46, April 18, 2022 BRUSSELS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is allocating a further 50 million euros (about 54.03 U.S. dollars) of humanitarian aid to people affected by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to a EU statement issued on Sunday. Some 45 million euros (about 48.63 dollars) of the funding is allocated for humanitarian projects in Ukraine, and 5 million euros (about 5.4 dollars) to projects in neighboring Moldova, which has taken in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees since the start of the conflict. The new funding, which brings the EU's total humanitarian aid funding in response to the conflict to 143 million euros (about 154.53 dollars), will address the most pressing humanitarian needs by providing emergency medical services, access to safe drinking water and hygiene, shelter and protection, cash assistance and support against gender-based violence, according to the statement. "As heavy fighting and missile strikes continue to destroy critical civilian infrastructure, humanitarian needs in Ukraine remain extremely high," the EU said in the statement. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan called the conspiracy of illegal regime change a plot by the US administration that is at odds with him. He expressed anger at the US, which had a hand in the contested no-confidence vote. The entanglement of Pakistan with China in his regime has always been a big issue; especially now that he supports Putin makes the ousting more relevant to the west. Pakistan Regime Change Last April 9, when the no-confidence vote went down, knocking Khan from power, reported the Express UK. According to the opposition parties, the reasons are below-par performance in the economy and social indicators, poor governance, and dealing with a political opponent; another is a poorly executed economic and foreign policy. But he still believes the move to oust power is from foreign backers that want necessary changes in the country for the west's benefit. Last March, he claimed that his government got a cable from diplomatic sources on March 7 that underlined that a US-instigated move is in motion to replace him as the Pak PM, cited the Dawn. Identified as the sender of the contentious letter is Donald Lu, the assistant Secretary of State for the South and Central Asian Affairs but was denied. Lu remarked the US is looking at Islamabad and the country as if trying to insinuate but added that America does not have any issue with the rule of law. Khan Loses No Confidence Voted Ex-Pakistan Prime Minister Khan posted on social media after a rally for his supporters in Karachi was held last Saturday; he gave thanks to supporters and said a coup to displace him from office was an illegal regime change. Read also: Xi Jinping: 5 Things To Know About China's President He thanked the people of Karachi for their turnout and support for the jalsa. Added that it's the fight for freedom and the right for a sovereign Pakistan that is under threat from a US-initiated regime change conspiracy. He said those working with Washington and corrupted mafia of politicians doing the bidding of the US. In the rally, the ex-PM alleged the government led by Shehbaz Sharif had a plan of pushing his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party out with foreign money. Pakistan's High Court on Thursday ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to decide on the foreign funding case, which has been ongoing since November 14, 2014, noted the Business Standard. The ex-PM mentioned the corruption cases directed against the Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz); the party of Mr. Sharif must be included. A move to reconcile with India and other tensions was in progress, but an emphasis on the relationship between Islamabad and New Delhi is in the works. He told the people who wanted to work with all countries during the rally not to be against them. One of his goals is to forge peace with Europe, India, the US, and the world. He is against slavery and all for friendship. Last Saturday, the Karachi rally gathered about 30,000 people to show solidarity with the deposed leader. Several Pakistani agencies give the numbers of 30,000-35,000 were at the PTI rally, but some added it was 60,000 to 100,000 attending the jalsa. Imran Khan, the ex-Pakistan Prime Minister, said the illegal regime change authored by the US was to get him out of the office and install someone loyal to western interests. Related Article: Pakistan Might Lose Two Strategic Islands Due to Chinese Debt Trap @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. BURLESON, Texas, April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lost Oak Winery, a family-owned and operated winery located in Burleson, Texas, is putting the Lone Star State on the map with their wine, which - they are proud to proclaim - is "100% Texas." Founded by Gene Estes in 2006, Lost Oak Winery is located on the banks of Village Creek, with three cultivated vineyards, stately oak trees, and winding walking paths. The winery found success in relatively short order, winning a double gold medal in the San Francisco Chronicle competition in 2012. Mind you, it was a victory that also led to a big change - originally known as Lone Oak, the competition led them to discover that a Sonoma vineyard had already trademarked that name - but at the same, the winery was able to start a new chapter with a big win. A great deal of Lost Oak's success can be placed on the shoulders of one woman: Roxanne Myers, president of the winery. In fact, to simply say that she's the president doesn't do her contributions justice, since she has a hand in every aspect of the winery from the Tasting Room all the way to the top of the company. Over the course of the last 13 years, Myers has helped increase Lost Oak's sales by 600%, enabling the winery to expand into the Hill Country by developing a robust event business. "Texas is now the fifth-largest wine-producing state next to California, Oregon, Washington and New York," said Myers. "Texas wineries are now contributing more than $13.1 billion of economic value to the state, and you can rest assured that Lost Oak is doing everything we can to raise those figures even higher, including shipping our products straight to consumers." Among Lost Oak's more notable wines: 2020 Shiraz Reserve , recently won double gold in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Shiraz is a mix of ripe red berries and soft oak notes with flavors of mocha and caramel. , recently won double gold in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Shiraz is a mix of ripe red berries and soft oak notes with flavors of mocha and caramel. 2019 Gewurztraminer , a deep inhale reveals aromas reminiscent of flowers and flavors of lychee and hints of ripe pineapple. , a deep inhale reveals aromas reminiscent of flowers and flavors of lychee and hints of ripe pineapple. 2019 Mourvedre Rose , featuring aromas of spring flowers and honeydew mixed with a hint of minerality. , featuring aromas of spring flowers and honeydew mixed with a hint of minerality. 2021 Sauvignon Blanc , with an overwhelming aroma of Bosc pear and a hint of citrus. , with an overwhelming aroma of Bosc pear and a hint of citrus. 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon , featuring aromas of black cherries, currants, and a hint of licorice. , featuring aromas of black cherries, currants, and a hint of licorice. 2019 Texas Duet, a 50/50 blend of Muscat and Gewurztraminer with an aroma of wildflowers and sweet spices. About Lost Oak Winery: Inspired by founder Gene Estes' creativity and passion in the art of winemaking, Lost Oak Winery was founded in 2006 in Burelson, Texas. The family-operated, woman-owned winery specializes in French-inspired wines that are 100% Texas. Lost Oak has continued its lengthy legacy with awards for its leadership role in the dedication to and support and promotion of the Texas wine industry, including their longtime affiliation with the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. For more details about Lost Oak Winery: Website: https://www.lostoakwinery.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LostOakWinery/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lostoakwinery/ CONTACT INFORMATION: Tiffany Kayar tiffanyPR@newswiremail.io Related Images Image 1: Lost Oak Winery Lost Oak Winery This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Pune, India, April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. lime market size is anticipated to reach USD 2.46 billion by 2028 and exhibit a CAGR of 1.8% during the forecast period. The rising demand for calcium hydroxide by the steel industry is anticipated to boost the market growth in the coming years. Fortune Business Insights has presented this information in its report titled U.S. Lime Market, 2021-2028. The market size stood at USD 2.14 billion in 2020 and USD 2.17 billion in 2021. Additionally, the surging demand for several manufacturing applications, including the production of bioplastics, sugar, paper & pulp, glass, and others, is predicted to bolster the market growth in the forthcoming years. Segmentation- On the basis of type, the market is bifurcated into hydrated lime and quick lime. On the basis of application, the market is fragmented into water treatment, mining & metallurgy, building material, agriculture, and others. Report Coverage- It includes key market developments and information on different market segments. It assesses the COVID-19 pandemics impact on the market. It assimilates key market drivers and restraints. It profiles the rankings of key market players accordingly. It provides a comprehensive market assessment. Request a Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/u-s-lime-market-106592 List of Key Market Players- Carmeuse (Belgium) Lhoist Group (Belgium) Graymont Limited (Canada) Mississippi Lime Company (U.S.) United States Lime & Minerals Inc. (U.S.) Linwood Mining & Minerals Corporation (U.S.) Minerals Technologies Inc. (U.S.) Cheney Lime & Cement Company (U.S.) Pete Lien & Sons Inc. (U.S.) Valley Mineral LLC (U.S.) Brookville Manufacturing (U.S.) Drivers & Restraints- Rising Demand for Cleaner Steel to Amplify Market Growth Lime plays a vital role in the steelmaking process. It impacts productivity, metallurgical properties, steel quality, and total production costs. The market is being driven by the high demand for cleaner steel by the automotive and construction industries. Additionally, the rising architectural development further augments the demand for steel, thereby fueling the U.S. lime market growth. Lime is also used in treating industrial and mining wastewater. It maintains the pH levels of the wastewater and removes nitrogen, phosphorous, and other such toxins. This creates high product demand for various applications and amplifies the U.S. lime market growth. The stringent government regulations implemented to treat and limit water contaminants are further helping the market expand. Additionally, lime is vital for several manufacturing applications, including the production of bioplastics, sugar, paper & pulp, glass, and others. This is predicted to fuel the market growth in the forthcoming years. However, the high carbon emissions that arise during production may hamper the market growth. Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/u-s-lime-market-106592 Regional Insights- Expanding Construction Industry to Fuel Regions Growth The market size in the U.S. was USD 2.14 billion in 2020. The high product demand from various end-use industries is a key factor boosting the U.S. lime market share. The expanding construction industry and rising infrastructural development are stimulating the market's growth. Moreover, the improvements of water treatment plants by companies located in the region are expected to complement the market growth. The major consumers of the product have been construction, environmental, and chemical & industrial markets. According to the U.S. governments Mineral Commodity Study, approximately 16.9 million tons of lime were manufactured in the U.S. in 2019 and was estimated to be approximately 16 million tons in 2020. Competitive Landscape- Key Players Emphasize Expansions to Gain Competitive Edge The market comprises several key players, including Lhoist Group, United States lime & Minerals Inc., Carmeuse, and Mississippi Lime Company. The key players emphasize investments and expansions to acquire a competitive edge in the market. For instance, Carmeuse Overseas commenced the construction of a greenfield lime plant, Chaux de la Teranga, in Bandia Senegal in May 2020. The plant is estimated to have 250 tons/day capacity. Key Industry Developments- November 2020: Lhoist North America opened a new distribution facility in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., for dolomitic quicklime for the steel industry. The company aims to fulfill the rising demand for high purity steel in the steel industry. Inquire Before Buying This Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/queries/u-s-lime-market-106592 Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Key Emerging Trends For Major Countries Key Developments: Capacity Expansions, Acquisitions, Partnerships, etc. Latest Technological Advancement Insights on Regulatory Scenario Porters Five Forces Analysis U.S. Lime Market Average Sales Price Lime Production Cost Analysis Qualitative Insights on Impact of COVID-19 on Global Lime Market Supply Chain Analysis & Challenges due to Covid-19 Steps taken by Government / Companies to Overcome this Impact Potential Challenges and Opportunities due to COVID-19 Outbreak TOC Continued! Speak to Analyst: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/u-s-lime-market-106592 About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Address: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 9th Floor, Icon Tower, Baner Mahalunge Road, Baner, Pune-411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Dublin, April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Military Simulation and Training Market by Application (Army, Aviation, Naval), Type (Live, Virtual, Constructive), Platform (Land, Maritime, Airborne), Solution, Environment (Synthetic, Gaming), Technology & Region - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Military Simulation and Training market size is forecasted to grow from an estimated USD 9.2 billion in 2022 to reach USD 12.2 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2022 to 2027. Increasing defense spending in the world and new technological developments to help strengthen military capabilities and efficiency is expected to drive the market for Military Simulation and Training across the globe. Increasing geopolitical tensions across regions and overall strengthening activities across the world are triggering the defense spending across these regions. This, in turn, is pushing manufacturers and system component providers to design and manufacture more high technology, high resolution, military simulators for defense personnel to get trained upon. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant damage to the economic activities of countries across the world. The manufacture of digital battlefield products, including systems, subsystems, and components, has also been impacted. Although military simulation and training products for defense applications are of prime importance, disruptions in the supply chain have halted their manufacturing processes for the time being. Resuming manufacturing activities depends on COVID-19 exposure, the level at which manufacturing operations are running, and import-export regulations, among other factors. While companies may still take orders, delivery schedules may not be fixed. Most key players in the Military Simulation and Training markets like Lockheed Martin Corporation (US), Raytheon Technologies (US), and Rheinmetall AG(Germany) have declared that business has largely be returned to normal but acknowledged the impact of cost and schedules on most programs. Based on platform, the land segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period. The growth in demand for military vehicles across the land, sea, and aerial platforms would drive the market growth. Several countries are modernizing their military fleets by inducting newer generation vehicle platforms. This is generating a simultaneous demand for simulation-based training for the military personnel on these platforms, thereby propelling the market prospects of the related military simulators. Based on Application, Aviation makes the largest share of the market during the forecasted year. The aviation segment is expected to have a larger market share in the forecasted year. This is majorly due to the complexity and risk involved in aircraft compared to the other end users. For example, a single mistake by pilots on board a military aircraft while landing or take-off will cost the lives of people on board and result in the loss of sophisticated military property and compromise the mission. Such complexity has forced the military authorities to incorporate simulator-based training for pilots. Moreover, the increasing adoption of newer generation aircraft that incorporate complex technologies in the military may require training for pilots to familiarize themselves with the latest equipment and systems. In such situations, providing hands-on experience may be difficult due to high-cost involvement. In such cases, the simulators act as the preferred option North America is projected to make the largest share of the market during the forecasted year. The rising orders to replace the old navy fleet with new ones from the US and Canada and the rise in export of goods are the major factors driving the demand for new ship commanders and crew. This also leads to increased demand for military training systems. According to Boeing Technician Outlook 2019, North America is anticipated to require more than 193,000 aircraft technicians and maintenance crew between 2019 and 2038. This is anticipated to fuel the demand for maintenance crew training across the region during the forecast period This region is expected to lead the market from 2021 to 2026, owing to increased investments and the adoption of advanced military simulators for all the platforms by countries in this region. Market Dynamics Drivers Acceptance of Virtual Pilot Training to Ensure Aviation Safety Need for Cost-Cutting Technique in Pilot Training Reduction in Military Budgets of Developed Economies Restraints Longer Product Lifecycle Lack of Interoperability Opportunities Development of Simulators for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Simulators for Air Accident Investigation Challenges Stringent Regulatory Approvals Minimization of Weight and Size to Maintain Advanced Features Companies Mentioned Avion Group Avt Simulation Bae Systems plc Bohemia Interactive Simulations Booz Allen Hamilton Cae Inc. Cubic Corporation Eca Group Elbit Systems Ltd Frasca International, Inc. Indra Sistemas Sa Inveris Training Solutions Kongsberg Maritime Leonardo Spa Lockheed Martin Corporation Northrop Grumman Corporation Precision Flight Controls, Inc. Raytheon Technologies Rheinmetall Ag Saab Ab St Engineering Textron Thales Sa The Boeing Company Virtra Vstep Bv For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2fgwvd Attachment New York, April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the heels of a visit to the White House, President Samia Suluhu Hassan visits NYC for a royal tour: The World Premiere of Emmy Award-Winning Journalist and Travel Editor Peter Greenbergs global television special, Tanzania: The Royal Tour President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzanias first woman to lead her nation, arrives in New York on the heels of a visit to the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris. President Samia will be in New York for the World Premiere of Peter Greenbergs global television special, Tanzania: The Royal Tour, in New York on Monday, April 18 at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, as well as also attending the Los Angeles premiere on Thursday, April 21 at Paramount Theatre at Paramount Pictures Studios. "This is a very special, up close and personal journey to and through a country, seen through the eyes of its leader" says producer and host Peter Greenberg. "It's an all access pass, a deep immersion into the history, culture and the environment at a critical time in Tanzania's history." And the President was Greenberg's tour guide as they crisscrossed the entire country, from her small fishing village in Zanzibar to soaring over Mt. Kilimanjaro; from the expanse of the Serengeti to the Tanzanite mines, from searching for the big five to investigating the country's anti-poaching efforts. Please find link to the trailer of Tanzania: The Royal Tour here: TANZANIA: THE ROYAL TOUR TRAILER Since taking office in March of 2021, one year ago, President Samia has embraced an ambitious economic development plan, encouraging women-run business, and strengthening health care, most importantly reversing her predecessors Covid denial and making vaccines available to the public. Another principal objective is the promotion of tourism, with the goal of increasing the number of international travelers from the current 1.5 million to 5 million within the next 5 years, by showcasing Tanzania as a vibrant tourist destination and the many investment opportunities that are offered in her country. The Presidents visit to the US also affords her the opportunity to promote Tanzanias economic development and investment opportunities. Tanzania is an extraordinary destination with 500 miles of coastline along the Indian Ocean dotted with the fabled spice islands and Zanzibar just off its mainland. The country's cultural and natural assets are incomparable, seven destination wonders are UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Kilimanjaro National Park, home to Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africas highest mountain; Serengeti National Park; Ngorongoro Conservation Area; Selous Game Reserve; Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara; Kondoa Rock-Art Sites and Stone Town of Zanzibar. Tanzania: The Royal Tour, produced in partnership with Chicago PBS station WTTW, premieres on public television stations across the country beginning April 18, 2022 (Check local listings for times). Tanzania: The Royal Tour will also be available on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ beginning April 19, 2022. Please find YouTube coverage of President Samia at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris. PRESIDENT SAMIA VISITS THE WHITE HOUSE https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/04/15/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-and-president-samia-suluhu-hassan-of-tanzania-before-bilateral-meeting/ https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/president-samia-travels-to-us-3782176 Select images of Tanzania can be viewed and downloaded here. For more information contact: Sally Fischer Public Relations sfpr@sallyfischerpr.com The Bradford Group: karenh@bradfordglobalmarketing.com Attachment Richmond, Va., April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring education savings deals! Its Financial Literacy Month, and Virginia529 has launched its Jump$tart Your Savings giveaway to help families make the first step in preparing for their childrens future. Open a new Invest529 account from April 18, 2022 to April 30, 2022 and use the gift code SAVE25APRIL2022 to receive a bonus $25 contribution to your account. Whether youre saving for your own education or the education of a loved one, Virginia529 wants to help make your dreams a reality! Invest529 accounts can be used to fund qualified higher education expenses at schools nationwide and even overseas. Plus, they can be used at eligible public or private universities, graduate schools, apprenticeship programs and private or religious K-12 schools, among other qualified uses. Setting up an account takes 15 minutes, and it makes a lifetime of difference in your familys future. Read the Jump$tart Your Savings terms and conditions and get the details at Virginia529.com. About Virginia529: Attachment Deerfield Beach, Fla., April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corey Benish has joined JM Family Enterprises, an $18 billion privately held company, as the new chief technology officer (CTO). Technology is at the core of how JM Family offers value to its partners and improves the experience of its associates, and Benishs addition to the leadership team will help the company aggressively pursue its digital future to the benefit of these stakeholders. A former consultant for two of JM Familys subsidiaries, Benish will transition to leading the parent companys focus on digital product management and supporting existing capabilities in IT strategy, architecture and governance in his new full-time capacity. After several months of collaboration, we are eager to officially welcome Corey to JM Family. He has already proven his value, bringing business acumen, technological expertise, leadership skills and strategic vision to our digital strategy projects, and we are excited to further develop our technology roadmap under his guidance, said Chad Couch, senior vice president and chief information officer for JM Family. An accomplished CTO with 25 years of experience across several industries, including involvement in B2B and franchise operations, Benish will bring a wealth of knowledge and valuable understanding to this role. Throughout his career, Benish has helped organizations realize enterprise value through digital products and services and held several senior technology roles at companies such as ABC Financial Services, Planet Fitness, National Dentex Corporation and AGA Medical Corporation. He currently owns his own consulting company, CGNB Associates, which strives to help businesses understand their technology landscape, defining strategic technology roadmaps and driving execution to achieve new digital capabilities. Benish earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and attended the Executive Education program at Columbia Business School in New York. In addition, Benish was a long-time Child Sponsor for Compassion International, sponsoring a child through their graduation. About JM Family Enterprises, Inc. JM Family Enterprises, Inc. was founded by automotive legend, Jim Moran in 1968. It is a privately held company with $18 billion in revenue and more than 4,000 associates. Rooted in automotive and united in its strong culture and core values, JM Family is in the business of helping other businesses succeed. As a long-term partner, it is invested in its companies, associates and its communities. Driven by exceptional performance, current subsidiaries are in the automotive, financial services and franchising industries. Its family of companies includes: Southeast Toyota Distributors, the worlds largest independent distributor of Toyota vehicles; JM&A Group, a company committed to improving automotive dealers performance by offering Finance & Insurance products and services, dealership training and consulting; World Omni Financial Corp. (dba Southeast Toyota Finance), a captive financial services company driven to delivering an exceptional dealership and customer experience for Toyota customers in the Southeast; JM Lexus, one of South Floridas leading Lexus dealers; and Home Franchise Concepts, a multi-brand franchise network consisting of Budget Blinds, Tailored Living, Concrete Craft, AdvantaClean, Kitchen Tune-Up, Bath Tune-Up, Two Maids & A Mop and Aussie Pet Mobile. JM Family has earned various awards for its culture, products and services, including 24 consecutive years on Fortunes 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Interact with JM Family on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Attachment MELBOURNE, Fla., April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apis Cor , the company that 3D prints buildings, today announced the construction industrys only Affordable Housing Cooperative Program (AHCP) for the design, development and production of low-cost, 3D-printed homes. Apis Cor, recognized for developing the first robots and equipment capable of 3D printing full-scale buildings completely on site, is launching the AHCP with Eden Village , SMASH , and VPG Enterprise . Planning and defining the cost requirements, environments, and community needs of each project has begun. AHCP partners will break ground and 3D-print their first homes in 2023. Affordable housing is a complex problem and it differs from city to city and state to state, said Anna Cheniuntai, CEO and Co-Founder of Apis Cor. We know 3D-printing technology can be adapted to satisfy a wide range of needs, environments and specific building design and cost requirements. We created a cooperative program to innovate and scale the construction of affordable 3D-printed houses to contribute to society. We believe Apis Cors 3D-printing technology is the future of construction. Working with Apis Cor to design and develop a 3D-printed home that can be replicated makes it possible to provide a private home to a very needy person, said Thomas Dalton, M.D., co-founder, Eden Village Wilmington, N.C. We can build houses faster, at a much lower cost and with less waste. Furthermore, 3D printing opens the horizons for alternative and eco-friendly materials. Over the next five years, more than 4,100 new units are needed to meet growth in Wilmington, NC. University of North Carolina at Greensboros Center for Housing and Community Studies reports half of all rental households in the county are cost-burdened, meaning they pay a disproportionate share 30% or more of their income on housing. Apis Cors novel 3D-printing technology and advanced materials are the future of construction, said Michael Merideth, co-founder VPG Enterprises and VPG Construction. A well-designed 3D printed home is resistant to environmental hazards that we deal with such as mold and is resilient to natural disasters we see happening on a more frequent basis. New Orleans will need to build 17,006 affordable units by 2029 to accommodate the citys current population, according to the 2021 HousingNOLA annual report card. In a market where land is prohibitively expensive like Miami, and where there are limited funds for housing production, the 3D printing technology of a company like Apis Cor is the kind of market disruption that could finally provide conscious builders with the means to meet the extraordinary demand for affordable housing in the county, added Madriz. Miami-Dade Affordable Housing Framework states that Miami needs 215,000 new units of affordable housing by the year 2030. We are excited to provide people with the opportunity to join us in reimagining how construction works for affordable housing, commented Cheniuntai. We have a wealth of 3D-printing knowledge to offer our partners. About Eden Village, Wilmington, North Carolina Eden Village of Wilmington, NC will be a 31-unit tiny home community specially designed to provide permanent homes for chronically homeless individuals including patients of a local hospital. Many patients of the medical center experience chronic illness, which are treatable but require consistent living circumstances to improve treatment results. www.edenvillagewilmington.org About VPG Enterprise / VPG Construction VPG Construction is a division of VPG Enterprise, a real estate development, construction and management group with a portfolio that includes over $12 million in residential real estate assets. VPG looks at creative development solutions around construction methods, deal structures and financing mechanisms to provide high quality housing in New Orleans. http://veriusgroup.com/ About SMASH-Miami Struggle for Miami's Affordable and Sustainable Housing (SMASH) is a community land trust building power for housing justice to make housing a human right in Miami. Their leadership led to the Miami Housing Justice Agenda, a platform of values and policy proposals that, if adopted, would fulfill SMASH's vision for a Miami where housing is a human right and everyone has a home. The agenda's values and policies are the product of four years of community engagement, research and best practices and is the product of a coalition of different community organizations and policy experts including Miami Homes for All, The Greater Miami Housing Alliance, Florida International University Metropolitan Center, University of Florida Shimberg Center, City of Miami Connect Capital Initiative, Homes for All National, Grassroots Global Justice, Climate Justice Alliance, Indigenous Environmental Network and Gulf South Green New Deal. SMASHs goal is to get 1.5 Million Miami-Dade residents (half the county population) to pledge their support to the Miami Housing Justice Agenda by the year 2030. https://smash.miami/ About Apis Cor Founded in 2016 by Nikita and Anna Cheniuntai, Apis Cor is an American technology corporation headquartered in Melbourne, Florida that develops advanced technologies and materials for construction 3D-printing. The company holds the Guinness Book World Record for the Largest 3D-Printed Building on Earth and is proud to be a resident of the Autodesk Technology Centers Outsight Network. A successful participant in NASA's "3D Printed Habitat Challenge" Apis Cor was awarded top honors in several categories. Apis Cor is backed by Alchemist Accelerator, the premier accelerator for Enterprise startups, and At One Ventures, a VC and private equity firm which supports deep tech ventures that are a net positive to nature and the planet. Learn more about 3D-printing construction technology at: www.Apis-Cor.com. Media Contact: Heidi Groshelle Groshelle Communications heidi@groshelle.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ef7a16af-fa02-42d2-9c32-5f2af95ceee0 Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Exactitude Consultancy, the market research and consulting wing of Ameliorate Digital Consultancy Private Limited has completed and published the final copy of the detailed research report on the Dental Imaging market. We have been studying the market from the past 10 years and this is our 6th edition of the report. It took us around 3 months to complete the research and finally make it available in the market for sale. Some of our key findings from the research are as follows: High sugar consumption is one of prominent reasons for dental cavities; with a steady increase in disposable income, sugar products are being consumed at an accelerated rate in the form of packaged foods and desserts. This has caused a noticeable increase in dental issues, therefore incrementing the need for dental imaging. The rising demand for cosmetic dentistry, the growing affordability of imaging systems, and the need for rapid and accurate diagnosis are the other major factors driving the growth of this market. Key Market Key Players: During our course of research, we have studied the key market players around the globe along with some prominent local players. We made a detailed list of the all the available players that we could find through our research and have included those mentioned below in our list: Dentsply Sirona, Danehar, Henry Schein, Cefla, Carestream Dental, Planmeca Oy, Morita Group, Acteon Group, Vatech, Imageworks Corporation, Planet DDS, Ace Dental Software, Rayscan, Dentimax, Abeldent, etc. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/764/dental-imaging-market/#request-a-sample New and Latest market trends: - Intraoral Cameras Market - The global intraoral cameras market size is estimated to be valued at USD 1.90 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 3.75 billion by 2029, recording a CAGR of 8.9%. - Extraoral Imaging Systems - Extraoral X-ray systems is anticipated to hold the maximum share of 28.7% in 2022, expanding at rate of nearly 8.0% during the forecast period. - Cosmetic Dentistry Market The cosmetic dentistry market is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period due to the growing consumer awareness and rising focus on aesthetics, increasing prevalence of oral health disorders - Dental Lasers Market - The global medical laser market size is estimated to be valued at USD 3.7 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 9.0 billion by 2029, recording a CAGR of 10.3%. - Cone Beam Computed Tomography- The CBCT systems available in the market are capable of providing panoramic images. In addition, the low radiation footprint of these systems makes them suitable for placement in dental practices, hence providing high-quality images of regions of interest. - In August 2021, Vatech, a global dental imaging device manufacturer, reports that it launched an e-commerce platform for the sales and distribution of dental supplies in India. This move is part of Vatechs broader strategy to diversify its business interests in countries. Recent Market Developments: DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc. (Dentsply Sirona) will introduce a series of innovations designed to significantly enhance digital workflows with benefits for dentists, dental labs and patients globally. A special highlight of this event will be interviews with Googles SVP Engineering Urs Hoelzle and Dentsply Sirona CEO Don Casey, who will be announcing a new collaboration between the two technology companies Danaher Corp. announced it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase the Gendex division of Dentsply International Inc. for approximately $102.5 million in cash. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. Vatech announced that it has received U.S. FDA approval for its Green X (model PHT-75CHS) premium ConeBeam Computed Tomography system. The system is a four-in-one system that combines panoramic, cephalometric, computed tomography and 3D modelling capabilities. Affiliates of Carestream Dental LLC (Carestream Dental) has announced that they have entered into an agreement to sell Carestream Dentals Scanning Technology business to Envista Holding Corporation (Envista), a leading global dental products company for $600 million. The Scanning Technology business is composed of Carestream Dentals intraoral scanner equipment (CS 3600, CS 3700, and CS 3800) and related software. Report Scope & Segmentation: Attributes Details Base Year 2021 Historic Data 2019-2020 Forecast Period 2022-2028 Regional Scope Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and Middle East & Africa By Type Imaging Devices Intraoral X Ray Devices Extraoral X Ray Devices Other Technologies Intraoral Software By Deployment Cloud On Premise CAGR 9.5% Customization Scope 15% Free Customization Delivery Format PDF and Excel through Email Inquiry for Discount here: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/764/dental-imaging-market/#inquire-for-discount Regional Analysis: - North America led the global dental imaging market in terms of demand share of 33% in 2018. Factors responsible for the dominance of the region is the considerable efforts by American Dental Association along with wide application of dental imaging in various sectors such as diagnostic, therapeutic, cosmetic, and forensic. Diagnostic segment is can grow at a CAGR of 6.50% through to 2025. - Asia Pacific is expected to project a comparatively higher dental imaging market growth by the end of 2026. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are expected to register a significant CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing prevalence of oral diseases and rising awareness about dental health care. - Europe is anticipated to grow at significant CAGR owing to with the presence of well-established healthcare facilities coupled with increasing demand for advanced healthcare systems among the aging population. U.S. is the leading country to have most installed units of MRI systems per million populations, at roughly 44 MRI systems per 100,000 people, just behind Japan which has 55 systems per 100,000 people. Market Segment Analysis - The dental implantology segment held the largest revenue share of over 25.0%. Dental restoration with implants is an advanced dental treatment as it provides patients with functional and aesthetical options for tooth replacement. - In 2020, the dental clinics segment dominated the market with a revenue share of over 65.0% and is anticipated to exhibit the fastest CAGR from 2021 to 2028. The majority of patients visit private practices due to the accessibility to specialists. Based on end use, the market is segmented into hospitals and others and dental clinics. You can read more about our report and also ask for a sample of our report before purchasing by registering on the link below BIGS premium flower line and Hash-Wrapped Smoke are latest offerings from Californias No. 1 selling cannabis brand per Headset SALINAS, Calif., April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lowell Herb Co., one of the best-selling and most talked-about cannabis brands in the Lowell Farms Inc. (CSE:LOWL; OTCQX:LOWLF) portfolio, is expanding its award-winning product lineup with the debut of its BIGS flower line and the all-new Hash-Wrapped Smoke. BIGS encompasses premium flower offerings at 7g, 14g and 28g, an expansion for the brand in the flower category. Each bag of BIGS contains Lowells finest artisan flower, grown sustainably at the companys mixed-light greenhouse in Monterey County, California. Simultaneously, Lowell is expanding into the infused pre-roll category with the Hash-Wrapped Smoke, a classic Lowell pre-roll thats been artfully wrapped in premium pressed bubble hash, creating a smooth, bold smoke with every draw. Both products hit retailer shelves on the heels of Lowell Farms most recent earnings report, in which the company took the lead as Californias largest seller of packaged flower, data is based on reported retail sales from analytics company Headset the No. 1 ranking driven by sales of Lowell Herb and House Weed, Lowell Farms premier flower brands. With every product innovation, we not only show that were listening to our consumers, but were challenging ourselves to grow as a company, and thats something we welcome and embrace, says Lowell Farms Inc. Chairman of The Board, George Allen. These products that were introducing are the result of our teams unending commitment to high quality cannabis, and we look forward to seeing them on store shelves. More information about Lowell Farms, Inc. brands can be found at lowellfarms.com. ABOUT LOWELL HERB CO. Lowell Herb Co. is one of the fastest-growing, most talked about cannabis brands in North America. Its signature product, Lowell Smokes, has elevated the perception of cannabis consumption. Lowell Herb Co is part of the extensive Lowell Farms portfolio of award-winning brands. Lowell Farms, a California-based vertically-integrated cannabis company, grows artisan craft cannabis with a deep love and respect for the plant and prides itself on using sustainable materials, from seed to sale. For more information, visit www.lowellfarms.com and follow on Instagram @lowellfarms. ABOUT LOWELL FARMS INC. Lowell Farms Inc. (CSE:LOWL; OTCQX:LOWLF) (the Company) is a California-based cannabis company with advanced production capabilities supporting every step of the supply chain, including cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, brand sales, marketing, and distribution. Lowell Farms grows artisan craft cannabis with a deep love and respect for the plant, and prides itself on using sustainable materials from seed to sale to produce an extensive portfolio of award-winning originals, including Lowell Herb Co, House Weed, MOON, and Kaizen, for licensed retailers statewide. Lowell Farms Inc. Media Contact pr@lowellfarms.com Lowell Farms Inc. Investor Relations Contact Bill Mitoulas 416.479.9547 ir@lowellfarms.com Lowell Farms Inc. Company Contact Mark Ainsworth ir@lowellfarms.com Forward-Looking Information and Statements This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Companys beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Companys control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives, including as a result of the described acquisition, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information and statements. This forward-looking information and statements reflect the Companys current beliefs and are based on information currently available to the Company and on assumptions the Company believes are reasonable. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market prices for securities; operating and development costs; competition; changes in legislation or regulations affecting the Company; the timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; the available funds of the Company and the anticipated use of such funds; favorable production levels and outputs; the stability of pricing of cannabis products; the level of demand for cannabis product; the availability of third-party service providers and other inputs for the Companys operations; lack of qualified, skilled labor or loss of key individuals; and risks and delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. A description of additional assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information and a description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in the Companys disclosure documents, such as the Companys annual information form filed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. However, the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider has reviewed, or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of, the content of this news release. Concurrently, the Company is launching a non-brokered private placement NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES CHICAGO and TORONTO, April 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wesana Health Holdings Inc. (Wesana or the Company) (CSE: WESA; OTCQB: WSNAF), a data-driven life sciences company focused on developing the novel therapies of tomorrow and delivering new care paradigms today, is pleased to announce that following the completion of a successful Pre-IND meeting with the United States Food and Drug Administration (the FDA), the Company is exploring the opportunity to expand its lead indication for SANA-013 to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) following the completion by the Company of a non-brokered private placement (the Placement). Consistent with the positive feedback received from the FDA, Wesana is also exploring the opportunity to accelerate the development of SANA-013 by initiating a Phase 1b/2a human study for MDD in H1 2023. In contrast to the current development pathway for SANA-013 with TBI associated anxiety as the lead indication, currently targeting the launch of a Phase 1 study in Q4 of 2022 in a healthy human patient population, the revised development pathway would allow the Company to bypass the healthy patient population study and research an MDD affected patient population directly as part of a Phase 1b/2a study. Daniel Carcillo, Wesanas founder and Chief Executive Officer, said, Given the positive feedback from FDA regarding SANA-013, there is an opportunity for Wesana to optimize the drug development program to focus on the broadest indication for our novel formulation and protocol and to de-risk future clinical development. MDD is a chronic, recurring, and debilitating mental disorder leading it to be one of the most burdensome illnesses on a global scale. Patients suffering from MDD are frequently and significantly impaired from an occupational and social function standpoint resulting in severe economic costs. With approximately 264 million people suffering from depression globally, according to World Health Organization data in 2020, the market size is currently estimated to grow at a CAGR of 3.9% to US$16 billion by 2026.1 Mark Wingertzahn, Wesanas Chief Scientific Officer, said, Pursuing an indication such as MDD will allow for a streamlined development path with the opportunity, if successful, to help millions of people worldwide. Non-Brokered Private Placement In connection with the above, the Company announces that it is proceeding on a non-brokered private placement financing for gross proceeds of up to USD$3,000,000 (approximately CAD$3,785,400) (the Placement). The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Placement towards evaluating expanding the indication for SANA-013 to MDD and initiating a phase 1b/2a human study in H1 2023 as an alternative approach to the current development pathway, research, and development activities following such evaluation and general working capital and corporate purposes. Pursuant to the Placement, the Company is offering Subordinate Voting Share Units (each, an SVS Unit) at a price of CAD$0.73 per unit and Multiple Voting Share Units (each, an MVS Unit) at a price of CAD$36.50 per unit. Each SVS Unit will consist of one Subordinate Voting Share of the Company (an SVS) and one Subordinate Voting Share purchase warrant (an SVS Warrant). Each SVS Warrant will be exercisable by the holder thereof to acquire one additional SVS for a period of 36 months from the date of issue at an exercise price of CAD$0.90 per SVS. Each MVS Unit will consist of one Multiple Voting Share of the Company (an MVS) and one Multiple Voting Share purchase warrant (an MVS Warrant). Each MVS Warrant will be exercisable by the holder thereof to acquire one additional MVS for a period of 36 months from the date of issue at an exercise price of CAD$45.00 per MVS. Certain subscriptions under the Placement may be subject to finders fees. The Placement may be closed in multiple tranches and is not subject to a minimum offering. Securities issued under the Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. The Placement is subject to certain conditions including compliance with the rules and policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. No securities may be offered or sold in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer or sale would be unlawful absent registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom or qualification under the securities laws of such other jurisdiction or an exemption therefrom. About Wesana Health Wesana Health helps people transcend barriers in mental health and performance. We innovate in care development through our therapies and patent-pending protocols, and in care delivery through activating a new multidisciplinary, technology-supported clinical model. Learn more at www.wesanahealth.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws with respect to the Company, including, but not limited to: the initiation of the Companys currently contemplated Phase 1 clinical trials in Q4 2022, exploration of initiation of a Phase 1b/2a human study in H1 2023 as part of a revised accelerated development pathway, exploration of MDD as the lead indication for SANA-013, completion of the Placement in accordance with the currently contemplated terms and timeline (if at all), the expected size of the Placement, the use of proceeds of the Placement, and any other statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future plans, intentions, levels of activity, results, financial position, operational or financial performance or achievements. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, will, projects, or believes or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events, results or conditions may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Except for statements of historical fact, information contained herein constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Certain assumptions that influence successfully initiating its currently contemplated Phase 1 clinical trials in Q4 2022 include: (i) third parties who assisted the Company with the pre-IND submissions will continue to satisfy deadlines on deliverables within anticipated timeframes; (ii) the pre-IND guidance will continue to support that a drug development plan and future clinical trials are going to be acceptable to the FDA; (iii) the Company and its consultants can efficiently and timely address any additional correspondence, submission of additional materials or information pursuant to any ongoing requests as they may arise during the course of their review following the filing of submissions; (iv) additional pre-clinical studies will be commenced and completed on a timely basis and results will be supportive and as anticipated; (v) the Companys pre-clinical studies (animal pharmacology and toxicology testing) generate data and analyses to support an FDA decision that it is safe to proceed with human trials of the Companys formulation; and (vi) the Company is able to maintain a GMP supply source necessary to conduct in-human clinical trials. Certain assumptions that influence successfully expanding the lead indication for SANA-013 to MDD include all of the assumptions in the above and (i) the board of directors of the Company (the Board) makes a determination, based on the readiness of the overall research and development plan, capital resources and internal procedures of the Company, to approve the expansion of the lead indication to MDD; (ii) the Companys current capital and proceeds from the Placement will be sufficient for developing the updated IND submission package and updated IND enabling studies; (iii) the broadened indication and the future clinical trials are going to be acceptable to the FDA; (iv) the Company and its consultants can efficiently and timely address any additional correspondence, submission of additional materials or information pursuant to any ongoing requests as they may arise resulted from the broaden indication; and (v) additional pre-clinical studies required for MDD will be commenced and completed on a timely basis and results will be supportive and as anticipated. Certain assumptions that influence the successful initiation of a Phase 1b/2a human study in H1 2023 as part of a revised accelerated development pathway include: all assumptions above and (i) the Board makes a determination, based on the readiness of the overall research and development plan, capital resources and internal procedures of the Company, to approve the revised project objectives; and (ii) the Companys current capital and proceeds from the upcoming Placement will be sufficient for the accelerated study timeline. Although management believes that the anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Certain risk factors include but are not limited to the ability of the Company to complete the Placement upon the contemplated terms and timeline (if at all); research and development of drugs targeting the central nervous system being particularly difficult; failure to comply with health and data protection laws and regulations; delays in pre-clinical and clinical testing resulting in delays in commercializing; inability to file investigational new drug applications or clinical trial applications to commence clinical trials in a timely manner; difficulty enrolling patients in clinical trials; competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies; violations of laws and regulations resulting in repercussions; psychedelic inspired drugs possibly never being approved as medicines; regulatory or political change; reliance on third parties to plan, conduct and monitor preclinical studies and clinical trials; requirements of commercial scale and quality manufactured drug supply; negative results from pre-clinical and clinical trials or studies of others; negative operating cash flow and going concern; the detrimental impact of future losses and negative cash flow from operations; requirements for additional capital; lack of product or service revenue; unfavourable publicity or consumer perception; not achieving publicly announced milestones; reliance on the capabilities and experience of key executives and scientists; disruptions due to acquisitions or collaborations; risk of product liability claims; COVID-19; litigation; conflicts of interest; limited operating history; general economic, market and business conditions and other risk factors including those found in the Companys annual information form dated September 3, 2021 filed on the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and discussed in the Companys other public filings available on SEDAR. Forward-looking information is provided and made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information other than as required by applicable law. Investor Relations: Keenan Gentry Email: IR@wesanahealth.com Phone: 702-329-8038 Media Contacts: Isadora Forman Email: media@wesanahealth.com Phone: 917-653-4613 1Source: Emergen Research, 2020 Pakistan's military air raids over Afghanistan, which targeted the eastern provinces of Khost and Kunar on Saturday, have caused several casualties, which have risen to at least 47, officials said. The director of information and culture in Khost, Shabir Ahmad Osmani, said that the dead victims included 41 civilians who were mainly women and children. The official added that 22 other people were wounded by the airstrikes near the Durand Line in his province. Pakistan Air Raids Two other Afghan officials confirmed the increased death toll in Khost while a third one said on Saturday that six other people were killed in Kunar province. The largest news channel in the region showed images of children's bodies who were reportedly killed during the airstrikes. Furthermore, the media outlet showed protests involving hundreds of residents in Khost that were condemning Pakistan and shouting anti-Pakistan slogans. On the other hand, the Pakistani military has not made any comments regarding the attacks. But on Sunday, Islamabad's foreign ministry urged the Taliban authorities in Kabul to take "stern actions" against armed fighters attacking Pakistan from Afghan soil, as per Aljazeera. Since the Taliban insurrection group took control of Afghanistan last year, border tensions between the country and Pakistan have risen. Islamabad officials claimed that militant groups have been carrying out frequent attacks from Afghan territory. On the other hand, the Taliban group has denied that they were harboring Pakistani militants, saying they were also frustrated by a fence that Islamabad erected along their 2,700-kilometer border. Before the airstrikes, there were reports that Pakistan's military forces fired rockets into Afghan territories. Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: Experts Warn of Environmental Disaster Aside From Radiation Due to Crisis According to France24, an official with the Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Khost, Mohammad Najibullah, was the one who revealed the increased death toll in the province. He also noted that 24 of the victims who were killed were all part of one family. A spokesman for the Taliban government released a statement on Twitter that said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan "strongly condemns Pakistan's attacks on refugees in Khost and Kunar." The official, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that the IEA calls on the Pakistani side not to test the patience of Afghans on such issues to avoid the same mistake. Afghanistan's Response Mujahid added that problems between the two regions should be resolved through political means and not military aggression. Taliban authorities summoned Pakistan's ambassador on Saturday to go to Kabul in order to express their disapproval of the attacks and give him a diplomatic demarche to deliver to Islamabad. In a Sunday statement, Pakistan's foreign office said that the country had repeatedly requested the newly-formed Afghan government in the last few months to secure the Pak-Afghan border region. They argued that terrorists were using Afghan soil with impunity to carry out activities inside Pakistan. Pakistani Taliban, otherwise known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, have made a stronghold in the area between the two countries for decades. The group, which is a banned militant group in Pakistan, drew its strength from some of the same ideological and religious moorings as the Afghan Taliban, the New York Times reported. Related Article: India: Defense Minister Sends Strong Message on China Threat, "Zero-Sum Game" of USA @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is just around the corner and that means that Formula 1 is about to start the European part of the calendar. For British viewers it is therefore familiar times again, although this weekend we see the qualifying already on Friday. Grand Prix in Imola For the third year in a row, F1 is calling on Imola for a GP. The historic circuit was deemed too small and narrow by the sport's leadership after 2006, but when the sport became distressed the circuit jumped into a hole. The coronavirus turned out to be an ideal opportunity for Imola to put itself back on the map. Read more Olav Mol speaks out on criticism of Viaplay Indeed, when F1 was shy about the number of circuits in 2020 and wanted to stay mainly in Europe because of all the travel restrictions, Imola was not too shy to step in. In 2020, the first Emilia Romagna GP was organized and that return to Italy was a success. In 2021 the circuit was requested again and even in 2022, now that all countries have returned to the calendar, Imola can also be admired on the calendar. F1 back in Europe For Ferrari, this will be a unique opportunity to showcase the fast F1-75 to the Tifosi and win in front of their own fans. This has to happen on a special weekend though, as the GP in Imola is the first weekend of this season where a Sprint is organized. So that also means that qualifying is already held on Friday. The weekend at the circuit of Imola starts on Friday with the first free practice at 1:30pm local and therefore 12:30pm UK time. Qualifying is Friday afternoon at 4pm. On Saturday, the second free practice is at 11:30am, followed by the Sprint at 3:30pm. The race on Sunday starts at 2pm. Timetable for the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Friday First free practice: 12:30-13:30pm Qualifying: 4-5pm Saturday Second free practice: 11:30am-12:30pm Sprint: 3:30-4:30pm Sunday Race: 2-4pm Helmut Marko has good news for fans of Max Verstappen. According to the Austrian, Honda has indicated that the problems with Verstappen's engine have been resolved for the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the engine will 'just' be used one more time. Another failure for Verstappen For Verstappen and Red Bull Racing, the Australian Grand Prix ended in a big disappointment. For the second time in 2022, the Dutchman had to park his RB18 on the side of the track due to a problem with his car. Where after the Bahrain GP was pointed to a problem with the fuel supply, the problem would now again have to do with the fuel. Read more What time will the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Imola 2022 start? Verstappen himself was harsh after the Australian GP: this could not and should not happen and the Red Bull driver did not even have to talk about prolonging the title. Christian Horner was also fed up with the situation and Helmut Marko also found it unacceptable. The latter, however, has now received good news from Japan. Good news from Honda Although Red Bull Racing runs with Red Bull Powertrains, it is in fact still a Honda engine and the engine factory in Milton Keynes is not yet ready to the extent that the power source itself can be scrutinized. At Sakura, that has been done and Marko informs the Austrian ORF that Honda has assured him that the problems will be fixed before the next race. The second piece of good news is that the fire at the rear of the Red Bull car was not able to do any major damage to the reigning world champion's engine. Again, according to Marko, there was nothing wrong with the engine, but this time with the fuel line. That would have cracked under great pressure causing the leak. For Verstappen, it is to be hoped that his failure in Bahrain was the last of this season. Mika Hakkinen is a good example, because in 1999 he also crashed out twice in the first three races and still became world champion. However, there are not many more examples, so Verstappen and Red Bull are warned: another DNF could just mean the end of the title race in 2022. Read more Sprint in Imola: these are the new rules for the sprint races in 2022 A White House official said on Sunday that Americans above 60 years old should get a second booster or a COVID-19 vaccine, citing the latest data from Israel showing that getting a fourth vaccine significantly lowered infections and deaths among the elderly. Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the new White House Covid-19 response coordinator, made the remarks on a Fox News program weeks after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized second booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for people 50 and older. The decision, according to the FDA, was made to boost dwindling protection against severe illness when the more contagious subvariant of Omicron, known as BA.2, became the virus's prevalent strain in the US, The New York Times reported. When asked if Americans should get a second booster shot, Dr. Jha cited Israeli data showing a fourth shot provided substantial protection, especially against the serious condition, in individuals beyond 60. Dr. Jha said that Israel's data is "pretty compelling" for individuals above 60 years old. It indicated those who received a second booster shot four months after their first booster showed a "substantial reduction" in infections and fatality. Hence, he recommends it for the American elderly. "it's dependent on risk profile - talk to your doctor, it's much more of a close call. But for people over 60, I think people should be getting that second booster," Dr. Jha said. Should Americans Worry About The Latest COVID-19 Variant? When asked how concerned Americans should be about BA.2, he replied that while cases are increasing, hospital admissions are still low, implying that government officials must "pay close attention" to determine the severity of the variant's risk, per The Independent. Dr. Jha also defended the CDC's decision to prolong the federal mask mandate for travel. He explained that the additional 15 days will help health authorities determine the severity of the cases. The medical expert said it was still unclear if BA.2 will produce a more severe disease than earlier viral variants and subvariants. Cases are increasing, although hospitalizations are "at the lowest level during the pandemic," The FDA is still waiting for vaccine producers to provide data on whether vaccines for kids under the age of five are safe and effective. Dr. Jha expressed optimism that the FDA would be able to reach a decision within the next two months. Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: Experts Warn of Environmental Disaster Aside From Radiation Due to Crisis The Pandemic Is Still Here The new boosters - the fourth round of shots for most vaccine recipients - of the Pfizer Inc /BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc vaccines are to be provided at least four months after the last dosage, per the US Food and Drug Administration. They are designed to provide increased protection against severe infection and hospitalization. The decision to provide second boosters in the United States comes as several scientists have expressed alarm about the highly infectious and newly predominant BA.2 Omicron subvariant, which has caused an increase in COVID-19 cases in other nations. In an interview with NBC 10 News, Dr. Jha told the public that "The pandemic is not over" that is why adults need booster shots. "That is completely necessary when you look at what's happened with omicron, particularly. A booster is essential," Dr. Jha said. Related Article: Kentucky Employer Fined $450,000 Over Surprise Birthday Party That Triggered Worker's Anxiety Disorder @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Boris Johnson is expected to insist once more that he felt he was obeying lockdown regulations, despite the fact that police fined him for doing so. After accepting a 50 fixed penalty notice last week, which implies police reasonably suspect he committed a criminal infraction, the Prime Minister has been accused of "taking the people for fools." Most Britons Regard Boris Johnson as a "Liar" It comes as a JL Partners survey for The Times today indicated that 72 percent of 2,000 Britons have an unfavorable impression of Boris Johnson, with "liar" being the most regularly used word. Boris Johnson will make a statement to Parliament at 3.30 p.m. tomorrow, followed by a meeting with Tory MPs where he'll apologize. Nonetheless, while the conflict in Ukraine is raging, he will try to downplay the fact that he has become the first-ever Prime Minister to be penalized for disobeying the law. "Mistakes were made," a close supporter of the PM told The Times, but he would assure colleagues that "there was always an exception for work," and that "people were working in close proximity at No10 for extremely long hours." Nurses who did not socialize at work and families who lost loved ones would be outraged by the new defense, allowing meetings only if they are "reasonably required for work." The PM was fined for a birthday celebration in No10's Cabinet Room, and insiders believe he might face further penalties for three more gatherings, Mirror reported. While acknowledging that mistakes were made, a close supporter of the Prime Minister said he would remind MPs that there was always an exception for work and that individuals at No 10 worked in close quarters for lengthy periods of time. However, Johnson's supporters believe the worst is yet to come since the June 2020 event is regarded as the least troublesome of those under investigation by authorities, prompting worries that there is a "low threshold" that might result in him facing more fines. Johnson was also seen drinking at other parties under investigation, even inciting one session by pouring the wine himself. Today, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries weighed in on the debate, accusing the PM's opponents of focusing on "uneaten cake" at a time when serious international events were taking place. Read Also: Russia Expresses Irritation, Warns of 'Unprecedented Consequences' if US Keeps Helping Ukraine in War Boris Johnson Faces New Partygate Claims Boris Johnson will have his say on Partygate in Parliament this week, according to Energy Minister Greg Hands. The meeting to send off then-director of communications Lee Cain on November 13, 2020 - an event the Prime Minister is said to have been at the forefront of - is seen to be of special significance. Before toasting Cain, the PM is said to have assembled colleagues around the press office table, which held bottles of alcohol - all of which were filmed by a camera. His appearance at the event's forefront would undoubtedly contradict remarks made in the House of Commons. Downing Street refused to comment on the photos but disputed that the Prime Minister had scheduled the farewell cocktails. On Thursday, MPs are scheduled to vote on whether or not a parliamentary committee should investigate charges that he lied to Parliament over Partygate. According to sources, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is set to grant two requests for a so-called contempt motion investigating Johnson's behavior from opposition MPs. Johnson, on the other hand, is expected to press his colleagues to disregard Partygate and focus on the impending municipal elections on May 5. Meanwhile, in the wake of a distinguished historian's criticism of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg batted down charges that he broke the ministerial code over Partygate, as per Daily Mail. Related Article: New Book: Jill Biden Screamed, Kicked Out Priest During President Joe Biden's Suffering From Brain Aneurysm @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GREENWICH Monday was a particularly festive day at the Nathaniel Witherell. Boisterous conversations took place in the main dining hall, where salad Caprese, chicken, steak and cheesecake were served. The occasion was a salute to the volunteers who give of their time and help out at the town-owned nursing home and rehabilitation facility. It was a long-delayed thank you to several dozen volunteers who assist with transporting patients within the facility, as well as recreation, grooming, religious services, educational programs and many other tasks and activities that make life a little more pleasant and enjoyable for the seniors who live there. The volunteer appreciation lunch had been put on hold over the past two years, with the COVID19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of many volunteer-related activities at the Witherell. The luncheon event marked the commemoration of National Volunteer Week. It was nice to see a good crowd and a tasty spread, said Mary Tate, the volunteer coordinator at the Witherell. They ate well, she said. They deserved it. The town facility has been reopened to volunteers programs since the early part of 2022. Were in welcome-back mode, Tate said, who was hoping to thank returning volunteers and eager to find new ones. Previous to the pandemic, the facility had about 100 volunteers working on its roster. Now the number is at about 40, she said. It was nice to have a good lunch, said volunteer Sharon Graham, but the rewards of volunteering far exceeded the meal she was served Monday afternoon. Graham said she was looking for volunteer opportunities after she retired from a career managing a large outpatient medical facility in New York City. I wanted to volunteer. My life is wonderful Im healthy, Ive got a wonderful marriage. And I wanted to give back and to be busy, and I wanted to be involved, she recalled. A friend told her about opportunities at the Witherell, and it was a good fit, she said. Graham describes herself as a people-person, and said she likes to keep an active schedule, so her volunteer work in patient transportation was exactly the right kind of work for her. Busy, busy, busy, said Graham, a Norwalk resident. She said she has been having interesting and fulfilling encounters with patients and staff for the past five years. So many stories, and the long-term people are wonderful, the volunteer said. You get to appreciate the therapists, the nursing assistants. You get to meet family, its just a joy. Like Graham, another volunteer, Jim Santora, said he felt a sense of loss when he couldnt do his volunteer work at the Witherell during the pandemic. During COVID, I realized how much I needed this place, said Santora, who has a long history of volunteering in the community as a driver and a tutor for young people. It was terrible not being able to come here. Santora, a Greenwich resident, helps people get to the Catholic Mass that is celebrated at the facility, as well as ushering during the service. He also helps run a conversation group on current events at the Witherell. Tate, the volunteer coordinator, said volunteers in a range of fields are welcomed, and there is no minimum commitment. The average is a couple of hours a week, she said. We are very flexible. Whatever they want to give us, we will take. The big lunch Monday afternoon was a nice way to get back to normal, by meeting and talking with the other volunteers, said Santora. It feels like home in a way, he said, And you get more than you give, thats what its all about. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia will receive $99 million in a settlement finalized Monday with Johnson & Johnson's subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. over the drugmaker's role in perpetuating the opioid crisis in the state that has long led the nation in drug overdose deaths. State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said during a news briefing that he believes West Virginia's settlement is the largest in the country per capita with Johnson & Johnsons Janssen, which has faced opioid litigation in dozens of communities throughout the U.S. The attorney general said the figure is reflective of the severity of the opioid crisis in West Virginia. We think it represents a major step forward to start to get money in the door to help West Virginians who have been devastated by the opioid epidemic, Morrisey said from his state Capitol office. The settlement was announced at the start of the third week of testimony in the state's case against Janssen, Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., AbbVie Inc.s Allergan and their family of companies. The companies are accused of downplaying or failing to mention the risks of addiction associated with opioid use in West Virginia while overstating the prescription drugs benefits. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson and Janssen said the settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the company. The company's actions relating to the marketing and promotion of important opioid prescription medications were appropriate and responsible, a news release read. The company no longer sells prescription opioid medications in the U.S., according to the release. Morrisey said West Virginia's cities and counties could start seeing the settlement money within 45 days. The money will be used to help communities combat the opioid crisis. Meanwhile, he said the trial against Teva and Allergan is continuing as scheduled. We will have no delay in our pursuit of accountability against Teva and Allergan and well be back in court now, he said. Filed in 2019, the state's lawsuits accuse the companies of creating a public nuisance and violating the states Consumer Credit and Protection Act. Attorneys for the companies said during opening statements earlier this month that their individual products in question had considerably less than 1% of the market share in West Virginia, were medically necessary prescriptions and could not have contributed to the states opioid problems. But pharmaceutical marketing expert Matthew Perri testified that he painstakingly reviewed thousands of pages of marketing materials from the companies. He described a paradigm shift from the late 1990s to early 2000s in which the companies transitioned from marketing opioids as drugs designed for terminal cancer patients to drugs aimed at treating long-term pain. Perri testified that marketing materials used by sales representatives described drugs as safe and highly effective at controlling pain and improving functionality and quality of life for patients. It took down the barriers that were there, and effectively lowered the bar for the prescription of opioid medications, he said. Opioids could be prescribed sooner in the treatment process, with less worry. Dr. Katherine Keyes, director of Columbia Universitys Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program, testified last week that the influx of prescription opioids into communities was the main driver of the states drug crisis more than poverty, job loss and other economic stressors. The economic conditions were the kindling, but the opioid suppliers were the gasoline that was poured directly on that kindling, Keyes said. Dr. Rahul Gupta, the state's former health officer, testified during a video deposition shown earlier this month that the opioid epidemic got so bad, the state was having trouble finding foster parents to care for children. He said it also led to increases in public health problems such as Hepatitis B and HIV cases and neonatal abstinence syndrome, a withdrawal in newborns caused by exposure to drugs in the womb. Gupta, who is now the White House drug czar, recorded his testimony before he was named to his White House position last fall. Before the trial started, Morrisey's office announced the state settled part of the lawsuit involving another defendant, Endo Health Solutions, for $26 million. State and local governments, Native American tribes, unions, hospitals and other entities have filed more than 3,000 lawsuits involving the opioid epidemic in state and federal courts. In November, a California judge ruled in favor of Johnson & Johnson, Allergan, Endo International, Teva and others, saying local governments had not proven in a lawsuit that the companies used deceptive marketing to increase unnecessary opioid prescriptions and create a public nuisance. Nationwide settlements were completed in February by Johnson & Johnson and distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson over their role in the opioid addiction crisis. That cleared the way for $26 billion to flow to nearly every state and local government in the U.S. West Virginia previously reached settlements in separate lawsuits, including $37 million with distributor McKesson in 2019, and $20 million with Cardinal Health and $16 million with AmerisourceBergen in 2017. In Charleston, a separate bench trial wrapped up last summer in a federal lawsuit accusing AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson of fueling the opioid crisis in Cabell County and the city of Huntington. That judge has not indicated when he will rule. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TOKYO (AP) Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said Monday his country has joined the international community in implementing tough sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but that does not mean it has abandoned its traditional neutrality. Cassis and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed in talks in Tokyo that Russia must be held accountable for attacks on Ukrainian civilians, Japan's Foreign Ministry said. Kishida, in opening remarks at their meeting, said Russias invasion undermines the foundation of the international order not only in Europe but also in Asia. Now is the time for the international society to unite more than ever, he said. Cassis, who is also foreign minister, said at a separate news conference that Switzerland strongly denounces war and urged Russia to immediately halt its invasion. He said Switzerland, which does not belong to the European Union, fully backs EU sanctions against Russia and implemented a fifth round of measures last week. But that does not mean his country has abandoned its policy of neutrality, he said. Supplies of war material would not be compatible with neutrality. Participation in military alliances would not be compatible with neutrality. Using ones own territory to transport or fly over war material to war would be incompatible with neutrality. On the other hand, condemning any action that strongly violates our values, which are in the constitution, that is compatible with neutrality, he said through a translator. Japan also was quick in joining the United States and European Union in imposing sanctions against Russia because Tokyo fears the impact of its invasion on East Asia, where China has been increasingly pushing its own territorial claims. Japan has frozen the assets of hundreds of Russian individuals and groups and banned new investment and trade, including exports of goods that could be used for military purposes. Japan also announced plans to phase out imports of Russian coal. Cassis told reporters that he understood through his talks with Japanese officials about Japan's harsh security environment. Japan is a neighbor of Russia and also faces the threat of North Koreas missile and nuclear development, tensions with China and disputes over history with South Korea. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KVIV, Ukraine A Ukrainian military official said street battles have begun and evacuation is impossible in the town of Kreminna. That's one of only two spots where the Ukrainians said the Russians managed to break through on Monday along a front stretching for hundreds of miles. Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said the town came under heavy artillery overnight, setting seven residential buildings on fire, and that the Olympus sports complex where the nation's Olympic team trains was targeted. Haidai later said on Ukrainian TV that Russians took control of the city after leveling everything to the ground, so his guys retreated to regroup and keep on fighting. It simply makes no sense to stand in one place, to die for everyone, without causing significant damage to the enemy, he said. ___ KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: 'No surrender: Ukrainians fight on in Mariupol steel plant Russia renews strikes on Ukraine capital, hits other cities Syrian fighters ready to join next phase of Ukraine war Bosnians warn Ukrainians: Its a long journey to justice Mother, grandmother weep over 15-year-old killed in Kharkiv Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. ___ OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: KVIV, Ukraine Russian forces are attacking along a broad front, over 300 miles (480 kilometers) long, Ukrainian officials said Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putins forces were increasing assaults in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions both of which are part of the Donbas as well as in the area of Zaporizhzhia, they said. The occupiers attempted to break through our defenses, said Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraines national security council. Fortunately, our military is holding out. They passed through only two cities this is Kreminna and another small town. He added: We are not giving up any of our territories. Russia also bombarded the relative safe haven of Lviv and a multitude of other targets across Ukraine in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the countrys defenses. Moscow said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles, while its artillery hit an additional 315 targets and its warplanes conducted 108 strikes. The claims could not be independently verified. ___ KVIV, Ukraine Russia has begun dropping bunker-buster bombs on a Mariupol steel plant where Ukrainians are refusing to surrender, the commander of the Azov Regiment of the National Guard said Monday. Denys Prokopenko, whose soldiers have been holding out against Russian forces in the key southern port city, said in a video message that the bombs are dropping even though civilians are sheltering in the plants tunnels. Russian occupational forces, and their proxy ... know about the civilians, and they keep willingly firing on the factory, he said. Russia estimated that 2,500 Ukrainian troops and about 400 foreign mercenaries were dug in. The U.S. said nearly a dozen Russian battalion tactical groups have been tied up trying to defeat them. The head of the citys patrol police, Mikhail Vershinin, told Mariupol television on Sunday that many civilians including children are hiding in the plant, seeking shelter from Russian shelling and forces occupying other parts of the city. Ukraine estimates that 21,000 people have been killed in Mariupol. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk warned Russia on social media that refusing to open humanitarian corridors will justify war crimes trials. The Russians, for their part, said neo-Nazi nationalists have hampered evacuations. ___ KVIV, Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has launched its long-feared, full-scale offensive to take control of Ukraines east, Now we can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, he said in a video address. Zelenskyy said a significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. The Donbas is Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics recognized by Russia. The Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after failing to storm. After withdrawing from the capital, it began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for what could be a climactic battle. No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight, Zelenskyy vowed. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day. ___ UNITED NATIONS The United Nations humanitarian chief said it seems the time is not quite ripe yet to establish a cease fire to get humanitarian aid into Ukraine, but he held out hope as the Orthodox Easter holiday approaches this weekend. Maybe there will be some ripeness, Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths said at a news conference on Monday. After traveling to Kviv and Moscow for high-level meetings with Ukrainian and Russian officials this month, Griffiths told The Associated Press he had sensed little trust between the adversaries and was not optimistic. Griffiths called for Russia and Ukraine to return to talks aimed at ending the war and for much, much more willing acceptance, primarily of the Russian federation, to allow convoys in and convoys out. For now, lets get aid to people where they need it, Griffiths said. The U.N. says 12 million people have been uprooted by the war, with about 5 million of them pouring across borders and the rest seeking safety elsewhere in Ukraine. ___ BERLIN Germanys employers and unions have joined together in opposing an immediate European Union ban on natural gas imports from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. They say a boycott would lead to factory shutdowns and job losses in the blocs largest economy. A rapid gas embargo would lead to loss of production, shutdowns, a further de-industrialization and the long-term loss of work positions in Germany, said Rainer Dulger, chairman of the BDA employers group, and Reiner Hoffmann, chairman of the DGB trade union confederation. Their joint statement Monday to Germanys dpa news agency comes as European leaders discuss possible new energy sanctions against Russian oil, following a decision April 7 to ban Russian coal imports beginning in August. Ukraines leaders say revenues from Russias energy exports are financing Moscows destructive war on Ukraine and must be ended. That wont be easy to do. The EUs 27 nations get around 40% of their natural gas from Russia and around 25% of their oil. ___ Ukraine rejected as baseless and false the accusations made by Serbias president that Ukraines secret service is behind a series of hoax bomb threats against Air Serbia flights to Russia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has claimed that the foreign intelligence services of Ukraine and an unidentified European Union nation are responsible. The pro-Russian Serbian leader did not provide evidence for his claim. Other Serbian officials alleged that the threats were being sent from Ukraine or Poland. Ukraines Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nilolenko on Monday called the allegations false. The Serbian national carrier is the only European airline besides Turkish air companies that has not joined EU flight sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. ___ BRUSSELS The European Unions top diplomat condemned Russias indiscriminate and illegal attacks on Ukraine on Monday as the country experienced the most intense missile strikes in weeks. Josep Borrell, the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a statement that the EU supports the work of the International Criminal Court and other efforts to ensure accountability for human rights violations. There can be no impunity for war crimes, said Borrell, who called for Russia to immediately cease hostilities and withdraw forces from Ukraine. ___ WASHINGTON The Pentagon says Russia has added artillery, ground combat forces and other capabilities in recent days ahead of a new ground offensive in the Donbas region in Ukraine. A senior U.S. defense official said the number of combat units known as battalion tactical groups in eastern and southern Ukraine has grown to 76 from 65 last week. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. military assessments of the war. Its difficult to know at this stage of the war, but that could add up to 50,000 to 60,000 Russian troops, depending on how developed the groups are. The official said that if Russian forces succeed in fully controlling the southern port of Mariupol it could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas region. The official also said that four U.S. cargo flights arrived in Europe on Sunday with weapons and other materials, part of $800 million in assistance announced last week. The official said training of Ukrainian personnel on U.S. Army and Marine Corps 155mm howitzers is set to begin at an undisclosed location outside of Ukraine in the next several days. The U.S. pledged 18 howitzers to bolster Ukrainian forces in the Donbas fight, and these trainees can in turn train more soldiers inside Ukraine. AP Military Writer Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report. ___ KVIV, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has formally submitted Ukraines answers to a questionnaire from the European Union, the first step in his campaign to obtain accelerated EU membership. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said when presenting the questions to Zelenskyy in early April that a preliminary decision on Ukraines candidacy could come in weeks. Ukraines drive to join the bloc has been a provocative issue with Russia for years. The people of Ukraine are united by this goal -- to feel they are an equal part of Europe, Zelenskyy said Monday as he handed two thick binders of Ukrainian responses to Matti Maasikas, the EUs envoy for Ukraine. ___ SARAJEVO, Bosnia Survivors of war crimes committed during Bosnias war 30 years ago say the victims of human rights abuses in Ukraine can learn from their experience, which was lengthy and painful. It took decades to arrest and try the wartime Bosnian Serb leaders, and more than 7,000 people still remain unaccounted-for. But the U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia eventually convicted 83 high-ranking political and military officials and transferred a mountain of evidence against lower-ranking suspects to their home countries for prosecution. The guilty were collectively sentenced to over 700 years in prison. Munira Subasic helped create Mothers of Srebrenica to demand that bodies be identified and those responsible brought to justice. To date, almost 90 percent of those reported missing from the fall of Srebrenica have been accounted for. Russias denials of massacres its soldiers are now obviously committing in Ukraine sound to me the same as Srebrenica genocide denial, Subasic said. But if survivors are persistent, the truth will prevail. ___ BEIRUT Kremlin officials boasted early in their war on Ukraine that thousands of experienced fighters from the Middle East would join Russian forces. Military analysts say only a small number appears to have arrived in Russia for training before being deployed to the front lines, but they say that could change as Russia prepares for a full-scale offensive. U.S. officials and activists monitoring Syria say the Russians have been actively recruiting. Rami Abdurrahman leads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He reported that about 40,000 people have registered so far with the Russian military and with Wagner Group, which is a Russian private contractor. Rayan Maarouf of Suwayda24, an activist collective that covers IS activities in the Syrian desert, said fighters were promised no less than $600 a month. Thats a huge sum of money amid widespread unemployment in Syria. Analysts say fighters from Syria are more likely to be deployed in coming weeks, especially after Gen. Alexander Dvornikov was named war commander. Dvornikov is well acquainted with the paramilitary forces Russia trained in Syria. Though some question how effective Syrian fighters would be in Ukraine, they could be brought in if more forces are needed to besiege cities or to make up for rising casualties. ___ MOSCOW Russias President Vladimir Putin says that the barrage of Western sanctions against Russia has failed. Putin said Monday that the West expected to quickly upset the financial-economic situation, provoke panic in the markets, the collapse of the banking system and shortages in stores. He added that the strategy of the economic blitz has failed. The Russian leader spoke in televised remarks during a video call with top economic officials. Putin noted that Russia has withstood the unprecedented pressure, arguing that the ruble has strengthened and the country has recorded a historic high trade surplus of $58 billion in the first quarter of the year. Instead, he contended that the sanctions backfired against the U.S. and its European allies, speeding up inflation and leading to a drop in living standards. Putin acknowledged a sharp hike in consumer prices in Russia, saying they rose by 17.5% as of April on a year-to-year basis and directing the government to index wages and other payments to alleviate the impact of inflation on peoples incomes. ___ KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraines deputy prime minister said Russia can be prosecuted for war crimes over its refusal to allow humanitarian corridors for civilians trapped in the city of Mariupol. Earlier on Monday, Iryna Vereshchuk had said no evacuations were possible for the second day in a row because of Russian attacks on civilian convoys. Your refusal to open these humanitarian corridors will in the future be a reason to prosecute all involved for war crimes, she wrote on her Telegram and Facebook channels. Vereshchuk called again on Russia to allow safe evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, especially the Azovstal steel mill, which covers more than 11 square kilometers (4 square miles) and is laced with tunnels. According to Vereshchuk, the government had been negotiating passage from Mariupol and Berdyansk, among other towns, as well as from the Luhansk region. The Luhansk government said four civilians trying to flee the region were shot to death by Russian forces. The Russians, in their turn, have accused the neo-Nazi nationalists in Mariupol of hampering the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol. __ KYIV, Ukraine Ukraines state security service has posted a video of a Ukrainian politician held on a treason charge offering himself in exchange for the evacuation of Mariupols trapped civilians, while two British men who surrendered to Russian forces in Mariupol appeared on Russian media asking to be part of an exchange. The video of Viktor Medvedchuk, the former leader of a pro-Russian opposition party with personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was posted Monday. In it, he appeals to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by name to consider the exchange. Medvedchuk was detained last Tuesday in a special operation carried out by Ukraines state security service, or the SBU. The 67-year-old oligarch had escaped from house arrest several days before the hostilities broke out Feb. 24 in Ukraine. He is facing 15 years to life in prison on charges of treason and aiding and abetting a terrorist organization for mediating coal purchases for the separatist Russia-backed Donetsk republic in eastern Ukraine. The British men identified themselves as Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin. In one video, Pinner asked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to be exchanged. Pinner had deep circles beneath his eyes and appeared exhausted, but said he and Aslin had been treated appropriately. Ukrainian officials have said Kyiv wants try Medvedchuk and ultimately exchange him for Ukrainian prisoners. The circumstances of the videos were unclear. The two videos were released within an hour of each other. ___ ROME Italian officials will go ahead with an energy-deal trip to Africa this week as part of Premier Mario Draghis efforts to quickly reduce the countrys heavy reliance of Russian gas, but he wont be going because he has tested positive for COVID-19. The premiers office, announcing the infection, said on Monday that Draghi has no symptoms. The mission to Angola and Congo, set for Wednesday and Thursday, will instead see the government represented by its ministers of foreign affairs and of ecological transition. Italy buys almost 40% of its gas from Russia. Draghi is determined to drastically reduce that reliance in the next two or three years, in large part by sealing deals with other energy producing countries. Draghi recently traveled to Algeria to make such an agreement as part of the strategy. ___ MADRID -- Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says Spain will reopen its embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a few days. Following similar decisions by several European neighbors, Sanchez said the reopening will show again the commitment of the Spanish government and Spanish people with the Ukrainian people. Spain is with Ukraine and we are against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, Sanchez said in an interview on Spains Antena 3 television. This is a war by Putin against what the European Union stands for. Spain closed the embassy within hours of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. ___ KYIV, Ukraine Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said seven people were killed and another 11, including a child, were wounded by Russian strikes in the western Ukrainian city. Plumes of thick black smoke were seen by Associated Press journalists in Lviv, rising over the city amid multiple explosions believed to be caused by missiles strikes. Lviv Regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyy said there were four Russian missile strikes, three of which hit military infrastructure facilities and one struck a tire shop. He said emergency teams were putting out the fires. Oleksandr Kamyshin, the chairman of the Ukrainian rail service, said the strikes hit near railway facilities. He said train traffic has resumed with some delays, and he vowed to restore the damaged network. Lviv and the rest of western Ukraine has been less affected by the fighting than other parts of the country, and is considered to be a relatively safe haven. ___ MOSCOW The Russian military says it has struck over 20 Ukrainian military targets with missiles. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Monday that precision-guided air-launched missiles destroyed 16 military facilities, including five command headquarters, a fuel depot, three ammunition depots and concentrations of Ukrainian military vehicles and personnel in the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions. Konashenkov said the military also fired Iskander land-based missiles to destroy four ammunition depots and three groups of Ukrainian troops near Popasna and Kramatorsk in the east and Yampil in central Ukraine. He said that the military used artillery to hit 315 Ukrainian targets, and Russian warplanes performed 108 strikes targeting Ukrainian troops and military equipment. Konashenkovs claims couldnt be independently verified. ___ LONDON Britains defense ministry says the continuing siege of Mariupol is tying up Russian forces and slowing its advance ahead of a planned major offensive in eastern Ukraine. In a daily intelligence update, Britains military says concerted Ukrainian resistance has severely tested Russian forces and diverted men and materiel, slowing Russias advance elsewhere. The Sea of Azov port city has been devastated in weeks of Russian pummeling. Britain says large areas of infrastructure have been destroyed and there are significant civilian casualties. Britain accuses Russia of using tactics of all-out war on civilian areas similar to its attacks in Chechnya and Syria, despite Russian claims at the start of its invasion that Russia would neither strike cities nor threaten the Ukrainian population. ___ LVIV, Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian troops in southern Ukraine have been carrying out torture and kidnappings, and he called on the world Sunday to respond. Torture chambers are built there, Zelenskyy said in an evening address to the nation. They abduct representatives of local governments and anyone deemed visible to local communities. Zelenskyy said humanitarian aid has been stolen, creating famine. In occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, he said, the Russians are creating separatist states and introducing Russian currency, the ruble. Intensified Russian shelling of Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv, has killed 18 people and wounded 106 in the last four days alone, Zelenskyy said. This is nothing but deliberate terror. Mortars, artillery against ordinary residential neighborhoods, against ordinary civilians, he said. He said a planned Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine will begin in the near future. Zelensky again called for increased sanctions against Russia targeting its entire banking sector and oil industry. Everyone in Europe and America already sees Russia openly using energy to destabilize Western societies, Zelenskyy said. All of this requires greater speed from Western countries in preparing a new, powerful package of sanctions. Three people have died, including a child, after two separate boating accidents in Connecticut late within the past week, according to public officials. Authorities have not yet released the names of the people who died in the two incidents, which occured at opposite ends of the state Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. The accidents come after the state saw an uptick in the number of fatal boating incidents during the pandemic. In 2020, there were five fatal recreational boating accidents in Connecticut, up from one in 2019 and two in 2018, according to national statistics compiled by the U.S. Coast Guard. Statistics for 2021 and early 2022 were not immediately available, but last year also notably saw two deaths involving personal watercraft the states first since 2012. On Friday afternoon, authorities were called to Wyassup Lake in North Stonington when a vessel capsized, officials said. The lake sits just north of the town of about 5,000 people in eastern Connecticut. Officials said four people were onthe boat when it overturned. They were hospitalized, but a child who had been onboard later died. The second incident was reported around 10:21 a.m. Sunday morning when authorities were notified of a small boat in distress in Long Island Sound off of Shippan Point in Stamford. Stamford fire officials said the operators of a 12-foot boat were unable to return to shore due to the wind and rough seas. The boat was being carried by the tide and wind away from Stamford when the last cell phone call was made to a family member from one of those onboard the small vessel, the fire department said. First responders were hampered in determining the exact location of the boat due to a language barrier and conflicting initial reports of the boat's last known location. Stamford Fire Chief Trevor Roach said it was unclear exactly what kind of boat the men were on because by the time fire personnel arrived, the vessel had sunk. The only thing sticking above the water were their heads, the chief said Monday. Roach said equipment showed the water temperature hovered just above 50 degrees. By the time the boats operators were pulled from the waves, they had hypothermia and were unable to be interviewed about what had happened, he said. Authorities from Stamford, Darien, Greenwich, the U.S. Coast Guard and the states Environmental Conservation Police all responded to the scene. Stamford officials said authorities were able to get the vessels last known location using cell tracking software. When fire and police rescue boats arrived at the scene, they located debris believed to be from the missing vessel, and then spotted the four missing men. Roach said the software, Carbyne, allows 911 operators to send a caller a link, which emergency services can then use to get live video from the persons phone, as well GPS data. The location data is able to pinpoint someone to within about 50 meters, he explained which on the Sound is pretty good. DEEP officials said all four men were wearing life jackets. They were transported to local hospitals. Two of the men recovered from the water were pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said. It was not immediately clear what specifically caused the deaths. Roach said this time of year, the department has to rescue a kayaker or other boater at least once a year. About once every other year, the incidents turn fatal. People have to remember that even though Long Island Sound may look like a pond, its not a pond, Roach said. He added: This time of year is really dangerous out there because people dont understand how cold the water is and how quickly that will take your energy away. Once you get offshore - they were a mile offshore - help takes a long time to get to you. Safe boating In Connecticut, operators of motorized boats in most circumstances are required to posses a Safe Boating Certificate. The license is also required to sail larger sailboats that dont have a motor. Operating a personal watercraft requires an additional license as well. DEEPs website includes the following tips for self-propelled meaning paddled or rowed boats. First, boaters going out on the water should always wear a life jacket, also known as a personal flotation device, or PFD. State law requires life jackets to be worn from the beginning of October through the end of May, and children 12 and under are also required to wear a life jacket. DEEP says if boaters capsize, they should stay with the vessel. In rough water, its a good idea to kneel in the bottom of the boat for stability, rather than sitting up on the seats. Wear proper clothing, including a hat. If you end up in the water, do not remove your clothes. They help you float and protect you against hypothermia, the agency says. Among the major causes of accidents, according to DEEP, are improper loading or overloading of a vessel, disregarding weather or water conditions, failure to lookout, capsizing or falling overboard, and people failing to wear a life jacket. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to Santa Fe campaign disclosure requirements stemming from a failed city ballot initiative in 2017 to tax sugary beverages. The 10th District Court of Appeals in Denver last year rejected the lawsuit from the Albuquerque-based Rio Grande Foundation that sought to shield future financial contributions from public disclosure in defiance of requirements enacted by the city of Santa Fe. That ruling now stands. The failed city ballot initiative would have shored up spending on early childhood education. It was marked by millions of dollars in campaign spending. The Rio Grande Foundation issued an online video that was critical of the soda tax proposal, prompting an investigation into possible violations of the citys campaign finance code. The foundation complied with a city order and disclosed two relatively minor donations of $7,700. Later it sought to invalidate the city regulations, citing a chilling effect on political contributions and, thus, free speech. The appeals court said the Rio Grande Foundation failed to show that speech would be silenced by the citys campaign finance regulations. Foundation President Paul Gessing said Monday that the group will more carefully consider restrictive local campaign finance rules if (and) when we choose to engage in efforts to educate voters on local ballot measures like Santa Fes soda and sugary drinks tax. The citys defense was supported by several advocacy groups for transparency in political spending, including the Brennan Center for Justice, New Mexico Ethics Watch, the League of Women Voters and Common Cause. Special interests often run elections ads that are deliberately misleading, and todays ruling means Santa Fe voters will be able to weigh the credibility of those ads and cast an informed vote, Paul Smith, a vice president at the Campaign Legal Center that served as defense counsel, said in a statement. Week 15 in review: OnePlus 10 Pro on sale in the US, Vivo X Note, X Fold official The OnePlus 10 Pro is now available in the US. It costs $900 for the 8/128GB model and OnePlus offers aggressive trade-in deals. T-Mobile is the official carrier for the OnePlus 10 Pro, but you can get it from third-party retailers like Amazon and T-Mobile. Speaking of OnePlus, it's unveiling a new smartphone next week. The OnePlus Ace will become official in China on April 21. Reports claim it's a rebranded Realme GT Neo3 or a OnePlus 10R. We'll know for sure next Thursday. vivo unveiled the X Note and X Fold smartphones for the Chinese market. Both feature flagship cameras and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. The vivo X Note brings a very big 7.0-inch 1440p 120Hz AMOLED display, 50MP main camera, 8MP 5x periscope, 12MP 2x zoom, and a 48MP ultrawide camera. There's a 5,000mAh battery with 80W charging. The vivo X Fold has a 6.53-inch display on the outside and an 8.03-inch unfolding one on the inside - both 120Hz. It has the same overall camera specs - 50MP, 8MP 5x, 12MP 2x, and 48MP ultrawide, though its main camera has a smaller sensor than the X Note. The X Fold has a smaller 4,600mAh battery too. The base vivo X Note (8/256 GB) starts at CNY 6,000 ($940/865/71,400), while the X Fold is available in Black, Blue, and Grey for CNY 8,999 (1,300/$1,415). No word yet on global availability. Poco's next affordable flagship is the F4 GT and it's launching on April 26. It uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 12GB of RAM, has a 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED, and a 4,700mAh battery. Those are the highlights of the week. Check out the full list of our popular stories below and see you next one! OnePlus Ace official launch scheduled for April 21 The phone looks a lot like the OnePlus 10R renders. 7" vivo X Note with SD 8 Gen 1 unveiled, SD870-powered vivo Pad follows The vivo X Note has a 21:10 display with 120 Hz refresh rate on the front and a quad camera with ZEISS lenses on the back. vivo X Fold arrives with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, flagship cameras The vivo X Fold is going on sale in China and it's cheaper than a Galaxy Z Fold3. Xiaomi 12 Lite full specs leak This will be the next member of the 12 family. nubia Red Magic 7 Pro in for review The Red Magic 7 Pro has 16GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and a hidden selfie camera. T-Mobile US is bringing back the Unlimited Google Photos storage At full resolution too. This deal will be paired with a Google One subscription. Former Xiaomi India director under investigation for breaching foreign exchange laws Manu Kumar Jain is under scrutiny for fund flows between the parent company and its Indian division. ReefCloud, used to monitor coral reefs around the world, was developed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science in collaboration with Palau International Coral Reef Center; Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji; the International Coral Reef Initiative; University of South Pacific; Queensland University of Technology; Marine Ecology Consulting and Maldives Marine Research Institute and CO2 Consulting. Russian President Vladimir Putin would only pursue the use of nuclear weapons in a situation wherein he sees an "existential threat" to the country or regime, according to a foreign policy expert and ex-Moscow official. Former Russian foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev said in an interview with Fox News that if Russia feels threatened "in their hearts existentially" when NATO forces move into Moscow, that is the moment when Putin will "resort to nuclear weapons." However, Kozyrev claimed that "there is no existential threat to Russia under present conditions." After failing to seize Kyiv after a month-long campaign in northern Ukraine, Russia has shifted its strategy in recent weeks. The Russian military claimed to have completed phase one of its mission and would now focus on securing the Donbas region, which some have dubbed a "consolation" for the "sacrifice." Putin's Latest Threat to NATO Putin recently reaffirmed his nuclear threat after Finland and Sweden's announcements that they may apply for NATO membership in June when the current member nations meet in Madrid. One of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned NATO that if Sweden and Finland become members of the US-led military alliance, Russia will deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in the European exclave of Kaliningrad, located between Poland and Lithuania. According to Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, Russia had deployed nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad even before its invasion of Ukraine started. He said that the international community is aware that "nuclear weapons have always been kept in Kaliningrad," and Russia uses it as a threat, as per an Al Jazeera report. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said Moscow would bolster its land, air, and naval forces in the Baltic Sea if Sweden and Finland became NATO members. Medvedev, a former Russian president, said that "the balance must be restored," and the Baltic region would no longer be "nuclear-free." The Russian official expressed his hope that Finland and Sweden would be enlightened. They would have to live with nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles close to home if they didn't, he warned. Read Also: Pakistan Attack Death Toll: Afghanistan Suffers at Least 47 Casualties due to Military Air Raids Zelensky Warns Nations To Prepare for Russia's Use of Nuclear Weapons Meanwhile, in an interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that all nations must prepare for Russia's use of nuclear weapons in its attack on Ukraine. He said that there is a chance that Putin will use nuclear or chemical weapons because he does not care about Ukrainian lives. "Chemical weapons, they should do it, they could do it, for them the life of the people, nothing. That's why," Zelensky said. However, the Ukrainian leader emphasized that the world should not be afraid, "be read" instead. "But that is not a question for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine but for all the world, I think," Zelensky noted. United States authorities have warned that if Putin is pressed against the wall, he may resort to using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. CIA Director Bill Burns said the US had seen no indication that Vladimir Putin is planning to take such action so far but that the agency is keeping a close eye on the possibility. Related Article: Easter Sunday Message: Pope Francis Blasts "Darkness Of War," Urged Faithful To Pray For Ukraine @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. At 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, masks will no longer be required outdoors and there are no limits on social gatherings or requirements for social distancing, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero announced in a video released by Adelup on Monday evening. View the governor's video message here: https://bit.ly/3MdB1EO or at COVID-19 Recovery Update: Monday, April 18, 2022 - YouTube. "To those of you who wish to continue the practice of wearing masks outdoors, and observe your own social gathering and social distancing preferences, whether in your businesses or your homes, I encourage you to do so, based on your circumstances and comfort level," the governor said. If Guam's COVID-19 numbers continue to remain low, indoor mask requirements will be lifted on May 3. Between Saturday and Monday, there were 38 new COVID-19 cases reported, not including cases that were previously reported over the weekend, according to the Department of Public Health and Social Services. Eight new cases were from the Department of Defense. There also were 10 people hospitalized on Monday, including one child. Nobody was in intensive care or on a ventilator. Nine of those who were hospitalized were vaccinated, and one was not. The governor said although restrictions are being lifted, the public health emergency remains in effect, and COVID-19 continues to pose a threat to communities around the world. "Because we remain in a public health emergency, our government can also continue delivering critical services and relief to people in need, particularly those in underserved communities," she said. The governor encouraged people to get vaccines and boosters. More than 136,000 Guam residents have received vaccines, more than 57,000 have received their first boosters, and more than 1,300 have received their second boosters. "With the summer and travel season fast approaching, I want to remind our people that even beyond the pandemic, vaccines are a crucial component of saving lives. While 96% of our eligible population has rolled up their sleeves to get fully vaccinated, immunity is waning, especially for our manamko. The CDC, along with our administration and Public Health, urges immunocompromised individuals 12 years and older to get their second booster shot if it has been four months or more since your first booster." Especially as mask requirements are lifted, "I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you take the responsible step of keeping current with your vaccinations and boosters," she said. The Guam Police Department and Guam Crime Stoppers are asking for the communitys help finding a stolen Wanco trailer light tower taken from Morrico Equipment last week. During a morning walkthrough of Morricos Ypao Road facility in Tamuning April 11, a cut was seen in the fence, according to Trina Cruz, marketing and communications director for Atkins Kroll, Morricos parent company. That prompted us to assess surveillance footage and assess inventory, and we did come across surveillance footage that showed a vehicle tampering with the gate at about 5:30 a.m. and then attaching the trailer light cart onto the individuals vehicle and driving off, Cruz explained. The vehicle seen driving off with the trailer light was a dark blue Toyota Highlander, and according to Guam Crime Stoppers, was headed toward Tumon. Since then, Cruz said security measures at Morrico had been significantly enhanced and the missing trailer light has not hurt operations. We are still able to conduct business, Cruz added. Morrico is offering a cash reward of $2,000 for information that will lead to an arrest. If you have information on the burglary, call GPDs dispatch at 671-475-8615/6/7. The first Solar Orbiter images have been publicly shared by both NASA and ESA on May 30, 2020. The High Resolution Imager in the EUV (HRIEUV) telescope captured a high-resolution image from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) onboard the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft. The appearance of the Sun at a wavelength of 17 nanometers, which would be in the extreme ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum, is depicted in these images. The Sun's upper atmosphere, known as the corona, can be visibly seen in these magnificent images taken at a temperature of approximately one million degrees. The First Solar Orbiter Images As NASA reports, on May 30, 2020, the HRIEUV telescope captured a slew of high-resolution images from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on the Solar Orbiter spacecraft, which was operated by the European Space Agency and NASA. There are a plethora of small flaring loops, bright spots that erupt, and dark, moving fibrils visible in these images. The images of the sun reveal certain "campfires" surrounding it. In capturing the images, the Solar Orbiter was approximately halfway between the Earth and the Sun, putting it closer to the Sun than any other solar telescope had ever been before in its history. This term refers to the prevalent features of the solar surface that have been revealed for the first time by these images and have been given the term "campfires." As solar theories suggest, these are omnipresent miniature eruptions that could have been attributed to the high temperatures of the solar corona as well as the origin of the solar wind. This became a rare opportunity for ESA to be able to observe features in the solar corona that were only about 250 miles across. According to ESA, the high-resolution imager HRILYA telescope, which is a component of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument on the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft, was used to capture these images of the Sun. As stated by the agency, "The images show the solar surface at a particular ultraviolet wavelength that is produced by hydrogen, the most abundant chemical element in the Universe." The wavelength is known as Lyman-alpha and has a wavelength of 121.6 nm. Read Also: Life on Mars? NASA Discovers Abundant Water Source In The Red Planet NASA and ESA's Solar Orbiter Mission The Solar Orbiter mission, which was launched by the European Space Agency on February 10, 2020, made its first close approach to the Sun in mid-June, capturing breathtaking images of our nearest star. The orbiter has six remote-sensing instruments that capture the Sun and its surroundings and are carried aboard the Solar Orbiter. As a bonus, it also has four in-situ instruments that keep an eye on the environment around the spacecraft while it's in space. Daniel Muller, ESA's Solar Orbiter Project Scientist, stated that witnessing the results gathered by the Solar Orbiter mission is just the beginning. "Solar Orbiter has started a grand tour of the inner Solar System, and will get much closer to the Sun within less than two years. Ultimately, it will get as close as 42 million km, which is almost a quarter of the distance from the Sun to Earth," said Muller. The Solar Orbiter is a space mission that is the result of an international collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA. Holly Gilbert, Director of the Solar Orbiter Project Scientist at NASA, stated that these first data are already demonstrating the power of a successful collaboration between space agencies as well as the utility of a diverse set of images in unraveling some of the Sun's mysteries. There were contributions to the science payload and/or the spacecraft from nineteen European Space Agency Member States, as well as from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The satellite was built in the United Kingdom by the prime contractor, Airbus Defence and Space. Related Article: NASA Announces Earendel: The Farthest Star Ever Captured by Hubble Haiti - FLASH : State of epidemiological alert in Haiti due to a highly contagious disease The Ministry of Public Health (MSPP) has activated the "epidemiological alert" system, after detecting a skin infection considered "highly contagious", which is similar to scabies https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36434-haiti-flash-a-form-of-highly-contagious-skin-infection-detected-in-several-areas-of-the-country.html This was reported on Sunday by a source from the Ministry's Epidemiology Department, who clarified that the alert included border health centers. Sunday the Dominican Ministry of Health indicated that it remains vigilant to any situation that could trigger an alert in the country regarding the skin infection reported in Haiti. According to the Ministry, so far the Dominican Republic has not recorded any cases similar to those reported in Haiti explaining that the Ministry had activated the sentinel surveillance plan in the areas most at risk in hospitals and at border crossings to act immediately if any type of situation related to this disease is detected. It clarified that he had not yet received any national notification from the Epidemiological Surveillance System, concerning the suspicious skin disease of unknown origin circulating in Haiti. However, he clarified that information has been received from Dominican consulates in Haiti regarding an increase in cases of skin infections in the Haitian population. For its part, the Dominican Society of Dermatology wanted to be reassuring and asked the population not to be alarmed by this first news, assuring that the Dominican Republic had highly qualified specialists to respond to all skin infections. Preventive measures recommended by the Haitian Ministry of Health : According to the information available. There is no confirmation of the parasite that causes this infection, but the measures for its control are the same as for scabies: 1. Avoid direct contact with an infected person; 2. Boil bedding; 3. Disinfect clothing, sheets, pillows and bath towels; 4. Ventilate spaces 5. Wash with clean water; 6. Above all, avoid scratching your skin despite the urge. Counting on the cooperation of everyone, the Ministry invites the population to be vigilant in order to curb the spread of this infectious disease." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36434-haiti-flash-a-form-of-highly-contagious-skin-infection-detected-in-several-areas-of-the-country.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Arrest of 2 alleged murderers of police officer Phillin Maurice Sunday, April 17, 2022 early in the morning, agents of the Intervention Brigade of the Police Station of Les Cayes (South Dept.) proceeded to the arrest of Augustin Ergi (23 years old), and Saint-Pierre Ricardo alias "Ti Blade" (30 years old) at Boulevard Quatre Chemins. They are accused of involvement in the assassination of police officer Phillin Maurice on February 25 in Martissant. Bahamas : 67 Haitians intercepted off Anguilla Cay Friday, April 15, 2022, the crew of the cuter Charles Sexton of the United States Coast Guard during 2 separate interceptions, transferred 67 Haitians and 15 Cubans to the authorities of the Bahamas, after the United States Coast Guard (USCG) rescued them near Anguilla Cay (Bahamas). 7th edition of the Fintech Summit The 7th edition of the Fintech Summit will be held on April 29, 2022 around the theme "E-money to accelerate the new economy in Haiti" Did you know ? The Haitian National Pantheon Museum (MUPANAH) houses a sarcophagus where the symbolic remains of the founding fathers are kept, and a rich collection of a thousand works of art, decorative art objects, historical documents and archaeological pieces. Agriculture : Workshop on meteorology A two-day workshop was organized by the Hydro-Meteorological Unit on the interpretation and use of meteorological information for the agricultural sector, food and nutrition security. 500 new teachers About 500 new teachers will join the staff of the Ministry "In total, since 2014, I am pleased to announce the appointment of about 800 graduates of the Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS)" declared the Minister of National Education Nesmy Manigat, during the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Bernard Reform https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36351-haiti-education-celebration-of-40-years-of-the-bernard-reform.html HL/ HaitiLibre By William Schwartz | Published on 2022/04/17 On April 15th actors Chun Woo-hee and Shin Ha-kyun of "The Anchor" appeared on the SBS Radio program Choi Hwa-jung's Powertime to discuss the movie. The mystery thriller from writer/director Jung Ji-yeon deals with an anchorwoman who receives an ominous phone call threatening to boost her career at the expense of others. Chun Woo-hee plays the anchor, while Shin Ha-kyun plays a mysterious psychiatrist connected to a murder. Advertisement Chun Woo-hee claimed to have been a big fan of Shin Ha-kyun for quite some time, and said she was shaking at the chance to work with him, her impression only improving upon seeing his working manner. Shin Ha-kyun made similarly positive comments about Chun Woo-hee, saying that she was great to work with. Apparently Shin Ha-kyun was cast first, and was curious about who would be cast as the leading lady. He had heard great things about her reputation. Shin Ha-kyun also wondered how approachable Chun Woo-hee would be, and found out that she was quite bright and friendly, despite her at-times serious reputation. Elsewhere, Chun Woo-hee also confirmed suspicions that she had her hair cut for the role. Chun Woo-hee normally has long hair, but felt that anchorwomen typically have short hair. Since filming "The Anchor" Chun Woo-hee has since grown her hair out again. Chun Woo-hee said she was a fan of the mystery thriller genre. She also describes the process of acting as fun, noting that others have observed this about her ever since she appeared in "Sunny - 2010" in a supporting role. Chun Woo-hee described the challenge of being an actress as fun to her. On that note, "The Anchor" had relatively little prep time. For a filming period of six months, Chun Woo-hee only had about twenty days of pre-production. Chun Woo-hee said that she worked hard with a real announcer during that time to get her pronunciation and manner correct for the role. To close, Chun Woo-hee descibred "The Anchor" as a good popcorn movie while Shin Ha-kyun hoped that people would come out to see it. "The Anchor" will be released in South Korean theaters on April 20th. Written by William Schwartz ___________ "The Anchor" is directed by Jung Ji-yeon, and features Chun Woo-hee, Shin Ha-kyun, Lee Hye-young-I, Kim Hyung-suk-I, Eun Sol, Park Se-hoon. Release date in Korea: 2022/04/20. By William Schwartz | Published on 2022/04/17 The mathematics-based cram school corporation Seven Edu recently released the results of an online poll of various students. Between March 17th and April 11th, Sevenedu asked 9082 students which celebrity they think would be best able to comfort them on Black Day. Kim Seon-ho was the resounding victor of the poll, with 8841 students, 97% of all respondents, choosing him as their preferred companion for the day. Advertisement Black Day is a companion holiday to Valentine's Day and White Day in South Korea. People who did not receive chocolates on either of those days eat black noodles, or Jajangmyeon, by themselves. Kim Seon-ho had also previously won a Seven Edu poll regarding Valentine's Day chocolates, albeit by a much closer margin. Kim Seon-ho has not appeared in any projects since a scandal last year where he was accused of bullying an ex-girlfriend into having an abortion. Kim Seon-ho acknowledged the legitimacy of the accusation and apologized for it. The ex-girlfriend also accepted his apology. His last project was "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" which was popular enough to make the accusation a major issue. Kim Seon-ho is currently expected to make his return with the film "Sad Tropics" by director Park Hoon-jung. Written by William Schwartz Time to upgrade! Microsoft advised customers to switch to a newer version to reduce their exposure to security risks as its Office 2013 version is approaching its end support by April 2023. End support means that users will no longer receive Office 2013 software updates from Microsoft Update or receive phone or chat technical support. There will be no further updates to support content and most online help content will be retired. Also, users will no longer be able to download Office 2013 from the Microsoft website. The tech company will stop providing several services to Office 2013 license owners, including technical support, bug fixes, and security patches for new issues once the end of support is reached. What Will Happen to Microsoft 2013 After April 2023? After April 2023, all of the Office 2013 apps will continue to function. However, users could expose themselves to serious and potentially harmful security risks. In a statement, Microsoft told customers that after five years of "mainstream support," and an extra five years of "extended support," Office 2013 will never have neither kind of support come 2023. Per the Fixed Lifecycle Policy, security updates for Office 2013 will no longer be available at that time. "After Office 2013 reaches the end of support, Microsoft won't provide any new security updates, and the continued use of Office 2013 after April 2023 may increase your organization's exposure to security risks or impact your ability to meet compliance obligations," Microsoft said. Another issue is customers connecting Microsoft 365 with an Office 2013 client might experience performance or reliability issues because Office 2013 is no longer a supported client since October 2020. Read Also: Microsoft Woke Feature Launching For Appropriation, Inclusivity of Word Choices Like Whitewash, Blacklist and More! Microsoft 2013 Users' Options for Upgrade Microsoft recommended to users to upgrade to Microsoft 365 Apps, the subscription version of Office that comes with many Microsoft 365 and Office LTSC 2021. Microsoft said that clients can upgrade to Microsoft 365 Apps, which are designed to receive regular updates, and will help users stay current by getting security updates and Microsoft's latest features. The Microsoft 365 Apps come with many Microsoft 365 and Office 365 enterprise and business plans. Users can install full versions of Office apps on multiple devices. According to Microsoft, alternatively, if an organization requires a static, unchanging product, consider moving to Office LTSC 2021. Office LTSC 2021 is sold via a volume license agreement as a one-time purchase. It can only be installed on one computer per license. Microsoft 365 Apps are updated regularly with new features while Office LTSC 2021 has the same features it came with on its launch date, in September 2021. Users should prepare an upgrade plan after exploring their options and deciding to switch to a newer version on compatible devices such as system requirements for 365 Apps and LTSC 2021. "Because Microsoft 365 Apps comes with many enterprise Microsoft 365 (and Office 365) plans, you should review the capabilities of your current plan as part of planning an upgrade to Microsoft 365 Apps," Microsoft explains. Microsoft 365 can be downloaded for free by students and educators at eligible institutions. This included Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and now Microsoft Teams, plus additional classroom tools. Users just have to use their valid school email address. Related Article: Microsoft Finally Responds To Outcry, Allows Office 2013 To Transfer Computers SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council is redeploying staff to ensure Ukrainian refugees moving to the district get the support and help they need. It has started to call the households that have applied to be hosts under the Governments Homes for Ukraine scheme. Council officers will make home visits to help hosts prepare for the arrival of the families that have fled the war in Ukraine. This is part of a county-wide system that will provide wraparound care for the refugees, such as offering help with healthcare needs, mental health counselling, schooling and finding work. The council is working closely with the health sector, other local councils, the Government and the voluntary sector. It has also set up a special helpline for hosts and their guests to call for help or advice in the coming weeks and months. The number is 01235 422600 or email communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk Council leader David Rouane said: We continue to stand with our communities and offer our support to those fleeing a terrible war and a humanitarian crisis. Our residents and businesses have been so generous in coming forward to support our Ukrainian guests. We echo that and are dedicating specialist resources to ensure our guests immediate needs are met. The council is working in partnership with neighbouring Vale of White Horse District Council. FOR Queen Annes School in Caversham, residential trips are well and truly back, with students heading off in the UK and further afield this past term. In early January, the schools A-level art students travelled to St Ives in Cornwall. Across three days the students worked with local artists, visited galleries and took advantage of the picturesque surroundings by creating experimental works whilst visiting the beaches and exploring the towns cobbled streets. The schools first trip abroad since before the pandemic, meant there was great excitement for the French trip to Paris. Visiting famous sights such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe was high on everyones list along with perfecting their French as they soaked up the citys culture. As the school prepared for the Easter break, the music and art trip to New York and ski trip to Austria were underway. Visiting New Yorks galleries gave the art students great inspiration for their works and the choir had the opportunity to perform in St Patricks Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, an experience they certainly wont forget. Meanwhile, the students on the ski trip were enjoying the fantastic snow conditions of the Austrian alps. For more information about Queen Annes School visit www.qas.org.uk The New Year's letter from Square Enix president, Yosuke Matsuda, expressing his enthusiasm towards a future involving NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and blockchain games, received scrutiny from gamers worldwide. The letter from Matsuda has caused an outcry over the controversial nature of NFTs which brought the gaming community into debates of whether it's good for the future of the industry or not. However, despite the backlash that Square Enix received, Matsuda remains hopeful about his NFT and blockchain technology prospects. Gamers Unhappy With Matsuda's Move Square Enix faced a lot of backlash when Matsuda published his New Year's letter expressing his plans to explore NFTs and blockchains. Gamers were disappointed with Matsuda's decision as most gaming fans have supported companies who have chosen to stay away from NFTs and blockchain. Matsuda's "play-to-earn" concept was also criticized by gamers. Points of his letter which talk about blockchain technology being the torch-bearer of self-sustaining game growth received disapproval. Game developers and publishers have already expressed their skepticism with regard to such technology. Companies like Valve and its subsidiary, Steam, have already banned them on the popular store. Gamers are unhappy that Square Enix is planning to tap into the market in 2022, a move that they deemed to be quite too quickly. This happens while many of their games suffer from a lack of resources. There are still advantages and disadvantages in incorporating blockchain technology. While it may revitalize user-generated content by incentivizing them, many believe it will also cause much trouble between developers, independent creators and consumers. Read Also: Sony's State of Play: Square Enix Showcases Multiple New Games - Is 'Final Fantasy XVI' One of Them? Matsuda Remains Hopeful With His Prospects In a report of PCGamer, Matsuda has reiterated his previous hopeful tone about blockchain and NFTs. "If, instead of relying on goodwill, we can also provide incentives to those who contribute to development by utilizing technologies such as blockchain, there is a possibility that innovative and interesting content can be created from the ideas of users," he said in an interview with Yahoo Japan. In his New Year's letter, Matsuda expressed that he believes that cloud gaming, AI, and blockchain games will be major areas of growth for the industry in 2022. He said that blockchains are built upon the premise of a token economy and therefore hold the potential to enable self-sustaining game growth. In Matsuda's view, NFTs will incentivize contributions and inspire more user-generated content in games. "I believe that this will lead to more people devoting themselves to such efforts and to greater possibilities of games growing in exciting ways. From having fun to earning to contributing, a wide variety of motivations will inspire people to engage with games and connect with one another. It is blockchain-based tokens that will enable this." Matsuda said. He also shared that by designing viable token economies into their games, they will enable self-sustaining game growth. "It is precisely this sort of ecosystem that lies at the heart of what I refer to as 'decentralized gaming,' and I hope that this becomes a major trend in gaming going forward," he added. Matsuda further said that as a "major strategic theme for us starting in 2022," the Square Enix portfolio of games will consist of both "centralized" and "de-centralized" games. Related Article: Square Enix Loves NFT, NFT Games, and Metaverse; But Fans Hate It After having three failed fueling attempts, the Artemis 1 team canceled the initial date for the fourth fueling attempt to return the moon rocket to NASA's Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building to replace the damaged valve and fix the leaky umbilical. Prelude to Artemis 1 Setback NASA said in a media advisory on Sunday, April 17, that the agency will hold a media teleconference on Monday at 3 p.m. EDT to discuss the status of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The Orion spacecraft's next wet dress rehearsal test ahead of the Artemis I lunar mission will also be on the agenda. Three important officials will participate in the teleconference that will be streamed live on the agency's website: (1) Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for common exploration systems development at NASA Headquarters in Washington, (2) Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director at NASA Exploration Ground Systems program in Kennedy, and (3) Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager at NASA Headquarters, As previously reported, "NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft were just officially positioned last month at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This means that NASA Artemis is getting closer to starting the lunar mission." Artemis is divided into three missions: Artemis I, Artemis II, and Artemis III. NASA is currently in the early stages of Artemis I. Before the agency announces the launch date, the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will be tested for launch preparations, a process known as the "wet dress rehearsal." First Failed Fueling Attempt of Artemis 1 According to Space.com, the wet dress rehearsal began on April 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants into the SLS, as well as the execution of many simulated launch countdowns, were scheduled to tie things up in around 48 hours. However, Artemis 1 crew members ran into many issues that caused those steps to be delayed, and they were forced to stand down to make room for the private Ax-1 astronaut mission, which launched on April 8 from KSC's Pad 39A aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Read More: NASA's Artemis 1 Moon Mission: Rollout of New Rocket To Launch Pad Delayed Until March Second Failed Fueling Attempt of Artemis 1 The second wet dress rehearsal of Artemis 1 was held on April 12 but in a modified format this time. After detecting a defective valve on the mobile launch lower supporting the Artemis 1 stack, the team chose to fuel only the SLS core stage, not its upper stage. Third Failed Fueling Attempt of Artemis 1 On April 14, technicians started fueling the core stage as scheduled, but they had to stop after discovering liquid hydrogen leaking from one of the "umbilical" cables connecting the mobile launch tower to the SLS. The Artemis 1 Team Canceled the Planned Fourth Wet Dress Rehearsal The Artemis 1 team initially intended to launch another tanking attempt as soon as Thursday, April 21, but they just opted to return the Artemis 1 stack to KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building to replace the damaged valve and fix the leaky umbilical. NASA hopes to launch the mission this summer but won't announce an official launch date until the wet dress is completed and the data has been examined. During the teleconference on April 18, the agency will provide additional information about the status of the Artemis I Moon Mission. Related Article: NASA To Hold Press Conference After Third Failed Attempt at Fueling Artemis 1 Spontaneous response for Hindu Rashtra Convention organized by HJS at Sonipat (Haryana) HJS for unification of Hindus and establishment of Hindu Rashtra Sonipat (Haryana) : Hindus are being converted systematically. Guru Gobind Singhs children and the ten Sikh Gurus sacrificed their lives for protection of the nation and Dharma, but they refused to convert to jihadi religion. We should remember this history and unite as Hindus by discarding all limitations created by castes and creed as it is the need of the hour, stated Sadguru Maharshi Om while addressing the Hindu Rashtra Convention organized by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) on 3rd of April 2022 here. The Convention was graced by Sadguru Dr. Charudatta Pingale, the national Guide of HJS with his presence. A good response was received from devout Hindu activists to this Convention. They resolved to work with unity for the establishment of Hindu Nation. Some dignitaries attending the Convention Shriram Senas Suresh Chawla, VHPs advocate Mohan Kaushik and advocate Santaram Singh; Gou-rakshak and Navadurga Temples trustee Shyam Sundarji, Narendra Surve of HJS, Pandit Shyamsundar Sharma, Shri Ramkanwar Malik, and Devendra Singh from Panipat. The thoughts of devout Hindu activists are keeping the fire of sacred fire of Hindu Rashtra Convention, burning !- Sadguru Dr. Charudatta Pingale, national Guide, HJS Hindu Rashtra Convention is a sacred fire which has been kept burning by the thoughts of devout Hindu activists. Today, selfish and egoist political leaders come together for gaining power, then, if Hindus working selflessly for protection of Hindutva come together, we can definitely establish the Hindu Nation. Presently, there is false propaganda about Hindu and Hindutva being two different things to brand Hindus as terrorists. Brief introduction of Sadguru Maharshi Om Sadguru Maharshi Om is originally from Gannaur (Haryana) and presently staying in Florida in the USA where he propagates Sanatan Dharma. Wake up and stop destruction of Hindus in Sonipat ! advocate Mohan Kaushik, VHP Today, the condition of Hindus in Mewat, Haryana is similar to that of their brethren in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Kashmir. Out of 534 villages of Mewat, there is no Hindu left in 200 villages. A similar condition is being created even at Sonipat. We have to wake up to stop such elimination of Hindus. Hindus have to be awakened ! Ramkanwar Malik Today, the condition of our country and Sanatan Dharma has become lifeless. There is a lot of indifference amongst Hindus. They need to be awakened and united. Everyone should go to a temple at least once a week ! Devendra Singh, Pathari, Panipat Temples are of utmost importance in Sanatan Dharma; therefore, Hindus should go to a temple near their house, at least once a week and offer service by cleaning etc. Performing havan at temples on the day of Poornima once a month will purify the atmosphere. Allowing religious fanatics to remain in India after the partition was a grave mistake ! Shyamsundarji, Gou-rakshak and Trustee of Navadurga Mandir India was divided on the basis of religion and the religious fanatics, who had demanded division, were allowed to remain in India; therefore, various problems are faced by this country today. Hanuman Mandir could be saved due to unity amongst Hindus ! advocate Santaram, VHP The Highway Authority had planned to demolish Hanuman Mandir while constructing a bridge in Sonipat. We tried hard, but they refused to listen. The temple could, however, be saved due to the ceaseless efforts of all activists and the unity of Hindus. Hindu traders should boycott all halal-certified products ! Narendra Surve, HJS Halal certificate is being sold on a large scale in India. The money collected from it is used by Jamiat Ulama- i- Hind Halal Trust for extending help to terrorists, which is very dangerous for Hindus. Hindu businessmen should, therefore, boycott all halal-certified products. Actor Park Hae-soo / Courtesy of Netflix 'Squid Game' actor reflects on busy year of acting By Kwak Yeon-soo Park Hae-soo cannot remember a busier period of acting in his 15-year career. In the span of just one year, he went from being a bit of a late bloomer to a global sensation all thanks to the success of "Squid Game," which took the world by storm and became the most-watched show on Netflix. After making his debut through the musical, "Mister Lobby," in 2007, Park experienced a wave of success following his breakout role in tvN's "Prison Playbook" (2017). He even earned the nickname, "Netflix employee" after appearing in four Netflix series and movies: "Persona," "Time to Hunt," "Squid Game" and the latest, "Yaksha: Ruthless Operations." The 40-year-old has attended several awards ceremonies, such as the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, to see his colleagues bring home trophies and meet some of Hollywood's biggest stars. "It's extraordinary. I am thankful for the opportunity to present original Korean content to audiences globally," he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. Park talked about the global boom of Korean cultural content, adding how TV series and films can induce change in people's preferences. "I think international audiences are impressed by the original plots and screenplays of Korean cultural content. They also respond to how stories depict the reality of human condition. In the past, major Hollywood studios would say they are looking for Asian actors. But now, they specifically want Korean actors," he said. Actor Park Hae-soo in a scene from the film, "Yaksha: Ruthless Operations" / Courtesy of Netflix Chinese enterprises hold Job Fair 2022 in South Africa 17:01, April 18, 2022 By Chang Liu ( People's Daily Online Chinese Ambassador Chen Xiaodong address the job fair. (People's Daily Online/Chang Liu) JOHANNESBURG, April 17 (Peoples Daily Online) -- Chinese enterprises in South Africa recently held Job Fair 2022, which aims to offer job opportunities to local residents in Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, attracting over 1,000 job seekers to the event on April 14, 2022. In his speech, Chinese Ambassador Chen Xiaodong said that the Job Fair is a concrete initiative and effort to implement the consensus reached between Chinese and South African presidents. For instance, this event has set its aims on achieving win-win results. It not only creates jobs for South Africans, but also provides an opportunity for Chinese enterprises to hire local talents and pursue localized development. Chinese-invested enterprises have pledged to provide 20,000 jobs directly to South Africans in the next three years in support of the African countrys socioeconomic development, writing wonderful chapters in China-South African win-win cooperation and common development. According to Chen, by the end of 2021, China's investment in South Africa totaled over 25 billion US dollars, which has created over 400,000 local jobs. Thulas Nxesi, South African Presidents Special Representative and Minister of Employment and Labor thanked the Chinese side for making this event happen. He hailed the job fair as a new milestone for China-South Africa friendship as it brought hope in helping to reverse the low level of economic growth and high unemployment rate in South Africa. He expressed his wishes that Chinese enterprises might pursue stronger cooperation with their South African counterparts in order to create much-needed job opportunities and help eliminate unemployment and poverty. Alvin Botes, Deputy Minister of South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), said that the job fair demonstrates Chinas efforts to support South Africas objectives in eradicating the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, and provides evidence of the depth of the two sides comprehensive strategic partnership. The friendship between China and South Africa has gone beyond political and diplomatic engagements, and has yielded fruitful "win-win" outcomes in economic and social cooperation, which has delivered benefits to the two peoples. Chen Longjian, Executive Vice President of the South Africa-China Economy and Trade Association, said that Chinese enterprises have invested in a wide range of industries in South Africa. The job fair is also characterized by diverse positions with highly technological content that involves highly specialized fields, laying a solid foundation for South Africa to cultivate and build up its reserve of all kinds of talents. The Association is committed to making the job fair a well-known long-term event that can continue to provide more jobs for South African job seekers as well as boosting the local economy. Representatives of employees working at COSCO shipping company and candidates applying for jobs at the fair were also given a voice on the podium. They spoke about their personal experiences and thanked China for helping South Africa fight against the pandemic and strive for its post-COVID economic recovery. They praised Chinese enterprises outstanding achievements in localization, which has been deeply felt by many families in South Africa. Moreover, they were charmed by Chinese culture and were able to develop a global vision while working at Chinese companies. Ambassador Chen and the two ministers witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between the South Africa-China Economy and Trade Association and the Training Department of South Africa Higher Education Department, as well as visiting the booths of different companies and witnessing the signing of job contracts between Chinese enterprises and South African youths. Nearly 1,300 participants, including government officials, representatives from the South Africa-China Economy and Trade Association, representatives of Chinese enterprises, students from local universities and vocational colleges, job applicants, as well as Chinese and foreign journalists attended the fair. The job fair was streamed live via YouTube and other social media platforms, attracting nearly 50,000 views. (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) "Bohwasubo: The Restoration and Conservation of the Kansong Collection" is a new exhibition that kicked off Saturday at the Kansong Art Museum's historic "Bohwagak" venue in Seongbuk District, northeastern Seoul, after a seven-year hiatus. Yonhap By Park Han-sol The Kansong Art Museum, known as the oldest private institution in Korea that boasts a historic collection of over 16,000 cultural artifacts, finally reopened its "Bohwagak" venue in Seongbuk District, northeastern Seoul, on Saturday after a seven-year hiatus. Founded in 1938 by Chun Hyung-pil (1906-62), an affluent philanthropist who went by the penname Kansong and dedicated his fortune to collecting and preserving the country's rare treasures during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial era, the museum has held biannual exhibitions since 1971, free of charge. It was 2014 when its aging venue became dormant, with all of the subsequent shows for the next five years being held temporarily at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in central Seoul instead. The latest exhibition, titled "Bohwasubo: The Restoration and Conservation of the Kansong Collection," marks the beginning of the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation's efforts to increase transparency and start its operation anew, according to Chun In-keon, museum director and grandson of Chun Hyung-pil. This pledge came after the institution was embroiled in a recent series of controversies involving some rare relics in its collection. Notably, the foundation made headlines in 2020 and again earlier this year after putting a total of four state-designated Buddhist treasures and national treasures up for auction for the first time in the nation's history. The foundation cited its chronic financial woes that have been worsened by the payment of inheritance taxes for thousands of non-state-designated artifacts as well as the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for its decision to bring the priceless Buddhist sculptures under the hammer. Chun In-keon, director of the Kansong Art Museum and grandson of its founder Chun Hyung-pil / Yonhap "It was truly a heart-wrenching decision to make like cutting off my own arm," Chun said, with his voice quivering momentarily, during Friday's press conference. He added that unlike other established private art museums, Kansong Art Museum is not backed financially by a parent company and does not have a fixed income source. Following a string of unprecedented efforts made to manage its escalating debt turning the Hangeul handbook of "Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon" into limited-edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs), as well as selling off two Buddhist treasures in 2020 to the National Museum of Korea and one national treasure last month to a cryptocurrency-based entity named The Heritage DAO the museum is ready to start a new chapter with more stabilized, sustainable operations in place. "The museum can say for certain that it will never put any of the items in its collection, whether they be state-designated treasures or not, up for auction in the future," Chun stated firmly. The only surviving first edition of "Maeheonjip" (1452), a collection of prose and poems composed by early Joseon-era scholar Kwon Wu / Courtesy of Kansong Art Museum Meanwhile, the "Bohwasubo" exhibition has been organized not to call attention to a particular artist or genre, but to turn the spotlight on the artifacts that have undergone a careful restoration process over the last two years after being subject to damage due to Kansong's outdated resources and facilities, according to research director Baek In-san. Thirty-two works on view, chosen carefully from some 150 items that have been restored since 2020 with funding from the Cultural Heritage Administration, along with the museum's newly built storage space and conservation laboratory, reflect the foundation's shifting focus to the artifact preservation process. Unveiled to the public for the first time will be the only surviving first edition of "Maeheonjip," a collection of prose and poems composed by early Joseon-era scholar Kwon Wu (1363-1419), who was also the teacher of King Sejong when he was a young prince. Shin Saimdang's "Grapes," one of 30 paintings included in "Haedong Myeonghwajip" compiled by Kim Kwang-guk during the late Joseon Kingdom / Courtesy of Kansong Art Museum "Haedong Myeonghwajip" consists of iconic paintings by the likes of Shin Saimdang (1504-51), Jeong Seon (1676-1759) and Sim Sa-jeong (1707-69), which had been compiled by collector Kim Kwang-guk (1727-97) during the late Joseon Kingdom. "Although they are not national treasures, they still make up a group of invaluable artifacts that have unfortunately remained in a blind spot for long in terms of conservation," Baek said. "Bohwasubo" runs through June 5 at the Kansong Art Museum. The exhibition will then be followed by an extensive renovation of the aged Bohwagak building, which was listed as the country's Registered Cultural Heritage in 2019. As the revamp is scheduled to take up to two years, the ongoing show marks the last chance to view the venue in its original shape and form. Seen above is a commercial bank's sales office in Seoul on Nov. 23, 2021. Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung With the government lifting its years-long social distancing rules on Monday, financial firms are expected to take phased steps to normalize their work-from-home systems. Banks and most financial companies in areas such as securities and insurance have been relying on remote work systems ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020. But after the country decided to ease almost all social distancing restrictions except for mask mandates most financial companies are holding internal talks on how and when to normalize their own rules. According to the industry, banks here are discussing details on the agenda with relevant organizations such as the Korean Financial Industry Union and the Korea Federation of Banks. Most commercial banks are widely expected to put a gradual end to their pandemic-era remote work systems in line with the government's latest decision but details are subject to change, as mask mandates remain in place, according to industry officials. "Workers at banks and most financial institutions will have to go back to their offices in line with the lifting of the social distancing rules," an official from a major commercial bank said. Shinhan Bank said Monday it would update quarantine rules on April 25 by resuming normal operations of its sales offices without any entry restrictions. But the lender decided to maintain its current workforce management policy by making 30 percent of its employees work from home. Other lenders are also expected to take phased steps to normalize the operation of their sales offices and put a gradual end to the pandemic-era measures. Starting from late 2020, commercial banks here started reducing operating hours of their sales offices by one hour amid then-reviving fears of infection here. It remains unclear when they will extend the operation hours, as it requires discussion with the aforementioned organizations, which the industry expects will take at least a couple of months. Officials from the securities industry also said they are reducing the proportion of employees working from home. "Securities companies are moving to minimize the number of officials telecommuting," an industry source said. "But no immediate policy change has been made as of now, as it has been only less than a day since the lifting of the social distancing rules." But the official hinted at the likelihood that most securities companies will soon normalize their operations unless infection cases skyrocket in the next few weeks, as more countries are adopting so-called "living with COVID-19" policies. "For the past two years, the social distancing rules have been eased and reinforced from time to time in line with the number of infected cases," the official said. "Most companies are keeping a wait-and-see attitude this time again, leaving open the possibility of resuming social distancing once again, even if chances appear slim for the scenario to become a reality this time." Lonavala, popularly known as the city of caves or the jewel of Sahyadri is a small town located more than 2,000 feet above sea level in the Sahyadri range in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is one of the most visited hill stations in the country due to its tropical climate and pleasant weather all year round, as well as its strategic location 60-80 kilometers from key metropolitan cities in the state such as Mumbai and Pune. Moreover, the town is surrounded by dense forests, magnificent waterfalls, tranquil lakes, green valleys boasting spectacular views, caves, and forts, which have made Lonavala a sought-after destination for camping, trekking, sight-seeing, bird watching, and adventure sports. Even before the pandemic, Lonavala has always been a popular destination for weekend getaways, given its proximity and excellent connectivity by road and rail to Pune and Mumbai. The town is situated at a convenient drive-able distance of a little over an hour from Pune and about 90 minutes from Mumbai, and the travel time between the cities is expected to reduce by 25 minutes once the MSRDCs Missing Link project, an under-construction eight-lane access-controlled highway, is completed by February 2023. Its no wonder then that the destinations appeal increased manifold post the pandemic. As Indians discovered the joys of road trips to escape their 'COVID blues', Lonavala saw a surge of visitors once restrictions were eased after the first and second waves of the pandemic. While cities such as Mumbai and Pune suffered due to the restrictions on travel, the hospitality industry in Lonavala thrived, owing to the towns strategic location, and the growing popularity of the work-from-home concept, as well as staycations, working to its advantage. Lonavala, thus, became one of the most booked destinations in the country during the monsoon of 2021. Lonavala with its scenic beauty and picturesque views also attracted those wishing for a destination wedding, thus resulting in a colossal surge in social MICE demand once restrictions were eased. Although smaller in size, hotels in Lonavala hosted almost as many wedding events as they did before the pandemic and were mostly sold out during auspicious dates throughout the year. The growing demand and high occupancy have helped hotels drive higher average rates in the last two years, with the market average rate observing an approximate 20% jump over pre-pandemic rates in FY2022, which is also 20%-25% higher than metropolitan markets such as Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru. Going forward, corporate MICE demand is also expected to recover as corporates return to the work-from-office or a hybrid work model. From homestays and villas to hotels and resorts, Lonavala has something for everyone, offering accommodation across all price points. The towns popularity has also encouraged a vast majority of people to build their second homes. Therefore, those on a budget as well as people looking for a more luxurious getaway have a variety of options to choose from. Hotels in Lonavala also offer varied product offerings, from expansive resorts with villas, to tent-like rooms creating a camping experience, treehouses with views, etc., emphasizing their focus on experiential tourism. Lonavalas terrain is also well suited for adventure activities and hotels have curated an array of activities to attract adventure and wellness enthusiasts. Maharashtras new Adventure Tourism Policy and infrastructure development are expected to promote Lonavala as an adventure destination going forward. Traditionally, independently operated hotels have dominated the Lonavala hospitality market, accounting for almost 75% of the total quality hotel supply of 2,060 keys as of December 2021. Realizing the latent potential in the market, several hotel brands such as the Hilton and the Fern have entered the market in the last few years. The Radisson Resort and Spa Lonavala too opened its doors in July 2021. Moreover, an additional branded supply of almost 250 keys is in pipeline in Lonavala over the next couple of years. So far, independently operated hotels have been able to retain their dominance creating significant competition to the branded supply, owing to their long-term presence in the market, established goodwill over the years, and flexibility in accommodating guest requirements. As the Lonavala hotel market continues to grow with the support from the governments tourism policies, infrastructure initiatives, booming demand, and the addition of quality supply, the market dynamics are expected to shift. View source This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Seagulls loomed overhead like vultures as crews aboard the Isabella, a massive Greece-owned cargo ship, began untethering it from the dock of Cheniere Energys facilities in Port Arthur. One by one, they dove beak-first into the white water that bubbled from underneath the ship as its rudders began to turn, churning up a buffet of shellfish fresh for the taking. As the Greek ship began its journey out of the Sabine-Naches Waterway, Chenieres crews piped another 173,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas into another cargo ship, Flex Endeavour. Soon, it would finish loading and begin its 12-day journey to Europe, where supplies of gas are desperately low. Sabine Pass was already bustling when Russia invaded Ukraine, jeopardizing relationships between European countries and Russia, which had been their primary supplier of natural gas. Now, roughly 75 percent of its cargoes are bound for Europe, the Houston-based company said, up from 38 percent a year ago. On Houstonchronicle.com: Europe's tensions with Russia could be a boon for Gulf Coast gas Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer The regions liquefied natural gas industry is playing a leading role in meeting Europes energy needs vindication for a segment of the industry working to justify expensive liquefied natural gas projects. Last month, the Biden administration issued two emergency orders allowing Cheniere to export an additional 0.72 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas as the administration scrambles to help Europe find alternative sources of gas. Cheniere is the largest LNG exporter in the U.S. and its Sabine Pass facility is the worlds second-largest LNG hub. Still, the market is calling for more LNG than Cheniere and its peers can provide, Cheniere CEO Jack Fusco said last month, saying his companys LNG production is maxed out. At the Chenieres Beach Highway facility, Anatol Feygin, the companys chief commercial officer, pointed to 500 acres on the other side of Lighthouse Road. That is penciled in as an expansion opportunity, he said. Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer On HoustonChronicle.com: How Shells new Gulf platform will make money at almost any oil price While Europe is interested in LNG now, in the short term, Feygin said his company believes Asia will be the main driver of the kind of long-term growth needed to justify a potential expansion at Sabine Pass. But there are fish in the European sea as well, he said. Across the waterway, Exxon and Qatar Petroleum are making headway on Golden Pass, a project that could, if finished, make and export 18.1 million metric tons of LNG per year. A spokesman for that project said the first production is scheduled to come online in 2024. amanda.drane@chron.com amanda.drane@twitter.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Houstons vast fossil fuel sector gets most of the focus when it comes to conversations on combating climate change, but another sector probably deserves more scrutiny - real estate. Decades of urban sprawl and lack of zoning invited Houstonians to spread out and build new. Billboards advertise neighborhoods with mini-mansions and room to run. Homebuilders race to build new houses to meet soaring demand for a slice of the American Dream. Commercial tenants flock to newly-built spaces pushing developers to continue the carbon-intensive work of new construction. But newer isnt always better. And even though everything is supposed to be bigger in Texas bigger isnt always better either. While real estate is making strides in sustainability, its not time for the industry to pat itself on the back. At least thats my impression after perusing a landmark report from the U.N.s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change summarizing research from hundreds of scientists about the how the world can curb greenhouse gas emissions. The report, released this month, has three major takeaways for real estate: People need to consume less space. The planet cannot provide an infinite supply of McMansions; New building construction is extremely carbon intensive and should be avoided when possible by re-purposing existing buildings; and Stricter building codes can force developers to make more energy efficient choices during new construction. Buildings account for 31 percent of carbon dioxide emissions globally, so there is a big opportunity for the real estate industry to help. A lot can be done without adding significant costs to construction, argues Jesse Keenan, an editor of the U.N. report and real estate professor at Tulane University in New Orleans. We have the tools that we need, Keenan said. We don't need massive advances in technology to decarbonize the built environment. On HoustonChronicle.com: Why electrification may not be a simple solution to cut carbon emissions The report advocates for re-configuring unused commercial buildings for residential use to accommodate growing housing needs. For new construction, small details from how a window is sealed to the color of the roofing material can augment larger investments such as efficient air conditioning systems and appliances, the report suggests. But possibly the most effective tool is to take up less space. Not only do larger spaces require more energy for heating and cooling, but they use more construction materials, which generate their own emissions. North Americans consume just under 700 square feet per person in residential space, about double whats consumed in Europe, according to the report. Energy efficiency gains from design changes and technological advances are essentially offset by buildings taking up more space. That means we have to change our consumer preferences, Keenan said. You could have a super energy efficient mega mansion in Houston or the suburbs, but its still a mansion. You're still over-consuming space. Globally, between 1990 to 2019, carbon emissions from buildings jumped 50 percent, according to the report, despite advances in energy efficiency. More than half of the increased emissions from residential buildings can be blamed on people consuming more space, the report suggests. Keenen said stricter building codes would force the real estate industry to change faster but building codes are a notoriously politicized topic, particularly for a city famous for its light touch regulation. Building codes are getting more stringent, but Houston lags behind cities such as Austin, which often trails behind California, said Maria Perez, sustainable design director for the architecture firm Gensler and chair of the U.S. Green Building Councils Texas chapter. When Perez started in sustainable design in Texas 20 years ago, she would often try to convince developers to consider greenhouse gas emissions for new construction. They wouldnt always buy it. On HoustonChronicle.com: In downtown Houston, a prominent developer's new office tower is breaking ground in carbon emissions Now, thats no longer the case. More developers are considering emissions in response to demand from tenants and investors, she said. Green building certifications for new construction have become the norm rather than the exception, Perez said. In Houston, developers such as Hines, Trammell Crow and Skanska are leading the push to build more sustainability, while projects such as Lovett Commercials POST HTX highlight the benefits of adaptive reuse, said Rives Taylor, global design resilience director at Gensler. While not every building can be efficiently repurposed a lot depends on the age of the buildings and its existing bones Taylor said there are plenty of opportunities to breath new life into older buildings here. We need to be repositioning everywhere and if we build new, lets build it to be durable, Taylor said. marissa.luck@chron.com Verizon Wireless is raising wages and offering thousands of dollars in bonuses to new Houston-area employees, the company announced Monday. Verizon said Monday its new starting wage of $20 per hour will be applied to all new and existing customer-service employees. Locally, the company is offering sign-on bonuses of $2,500 for new retail specialists and $3,500 for assistant managers at some of its Houston-area stores. A Verizon spokesperson said the companys new sign-on bonuses are being offered in the most competitive markets as a way to attract and retain the best talent. Texas minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal rate. The telecommunications giant is the latest company to raise wages as workers across the nation demand better pay and benefits, including increased health care coverage or an option to work remotely, that have grown since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In December, Verizon competitor T-Mobile hiked wages for its 75,000 U.S. employees to $20 an hour, citing ongoing labor shortages that worsened as coronavirus spread. The companys customer-service employees make around $26 an hour under the new rules, according to CBS News. Other major companies to recently hike hourly wages include Bank of America, which increased wages to $21 an hour last year; and USAA, the nations 29th-largest bank, which also increased most wages from $16 to $21, giving its workers roughly the equivalent of a $44,000 annual salary in addition to benefits. Chipotle also reset its starting wages from around $11 to $18 an hour a year ago amid an ongoing, nationwide labor shortage that economists say has given job seekers more bargaining power. In one survey from this year, about 40 percent of Houston-area employers said that prospective hires have increasingly stopped communicating with them a trend that one local economist credited to the ongoing tightness of the labor market thats increased as more Americans reassess their careers and work-life balance because of the pandemic. President Joe Biden also has hiked wages to $15 an hour for the nations roughly 370,000 federal employees and federal contract workers. As of this year, 30 states have set minimum wages that are higher than the federal rate, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. robert.downen@chron.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Jimmie Captain first laid eyes on Ashley Turner at his mothers retirement party, a nearly inaudible Damn, shes gorgeous escaped from his lips. Captains mother, a former Houston Police Department sergeant, smiled knowingly at her son. She overheard, he recalls with a laugh. You know how moms are. Months passed, and he kept thinking about the beautiful woman he spotted across the room. After mustering enough courage, Captain eventually sent Turner a message on Instagram to thank her for attending the party. I never really expected anything out of it, he says. My first thought was, This is the mayors daughter. Shes not going to respond. But I wanted to shoot my shot. Not only did Mayor Sylvester Turners daughter reply, she shared her digits, too. They started texting. Every so often, Captain would call his crush so she could hear his voice. He says he was thinking on the fly. She says they were building a friendship. Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha / Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha It wasnt this big romantic thing. I knew he liked me, but we took our time to get to know each other, Turner explains. My guard had been up. We wanted to make sure it was right, so we pursued each other with the right intentions. The more time Captain spent with Turner, the more he realized how down-to-earth she was. Their first date was a drive-in movie, which the two hardly watched instead, they cracked jokes and laughed the whole time. Shes this laid-back and funny chick. The feelings grew as much as I tried to fight it, he says. Captain had reservations. He describes himself as very private, whereas the object of his affections was very much in the spotlight. The public eye was never something Id been exposed to. I stay behind the scenes and was hesitant because of who she is and who her father is. His ambivalence to attention was a plus in Turners eyes. She liked that hes more introvert than extrovert. They guarded their feelings early on in the courtship. We made it more about ourselves at first, because the minute you add other people into the fold, it gets complicated, she explains. By the time we made it official, I was very clear I dont want to date just to date. Jimmie is very sweet and kind anyway, but it made him move more intentionally. They watched hundreds of movies together. Captain says he can recite movie lines like he quotes the Bible. Other times, he would sweep Turner away for quick trips to Galveston Island where the couple would walk the beach or visit Cajun Greek Seafood. Its still one of our favorite things to do, she shares. In Houston proper, the duo spent every Sunday trying a different restaurant for brunch. They even made a schedule to stay organized. It didnt take long for them to fall in love. Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha / Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha Falling in love I suspected it halfway through the first year. Hes different, Turner says. I couldnt really put it into words. I had always prayed about the kind of man I wanted to end up with. Captain says he couldnt help himself. Her smile is so intoxicating, its hard to pass up. I love that woman. They made the relationship official in December 2018. A few months later, Captain met his girlfriends father for the first time at RodeoHouston. It wasnt too overwhelming, but in my eyes its still the mayor, he recalls. This is the man who runs the fourth largest city America and heres little old me coming out of the blue, you know? Id admired him for so long, knowing his story and where he came from. It was a privilege to be in his presence and with his daughter. Their plans to revisit the rodeo again the following year were dashed by the pandemic. Fortunately, those many months spent at home only strengthened their bond. For my personal relationship, COVID was one of the best things that couldve happened, Turner says. It gave us time to pause. There were no more social outings and gave us a moment to spend so much time together. We were really able to solidify what we wanted to do and hone in on our relationship. Over a trip to Fredericksburg wineries in October 2020 she looked at him and knew: Hes the one. It was just a matter of when, not if. Captain felt it, too. By November, hed begun shopping for a ring as unique as his future bride and, scheduled a very important meeting to ask a certain public servant for permission to marry his daughter. I have a daughter, so I know how much Ash means to him, Captain says. (The mayor) said he would be honored that Id be his new son-in-law. I was so nervous. Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha / Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha / Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha Ashley Turner and Jimmie Captain say I Do at The Citadel Houston. Photo by Aisha Khan with Ama. Turner and Captain both describe her personality as inquisitive. So the groom threw in some misdirection with his proposal. He wanted it to be a surprise. Will you 'Marry Us?' On Jan. 29, her birthday, Captain organized an intimate family dinner with all of Turners favorite foods but didnt propose. She thought he might pop the question a few weeks later on Valentines Day, and didnt suspect a thing when her mom organized a birthday motorcade after the couple volunteered with friends the following day. Captains vehicle was the last in line. I bought a sign that read, Marry Us with pictures of my daughter. My hatchback was open and plush roses covered the trunk of the car. It took a few minutes for Turner to register what was happening. Through tears she said, Yes! Then began their 14-month engagement. I love planning. If it was a love language, that would be mine, the bride shares. Piecing together a large wedding during a pandemic proved challenging. As usual, the couple found silver linings throughout the process. The most fun part is that this is the first project you do together, Turner says. I had a very present and active fiance, he attended every single meeting with me except one. I felt like our wedding truly emulated and looked like both of us because we made decisions together. Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha / Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha / Aisha Khan with Ama by Aisha Ashley Turner and Jimmie Captain say "I Do" at The Citadel Houston. Photo by Aisha Khan with Ama. The bride told their wedding planner she didnt want her big day to look like a gala. On March 12, the duo exchanged vows before 424 guests at Citadel Houston. Turner wore a custom gown designed by Julie Ihe of NMA Couture; her groom dressed in an Allen Johnson tuxedo. Julie and I would joke about one of the first times I brought Jimmie around. She said, Girl, Im going to end up making your wedding dress. Just watch, Turner says. When the ceremony doors opened, and Captain saw his brides crystal bodice and cascading train, he broke down. This time, she surprised him by reciting vows to his daughter, too. That was so special, I never saw it coming. I was already in my feelings just looking at her, the groom says. It felt like I was in a movie. Everyone partied and I enjoyed every single minute of that. It pretty much signified who we are as a couple: fun-loving and we love people. I wouldnt take anything back from that it was perfect. amber.elliott @houstonchronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) More late-season snow and rain was predicted for California on Monday. A dry start to the day was expected to give way to showers in the Central Valley and mountain snow by evening and continue into Tuesday, the National Weather Service's Sacramento office said. Four weeks into spring, winter weather advisories will be in effect Tuesday above 6,500 feet (1,981 meters) on the west slope of the northern Sierra Nevada and in the greater Lake Tahoe area. Travelers were advised to expect snow and difficult conditions, including reduced visibility. Total snow accumulations on the west slope will range from 4 inches to 7 inches (10-18 centimeters), with localized amounts up to 10 inches (25 centimeters), forecasters said. In the Lake Tahoe area, ridgetop winds will gust up to 100 mph (161 kph). Forecasters said the greatest impacts will be felt on higher passes such as Donner Summit, Echo Summit and Mount Rose Summit. Up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of snow accumulation was expected on the lake shoreline. Last week's snow total topped 3 feet (0.9 meter) in some mountain areas as of Saturday, UC Berkeleys Central Sierra Snow Lab reported. The spring snow follows an extremely dry winter, and experts say it will not alleviate California's drought. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIJING (AP) Chinas economic growth edged up to a still-weak 4.8% over a year earlier in the first three months of 2022 as industrial cities shut down to fight coronavirus outbreaks, threatening to disrupt global trade and manufacturing. Growth in the world's second-largest economy crept up from the previous quarters 4% following a slump triggered by tighter controls on use of debt by Chinas vast real estate industry, government data showed Monday. Compared with the previous quarter, as other major economies are measured, growth slowed to 1.3% from 1.4%. More pain will come" in the current quarter, Iris Pang of ING said in a report. Further impacts from lockdowns are imminent." The slowdown hurts China's trading partners by depressing demand for oil, steel, consumer goods, food and other imports. Oil prices, which spiked after Russias attack on Ukraine, have fallen back somewhat on expectations Chinese consumption will weaken. The flow of industrial goods has been disrupted by the suspension of access to Shanghai, a business center with 25 million people, and other industrial cities. Global automakers and other manufacturers have reduced or stopped production. The disruption "will weigh on activity in April and into May, if not longer," Tommy Wu of Oxford Economics said in a report. That is "likely to have a significant impact on global supply chains. First quarter economic growth was below the ruling Communist Partys annual target of 5.5%. Forecasters have said that will be hard to meet without large government stimulus spending. Retail spending, factory output and investment in factories, real estate and other fixed assets rose. The national economic recovery was sustained and the operation of the economy was generally stable, said a government statement. China's latest infection numbers are relatively low, but Beijing is responding to its biggest outbreak since the 2020 start of the pandemic with a zero-COVID policy that aims to isolate every person who tests positive. The ruling party already was promising tax refunds and other aid to businesses to pull the economy out of a slide that began in mid-2021. Last week, Premier Li Keqiang, the No. 2 leader, called for quicker action to get help to struggling entrepreneurs. Forecasters say Beijing is moving cautiously and using targeted stimulus measures instead of across-the-board spending. Chinese leaders worry that might push up politically sensitive housing costs or corporate debt they worry is dangerously high. Retail sales rose by a modest 3.3% over a year earlier in the first quarter after demand was dampened by a government appeal to the public to avoid traveling and large gatherings during Februarys Lunar New Year holiday, normally a period of big spending on gift-giving, banquets and tourism. Factory output rose 6.5% and investment in factories, real estate and other fixed assets increased 9.3%, possibly reflecting official orders to banks to lend more readily. Last week, regulators injected an extra 500 billion yuan ($80 billion) into the pool of money for lending by reducing the amount of deposits commercial banks are required to hold in reserve. The agency that runs the Shanghai port says operations are normal. But companies say the volume of cargo it handles has fallen. Other cities affected by suspensions of access include Tianjin, a port and petrochemical center east of Beijing; Shenzhen, a finance and tech center near Hong Kong, and the manufacturing centers of Changchun and Jilin in the northeast. Smaller cities also have suspended access, closed businesses, ordered residents to stay at home or imposed other controls. Economists have warned spring planting by Chinese farmers who feed 1.4 billion people also might be disrupted. That would hurt economic activity and boost demand for imported wheat and other food, potentially pushing up already high global prices. China rebounded quickly from the pandemic in 2020, but activity weakened last year as tighter controls on borrowing by real estate developers hit construction, which supports millions of jobs. That made consumers nervous about spending and investors anxious about possible defaults by developers. Investors are waiting to see what happens to one of Chinas biggest developers, Evergrande Group, which has struggled since last year to avoid defaulting on $310 billion owed to banks and bondholders. Smaller developers have collapsed or defaulted on debts after Beijing reduced the amount of borrowed money they can use. Chinese officials have tried to reassure investors, saying the impact on lending markets and the economy can be contained. Economists say a potential Evergrande default should have little effect on global financial markets. ___ China National Bureau of Statistics (in Chinese): www.stats.gov.cn A motorcycle accident on Easter Sunday left the male driver injured and killed his wife in Montgomery County. The couple was heading north on Interstate 69 just past Roman Forest Drive when the rear tire of his 2007 Yamaha motorcycle separated, causing the man to lose control and crash, authorities said. Tire parts were found just over 300 yards away. An off-duty paramedic was on the scene and started life-saving efforts. The 45-year-old female from Rusk, a city nearly three hours north of Houston, died at the scene. Her husband was taken in stable condition to Kingwood Hospital. Neither were wearing helmets. The accident occurred around 6 p.m. and the freeway was closed for almost two hours as DPS investigated. Roman Forest, Montgomery County Sheriff, Patton Village, and Splendora assisted with traffic control as did TxDOT. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office is also assisting in the investigation. The driver of the motorcycle had no insurance, expired registration, and a suspended driver's license. Montgomery County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack responded to the scene for the inquest and ordered Eickenhorst Funeral Directors to take the victim to the Montgomery County Forensic Center for an autopsy. Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung speaks during a regular shareholders' meeting at its headquarters in Seoul, March 24. Courtesy of Shinhan Financial Group By Lee Min-hyung Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung will visit Europe sometime in May to attract more capital from overseas investors and raise awareness of its group-wide efforts in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) management. Cho is one of the top-ranking financial officials most actively participating in overseas investor relation activities. The last time Cho visited Europe was in November 2021 when traveled to the United States, the United Kingdom and France to explain the lender's future growth plans and latest ESG achievements. The Shinhan chairman traveled abroad despite restrictions and lockdowns triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, reflecting his strong willingness to attract more foreign capital and help rev up the firm's stock price. Cho is also widely expected to share Shinhan's ESG vision during his trip to Europe. "Nothing specific over his itinerary to Europe has been confirmed," an official from Shinhan said. "But this is part of his efforts to enhance communication with overseas investors and share Shinhan's ESG initiatives." In early November, Cho made headlines by becoming the first leader among Asia's private financial firms who delivered a speech at the U.N. Climate Change Conference. He used the opportunity to speak about Shinhan's drive for low-carbon management during the Finance Day event of the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. At that time, Shinhan introduced its flagship Zero Carbon Drive. Shinhan declared the drive to deal with looming fears of global climate change and join the international trend of embracing ESG management. All eyes are on whether Cho's upcoming trip to Europe will help boost the lender's stock price at a time when Shinhan is placing top priority on enhancing its shareholder value by offering quarterly dividends starting last year, for the first time among major commercial banks here. "Shinhan will push for a set of policies that meet the expectations of the market and shareholders by regularly offering quarterly dividends and buying back its shares," Cho said during the regular shareholders' meeting in March. Regarding Abbott buses first group of immigrants to D.C., arriving in front of the Fox News headquarters, (April 13): The law is about to catch up with Gov. Abbott and his migrant busing initiative not just any law, but the law of unintended consequences. His threat of sending migrants voluntarily to Washington, D.C. will probably attract, not deter, migration into Texas. Many migrants come only if they already have personal contacts at their destination. The unaccompanied minors coming in before COVID were not being cast by their parents to an uncertain fate. Rather, most were trying to reach someone, usually a relative but sometimes a friend, who was already in the United States. For people with contacts on the East Coast, free transportation to D.C. will sound like a dream come true. Abbott is actually providing an incentive for more asylum-seekers to come to Texas. And you and I will pay their bus tickets in addition to the two billion dollars of our taxpayer money already wastefully spent on the Texas National Guard deployed uselessly along the border. Walter D. Kamphoefner, Bryan Given that Abbotts ridiculous ploy to bus immigrants to Washington, D.C., is to boost his re-election, his campaign not Texans should pay for those expenses. He continues to waste money on his pet projects to the detriment of the Texas budget. Since he is trying to buy votes with this rather than actually come up with an immigration policy that works, he should be held accountable. He has two senators and a load of U.S. representatives sitting on their butts, complaining about everything and not doing a single thing. I think their salaries ought to be withheld until they come up with a solution. Scott Weeden, Houston Doing their job Regarding Second migrant bus arrived in D.C. overnight, Gov. Greg Abbott says, (April 14): Florida residents can count on Gov. Ron DeSantis to protect the interests of the state, as he tells bused migrants from Texas to D.C. not to come to Florida. DeSantis won't allow Florida to be burdened with immigrants, some of whom come with nothing but the clothes on their backs and might expect handouts. They need food, shelter, clothes, medical care, an education and money to live. Since the federal government is doing nothing to secure the border, its up to the individual states. And it appears as though DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are in the moral minority the only ones with enough spine to take their gubernatorial responsibilities seriously. JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater, Fla. As I read that Abbott's first busload of immigrants was sent to Washington D.C., I smiled. Surely they are there to do the jobs that native-born U.S. citizens won't such as legislating a coherent immigration plan that will serve us all. Move over, Lyin' Ted! Sean Kelly McPherson, Houston With all the clamor about Texas Gov. Abbott busing immigrants to Washington, D.C., I think we are missing the more important point. Why in the world is the federal government and the Biden administration not doing their job and enforcing the border? As I recall, President Biden took an oath to protect our borders. Does that mean nothing? Gov. Abbott should never have to deal with this problem. It is the federal government's responsibility to control the border, and Bidens lack of any decent effort at enforcement makes him unfit for office. Same if the president were a Republican. We citizens are tolerating way too much lack of responsibility and performance from our elected officials, and we should vote out all of them who refuse to do their job. Bob Fowler, Point Blank Homeowners across Texas are experiencing sticker shock this month as home values skyrocket, but experts have one message: Dont panic just yet. Appraisal notices started trickling in over the past few weeks, and the latest estimates have raised home values by hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases. The increases are just the latest reflection of Texas competitive housing market, as the state continues to experience rapid population growth. It goes up every year, but this is the biggest and I'm sure I'll remember this for the rest of my life, said Martha Valiquette, a realtor from San Antonio whose home value increased by $110,000 this year. Shes already protested the estimate and is now helping others do the same. HOUSTON HOW TO: Protesting your home's appraisal value can lower your property taxes. How to protest in the Houston area. Home values are used to calculate state property taxes, and Texans will likely face bigger tax bills later this year. In Houston, the average price of a single-family home climbed to $400,000 for the first time, and in San Antonio, median home sales have surpassed $300,000. Asking prices for homes are increasing beyond anything you have likely ever seen, the Bexar Appraisal District officials said in a statement this week. Fewer properties offered for sale and high demand for housing means price increases that shatter records. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Texas already has some of the highest property taxes in the nation, relying heavily on that revenue because the state does not tax income. Only six states Wisconsin, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Illinois and New Jersey have higher property tax rates, according to the personal finance website WalletHub. But, experts say, its not over until its over. Appraised home values are just the first steps before property taxes are calculated, and homeowners have the opportunity to protest their quotes. All Texans should remember that their actual property tax bill is based on two factors, said Dick Lavine, a senior fiscal analyst at the nonprofit Every Texan. The first is the taxable value of the home, which is based on the appraisal and can be adjusted via protest and various exemptions. The second is the tax rate set by local governments and other taxing units. Just because your value goes up, you still do not know what your tax bill is going to do until the whole process is finished, Lavine said. In the immediate future, homeowners should get a plan and protest their appraised value if they have a case, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who has championed several property tax relief measures in recent years. Most big counties have an online appeals system, where residents can upload evidence that their appraised value doesnt match what they were quoted. That could include recent home sales in the area that fall below the value, for example, or estimated costs to repair damage to the home. If youre lost, ask a realtor or consult your local appraisal district for help. We have gone through similar boom cycles in Texas as far back really as the 1980s, Bettencourt said. Things can get spectacularly hot, like they are now, but it will cool off. The key thing is take action this year. Don't let these higher values submit if you know for sure that you're overvalued. There is a silver lining, Bettencourt said: As home values hit record levels, tax rates will come down. The state Legislature approved an overhaul of property tax policies in 2019, slowing tax increases in the years following but not completely eliminating them. Plus, most homeowners are eligible for a homestead exemption, which offers a $25,000 break on school property taxes. Texas law also caps year-over-year increases to a homesteads taxable value at 10 percent. And finally: Before the final tax bills are computed, Texans can head to the polls on May 7 to vote on additional property tax relief. Bettencourt authored the two proposed constitutional amendments, which passed both chambers last summer with bipartisan support. Proposition 1 would approve the tax cuts for elderly and disabled homeowners beginning in 2023, while a second measure seeks to raise the states homestead exemption to $40,000. The first proposal would offer relief for about 1.8 million seniors and 180,000 homeowners with disabilities, amounting to roughly $220 million in savings in 2024, Bettencourt said. The increased homestead exemption for schools, meanwhile, would save homeowners about $176 annually starting this year, he added. Actual savings would vary depending upon local tax rates. cayla.harris@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republicans in the Legislature are taking aim at Houston ISD, arguing that the districts COVID sick day policy violates state law. This academic year, Houston ISD is offering 10 additional days of paid sick leave to employees who are vaccinated against the coronavirus but test positive during the school year. Unvaccinated staff, however, must use personal leave time if they are infected. In a nonbinding opinion last week, Paxton said the policy likely constitutes a vaccine passport, the documentation certifying a persons vaccination status shown in exchange for entry or services. The GOP-led Texas Legislature last year outlawed such requirements for both private businesses and public agencies, and Gov. Greg Abbott issued a similar executive order banning the practice last summer. A court would likely conclude that, by offering additional paid leave only to those employees showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a medical exemption, the Houston Independent School Districts COVID-19 paid leave policy violates the executive order, Paxton wrote. BREAKING NEWS: Florida judge voids U.S. mask mandate for planes, other travel Tejal Patel, a spokesperson for Houston ISD, said Paxtons opinion does not change the implementation of the districts paid leave policy. The last day of classes is just about seven weeks away. No court has ruled that the districts policy of awarding additional leave days to vaccinated employees violates the executive order, Patel said. The district continues to evaluate its COVID protocols in our efforts to maintain a safe learning and working environment. The Texas Education Agency, which issues public health guidance for all school districts, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It's up to the TEA to look at enforcement rules and to prevent this from occurring, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who solicited the attorney generals opinion. This is a simple fairness issue. Houston ISDs board approved the additional sick time in August, alongside a program to offer a $500 stipend to employees who showed proof of vaccination. Since then, the district has added the extra sick leave to its reopening plan. COVID-19 paid leave (up to 10 days for the 2021-2022 school year) will be available to exempt and non-exempt employees who are fully vaccinated, as well as those who are medically unable to be vaccinated, the plan states. Proof of vaccination or medical exemption must be submitted to qualify. Any additional time off beyond the COVID-19 leave days granted to qualifying employees will be processed from an employees leave bank in accordance with Board Policy. By December, nearly 20,000 employees had submitted their vaccination cards. The district has about 24,000 staffers. cayla.harris@express-news.net The claim: Joe Biden is giving smartphones away to illegal border crossers. This is an impeachable offense. Nick Adams Adams, a conservative pundit, has made the claim twice this month on Facebook. PolitiFact rating: Half True. The smartphones given to immigrants detained by ICE are used to track them with a pre-installed application after they are released from custody. The phones cannot be used for anything else. The same monitoring program has been used by past administrations, including the Trump administration. Discussion Former Trump attorney Jay Sekulow and son Jordan used similar language in discussing the smartphones on their Facebook show. These posts imply that immigrants who cross the border into the United States illegally are given something akin to an iPhone by the federal government for personal use. Although smartphones are being distributed to immigrants, they cannot be used for other purposes, like going on Facebook or calling friends. The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. Fox News reporter Bill Melugin shared photographs on Twitter a day before Adams tweet that reportedly showed the type of phone given to people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Melugin said he was told by sources that detainees are given these phones by the government to track them and allow them to communicate with ICE. A spokesperson for ICE confirmed that the agency gives smartphones to some immigrants who have been detained after entering the country illegally. The phones come with some caveats. The devices do not have the capability to make personal phone calls, check social media or browse the internet, the spokesperson said. Instead, the phones are pre-loaded with an application called SmartLINK as a way to track immigrants who have been released from detention and are awaiting a deportation hearing. SmartLINK is part of ICEs Alternative to Detention program to closely track non-detained noncitizens at varying levels of supervision, using several different monitoring technologies, ICEs spokesperson said. The app requires someone to check in with immigration officials either by uploading a selfie or answering a call from their case manager, according to the Associated Press. The application was first used in 2018 to keep track of about 5,000 people, the AP reported. Now, ICE uses it to keep tabs on more than 125,000 immigrants. More Information About PolitiFact PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made. See More Collapse Not all immigrants detained by ICE get a government-issued device, the agencys spokesperson said. If a noncitizen acquires their own personally owned smartphone, the SmartLINK application can be loaded onto that device, the spokesperson said. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged the smartphones during a briefing on April 8, saying its one of several ways the government can track someone after being released from detention. Yes, there is telephonic reporting, she said. There is SmartLINK, which enables participant monitoring via smartphone. Theres the Global Positioning System. These are the range of means with modern technology that we monitor. Adams claim about the phones being an impeachable offense for Biden doesnt hold much water, either. The Constitution says a sitting president can be removed from office if they are convicted of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Adams doesnt provide a reason as to why the issuance of smartphones is grounds for impeachment. Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, defended New York states bail law amid charges by Republicans and others that changes to it in 2020 are contributing to rising violent crime. "Cities in notoriously tough on crime states like Texas and Florida saw a more significant increase in violent crime than cities in NYS," she said in a statement. Changes to the bail law were intended to make the system fairer. Advocates said poor people should not remain in jail awaiting trial simply because they cannot afford to post bail, while those who can afford it are released. We wondered if Peoples-Stokes was correct. Did cities in Texas and Florida, where bail laws did not change, also see bigger increases in violent crime? Because Peoples-Stokes said "cities," we looked at the four violent crime categories -- murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault -- in the 10 largest cities in each state during 2020. This is the most recent year with the most complete data available, and we looked at data reported by city police departments and published by the public safety division of each state government. In general, murders and aggravated assaults increased, while rapes and robberies did not. But we found no clear pattern in the state data among the cities in each state. Murders Murders went up 34% in Buffalo and 17% in Yonkers. In New York City, they went up 46.7%, slightly more than the 45% increase in Rochester. There are cities in Florida and Texas where the percentage increase was roughly the same or even higher than the New York cities. In Houston murders increased by 45%. In Fort Worth, they went up 59%. Murders rose 42% in Miami and 76% in Fort Lauderdale. But in San Antonio, the increase was only 20%. And in some cities in all three states, the number of murders fell. In El Paso, for example, the number of murders went down by 30%. When we calculated the overall increase among the cities in each state -- disregarding cities that had just a few murders, where a small increase would lead to a large percentage increase -- the increase in New York state came to 46%, compared with 31% in Texas and 22% in Florida. According to Pew Research Center, which used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, murders rose by 30% between 2019 and 2020 across the country. Pews analysis showed that on a statewide basis, per 100,000 people, New Yorks increase in murders was higher than the increases in Florida and Texas. The number of homicides per 100,000 remains lower in New York, at 4.7 at the end of 2020, than in Florida, 7.8, and Texas, 7.6. Robberies Robberies fell in all 30 cities, except for San Antonio, Austin and Tampa. New York City reported a 1.6% decline in robberies. Nine of the 10 Florida cities posted bigger percent declines. Eight of the Texas cities had bigger percentage declines. Aggravated assaults Overall, the data showed a percentage increase in aggravated assaults in the 10 cities we looked at in each of the three states. In New York, the overall increase was 4%, less than the 21% increases in Florida and in Texas. Rapes The number of reported rapes fell in most cities in each of the three states. Nine of the 10 Florida cities had fewer reported rapes, as did nine of 10 Texas cities. Rapes fell in seven of the 10 New York state cities. The percentage decline in rapes in New York was 19%. Rapes declined in the Florida cities by 15% and in the Texas cities by 17%. Evidence cited We approached Peoples-Stokes office for evidence of her claim, and her staff sent several sources, including a report from November 2020 regarding violent crime rates through Sept. 30, 2020, from the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit organization whose members are high-ranking police officials. The report found a 66% increase in homicides and a 39% increase in aggravated assaults in Fort Worth while El Paso saw a decrease in homicides of 66%. Tampa had an increase in aggravated assaults of 35%. There was no mention of New York cities in the report. To Peoples-Stokes point about the effect of bail law changes in New York, other investigations have found that among people who were released under the 2020 bail changes, few committed violent offenses after release. Our ruling Peoples-Stokes said that "cities in notoriously tough on crime states like Texas and Florida saw a more significant increase in violent crime than cities in NYS." It is true some cities in Texas and Florida that saw greater increases in some categories of violent crime than cities in New York state between 2019 and 2020. The percentage increase in aggravated assaults, considered a violent crime, grew more in large cities in Texas and Florida than it did in New York. But there are also cities in New York state that had greater increases than cities in Texas and Florida. Statewide, the increases in murders per 100,000 people was greater in New York than it was in Texas and in Florida. Her claim is partially accurate, but leaves out important context. We rate this Half True. Sources Texas Politics Abortion access is already nearly impossible in Texas. Its about to get a lot harder. Nationwide, there are about 36 million women of reproductive age who are considered in danger of losing access to abortion in their home states. One in five, or about 7 million of them, live in Texas. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Sales of equity-linked securities (ELS) in South Korea declined by more than half in the first quarter from three months earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday. The total value of ELS products stood at 12.4 trillion won (US$10.1 billion) in the January-March period, down 51.8 percent from the previous quarter, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository. The tally is also down 36 percent from the same period a year earlier. ELS refers to hybrid securities whose returns are linked to the performance of underlying equities, including a stock index. In the first quarter, the global surge of COVID-19 cases weighed on investors' appetite for risky assets around the world, leading to losses in major stock indexes. Uncertainties over the Russia-Ukraine war and the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy tightening added to the losses. Sales of ELS tracking South Korea's KOSPI 200 nose-dived 52.7 percent from three months earlier, and those based on the SP 500 fell 4.3 percent. The sales of ELS tracking Hong Kong's H index decreased 13.6 percent, and those of Japan's Nikkei 225 dipped 13.3 percent. ELS products worth 7.7 trillion won were redeemed in the three-month period, falling 62.4 percent from the previous quarter and down 68.6 percent from a year earlier. The outstanding value of ELS products amounted to 62 trillion won as of end-March, adding 7.6 percent from three months earlier and 11.2 percent from a year earlier. (Yonhap) Top 8 ways to earn Passive Income from music Releasing music and touring can get you some decent money, however there are even easier ways to make some extra cash. Here are 8 different ways you can make passive income with your music. by Randi Zimmerman from the Symphonic Blog. As an independent artist, we understand youre wearing a million different hats at once. Youre making music, managing your schedule, touring, and so much more all at the same time. That being said, its important that youre making as much money as possible to support your endeavors without burning yourself out. To do that, having passive sources of income can make a huge difference. In this post, well give you 8 ways to earn passive income as an independent musician. 1. Subscription Revenue Income made from subscription based services is a great way to get more money on a consistent basis as an artist. This gives you income directly from fans who love to support your work. All this is is essential a monthly subscription to whatever you want to offer your fans, whether that be exclusive music, behind-the-scenes content, or whatever else you have to give. There are a couple ways you can do this, but one of the most popular ways is through Patreon. With Patreon, you can host exclusive content just for your subscribers who pay a monthly fee for access to it. Patreon does take a 5 to 12 percent commission of monthly income from creators, and they also take a 2.9% plus $0.30 processing fee on donations over $3 and 5% plus $0.10 fee on donations of $3 or less, so definitely keep that in mind if you decide to use them. 2. Sync Licensing When we talk about sync licensing in the music business, were referring to the act of synchronizing a piece of music with any form of visual media. This includes movies, TV episodes, commercials, video games, etc. When your music is features in any of these places, you get paid. Easy as that. How does it work? Once you get picked up for a placement, you may have an advance and backend royalties. Typically, advances are paidout directly while backend royalties are paid out to the societies youre registered with, aka ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC. You earn performance royalties every time your music is performed or played publicly. (TV and radio royalties fall under that category.) As long as your songs are registered with a performing rights organization (PRO) such as ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC, you are eligible to collect performance royalties. To make it easy for you, you can actually do this through us, too. With Symphonic, you can get started with sync licensing through our in-house sync licensing division, Bodega Sync. Once accepted, your music is pitched to supervisors and advertising agencies, we negotiate licensing deals, complete all the paperwork, and make sure you get paid properly. 3. YouTubes Content ID YouTubes Content ID is a digital fingerprinting system that content creators (and musicians) like you can use to easily identify and manage their copyrighted content on YouTube. When you do this through Symphonic, that means you would upload your music to us and we go ahead and upload it to YouTubes Content ID system. When that happens, any song that is uploaded is compared against audio and video files that have been uploaded by many users all over the world. How can this make you money? If a match is found, we will, by default, monetize that video that has been matched and claimed thus bringing you more royalties and ensuring that your works arent being illegally shared and monetized by others. 4. Instagram & Facebook Similarly to Content ID with YouTube, our partnership with Facebook does the same thing on Instagram and Facebook. We upload content into Facebooks systems in order to scan for anyone using that same content. Then, the content is available for use on Instagram and Lip Sync Live and Instagram Stories. Then, we also deliver your content to Rights Manager for FB/IG allows us to monetize your sound recording catalogue through reels, music stickers, and ad-supported posts and more. (Click here to learn how to claim this content with Symphonic.) 5. TikTok Just like with the above two, you can do this on TikTok as well. Here at Symphonic, we have a partnership with TikTok that allows our clients to deliver their tracks onto TikTok for creators to use in their videos. That means whenever anyone uses your music in their videos, you get paid. To get this done with us, click here. 6. SoundCloud Monetization With SoundCloud, you have the benefit of a large community of like-minded artists to get insights from and to collaborate and connect with within a positive community of creatives. SoundCloud is notoriously by musicians, for musicians and its not a bad idea to use that to your advantage. Symphonic can monetize your tracks and profile on SoundCloud and also deliver your catalogue to SoundCloud Go. To make sure youre making money here, click here to sign up for Soundcloud Monetization. 7. Teach Online Courses Dont be humble Youve got skills. Mad skills, in fact. Teach others how to master your craft by teaching online courses through websites like Skillshare or Teachable. If youve got the time, this is a great way to not only improve yourself through the repetition of practice, but get paid and teach others how to better themselves. Its a win-win. 8. Merch Would we really be doing this post justice is we didnt mention the OG here? Selling merch is a great way to make more money on the side without having to overexert yourself. Odds are you already have some merch available online. If thats the case, it doesnt hurt to make sure youre driving as much traffic as possible here. You can ensure this in a couple ways. To wrap it all up Trust me, I understand it sucks to have to focus on anything other than just making great music. However, anyone whos been in this game for a minute knows the hustle is a part of the process. Making more money on the side helps you support the things you need to move forward as an artist. Whether that be to buy better equipment, reinvest in yourself, step up your advertising, or whatever else, earning passive income is a great way to do so. Good luck! Share on: Veteran Spotlight: Marine Cpl. Pete Belmonte Cpl. Peter Belmonte joined the Marines right after graduating from Drury High School. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. My Veteran Spotlight feature this week is about a graduate of Drury High School. Peter Belmonte served his country in the Marine Corps from 1989 to 1994. A mere 10 days after his graduation, he was standing on Parris Island. "It was a real shock. Everyone arrives in the dark. In basic, you're there for one week and your drill instructors are still in school so you don't get the full brunt. But they make up for it," he recalled. Belmonte, a corporal, did however, remember one of his drill instructors that was the real deal. "His name was Tyronza Conard ... the epitome of what a Marine should be. He caught me looking at him one day and said, 'get your eyeballs off me!' Then came up to me and leaned in and said, 'You're not going to be one of my problems are you?'" Belmonte smiled. He continued, "The first day they call Mount Suribachi. They throw all your stuff into the middle of the room, then you have to climb it." After graduating basic training of 13 weeks, he went on to Marine Combat Training to become an infantryman and eight weeks of Infantry School. Belmonte was then sent to Security Forces School ( A "dismal swamp" as he remembered it) where he studied small arms and learned close quarters battle. He was stationed on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for a year and a half, where many of his duties and responsibilities were top secret. When asked about the holidays and being away from home, Belmonte laughed and said, "you work. We had 65 Marines on ship. We worked." After his duty on the Ike, he was assigned to a Marine Corps Security Forces Battalion in Norfolk, Va., where he was involved in numerous security related missions, including some that were high level. He described the base in Norfolk as "enormous. Just like a city." I asked Belmonte if he had a mentor and he came back with an extremely poignant insight. "All Marines have a mentor. It's usually the rank in front of you. You also need to know the Marine behind you. Every Marine is taught to be a leader of sorts ... think about the battlefield, attrition ... a Marine is taught to push forward, always strategic movement," he said. After breaking his leg, Belmonte was put into an administrative position. "In 1994, I was trying to extend my time as I wanted to make the Marines a career but got an honorable medical discharge, and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal. It was a giant letdown not to be able to make it a career. I wanted to be a helicopter pilot and go to school. Downsizing the military killed my career," he recalled. His thoughts on service brought out his true passion on being a Marine. "It's an emotional tie to something. One of the most glorifying things I think I've done in my life. You're not part of a team, you're part of a brotherhood. You get what you put in. It's a necessity, an obligation and honor. A Marine runs toward the bullets," he said as he showed me the tattoos he has of two fallen Marine comrades, Chad Germain and Aaron Weisenbrun. He is currently the executive chef at the Williams Inn. Corporal Pete Belmonte, thank you for your service to our great country. The U.S. special representative for North Korea arrived in Seoul, Monday, for talks with his South Korean counterpart and other officials on the Kim Jong-un regime's recent missile launches and the possibility of additional provocations. Ambassador Sung Kim began a five-day trip here amid heightened tensions following the North's test of a purported tactical guided weapon over the weekend and of an intercontinental ballistic missile launch (ICBM) last month. "It's great to be back in Seoul to continue our close coordination on DPRK developments," Kim told reporters upon arrival. DPRK stands for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Later in the day, Kim is set to meet with Seoul's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, at the foreign ministry. The two sides will probably exchange their views on the North's weapons test Saturday and the overall security condition on the Korean Peninsula. Kim is also expected to meet officials from President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition team to coordinate North Korea policy. Observers say Kim could meet Kim Sung-han, a former vice foreign minister and key member of the transition team's foreign policy subcommittee, and Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin. Jung Pak, U.S. deputy special representative for the North, is accompanying Kim. (Yonhap) Name: Sarah Bennett Company: Mercator Group Job title: CIO Date started current role: July 2021 (joined company 2007) Location: Crowborough, East Sussex Sarah Bennett is the CIO of Mercator IT Solutions. She has worked in IT for over 20 years as an administrator and has helped develop Mercator into a multi-million dollar IT consulting company. Her passion is to improve employee retention and wellbeing while helping the company grow. What was your first job? My first job was as a teenager working at a private stables. My first full-time job was in the mail order department of a publishing house. I took orders for books and magazines and entered them onto their system. (It was called Paragon and was a DOS programme!) Did you always want to work in IT? Absolutely not! I have a BA Hons in Dance (with Geography) and my original intention was to be a dance teacher for secondary level pupils but I fell out of love with education when I started my PGCE and was on placement it became evident very quickly that it was less about the teaching and the love of your subject and more about the admin and what you were and were not allowed to do. What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? I have GCSEs and A-Levels (Geography, Chemistry and Physics) and as mentioned before, I have a BA Hons in Dance (with Geography very much there to keep me in a salary if I became injured or too old). I dont currently hold any professional certifications but this is something I am looking to do. I like to attend seminars (or more recently webinars) and learn in that way, I dont believe that everything needs a certificate look at the certifications I do havepurely looking at those you wouldnt think I could do the job I do and yethere I am. As an organisation we place equal value, or possibly more, on demonstrable knowledge rather than certification. We encourage apprenticeships and on-the-job learning because for some people this is the best way to learn. Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. I got my first taste of the world of technology when I got a job for a web design/development company. I created the writing and sometimes worked on FrontPage and Dreamweaver to lay things out. I then worked for an IT recruitment company as an administrator and worked my way up to being the Contracts Manager there. I was responsible for reading contracts, adjusting clauses in our own contracts and learning about changes in legislation which affected the industry. It was there that I met the Founders of Mercator. I left the company to have one last attempt at using my dance degree again but I always regretted making the change. When I received a call a couple of years later asking me to come and work for Mercator as the first employee admin, accounts, contracts (in short, everything that wasnt sales), I jumped at the chance. That was 14 years ago and I really havent looked back. What business or technology initiatives will be most significant in driving IT investments in your organisation in the coming year? Mercator is growing at quite a pace both here and in the US. One of our key initiatives will be to ensure that our global locations are aligned in terms of infrastructure and procedures and to ensure that all procedures are able to be scaled up significantly. What are the CEO's top priorities for you in the coming year? How do you plan to support the business with IT? The CEOs top priorities will be scaleability. In 2020 I helped to move the company completely over to the Cloud, both with our licenced CRM and our internal systems. These were followed by the release of our bespoke timesheet and self-billing system. This system has been developed further to include additional functionality and a reporting function. This system is an ongoing project as we are growing and the system needs to grow with us. In addition to this we are developing new systems to automate some of the manual processes. It is going to be incredibly important for us to identify inefficiencies and the potential for human error. These areas are manageable when you are small but need to be addressed prior to any significant growth. This year will be about making all of our processes scaleable. Growth for Mercator is happening both sides of the Atlantic and so we will also be concentrating on replicating our infrastructure, systems and procedures in the US in order that the US entity is able to scale at the same pace as the UK. Does the conventional CIO role include responsibilities it should not hold? Should the role have additional responsibilities it does not currently include? I think the role of the CIO varies greatly depending on the company. Traditionally it is a technical role but the emphasis should probably be on understanding business needs: the mission of the CEO, what customers want from your business and the requirements of the staff to reach those goals. The technology is what links these things. I would say that people management, the ability to link the needs of anyone with an investment in the company (be that financial or otherwise) and some of the softer skills are more important than technical skills. The CIO needs to be a creative thinker and a problem solver. The responsibilities that fall within that scope will also depend on the particular person in the role; at the end of the day you make the most of the talent in front of you, whether that is part of the conventional role or not. Are you leading a digital transformation? If so, does it emphasise customer experience and revenue growth or operational efficiency? If both, how do you balance the two? We completed an internal digital transformation in 2020 but digital delivery is what we do day in day out for our clients. In terms of customer experience versus efficiency, the timesheet system was a classic example of both elements being important. The system had to be simple to use from the users point of view and the UI had to be clutter-free but as a result it made life easier for employees working on the back-end of things and for the accounts department timesheets and invoices rolled in much more quickly and reduced man-hours in the accounts department and our clients found the approval process and project tracking easier. Our external projects continually strive to achieve a positive outcome for both experience and efficiency they are never mutually exclusive. Describe the maturity of your digital business. For example, do you have KPIs to quantify the value of IT? Whilst we are a relatively mature digital business we dont tend to set KPIs. We take a more holistic view of our projects the main aim is that they are successful. What does good culture fit look like in your organisation? How do you cultivate it? Cultural fit is one of the most important things at Mercator after the initial screening or technical test it is the thing we look the hardest for. For Mercator that means mucking in, wanting to be part of something and being happy to invest yourself in the company. We never see our staff as numbers on the payroll. We want to be part of their journey as well as have them be part of ours. Its common to hold social events within a company but possibly what is less common is the ability for a more junior member of staff to put forward their ideas and not have them shot down. Everyone here has something to add and it doesnt matter how far up the pay scale they are, if they have an idea we want to hear it. We also foster an everyone is approachable philosophy; senior staff are not off limits. This kind of environment gives everyone a voice and if everyone has a voice they are more likely to feel part of something. Part of our culture is to give staff the ability to make a decision (whatever level that may be at). When they feel comfortable making a decision it moves the company on and prevents procrastination. We nurture an active involvement in the business. As a result we have an excellent staff retention rate and impressively our staff return rate is also high. What roles or skills are you finding (or anticipate to be) the most difficult to fill? User Research seems to be a difficult area at the moment. Its hard to find a User Researcher who has done the job before at the level we require. It has become a more and more competitive space as other companies have begun to recognise its value in digital transformation projects. What's the best career advice you ever received? The best career advice I received was from the CEO Concentrate on the things you are good at and surround yourself with people who have the skills you dont together you will make a great team. Do you have a succession plan? If so, discuss the importance of and challenges with training up high-performing staff. There is no formal succession plan in place but we like to hire from within so that any heads of department or leaders have a really good understanding of the culture of the company and our client relationships. They can then be the voice that filters downwards to newer employees. What advice would you give to aspiring IT leaders? Dont be afraid to put forward your ideas to those above you but dont take it personally if they arent used; you may have sewn a seed for later use even if they arent put into action straight away. Dont be afraid to challenge the senior team a healthy discussion is incredibly important in business and the CEO isnt always right (but equally neither are you so make sure you listen to your team). What has been your greatest career achievement? My greatest achievement is being part of Mercator from the start. I joined after 1 year of trading and have helped to grow it to the business it is today. We have come from a team of 3 to a multi-million pound group of global companies. Not many people can say they have been part of that kind of journey. Looking back with 20:20 hindsight, what would you have done differently? Looking back I think the obvious thing would be to have come at my career from a different angle. Ive taken a very scenic route to get to where I am and if I had known I was going to do this role I would have taken a more direct (and possibly certificated) route. That said, the journey is just as important as the destination and I think I would have met some barriers if I had taken the conventional route for a CIO. I also think I would be in a different company environment as a result and Im not sure that would really suit me. I think on balance that means I wouldnt have done anything differently! HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, made the new Nokia G50 even more accessible to Filipino fans through Globe Telecom, Inc.s exclusive GPlan 1499. Better for the pocket and better for the planet, the Nokia G50 has a superior build quality, modern features and timeless design that lasts at an accessible price point. Its software security updates that keep the phone fresh for years let fans enjoy their phone for much longer. GPlan with Nokia G50 Exclusively, the Globe plan 1499 with Nokia G50 5G offers customers unlimited calls and texts to all networks and landline, 10GB all access to data and 3GB GoWifi access monthly within the 24-month contract. The plan also includes three months subscription for standard VIP access to IQIYI. We are thrilled to have the Nokia G50 5G available across all the postpaid plans at very accessible cash outs. Powered by Globes pioneering mobile 5G network, this amazing handset will allow customers to experience mobile data connectivity in new and more exciting ways. Truly, a partnership made for greater. Coco Domingo, Vice President of Globe Mobile Postpaid & International Business. The future-proofed Nokia G50 Staying true to its roots, the Nokia G50 has the build quality Nokia phones are known for and features a classic, timeless design. Whether used for upskilling with online videos or absorbing scenes from ones favorite show, the content on Nokia G50s screen will be crisp and clear with its 6.82 HD+ display. It also features a 48MP triple lens camera with AI smarts, to fully equip fans to capture lifes moments from natures wonders to times with loved ones in any lighting setup. The Nokia G50 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Mobile Platform, boasts a two-day battery life and 18W fast-charging technology. And for extra reassurance, the Nokia G50 also comes with one-year warranty for parts and services at no extra cost. Built with the future in mind, the Nokia G50 is already prepared to welcome Android 12 and beyond, so fans can always have access to the most modern features. The monthly security updates are guaranteed for at least three years, so users best ideas and favorite moments are protected for complete peace of mind. Handled in a Finland-based data center, user data is protected by strict European regulations with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as foundation. Availability Exclusively on Globe, the Nokia G50 5G is available in stunning Ocean Blue color variant and comes in 6/128GB. Check out full details and offerings here: Nokia G50 GPlan 1499 or visit the nearest Globe store in your area. It was about a year into running her superfood-product startup, Golde, that Trinity Mouzon Wofford started getting calls from investors. She'd launched the company in 2017 at the age of 23, with her own funding, and with just a hand from her high-school sweetheart, who'd become her partner in life and business. "At that point, I had already run the business completely on our own terms for over a year. It didn't quite make sense to me just yet ... to be responsible for someone else's millions of dollars," Mouzon Wofford told Inc.'s What I Know podcast. Once she became accustomed to saying no, it came easier. Meanwhile, Golde began to scale slowly, finding customers through local New York City shops, cafes, and spas, who then came back to the company's website to find the products they loved -- a turmeric latte blend or superfood face mask -- and buy them directly. It was almost as if the founder had backed into a successful DTC business. "We had no marketing budget whatsoever," Mouzon Wofford says. "And frankly, if we had it, we wouldn't have known what to do with it. But we did have this profitable channel where our products sat on these incredible shelves. We got the right eyes on us." Before long, larger retailers started calling. But with a tiny staff and limited production abilities, Mouzon Wofford knew that jumping on a large deal could exceed the company's abilities. "It's a big undertaking!" she says. "There's no harm in telling a retailer, 'Not right now,' and making sure you are ready." For example, when Mouzon Wofford began meeting with Target buyers, she took it slow. She wanted to learn what pricing structure, packaging, and products would fit best at the national chain. She went through Target's accelerator program, and redesigned a line of products specifically to fit price points ideal for mass retail. (A $14.99 price tag was her goal.) Mouzon Wofford says taking her time not only enabled her to think through the product assortment, pricing, and strategy -- but also allowed her to gain assurance that the retailer was committed to her new category of superfood and beauty products, find out how shelf space was allocated, and then figure out what her commitments would need to be. Today, it is easy to recognize this leading automobile manufacturer by its signature three-ellipsis logo. But in 1936, when it was starting out its motor division, Toyoda held a public competition for designing its initial logo. Not only did they pick a design from over 27,000 entries, it also led to a spin-off in the company's name. That's how Toyoda, originally an automatic looms company named after its founder Kiichiro Toyoda, became Toyota, the automobile behemoth we know today. That's crowdsourcing. And while it may sound like a modern buzzword, the above example shows that its roots go deep in history. With the power of social media and a world that is more connected than ever, crowdsourcing is far more prevalent today. You can harness the power of a crowd to do almost anything, including naming a business, raising funds, designing a product, writing content, and much more. So what's the catch? And why are there so many horror stories about crowdsourcing today? It boils down to how well you execute your crowdsourcing campaign, and if you have the tools you need to manage your project correctly. After managing over 30,000 successful crowdsourced naming projects, my company and I have developed a few key strategies that can maximize the success of your next crowdsourcing project. 1. Give enough background information. As a brand, you know what you want out of a crowdsourcing campaign better than anyone else. Always assume that the crowd knows nothing about who you are. So start from scratch. What must you tell them? What should they know about your product or service? What solution are you looking for? These questions help define the background. For example: If you're looking to name your fashion business, you can't be vague and hope that the crowd will be able to fill in the gaps. A lot of people think they can start a branding project by just explaining their industry and the age of their audience. For example, "We are a fashion brand selling to young adults." But clearly, this isn't enough. Think of the vastly diverse brands in the market today that sell to this audience. If you work with a crowdsourcing community to come up with a name, you cannot expect them to build your entire brand story. Similarly, you cannot raise funds through the crowd with a vague idea. The crowd won't fund a "trendy fashion brand" -- they need much, much more. 2. Avoid controversy in your brief. A crowdsourced project starts by passing your ideas to the crowd, often in the form of a digital in-depth brief. The goal of the brief should be to eliminate any ambiguity about the campaign and state details in a clear and succinct manner. So while writing the brief, at every stage ask if it's clear or if anything sounds vague? Read it out loud, and get feedback from others. Also, consider if anything in the brief could be controversial in terms of race, religion, sex, nationality, etc. For example: In 2013, Durex announced the launch of its emergency delivery app named Durex SOS to deliver condoms to couples wherever they were. As part of the campaign, it asked the crowd to vote on which city they should begin this service in. The audience resorted to their usual trolling and chose the final outcome as Batman, Turkey to match to the superhero's name. But it turned out that Batman is a small conservative city, not ideal for the service Durex was trying to sell. As a result, the campaign was stopped. To avoid such mishaps, try to visualize your campaign end-to-end from the point of view of someone who isn't related to the business. What hurdles might you run into? What do you need to avoid them? Define all such elements clearly in the brief. 3. Communicate, clarify, and correct. Ensure that there are ample opportunities and avenues to engage with the community at multiple stages. This could mean answering their questions, clarifying your objective, providing additional information, etc. For example, during a design project, you might decide to go another direction visually or change the tone from formal to casual. Timely communication with the community can save the campaign and help you accomplish your renewed goals. Set regular milestones around when you plan to engage with the community. 4. Don't slack on feedback. One of my company's clients, a large hotel chain, liked a name that had been submitted by a creative. While the campaign was still underway, we gave specific and actionable feedback to the individual who had come up with the name. We told them what we liked, what worked for us, and why we liked it. Using our feedback, the creative pitched nine other names, which too brilliantly hit the mark. None of these other names would have been possible if we didn't give feedback midway. Give appropriate, actionable, helpful, and detailed feedback when someone submits their suggestion. In doing so, you help them be seen. This encourages them to be more invested in the project, come back with better ideas, and perhaps even remember your brand. There's power in numbers, and crowdsourcing can help you mobilize that power. Yet by no means is it a passive process where you, as a brand, can pass the baton to the community entirely. We outline the various trends surrounding women and work in India. From the glass ceilings and skewed employment statistics to unjustifiable pay gaps, the odds in the Indian employment landscape are inevitably against women. We establish a rationale as to why in the long-term, gender discrimination at the workplace is detrimental to Indias economic growth objective, both at micro and macro levels. Lastly, we list the various laws in place in India for protecting womens rights at the workplace. Sustained periods of high economic growth since the early 1990s, characterized by the New Economic Policy that liberalized the business landscape, allowed India to effectively leap from the much dreaded Hindu rate of growth and bring significant changes to the lives of the Indian workforce. However, the growth trajectory has been lopsided towards a preferred gender. Be it the crystallized glass ceilings, the unexplainable pay gaps, unconscious biases, or lack of basic amenities like separate toilets, India is still a long way from realizing its much hyped demographic dividend. It is surprising to see that Indias female labor force participation rate (LFPR), which refer to women who are either working or looking for a job, has not only stagnated at much below the global average of 47 percent for several years but has declined considerably in recent years. Despite experiencing structural improvements to their lives, such as decline in fertility rates and expansion of womens education, Indias female LFPR is on a downward track. As per World Bank estimates, the female labor participation rate in India fell to 20.3 percent in 2019 from more than 26 percent in 2005 and 31.9 percent in 1983. This is much lower, even when compared with 30.5 percent in neighboring Bangladesh and 33.7 percent in Sri Lanka. This decline in female LFPR can be attributed to various factors like obligations towards the performance of domestic duties, conservative social norms, and the lack of flexible work models. It is also observed that household constraints trump financial need and individual preferences for job choice among women. This bleak scenario of womens workforce participation having slid towards regression could, however, take a positive turn. The COVID-19 and post-pandemic hybrid work models could become game-changers for many women offering flexible and more innovative work options with increasingly empathetic work cultures. Such new work models may improve gender diversity at work, in traditional organizations as well as in the gig economy. Indias female labor force participation: Trends and analysis According to annual bulletin of Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) 2019-20 data, the female labor force participation in India is way below that of males. In FY 2020, while the male participation rate stood at 56.8 percent, this ratio was merely 22.2 percent for females. The latest quarterly PLFS surveys suggest a further decline. In the January-March 2021 quarter, this stood at 16.9 percent, with states like Himachal Pradesh (29.6), Andhra Pradesh (23.1), Tamil Nadu (24.2), Kerala (19.5), and West Bengal (19.5) being some of the top performers. The state of Bihar remained the worst performer with a 4.4 percent participation rate, following Delhi at 8.8 percent and Uttar Pradesh at 9.7 percent. Juxtaposed to the male workforce participation rate during the same period, which was 57.5 percent, the stark gender inequality is evident. Annual Labor Force Participation Rate in India (in percent) (FY2018-20) Female Male All FY 2017-18 17.5 55.5 36.9 FY 2018-19 18.6 55.6 37.5 FY 2019-20 22.2 56.8 40.1 State-Wise Female Labor Force Participation Rate (in percent) According to Current Weekly Status for Different States (January 2020 March 2021) (All Age Groups) State January-March 2020 April-June 2020 July-September 2020 October-December 2020 January-March 2021 Andhra Pradesh 21.6 18.3 20.2 20.7 23.1 Assam 15.1 13.8 13.7 14.2 14.2 Bihar 6.2 6.0 5.3 5.3 4.8 Chhattisgarh 18.5 16.6 16.4 17.5 17.2 Delhi 13.7 11.6 9.1 9.3 8.8 Gujarat 16.0 14.5 15.1 15.8 16.6 Haryana 15.9 13.5 14.3 15.8 14.4 Himachal Pradesh 22.7 27.9 28.3 26.7 29.6 Jammu and Kashmir 22.1 20.5 19.5 18.7 18.7 Jharkhand 12.8 10.4 10.4 10.6 11.3 Karnataka 18.5 18.1 19.2 19.0 19.7 Kerala 21.8 18.2 20.4 20.5 20.5 Madhya Pradesh 15.5 13.0 13.4 13.2 13.8 Maharashtra 19.5 17.3 18.3 18.2 18.5 Odisha 15.4 15.2 16.6 14.4 15.2 Punjab 17.5 14.8 12.0 14.6 15.8 Rajasthan 13.2 9.6 9.9 10.8 12.0 Tamil Nadu 25.2 22.4 23.3 23.7 24.2 Telangana 21.8 20.2 19.8 21.3 20.5 Uttarakhand 14.0 12.8 13.9 14.5 14.8 Uttar Pradesh 8.8 8.8 9.3 9.0 9.7 West Bengal 20.8 17.8 19.8 19.7 19.5 India 17.3 15.5 16.1 16.4 16.9 A further analysis reveals a greater rural-urban divide within already existing complexities. As per annual bulletin of 2019-20 PLFS survey findings, the rural female workforce participation was 24.7 percent while the corresponding urban rate was 18.5 percent. This rural-urban divide is not as high with respect to males. The male participation stood at 56.3 percent and 57.8 percent in rural and urban areas, respectively. Another noticeable trend is that the female labor force is vulnerable to maximum distortions and impact in the face of adversity. The recent quarterly PLFS statistics suggest a considerable decline in female LFPR post the COVID-19 pandemic. The participation rate, which was 17.1 percent before the pandemic hit, fell to a record low of 15.5 percent in the April-June 2020 quarter when strict movement curbs were imposed. A research paper by Azim Premji University on the gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indias labor market said that compared with men, women were seven times more likely to lose work during the nationwide lockdown and eleven times more likely to not return to work subsequently. Occupational and sectoral analysis of female workforce participation Occupational trend statistics reveal that female employment in professional and technical roles is much higher in urban areas as compared to males. However, their participation in legislative, official, and managerial roles remained much lower at 11.7 percent as compared to males (17.8 percent) in urban areas. In rural areas too, female participation remained higher than males in technical and associate professional roles at 2.9 percent as compared to 2.1 percent among males. At the same time, female participation in official, managerial, and professional roles remained low. Occupation Wise Participation of Workforce as per PLFS 2019-20 (in percent) Occupation Rural Urban Male Female Male Female Division 1: Legislators, senior officials, and managers 6.3 percent 4.0 percent 17.8 percent 11.7 percent Division 2: Professionals 2.0 percent 1.7 percent 8.8 percent 13.7 percent Division 3: Technicians and associate professionals 2.1 percent 2.9 percent 6.1 percent 11.7 percent An investigation into the statistics of the Indian workforce according to employment type reveals that in urban areas, the share of salaried / wage earning females in is more than males. In rural areas, participation of self-employed females is higher than that of males. Employment in casual labor is almost at par for both the genders in rural areas, while it is slightly higher for males in urban areas. Another interesting trend to note is that in rural areas, female workforce participation is the maximum in agriculture, followed by manufacturing, construction, trade, and the hospitality industry. Whereas in urban areas, female workforce participation is the maximum in manufacturing, followed by hospitality, construction and transport, storage and communications. Within the self-employed category, where the employment share of females is highest at 63 percent in rural areas, these figures are misleading as most women are employed as unpaid family workers in family farms and family businesses, engaging in activities like taking care of livestock etc. According to the PLFS, North-East Indian states rank among the highest in percentages of females holding managerial positions, with Meghalaya topping the list, followed by Sikkim and Mizoram. These states are followed by Andhra Pradesh and Punjab. In terms of literacy rate and professions involving technical roles, females from Northeast India show the highest percentages across India. The states which have fared the worst in terms of female workers in the managerial position are Assam, followed Haryana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Uttarakhand. Sikkim tops the list of states with the highest ratio of females to males among professional and technical workers with 120.2 percent, followed by Meghalaya (101.5 percent) and Kerala (91.6 percent). Female entrepreneurship in India Given the numerous kinds of barriers that women face in obtaining and retaining suitable jobs, entrepreneurship provides an alternate avenue to productive participation in the workforce. However, India is not performing well on the index of female entrepreneurship either, with only 21.49 percent of total establishments and 13.41 percent of non-agricultural establishments in India being owned by women. There are several structural barriers that exist, including limited avenues for women to enter only select business domains. But the most noteworthy barrier is posed by accessibility to finance for setting up businesses, with around 70 percent of women surveyed across four cities citing access to credit as a barrier. Gender wage disparity in India Statistics suggest a significant pay disparity exists between males and females who are engaged in similar kinds of jobs. The tables below provide a comparative perspective of wages earned by female workers and their male counterparts. Wage Earnings for Regular Salaried Employees in India as per PLFS (2019-20) Male Female Rural INR 13,900 14,300 INR 8,500 12,100 Urban INR 19,200 21,600 INR 15,300 17,300 Average Wage Earning per day for Casual Labor Engaged in Work other than Public Works in India as per PLFS 2019-20 Male Female Rural INR 297 315 INR 185 209 Urban INR 375 391 INR 243 265 Average Gross Earnings During Last 30 Days from Self Employment Work in India (July 2019 June 2020) Male Female Rural INR 9,200 10,100 INR 4,600 5,000 Urban INR 14,500 17,800 INR 6,900 7,700 The cost of gender discrimination at the workplace Indias growth story will continue to remain unsustainable unless it is inclusive and converts the potential of gender minorities into actual jobs. The data sets hinting at declining female labor force participation and hiring biases are concerning not only from the point of view of womens liberation and autonomy but also from an economic perspective. Inequality and discrimination have adverse impacts on economic growth. A positive correlation between discrimination and economic growth exists and operates through the following linkages: Selection distortion effect of employment discrimination: Increased discrimination in the labor market would lead to a decline in the employment chances of the gender minorities, thus not incentivizing them to attain better education, which would in turn lead to a decline in average productivity/ability of workforce, thereby depressing overall economic growth. Increased discrimination in the labor market would lead to a decline in the employment chances of the gender minorities, thus not incentivizing them to attain better education, which would in turn lead to a decline in average productivity/ability of workforce, thereby depressing overall economic growth. Measurement effect of employment inequality: A number of case studies conducted have shown that women are found to underreport their work, especially household domestic workers and petty agricultural workers. This might be a result of the prejudiced notion of Sanskritization, where imposing restrictions on women is sought to achieve upward caste mobility; many high caste women are not allowed to work outside. Thus, much of female labor goes unrecorded in the system of national accounts. Greater access to education will lead to substitution of unrecorded female labor with recorded female labor by not only changing their mindset but also but also by increasing their productivity, making female labor more visible and thus responsible for increased economic output. A number of case studies conducted have shown that women are found to underreport their work, especially household domestic workers and petty agricultural workers. This might be a result of the prejudiced notion of Sanskritization, where imposing restrictions on women is sought to achieve upward caste mobility; many high caste women are not allowed to work outside. Thus, much of female labor goes unrecorded in the system of national accounts. Greater access to education will lead to substitution of unrecorded female labor with recorded female labor by not only changing their mindset but also but also by increasing their productivity, making female labor more visible and thus responsible for increased economic output. Discrimination against equally productive individuals in managerial positions: This would lead to a decline in equilibrium wages, which would further decrease the cut-off level of talent leading to a decline in average level of entrepreneurship and thus a decreased innovation level. It also implies a decline in female education due to structural disincentives; because of reduced wage earnings, women may choose to reduce their investment on education or upskilling. Indian laws and policies governing womens rights and protections in the workplace Legal Provisions Protecting Rights of Women in Workplace Enactment Protective provisions The Prohibition of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 In case the workplace has more than 10 employees, this Act mandates the employer with to develop a complaint mechanism and provides for the establishment of an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). The ICC must consist of at least: Four members, with a senior woman employee as the Chairperson Two members from amongst the employees, with preferably a woman with experience in social work or legal knowledge A third-party member preferably affiliated with a non- governmental organization. In case the workplace has less than 10 employees, complaints may be filed at local complaints committee (LOC) established at the district level. Requires the employers to organize workshops and awareness programs for sensitization against sexual harassment and to provide assistance to the complainant who wishes to proceed with a police complaint. The Act also provides for speedy resolution of the complaint. The aggrieved woman is required to file the complaint of sexual harassment within three months of the incident, extendable to further three months in certain situations. The ICC is required to complete the inquiry within 90 days of receipt of the complaint. While the investigation is underway, the complaint may be transferred to another workplace or granted leave for a period of up to three months. The complainant must make a written request for the same. On completion of the inquiry, a report will be sent to the employer or the District Officer (for workplaces with few than 10 employees), who are then obliged to take action on the report within 60 days. Provides remedies to the victim in form of compensation, as assessed suitable by the ICC. The factors considered by ICC in determining this compensation amount include the level of mental trauma, pain, suffering, emotional distress, medical expenses incurred, financial status of the respondent, loss in career opportunity due to the incident. The ICC is also authorized to penalize the accused with heavy financial deductions, in case the allegation is proved legible. The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 Provision regarding safeguards against sexual harassment of women workers at their work places. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 The Maternity Benefit Act provides for following benefits: 26 Weeks of maternity leave out of which eight weeks before the expected date of delivery for up to two surviving children. For more than two children and for adopting/commissioning mothers, 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. One month maternity leave to a woman worker suffering from illness arising out of pregnancy, delivery, premature birth of child (miscarriage, medical termination of pregnancy or tubectomy operation). Two nursing breaks of 15 minutes until the child attains the age of 15 months. Medical Bonus of INR 3500 if no prenatal confinement and post-natal care is provided by the employer free of charge. Light work for 10 weeks. Immunity from dismissal during absence while in pregnancy. No deduction of wages of woman entitled to maternity benefit. Option of work from home Facility of creche if 50 or more employees are working in the establishment The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 Payment of equal remuneration to men and women workers for same or similar nature of work protected under the Act. No discrimination is permissible in recruitment and service conditions except where employment of women is prohibited or restricted by or under any law. Employees State Insurance Act, 1948, read with Employees State Insurance (Central) Regulation, 1950 The benefits available under ESI Scheme include Medical Benefit Sickness and extended sickness benefit Maternity benefit o 26 weeks of paid leave for up to two children o 12 weeks for more than two children adopting and commissioning mothers. o Six weeks for miscarriage. o Additional moths leave for sickness arising out of pregnancy. o Medical bonus of INR 5000 Disablement benefits Dependent benefits Funeral benefits The Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966 Provision of creches: In every industrial premises wherein more than thirty female employees are ordinarily employed, there shall be provided and maintained a suitable room or rooms for the use of children under the age of six years of such female employees. Such rooms shall: Provide adequate accommodation Be adequately lighted and ventilated Be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition The charge of such creches must be women trained in the care of children and infants. Additionally, the State Government may make rules like requiring the provision for free milk or refreshment or both for such children etc. The Contract Labor (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 Provision of separate rest rooms or alternative accommodations for women employees at every place wherein contract labor is required to halt at night. Provision of separate reserved portion of dining hall and service counter. Provision of separate washing places and latrines for women to secure privacy. Provision of creches where 20 or more women are ordinarily employed as contract labor. The Factories Act, 1948 Provision of creches in every factory wherein more than 30 women workers are ordinarily employed. Employment of women in factory is prohibited except between the 0600 1900 hours IST. However, in exceptional circumstances, employment of women is permitted up to 2200 hours IST. Employment of women is also prohibited/restricted in certain factories involving dangerous operations No women shall be allowed to clean, lubricate or adjust any part of prime mover while it is in motion No women shall be employed in any part of a factory for pressing cotton in which a cotton opener is at work The Mines Act, 1952 Mine management are required to frame Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) in connection with the deployment of women at night hours. The Act requires the provision of adequate facilities and safeguards regarding the occupational safety, security and health of women employees in mines, as the timing restrictions on their deployment have been lifted. The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 Provision of creche The Inter State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act,1979 The Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976 These Acts mandate the appointment of women member in the Advisory and Central Advisory Committee. The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines and Chrome Ore Mines Labor Welfare Fund Act, 1976 The Lime Stone and Dolomite Mines Labor Welfare Fund Act, 1972 The Mica Mines Labor Welfare Fund Act, 1946 Key employment and unemployment indicators SEPC Chairman Sunil H Talati said that sectors that will be benefited immensely from the pact include telecommunications, computers, information, travel, research and development, and professional and management consulting services. Services exports to Australia are expected to more than double to USD 5 billion in the next five years on the back of the trade pact signed between the two nations, the Services Exports Promotion Council (SEPC) said on Friday. SEPC Chairman Sunil H Talati said that sectors that will be benefited immensely from the pact include telecommunications, computers, information, travel, research and development, and professional and management consulting services. India and Australia on April 2 inked an economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA) to boost economic ties. SEPC expects exports to reach USD 5 billion by 2027 from the current USD 1.9 billion, Talati said. He added that the council will be the nodal organisation for creating and promoting business opportunities for Indias services sector in Australia in the given framework of the pact. SEPC will be organising a series of activities and outreach programmes on ECTA followed by sector-specific business delegations to Australia, he added. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal led one of the largest trade delegations to Australia shortly after the signing of the pact. The delegation comprised industry representatives from most of the Export Promotion Councils and senior government officials. Sri Lanka has been facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948. Amid food, medicine and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts, many believe that China's "debt-trap diplomacy" is behind the crisis, said a media report, as mentioned in ANI. gr.china-embassy.org Also Read: Friend Or Foe? Before $2.5 Billion 'Help', China Had Rejected Sri Lanka's Loan Rescheduling Appeal China's Debt-Trap Policy Writing in Channel News Asia (CNA), a Professor of Economics at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, R Ramakumar, highlighted that China's debt-trap policy is singularly responsible for the dire economic situation of Sri Lanka. "Many believe that Sri Lanka's economic relations with China are the main driver behind the crisis. The United States has called this phenomenon debt-trap diplomacy," the report said. The report further stated that debt-trap diplomacy is where a creditor country or institution extends debt to a borrowing nation to increase the lender's political leverage - if the borrower extends itself and cannot pay the money back, they are at the creditor's mercy. Defaults over China's infrastructure-related loans to Sri Lanka, especially the financing of the Hambantota port, are being cited as factors contributing to the crisis, the report noted, as per ANI. The construction of the Hambantota port was financed by the Chinese Exim Bank. The port was running into losses, so Sri Lanka leased out the port for 99 years to the Chinese Merchant's Group, which paid Sri Lanka USD 1.12 billion, the report said. Also, the island nation relies on the import of many essential items, including petrol, food items and medicines. Most countries will keep foreign currencies on hand in order to trade for these items, but a shortage of foreign exchange in Sri Lanka is being blamed for the sky-high prices, Ramakumar said. The economic crisis and slump are blamed on currency shortages caused by the travel ban imposed during the Covid-19 epidemic. This has resulted in the nation's inability to purchase sufficient fuel, resulting in an extreme shortage of food and essential commodities such as heating fuel and gas. Sri Lanka On The Edge Of Humanitarian Crisis According to the United Nations Development Programme, Sri Lanka appears to be on the edge of a humanitarian crisis as its financial troubles grow. According to World Bank estimates, 5 lakh people in Sri Lanka have fallen below the poverty line since the onset of the crisis. Seeking $4Billion From IMF This Week Amidst all this, Sri Lankan officials are expected to arrive in Washington this week to meet with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Sri Lanka is reportedly seeking up to $4 billion this year to help it import essentials and pay creditors. Now it remains to be seen how much money IMF extends to the crisis-hit island nation, to help it come out of the crisis and rebuild its economy. Also Read: How Russia-Ukraine War Is Pushing Debt-Ridden Sri Lanka Towards A Possible Default For the latest financial and economic content, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here. The Han River Park in southern Seoul is crowded with people, April 17. (Yonhap) On the first day of the lifting of all COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, small business owners said they are looking forward to seeing as many customers as before the pandemic. All social distancing rules, except a mask mandate, were lifted this week, allowing restaurants, cafes and other small businesses to operate freely without a curfew and limits on the size of private gatherings. "Group reservations of 10 to 20 people keep coming in as companies resume after-hour dinners," an employee of a Korean barbecue restaurant in central Seoul said. A 58-year-old cafe owner in the busy district of Gangnam welcomed the government's decision, saying she hopes to see all tables at her cafe full with customers as they were before COVID-19 broke out. "I could feel more people hanging out at night from last week. I hope I can recover my store's sales soon," the owner said while busily preparing fruit juices to sell, adding the biggest change is that people now have no fear of having private gatherings. Some, however, were still uncertain whether the economy will fully recover due to the prolonged virus situation. The Maine House voted Thursday to give the states tribes the same rights enjoyed by Native Americans elsewhere across the country, a first step in an effort to uphold the tribes sovereignty. The 81-55 tally marked the first legislative vote in the process of restoring rights forfeited in the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980, which made the tribes subject to state law. The vote, which tribal leaders watched from the gallery, followed emotional testimony from supporters who said the change was long overdue. The time to change this is now, for the Wabanaki tribes rightly deserve and should enjoy the same rights, privileges, power and immunities as other federally recognized tribes, said Rep. Rena Newell, a nonvoting Passamaquoddy representative to the Legislature. Some critics, however, pointed out that there could be unforeseen difficulties from the change. As it stands, tribal reservations in Maine are treated like municipalities under state law. The historic vote came hours after the Senate gave final approval to a separate bill allowing the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point to regulate its own drinking water. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has concerns about parts of the bill, including conflicts between jurisdictions. Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, said she was concerned the tribal lands in Maine are not contiguous, and that there could be conflicts over environmental rules in towns across the state. Future lawmakers will be bound by any mistakes in the new language, she said. There are serious unknown consequences on natural resources and wildlife management, land and water access, and liability, she said. Most lawmakers spoke about righting a historical wrong that dates back more than four decades. The Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Maliseet traded some rights to the state authority under an $81.5 million settlement that was signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. The Mikmaq are subject to similar terms under their own agreement, adopted in 1991. In the years since, the state and tribes have butted heads on environmental, fish and wildlife rules. And the states tribes have not benefited from changes in federal law, their supporters said. Rep. Jeffrey Evangelos, an independent from Friendship, Maine, became emotional as he spoke of the need to adopt the law to ensure tribes are treated the same as others, especially all theyve endured since the arrival of Europeans who took Native Americans land and killed many of them. When we steal something of this magnitude, we have to give a little bit of it back to make it right, he said. Assistant House Majority Leader Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, said the proposal was the result of years of work. Throughout the history of Maine and the United States, we have amended our laws over and over again to correct past wrongs, improve our democracy and protect the rights of those previously left behind. Let 2022 be the year that we correct the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act, she said. Associated Press writer Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont, contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation Maine The owner and operator of an Arlington, Massachusetts-based insurance agency has been convicted by a federal jury in Boston of fraudulently receiving government disability benefits. Patrick Quinn, an ex-Marine who said he was disabled due to several service-related physical injuries and post-traumatic stress (PTS) disorder, was convicted on April 12 of two counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements. The guilty verdict came after a six-day jury trial. According to the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, Quinn was arrested and charged in December 2019. According to prosecutors, since January 2012, Quinn has stolen more than $420,000 in benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) by falsely claiming that he was unable to work due to a disability, when in reality, he owned and operated his own insurance agency. Prosecutors said evidence presented at trial indicated that Quinn was self-employed as the owner and operator of Shannon Francis & Quinn Insurance, which later became Quinn Group Insurance Agency, since at least March 2003 contrary to his claims to the VA and SSA. Quinn also served as the president, treasurer, secretary and director of Insurance Management Consultants, Inc. from 2000 through 2007, despite telling the VA and SSA that the company fired him in 2005. In his defense, Quinns lawyers argued that the VA and SSA regulations that prosecutors relied upon are unconstitutionally vague, debatable and uncertain as to what constitutes substantial gainful activity and that the regulations fail to give notice to a veteran like Quinn of how they might apply to his situation. Quinns lawyers have petitioned for an acquittal and have indicated they will be asking for a new trial. Prosecutors told jurors that while claiming disability, Quinn operated his insurance firm and regularly received payments ranging in amounts of $6,500 to $15,000. They said he grew his business significantly through acquisitions of nine smaller insurance agencies at various times between 2012 through 2019. Prosecutors provided a timeline of Quinns benefit claims. In October 1995, shortly after being discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps, Quinn applied and was approved for disability compensation benefits with the VA based on a series of physical injuries and, later, post-traumatic stress disorder. In March 2005, Quinn applied for Individual Unemployability (IU) benefits with the VA, which are paid to individuals who are unable to maintain substantially gainful employment as a result of their service-connected disabilities. In the application, Quinn claimed that his PTSD prevented him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation and that he had become too disabled to work. In support of his application, Quinn submitted a letter from his purported final employer, Insurance Management Consultants, Inc., claiming Quinn was let go due to his erratic behavior and was no longer employed at the firm. While receiving IU benefits, Quinn completed and returned four VA employment questionnaires, in each of which he attested he had not worked during the previous year, according to prosecutors. Similarly, in November 2005, Quinn applied and was approved for disability insurance benefits with Social Security, this time claiming he had become unable to work due to his disabling condition in September 2004. In June 2006, Quinn applied for childs insurance benefits, which are paid to the dependent of a disabled individual receiving disability insurance benefits, on behalf of his minor child. Social Security beneficiaries are obligated to report if they return to work to the SSA. In May 2018, Quinn reported to the SSA that he had not worked since May 2006. The SSA continued to pay benefits to Quinn and his son based on this report. Attorneys Tracy A. Miner and Christina N. Lindberg, of the Boston firm Miner Siddall, represented Quinn. This is not a typical benefits fraud prosecution, Quinns lawyers wrote in seeking acquittal. No one disputes that Defendant Patrick Quinn is a military veteran suffering from a number of significant disabilities and for years received specific service-connected disabilities that the VA evaluated and rated based on their severity and impact on Defendants ability to function. The regulations on which this prosecution hinge involve whether or not he was engaged in substantial gainful activity and are unconstitutionally vague, highly debatable, and so uncertain that people of average intelligence are forced to guess at their meaning. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns has scheduled sentencing for Aug. 17, 2022. The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of making a false statement provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Source: U.S. Attorney for District of Massachusetts Topics Fraud Massachusetts Preliminary economic losses from natural hazards billion during the first quarter of 2022 totaled $32, of which less than 50% (or $14 billion), was covered by public and private insurers, according to a report published by Aon. Although the first quarter of the year is typically the quietest, the report said, Q1 2022 marked the sixth consecutive year to record more than US$10 billion in insured losses, said the report titled Global Catastrophe Recap Q1 2022. Secondary Perils Responsible for Growing Share of Disaster Claims: RMS Some of the most significant natural hazard activity during the quarter occurred in: Western and Central Europe windstorms (Dudley/Ylenia, Eunice/Zeynep and Franklin/Antonia), Australias east coast floods, the Japan earthquake on March 16, and the severe convective storms (SCS) seen in the United States in March. The Asia Pacific (APAC) region accounted for the highest percentage of Q1 economic losses at $15-plus billion, followed by the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at $8 billion and the United States at $6 billion. (Economic losses, or the overall costs of natural catastrophes to economies, include the insurance price tag). Aon explained that these Q1 totals will likely be revised upward, perhaps considerably, in the coming weeks and months, as this type of loss development is standard and expected in the aftermath of larger scale events. For public and private insurers, the $36 billion in Q1 weather-related insured losses in 2021 and 2022 represented the second-highest two-year total on record second only to 2020 and 2021, which tallied $40 billion and was primarily driven by the $25 billion of losses seen in Q1 2021, said Aon. In third place was $33 billion for Q1 events in 1990 (dominated by major European windstorm events) and 1991. The two-year record for all natural hazards (including earthquakes, tsunamis, etc) remains 2010 and 2011 at $98 billion. Windstorm Eunice Diving into some of the quarters costliest events, Aon said Storm Eunice/Zeynep, which hit during the period Feb. 18-19, was the costliest windstorm to affect the European Union since 2010, with insurance claims of approximately 4.0 billion ($4.3 billion). (The UK Met-Office and the Irish National Meteorological Service Met Eireann named the storm Eunice, while the Free University of Berlin named the storm Zeynep). Seventeen lives were lost during Windstorm Eunice. Eunice/Zeynep was one windstorm in a series during the period Feb. 16-21 that also included: Dudley/Ylenia and and Franklin/Antonia. Japan Earthquake The magnitude-7.3 earthquake that shook Japan on March 16 is likely to cost insurers more than $2 billion, with economic losses well into the billions of U.S. dollars, said Aon, recalling that the event occurred just days after the 11th anniversary of the Great Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Four people lost their lives, and 244 others were injured. Damages included ruptured water pipes, disruption to infrastructure such as railway and utility poles. At least 10,414 homes sustained some level of damage. The earthquake additionally left several manufacturing facilities closed. Some of these locations included microchip maker Renesas Electronics and electric components maker Murata Manufacturing, which was expected to further disrupt the current global supply chain crisis, said Aon in its report. Severe Convective Storms The month of March featured numerous SCS outbreaks that resulted in deadly tornadoes, very large hail, and strong straight-line winds across the central, eastern, and southern United States, said Aon, noting that Iowa, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama were the hardest hit. The combined cost of Q1 U.S. SCS activity was expected to result in a multi-billion-dollar loss for the insurance industry. The country is well on its way to recording its 15th consecutive year with insured SCS losses topping $10 billion, the report continued. There were at least 290 tornado Local Storm Reports (LSRs), of which 222 have thus far been unofficially confirmed via National Weather Service (NWS) surveys, said Aon, quoting data from the Storm Prediction Center (SPC). This was well above the Doppler radar era (1990-2020) average of 83 and marked the first time that the month of March surpassed the 200-tornado threshold. In total, there were at least 354 tornado LSRs in Q1 (and 265 unofficially confirmed), with 12 tornado-related deaths, Aon continued. The strongest tornado of the year to-date was a long-tracked EF4 tornado with up to 170 mph (275 kph) winds in Iowa on March 5, which was one of at least 14 confirmed tornadoes in the state on that day. The twister resulted in extensive damage in Madison County near the town of Winterset along its 70-mile (112 km) path. Aon said this represented the second-longest tornado path observed in Iowa since 1980. Australias East Coast Floods An historic period of torrential rainfall affected broad swaths of Australias East Coast during the latter half of February through March, with parts of New South Wales and Queensland being among the hardest hit, according to Aon. Substantial flooding was seen in the greater Brisbane and Sydney metropolitan areas in addition to other localized communities in each state. As of April 8, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said that at least 173,346 claims had been filed with an estimated value of A$2.43 billion (US$1.81 billion). These totals will continue to increase and agriculture will see additional insured losses, added Aon. Australias Bureau of Meteorology said several areas set numerous one-day (24-hour), monthly, and quarterly rainfall records, said the report, noting that many of these records were set in locations with more than 100 years of observational data. The overall economic toll including uninsured or underinsured damage will be well into the billions of U.S. dollars, resulting in one of Australias costliest flood-related events, the report said. Climate Change The first quarter is typically the quietest of the year, though 2022 marked the sixth consecutive year to record more than $10 billion in insured losses, commented Steve Bowen, managing director and head of Catastrophe Insight for Aons Impact Forecasting team. In terms of climatic trends, the Aon report said that January 2022 was the sixth-warmest January on record, while February was the seventh warmest, and March was the fifth warmest. Aon quoted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which compared global records dating back to 1880. In our Q1 study, we highlighted the final, released findings of the IPCCs recent Sixth Assessment Report, which stated that projected climate-related losses are likely to escalate with every additional increment of global warming, Bowen added. (The IPCC is The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.) This will further compound overall risk levels on a global scale. Adaptation, planning and strategic implementation need to be three fundamental aspects to climate change preparedness, as they can lead to significant societal and ecological protection as communities navigate this increasing volatility. Secondary Perils The growing impact of secondary perils, such as winter weather, flooding, and severe convective storm, have accounted for a significant portion of the overall quarterly economic cost, explained Aon. This reinforces the question as to whether the term secondary peril has become obsolete because the losses associated with these perils are impacting more populated communities with increasing intensity and resulting in higher loss costs. Photograph: Cleanup efforts are underway in Winterset, Iowa, on Sunday, March 6, 2022, after a tornado tore through an area southwest of town on Saturday. Photo credit: Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP. Topics Natural Disasters Aon Maria Caceres an Indiana travel agent was sentenced last week to 30 months in federal prison following her conviction of wire fraud, to which she had previously plead guilty. According to court records, the 56-year old Caceres was employed by Seven Corners, a travel insurance business located in Carmel. Between May 2011 and September 2016, Caceres prepared and submitted thirty fraudulent insurance claims to Seven Corners totaling more than $650.000. As part of the scheme, Caceres and her accomplices created fictitious names under which they purchased insurance policies from the victim company. Caceres and her accomplices created false email addresses in the name of a hospital in Venezuela and submitted claims to the victim company for purported emergency medical services provided to the fictitious individuals during international travel. The U.S. Department of Justice says none of these expenses were ever incurred and Caceres had created artificial customer accounts and false documents in support of the claims. As a result of the fraud, the victim company paid over $588,000 to accounts controlled by Caceres accomplices. Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. As part of the sentence, Judge Young ordered that the defendant be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for one year following her release from prison. Caceres was also ordered to pay over $496,000.00 in restitution. Source: U.S. Department of Justice Topics Agencies Fraud Indiana The family of a Black man who was fatally shot by a white Indiana police officer in 2019 is appealing a federal judges dismissal of their wrongful death lawsuit. Eric Logans relatives argue in their appeal filed last week in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago that the judge was incorrect to dismiss the suit and that he should have considered evidence regarding former South Bend police Sgt. Ryan ONeills credibility and policing standards, the South Bend Tribune reported. Some of the decisions that were made by the judge in weighing the evidence in this matter, were outside his purview, said Brian Coffman, an attorney representing the ONeill family. That is up to a jury to weigh those facts and decide what actually happened in this incident. Logans family sued the city of South Bend and ONeill over the June 2019 shooting. ONeill said the 54-year-old Logan refused his orders to drop a knife as the officer investigated a report of a person breaking into cars. Last September, U.S. District Judge Damon Leichty dismissed the suit, ruling that ONeill acted reasonably when Logan moved toward him with a hunting knife raised over his head. The familys lawsuit said ONeill used excessive force and that Logan had thrown the knife before the officer shot him twice. A special prosecutor ruled that ONeill, who resigned weeks after Logans killing, was justified in the shooting. ONeill was sentenced in October 2020 to probation after pleading guilty to a charge related to an earlier on-duty sexual encounter. The fallout from Logans killing snarled then-Mayor Pete Buttigiegs presidential campaign. Buttigieg, who is now President Joe Bidens transportation secretary, had to step away from the campaign trail to face angry residents at an emotional town hall in South Bend. Topics Lawsuits Indiana Protecting local Boy Scouts of America councils and troop sponsoring organizations from future liability for child sex abuse claims is critical to the national groups reorganization plan, BSA attorneys told a Delaware bankruptcy judge April 12. Attorneys opposing the plan countered that liability releases for non-debtor third parties are neither fair nor necessary, and that they infringe on the rights of abuse survivors to seek compensation for their abuse. The Boy Scouts, based in Irving, Texas, petitioned for bankruptcy protection in February 2020, seeking to halt hundreds of individual lawsuits and create a settlement trust for abuse victims. Although the organization faced about 275 lawsuits at the time, more than 82,000 sexual abuse claims have been filed in the bankruptcy case. The reorganization plan calls for the Boys Scouts and its 250 local councils, along with settling insurance companies and troop sponsoring organizations, to contribute some $2.6 billion in cash and property and assign their insurance rights to a settlement trust fund for abuse victims. More than half that money would come from the BSAs two largest insurers, Century Indemnity Co. (a Chubb company) and The Hartford. Those companies would contribute $800 million and $787 million, respectively. In exchange, the parties contributing to the settlement trust would be released from further liability for sexual abuse claims dating back decades. The local BSA councils are not debtors in the bankruptcy, but Boy Scouts attorney Jessica Lauria argued that they are inextricably intertwined with the national organization and deserve to be protected from future lawsuits in exchange for contributing to the compensation fund. There can be no doubt that there is an identity of interests, and frankly an extreme interconnectedness, between the local councils and the national organization, Lauria said. Sponsoring organizations similarly are closely tied to BSA and local councils and critical to their operations, she added. Richard Mason, an attorney for the local councils, told Judge Laura Selber Silverstein that without the liability releases, the compensation fund basically evaporates. Absent approval of the BSAs plan, the local councils would face massive litigation and would be forced to seek bankruptcy protection themselves, endangering the future of Scouting and the ability of abuse survivors to obtain compensation, Mason added. But opponents questioned why the liability releases for local councils and sponsoring organization are needed in order for the BSA to emerge from bankruptcy. They noted that the Boy Scouts proposed a plan last year under which the settlement trust would be funded only by the national organization, and only for claims made against it. Under that plan, the councils and local sponsoring organizations would make no contribution and would have no protection from liability for abuse claims. Debtors said that was workable, feasible, Silverstein noted. So why is it necessary to have this elaborate, interconnected, intertwined plan for the Boy Scouts? Lauria replied that BSA-only plan may have been feasible when first proposed, but that it was never optimal. She also noted that the BSA has spent some $100 million more on professional fees in the bankruptcy since then and cant afford to fund a settlement trust on its own at this point. Edwin Caldie, an attorney representing scores of alleged abuse victims in Guam, argued that the BSAs current plan unfairly strips them of their rights to pursue abuse claims against Catholic church officials. The Guam group includes creditors with claims against the Archdiocese of Agana, which sought bankruptcy protection in 2019 amid a flood of child sex abuse claims. Many of those claims involve the late priest Louis Brouillard, who was also a BSA Scoutmaster and who was accused of molesting more than 100 children. The BSA plan would channel claims against the Guam diocese into the proposed BSA settlement trust without the consent of survivors and unfairly deprive them of the ability to pursue BSA insurance policies, Caldie said. Caldie accused the settling insurers of using extortionist tactics in negotiations with the Boy Scouts to obtain liability releases to which they would not be entitled under the policies they issued. He also rejected the notion that a relatively small number of survivors should not be allowed to interfere with approval of a reorganization plan supported by tens of thousands of other claimants. From a common sense perspective, the BSA made a decision to shun and silence survivors of child sexual assault for decades and did not report their perpetrators for decades, Caldie said. . The Guam survivors are not terribly comfortable with `greater good arguments now, especially made buy the BSA. Closing arguments on whether the judge should approve the BSA plan are expected to conclude Wednesday. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Trends In his first letter to Amazon shareholders, CEO Andy Jassy offered a defense of the wages and benefits the company gives its warehouse workers while also vowing to improve injury rates inside the facilities. Jassy, who took over from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as CEO last July, wrote the company has researched and created a list of the top 100 employee experience pain points and is working to solve them. Were also passionate about further improving safety in our fulfillment network, with a focus on reducing strains, sprains, falls, and repetitive stress injuries, he wrote. The company is set to face two shareholder votes next month tied to workplace injuries. One calls for an independent audit into the working conditions and treatment of its warehouse workers, while the other seeks to assess whether Amazons policies give rise to racial and gender disparities in its workplace injury rates. The retailer had argued against both proposals, but U.S. securities regulators disagreed and allowed the resolutions to stand. A report released this week by Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of four labor unions, found Amazon employed 33% of all U.S. warehouse workers in 2021, but was responsible for 49% of all injuries in the industry. Jassy pushed back on the report during an interview with CNBC Thursday morning, saying it was not accurate. He further wrote in the shareholder letter that the companys injury rates can sometimes be misunderstood, saying it has operations jobs that fit both the warehousing and courier and delivery categories. Offering his own data, Jassy acknowledged the companys warehouse injury rates were a little higher than the average compared to other warehouses, but lower than average compared to Amazons courier and delivery peers. This makes us about average relative to peers, but we dont seek to be average, Jassy wrote. We want to be best in class. Union organizers in Staten Island, New York and Bessemer, Alabama have often rallied workers while pointing to the companys injury rates. The nascent Amazon Labor Union, which won the union election in Staten Island earlier this month, is now seeking to negotiate with the retailer for a union contract. But Amazon has rebuffed those attempts and is seeking to re-do the election. Jassy didnt mention the union push in his letter, but said the company offers robust benefits, and has increased hourly wages in the past few years. When asked about the union win during the interview, he said it was employees choice whether they want to join a union but believes theyre better off not doing so. He argued unions could slow down change, and believes workers are better off having direct relationships with their managers, an argument the company has made in the lead-up to the union elections to persuade its employees not to unionize. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Amazon Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin speaks to reporters at his temporary office in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap South Korea, US nuclear envoys discuss North Korea issues By Kang Seung-woo Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin suggested, Monday, that the new South Korean government will turn away from the Moon Jae-in administration's inter-Korean peace initiative amid escalating threats from North Korea. Stressing the importance of cooperating with the U.S. in handling Pyongyang's provocations and promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the nominee said he expected to meet with the U.S. nuclear envoy, who arrived in Seoul earlier in the day for talks with his South Korean counterpart and officials of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition committee. Park, a four-term lawmaker of the conservative People Power Party who is recognized as an expert on relations with the U.S., led the ROK-U.S. Policy Consultation Delegation to Washington, D.C., earlier this month. During their visit, the delegates met with key senior officials of the Joe Biden administration such as National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Kurt Campbell, the White House policy coordinator for Asia. The incoming administration's departure from President Moon Jae-in's Korean Peninsula peace process has been highly anticipated since the election campaign, during which Yoon slammed "fruitless" peace efforts highlighted by South Korea's push for a declaration to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, and heralded a major shift in dealing with its northern neighbor. Despite South Korea's repeated calls for the end-of-war declaration, North Korea has remained unresponsive. "The Moon administration made efforts to improve inter-Korean ties in its own way, but North Korea did not respond to them properly. Since the Hanoi summit between the U.S. and North Korea in 2019 ended without a deal, the North has increased nuclear and missile threats without returning to dialogue," Park told reporters. Park said the Korean Peninsula was at the end of its rope after failing to rein in the belligerence of the Kim Jong-un regime. "We cannot stop North Korea from repeating military provocations only with a conciliatory stance and I think it is time to practically change our peacemaking policy toward North Korea," he added. Park's remarks came shortly after North Korea announced, Sunday, it had test fired a new type of tactical guided weapon, Saturday, to boost its nuclear fighting capability, with its leader observing the launch. The reclusive state has conducted multiple missile tests so far this year, including the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, crossing Washington's unofficial "red line" against North Korea's saber-rattling. "While the international community has imposed sanctions on the North Korean missile launches, there is a need to keep the provocations in check," Park said. "The Yoon administration will pursue a balanced policy toward North Korea, which will use a pressure and persuasion approach to the North Korea denuclearization," he added. With the incoming president scheduled to take office, May 10, U.S. President Joe Biden is highly expected to visit Seoul before attending the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) summit in Tokyo, slated for May 24. Given that the president-elect vowed to engage in diplomacy that places alignment with the U.S. at the center of its foreign policy priorities, the envisaged summit may focus on reviving the bilateral alliance, which Yoon believes has been damaged over the past five years under the Moon administration, which balanced improving inter-Korean ties along with the country's alliance with the U.S. Noh Kyu-duk, right, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, shakes hands with his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim during their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap Berkshire Hathaway didnt require Alleghany to pay any breakup fee in the event another potential acquirer topped an $11.6 billion deal price that Warren Buffett offered to CEO Joseph Brandon in early Marchafter some casual conversation at a dinner meeting. Reports of the March 7 dinner meeting, and of what the Alleghany Corporation board characterized as Buffetts highly unusual move to exclude a termination fee, are set forth in a proxy statement that was filed on April 11. The Board discussed that the absence of a termination fee was highly unusual and favorable to the Company because termination fees made it more expensive for alternative [acquirers] and could discourage bidders from submitting proposals during a go-shop period or thereafter during the no-shop period, the filing says, revealing what went on during a March 17 videoconference at which board members weighed the pros and cons of selling to Berkshire. The St. Patricks Day videoconference was the third one held after Buffett and Brandon met over dinner in New York. Three days later, on March 20, Berkshire and Alleghany executed the merger agreement and they jointly announced it to the world in a press release the following day. Behind the scenes, Goldman Sachs, Alleghanys financial adviser, did, in fact, go shopping. The financial firm started reaching out to 23 potential strategic bidders and eight potential financial sponsor bidders on March 21, according to the filing. The go-shop period ended at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on April 14. Besides the breakup fee, also absent from Buffetts deal proposal was need for any due diligence. Instead, he said his offer would be subject to both parties moving quickly to negotiate and announce a transaction, during that first dinner meeting with Brandon and a subsequent meeting with Brandon and Alleghany Chair Jefferson W. Kirby in Omaha, Neb., on March 12. Buffett made his case for a quick cash deal of $850 per share of common stock, after some casual conversation at the March 7 dinner meeting and again in Nebraska less than a week later, noting that there was no need for Berkshire to get any third-party financing to move forward. The $850 price per share would be reduced for the fee payable to Alleghanys financial adviser, which turned out to be $1.98 per share, putting the final price at $848.02. The filing doesnt reveal much debate over the deal price, although it does note that Kirby asked Buffett to up the price once, after Brandon had exited the March 12 meeting. Kirby proposed that Buffett should either raise the $850 price per share or eliminate the deduction for the fee payable to Goldman Sachs. Buffett rejected any change to his original offer. Other back-and-forth proposals came from the legal representatives on both sidesWillkie Farr & Gallagher LLP for Alleghany and Munger, Tolles and Olson LLP for Berkshirewith Willkie proposing a 35-day go-shop period instead of a 25-day period. Willkie also proposed to eliminate Buffetts ability to match a competing offer and advanced some proposals about a reverse termination fee and time frames related to hiccups in regulatory approvals. The 25-day go-shop period and the right for Buffett to match a superior proposal were ultimately agreed. What attracted Buffett to make an offer to Alleghany in the first place? While it is known that Brandon previously worked with Buffett as chair and chief executive officer of Berkshires subsidiary General Re Corporation, and while Buffetts annual reports often refer to his quests for elephant-sized acquisition targets, the April 11 filing gives only a brief reference to how or why the dinner meeting came about: Mr. Brandonsent Mr. Buffett a copy of the annual letter to [Alleghanys] stockholders, which accompanied the Companys annual report, as the Company had done from time to time in prior years. Following receipt of the annual letter from Mr. Brandon, on February 25, 2022, Mr. Buffett suggested that they get together in New York or Nebraska. The filing does not explain why Alleghany sent Buffett a copy of the annual letter in prior years. The section detailing the background of the merger, however, does begin with a typical disclosure noting that Alleghanys board and senior management team regularly review and assess potential opportunities for business combinations, acquisitions, dispositions, and other financial and strategic alternatives as part of their ongoing evaluation of the companys operations and the business environment. Over the past few years, the Board has evaluated, and senior management has had conversations with third parties regarding, a disposition, spin-off and/or initial public offering of each of the Companys Transatlantic Holdings, Inc., RSUI Group, Inc. and CapSpecialty, Inc. businesses, the filing says, referring to the insurance and reinsurance operating subsidiaries. After receiving Buffetts offer, Alleghanys board and management teams still had to consider potential alternatives to the status quo or a deal with Berkshire, weighing the possible values and execution risks involved with selling or spinning out individual businesses. One risk the board considered after Goldman Sachs reviewed these options during the March 17 videoconference was the risk that Buffett would pull his offer if Alleghany contacted other potential acquirers. That risk was brought to light by Buffetts past statements that Berkshire avoids auction processes and Berkshires track record of not participating in auctions, the filing said, also referring to the risk of a leak from outreach to other suitors and the impact of such a leak on the process for signing of a definitive agreement. Deciding that the risks outweighed the potential benefits of contacting other potential acquirers prior to signing the merger agreement, Alleghany waited to solicit and consider superior proposals from alternative acquirers until after the merger announcementwith no worries about having to pay Berkshire a termination fee if better deals showed up. Deal Valuation Setting out the reasons why the board unanimously recommends that the stockholders of the Company vote FOR the proposal to approve and adopt the merger agreement and the merger, the list starts with the deal value. Here, the filing notes that the $848.02-per-share offer is 25.3 percent higher than the closing price of Alleghany common stock on March 18, 2022 (the last trading day prior to the boards approval of the merger agreement), and 29 percent above the volume-weighted average closing share price of Alleghany common stock during the 30 days prior to the boards approval of the merger agreement. In addition, the resulting valuation is 1.26-times Alleghanys book value at Dec. 31, 2021, the filing says. Among the other reasons listed are these: Berkshire is paying cash, which provides certainty of value and liquidity to Alleghany stockholders immediately upon closing, especially when viewed against the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Companys businesses, including long-term business and execution risks and uncertainty in global economic conditions. Berkshire stockholders dont have to approve the deal. Berkshire has a successful track record of acquiring other companies, and the financial wherewithal to do the deal without any financing conditions. The section of the proxy filing presenting Goldman Sachs analysis of the fairness of the deal price sets out more price comparables and discloses the methods used to assess the fairness. For example, the disclosure reveals that the $848.02 per-share offer is 38.8 percent higher than the price at which Alleghany was trading on the day of the Buffett-Brandon dinner. The deal price falls within the ranges calculated by Goldman for most of the methods of analysis described, including a dividend discount analysis with implied values of $599-$807 per share. It is above the range of a present value of future share price analysis which gives implied values of $567-$791 per share. Another analysis involves comparing the 1.26-times price-to-book value multiple of the Alleghany deal to multiples for several property/casualty insurance and reinsurance deals announced since 2014. Eleven such deals are listed with price-to-book multiples ranging from 1.02-times (Renaissance Res acquisition of Tokio Millenium Re) to 1.57-times (AIGs deal for Validus Holdings). Goldman Sachs narrows the reference range for its analysis down to one that extends from 1.12-times to 1.36-times, corresponding to the 25th- and 75th-percentile ratios. The resulting range of implied values is $756-$914 per share. According to a list shown in the filing, deals with price-to-book multiples higher than Berkshires deal include SOMPO Holdings deal for Endurance Specialty announced in 2016 (1.36-times) and AXAs deal for XL Group (1.51-times) among others. On the other end, Apollo Global Managements deal for Aspen Insurance Holdings (1.12-times) and RenRes deal for Platinum Underwriting Holdings (1.13-times) had lower multiples, according to information in the filing. Related stories Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has proposed fining five homeowners insurance companies a combined $764,750 following targeted market conduct examinations of their insurance activities between August 27, 2020, and June 30, 2021, a period in which hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta made landfall in Louisiana. The five examinations found 44 instances of improper activities and/or business practices that were noncompliant with the Louisiana Insurance Code. Violations were found in the areas of claims handling, complaint handling, and operations and management. The five companies for which the LDI has proposed fines are United Property & Casualty Insurance Company, GeoVera Specialty Insurance Company, FedNat Insurance Company, Maison Insurance Company and Allied Trust Insurance Company. The LDI retained Risk & Regulatory Consulting, LLC to assist with the examination. All five examination reports were adopted on April 11, 2022. The devastation and impact of the 2020 hurricane season was overwhelming, but that doesnt excuse the activities we discovered in our market conduct examinations of these five insurers, said Commissioner Donelon. I strongly encourage our states insurance industry to take note of the unacceptable behavior we found and know we will continue to pursue appropriate fines and regulatory action against any insurer that is not meeting their obligations. United Property & Casualty has a proposed fine of $250,000 after the examination found 10 instances of improper activities and/or business practices, including failing to conduct an on-site review of the underwriting and claims processing operations of its managing general agent; forcing policyholders to pursue litigation to recover amounts due under their insurance policy; failing to make payment within the required timeframe following the submission of satisfactory proof of loss; and other violations. GeoVera has a proposed fine of $183,000 after the examination found 9 instances of improper activities and/or business practices, including failing to make payment within the required timeframe following the submission of satisfactory proof of loss; utilizing multiple desk adjusters in a way that delayed the claim investigation and settlement; and other violations. FedNat has a proposed fine of $173,500 after the examination found 10 instances of improper activities and/or business practices, including failing to make payment within the required timeframe following the submission of satisfactory proof of loss; utilizing multiple desk adjusters in a way that delayed the claim investigation and settlement; and other violations. Maison has a proposed fine of $115,000 after the examination found 5 instances of improper activities and/or business practices, including failing to make payment within the required timeframe following the submission of satisfactory proof of loss; utilizing multiple desk adjusters in a way that delayed the claim investigation and settlement; and other violations. Allied Trust has a proposed fine of $43,250 after the examination found 10 instances of improper activities and/or business practices, including failing to make payment within the required timeframe following the submission of satisfactory proof of loss; failing to respond to claim inquiries and requests within 14 days; and other violations. The companies have 30 days from the date of the adopted examination report to appeal the LDIs findings. Source: LDI Topics Carriers Louisiana Windstorm The King Insurance brokerage firm has acquired Ameriway Insurance Co., based in Fernandina Beach, Florida, the companies announced. Ameriway provides commercial and personal lines coverage and was founded by Charles Hayes. He will continue to run the operation until his retirement, King noted in a news release. King was founded in 1974 in Gainesville, Florida, and provides property/casualty and employee benefits products. It has continued to expand in recent months with a number of acquisitions. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies Florida Nebraska The Town of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington said that a fire that burned through a block of businesses last week was intentionally set. City officials said the fire that started early on April 7 originated from a deck behind Crystal Seas Kayaking and was determined to be arson, KING-TV reported. Officials said the cause was determined by a National Response Team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The regional ATF and the San Juan County Sheriffs Office are continuing to search for suspects. Four businesses Herbs Tavern, Crows Nest Coffee Shoppe, Crystal Seas Kayaks and the Windermere Real Estate were destroyed. Officials say the response by emergency crews kept the damage from being worse. No injuries were reported. The Town of Friday Harbor said it is working with building owners to ensure the safe reopening of structures. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Washington Arson Its Margarita Monday, Im not taking responsibility! this was the warning given to me by a friend in the food world when I picked her brain for ideas on where to dine on a Monday night. I was entertaining an old school friend who was back from the US and my friends suggestion of 777 Mexican restaurant was a good one: her warning related to the fact that many a Monday evening diner in 777 has not woken up until Wednesday thanks to the mayhem that is Margarita Monday. John Farrell opened 777 back in 2012 and it has thrived since a new outdoor area called Afuera opened last year and a new Taco room is about to open any day now. 777 is a rather joyous place and I defy you to leave without a smile on your face, whether it is Margarita Monday or just a Tuesday As most Dublin restaurants are closed on Mondays, 777 is the place Dublins hospitality industry congregates and you know how fussy they can be I spotted a couple of talented chefs I know feasting on tacos and margaritas. 777s menu is short and suited to sharing: Botanas (Snacks), Taquitos (rolled fried tacos), Tortillas and Tostados, as well as larger dishes from the wood-fired grill. This is not a restaurant for quiet contemplation as the music is loud and the atmosphere verging on raucous in other words it is perfect for banishing Monday night blues. We began inevitably with Margaritas. Margarita Monday means that two cost 16 rather than 12.50 each. This rather wondrous classic cocktail surely needs no introduction but this simple blend of Tequila, Triple Sec (orange flavoured liqueur) and lime juice is not nearly as reliable as it should be in the cocktail bars of Ireland. 777 uses Don Julio Blanco Tequila which helps and they deserve their reputation of serving the best in the city. I opted for a slight variation with the addition of cilantro and jalapeno to add a little heat and depth to the zingy fresh cocktail and it took a lot of restraint to not keep ordering. John Farrell opened 777 back in 2012 and it has thrived since a new outdoor area called Afuera opened last year and a new Taco room is about to open any day now. Tortilla chips and dips were good and kept hunger at bay while we sipped our margaritas. The first dish to arrive was Tuna Sashimi (15) on crisp tostadas and the soy dressed tuna tasted fresh and lively while pickled cucumber, Chipotle mayonnaise and crispy onions lifted the flavours further. Next came Bacalao (12) fresh cod in a light tempura batter with pickled red onion, jalapeno and cabbage served on a corn tortilla with Chipotle mayo. The contrast between the soft tortilla, crisp batter and yielding tender fish was delightful while the sauce held it all together and the taco sang as one. 777s menu is short and suited to sharing: Botanas (Snacks), Taquitos (rolled fried tacos), Tortillas and Tostados, as well as larger dishes from the wood-fired grill Pulled Pork and Chorizo taco with cheese and Habanero was a little more fiery but easily bearable, Beetroot Hummus meanwhile was perfect for dunking tortilla chips into and lining the stomach a little. Iberico Pork (25) with Quince Chutney and Chimichurri sauce was rich, meaty and smoky tasting thanks to the wood fire grill while a large grilled Chicken Thigh was tender and moreish. Baby Back Ribs were the only disappointment as the meat did not fall off the bone as I felt it should, and the Guava Glaze seemed out of place. Bottles of Mexican Victoria beer (6.50) washed down the later parts of our meal. This fine, malty, Vienna style lager is imported by 777 and is a world away from the likes of Sol and Corona. There are just three white wines and four reds on offer so Id stick with cocktails and beer. Dinner for Two including Margaritas, Beers, Tostados, Taquitos, Wood Fired Pork and Chicken plus Sides, Dips and Dessert cost 168 We finished the meal with a fruity lively Pina Colada Sorbet and Leche Frittas (7) a sort of Dulce de Leche cake with good quality vanilla ice-cream that helped lift the intense sweet caramel flavours. Service throughout the evening was impeccably handled by the charming (and glamorous) Dana, ably assisted by Hannah and Thais. Staff clearly love working in 777 and their enthusiasm is infectious. 777 is a rather joyous place and I defy you to leave without a smile on your face, whether it is Margarita Monday or just a Tuesday. The Tab: Dinner for Two including Margaritas, Beers, Tostados, Taquitos, Wood Fired Pork and Chicken plus Sides, Dips and Dessert cost 168 The Verdict: Food: 8/10 Drink: 8/10 Ambience: 9/10 Service: 9/10 Value: 8/10 In a Sentence: 777 is a whole lot of fun with tasty food for sharing, excellent cocktails and a joyous atmosphere perfect for banishing Monday Night (or any night) Blues. Antonio Canova was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor who died, aged 64, 200 years ago this year. He is best-known for his marble sculptures, such as Psyche Revived by Cupids Kiss and Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker, which are now in the Louvre in Paris and Apsley House in London respectively. Canova never set foot in Cork in his life, and yet his work is familiar to anyone who has ever visited the Crawford Art Gallery, where a collection of his casts, commissioned by Pope Pius VII and gifted to the city by the Prince Regent of Great Britain and Ireland, is on permanent display. How the Canova Casts made their way from the Vatican to London and then on to Cork is the stuff of legend. Pius VII was incarcerated by Napoleon for many years, explains Dr Michael Waldron, assistant curator of Collections at the Crawford. After Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, Pius was released, and he campaigned for the return of the art taken by Napoleon from Rome. Canova was already a well-known artist, and Pius sent him to Paris to retrieve the Vatican artworks from what is now the Louvre. It wasnt possible to bring them all back to Rome, so part of Canovas job was to select what would be taken. Britain helped with returning the artworks, and Pius expressed his gratitude by commissioning Canova to make plaster casts of a number of his own sculptures and many more of the Vaticans antiquities. There were over 200 in all, including full-scale figures and friezes. The Canova Casts were often used for educational purposes, as seen in this picture from 1956 when the Crawford was Cork's School of Art. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive The casts were shipped to London as a gift to the Prince Regent, the future George VI, but almost at once, the problem arose of where to accommodate them. For a time, they languished at the Custom House on the Thames, near St Pauls Cathedral, before being moved to a pavilion in the gardens at Carlton House, the Prince Regents London residence. The Prince then offered them to the Royal Academy, but was rebuffed, on the basis that the academy already had a fine collection of casts and could not find room for any more. The story goes that a Corkman, working as a porter at the Royal Academy, heard the casts could be had for the asking. He got word to William Hare, Viscount Ennismore and Listowel, who happened to be President of the Cork Society for Promoting the Fine Arts. Hare in turn approached the Prince Regent, who was only too happy to gift them to Cork. He had them shipped within weeks. On November 7, 1818, a local newspaper called The Southern Reporter heralded the casts arrival in Cork. There were, it reported, as many as 219 figures, busts, torsos, reliefs and fragments. The casts were installed at the former Apollo Society theatre on Patrick St, where they came to be used for drawing instruction by the tutors from the newly established Cork School of Art, whose students included Daniel Maclise and Samuel Forde. In time, ownership of the casts passed to the Royal Cork Institution, and in 1832 they were moved to the old Custom House, what is now the Crawford Art Gallery. Some of the Canova Casts in the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork. Picture: Crawford Art Gallery Throughout the 19th century, and up to the 1970s, the casts continued to be used in teaching drawing from observation. They were not always cared for as well as they might have been. Some crumbled away, others disappeared, and their number has dwindled to the point where there are now just twelve of the original casts. The survivors include three that were copied from Canovas original marble sculptures; The Goddess Concordia, The Mother of Napoleon the Great, and Bathing Venus. Of the nine others, most were cast by Canova and his assistants from Roman or Greek sculptures from antiquity. There are rumours that other works from the Canova collection may have found their way into homes around Cork. Waldron would love to see them if there are. There should be an amnesty, to bring them in, he says. The surviving casts have been cleared and mended on a number of occasions. Most recently, this work was done by conservator Eoghan Daltun, who observed that the fig leaves covering the genitalia on Adonis, Apollo Belvedere, the Belvedere Torso, and the figures in Laocoon and His Sons appear to have been added some time after their arrival in Cork. In June 2019, in an event billed as The Fig Reveal, these modesty coverings were removed. The occasion was recorded for inclusion in Mary Beards BBC television series, The Shock of the Nude. Mary helped Eoghan remove Apollo Belvederes fig leaf," says Waldron. "We didnt know what to expect, but a 1971 Irish hapenny was found inside it, which confirmed that the fig leaf was not part of the original cast. We removed the fig leaves from the other sculptures too; they seem to be a lot older, and may date to Victorian times. Weve kept them all as archival objects, and well exhibit them from time to time. The casts continue to enthrall visitors to the gallery. Artists like Dorothy Cross and Vivienne Roche would have encountered the casts in the 1970s when the Crawford was still a college as well as a gallery. Art students still come in to sketch them; they still have a life for people. They have an international dimension, but theyre also very much part of the history of Cork. The distance between Portland, Oregon and Tralee, Co Kerry, is approximately 4,600 miles, as the crow flies. But Thomas Stofiel rarely travelled in straight lines. In Episode 2 of our two-part documentary series, we find the former American Army Reservist in Tralee, residing as an asylum seeker in Atlas House. Lee Eun-hae, left, and Cho Hyun-soo arrive at Goyang Police Station in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, April 16. Yonhap Prosecutors are expected to seek formal arrest warrants as early as Monday for a woman and her boyfriend accused in the drowning death of her husband in 2009 for a hefty life insurance payout, according to officials. Lee Eun-hae, 31, and her lover, Cho Hyun-soo, 30, were detained Saturday on charges of getting Lee's 39-year-old husband to jump into a river in a valley in Gapyeong, 60 kilometers east of Seoul, even though he was unable to swim, and then letting him drown. Investigators suspect they committed the crime for 800 million won ($650,000) in insurance money. Lee and Cho were also accused of attempting to kill the husband that year by food poisoning with pufferfish toxin in February and trying to drown him at a fishing spot in May, the officials said. Prosecutors at the Incheon District Prosecutors Office said they would apply for court warrants to formally arrest the two suspects for further questioning. The two had been on the run since going into hiding in December ahead of prosecution questioning. In late March, police put them on their wanted listed and made their identities and photos public. Law enforcement authorities are required to secure an arrest warrant to further detain a suspect, 48 hours after the suspect's initial arrest, or release the suspect. Prosecutors are conducting a forensic analysis on a mobile phone found at their hiding place and trying to verify if anyone provided help to the two while they were on the run. (Yonhap) About festivals they were never wrong, the early Christians. How well they understood the need for release and redemption after the long, bleak winter months. They didnt create the annual rhythms of deprivation and excess, but they pinned them to the mind of the faithful just as Patrick pinned the pagan to the earth with a misplaced crozier. The festivals are scattered throughout the year like promises, sometimes transactionally: You deprive yourself of goodies during Advent or Lent and then the Church lets you off the leash at Christmas and Easter. Midwinter and early spring festivals existed before Christianity hung a story on each but what a story it was, in each case. Christmas was the legend of a frightened young pregnant girl, a kindly inn-keeper, a star in the sky, and three wise men following it. Easter had the stone rolling back and the glad tidings of a risen Christ. Not to mention the crucial intervention of one of the Apostles, Thomas, who wasnt having any of those glad tidings until he experienced what would today be described as scientific proof. The 21st century probably approves more of Doubting Thomas than did others, down through the years, who paid attention to what the gospel writer John said about the episode. Having insisted on seeing, if not poking about in, the wounds proving the now-living man was who he said he was, Thomas was satisfied. Then, according to to the Gospel of St John: Jesus saith unto him: Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Caravaggios painting of Doubting Thomas is pretty disgusting, not to mention unhygienic, with the apostle poking his index finger into the wound in the side of Jesus to prove to himself that its real. The man whose body is being so invaded has laid a gentle hand on the forearm of the finger-poker, allowing viewers of the painting to go: See the wound of the nail in his hand from the crucifixion? The wound is where generations of Christians expect the wound to be right in the middle of the back of the hand. Except that it couldnt have been there. Nail two hands through their palms to the cross pieces, hoist the cross upright, leave the man there, and he will fight to breathe. Literally. He will try to raise himself up to give his ribcage room to expand and, if he does, will put his entire body weight on the nails in his hands. Which, in turn, will cause the nails to tear through the tendons between the fingers so that he would fall away. It couldnt, in other words, have been done the way tradition suggests it was done. That alternative view surfaced first and most forcefully when a photographer created negative images of the Shroud of Turin which allowed viewers to see more than was visually possible for visitors to the shrine of the shroud. The negatives showed a man stilled in death after self-evident suffering, his hands meeting at his groin. The negatives, closely examined, didnt show the nail wounds where they should have been, but much higher, as if the nails had been driven through the bones of the victims crossed wrists. Those convinced of the authenticity of the linen shroud as being the cloth laid under and over Christ in his tomb were encouraged by the absence of obvious wounds in the centre of the dead mans hands, seeing it as proof that the shroud was some kind of holy photograph, preserved over two millennia. If it was just a medieval forgery, as sceptics argued, why didnt the medieval forger put the wounds where he or she would have expected them to be? The Shroud of Turin is always relevant at Easter. The shroud draws [people] to the tormented face and body of Jesus, said Pope Francis after hed seen it, and, at the same time, directs [people] toward the face of every suffering and unjustly persecuted person. Thats not to say His Holiness believes the stretch of burned and torn cloth is actually that which surrounded the body of Christ from Good Friday until Easter Sunday. The Catholic Church tiptoes around the Shroud, fascinated by its almost hidden image, respectful of modern scientific tests which suggest it goes no further back in history than the 15th century, during which century, goes the theory, some genius artist (unknown at the time) came up with a method of painting (unknown at the time) to create an image of beauty and sadness while remaining anonymous and never claiming the work as their own. The Church also pays attention to critiques suggesting that the right arm in the image is longer than it should be, with the implication that the artist elongated it for modesty purposes. The latest nicely-timed input to this story has been written by a former consultant neurologist who, on his retirement from medicine, became a priest. Fr Patrick Pullicino noticed something about the right arm and shoulder, and has published a paper proposing that the shoulder was dislocated, the arm moved so far out of the socket that it looks longer, whereas in fact it is the same length as the other but starts lower down because of the dislocation. That dislocation, he suggests, writing in highly technical terms in a Catholic medical publication, would match the account in the gospels of Jesus falling under the weight of the crucifix, which would have been considerable. Fr Pullicino points to abrasions on the back of the Shroud figure and suggests they indicate that the cross-carrier had to shift the instrument of executions from his right shoulder to his left after the dislocation made it impossible to carry it on that side. However, Fr Pullicino goes further in his postmortem analysis, maintaining that being crucified while suffering a dislocated shoulder (quite apart from the exquisite extra pain that would have inflicted) would have abraded and finally ruptured the mans subclavian artery. That, in turn, would have led to internal bleeding, which would have been the immediate cause of death and would also explain why blood and water issued from the dead mans side when a Roman soldier drove the tip of his lance into the hanging mans body. Pullicino s proposition resonates instantly with people who always believed in the Shroud and is instantly dismissed by those who always regarded it as a beautifully-executed fake. But it speaks to others, too. To collapsed Catholics who may believe this man existed and was crucified, without believing that he was God. To people fascinated by the scientific argument presented, in offputtingly scientific terms, by the former neurologist. And to unbelievers who apprehend the importance of myth, of legend, and of art, who are unpersuaded of any prophetic link but reminded, nonetheless, of the agony inflicted on a human being, many centuries ago, who claimed to be more than a man. It is now 54 days since Vladimir Putin sent his forces into Ukraine on what it pleases him to call a special military operation and what the rest of the world knows to be a bloody act of invasion which has changed the balance of power in Europe for at least the next decade and, quite possibly, forever. On that dire Thursday at 5.30am Moscow time (3.30am in Ireland) and citing Article 51 of Part 7 of the UN Charter, the Russian leader acted, he said, to support the Donetsk Peoples Republic and the Luhansk Peoples Republic. He called for the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine. We are now perilously closer to open conflict between Nato and the old Soviet empire than ever before, and the gap has narrowed over the weekend. Forensic examiners confirm that genocide is taking place. US congressmen are drawing comparisons with the Korean War, which lasted for three years. Putin, warns the US secretary of state Anthony Blinken, is unlikely to change course unless he is faced with an overwhelming military defeat. Before that happens, we face the battle of the Donbas where more Russian artillery and airpower will be brought to bear. In the UK, long-term plans are under way to store enormous gas and hydrogen reserves under the Irish Sea as part of the European strategic response to the stranglehold that Russia has on energy supply and to enable part of that capacity for this winter. Within the next three months, the EU has to decide if it is willing to cut off its fossil fuel funding for the Russian war machine, or desert the Ukrainians. That decision lies in Germany. The sinking of the Moskva, Russias Black Sea flagship, with the loss of an untold number of crew an event reminiscent of the destruction of the Belgrano in the Falklands 40 years ago is another indication that war will not end soon. It prompted a diplomatic note from Russia, a demarche, to the US warning it not to send more arms to Ukraine or face unpredictable consequences. US president Joe Biden this weekend authorised an additional $800m of support including helicopters, aerial and marine drones, long-range howitzers, and anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles. In Londons Trafalgar Square on Good Friday there was a reconstruction of a crucifixion with a shouting crowd, a brutal centurion, the sound of the hammering of nails and cries of death. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, said: The images from Ukraine are no pageant. They show us the stark reality of evil at work in power and ruthlessness, targeting the weak and the innocent in acts which cry to heaven for justice. Those cries are about to become louder. Ukraine has vowed to fight absolutely to the end in Mariupol where the ports last-known pocket of resistance is holed up in a sprawling steel plant laced with tunnels. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukrainians would keep fighting in the ruined city, as Russian missiles and rockets also battered other parts of the country. Witnesses reported multiple explosions in the city of Lviv early on Monday. Lviv and the rest of western Ukraine have been less affected by the fighting than other parts of the country, and the city was considered to be a relatively safe haven. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said that five missiles struck the city and that emergency services were responding. The fall of Mariupol, which has been reduced to rubble in a seven-week siege, would give Moscow its biggest victory of the war. But a few thousand fighters, by Russias estimate, are holding on to the giant four-square-mile Azovstal steel mill. We will fight absolutely to the end, to the win, in this war, Mr Shmyhal vowed on Sunday. He said Ukraine is prepared to end the war through diplomacy if possible but we do not have intention to surrender. Many Mariupol civilians, including children, are also sheltering at the Azovstal plant, Mikhail Vershinin, head of the citys patrol police, told Mariupol television. He said they are hiding from Russian shelling and from any occupying Russian soldiers. A building damaged during fighting is seen in Mariupol. Picture: AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov Capturing the city on the Sea of Azov would free up Russian troops for the expected new offensive to take control of the Donbas, in Ukraines industrial east. It also would allow Russia to fully secure a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and deprive Ukraine of a major port and its prized industrial assets. Russia is bent on capturing the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists already control some territory, since its attempt to take the capital Kyiv failed. We are doing everything to ensure the defence of eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address to the nation. As for besieged Mariupol, there appeared to be little hope of military rescue by Ukrainian forces any time soon. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday that the remaining Ukrainian troops and civilians there are basically encircled. He said they continue their struggle but that the city effectively does not exist any more because of massive destruction. The relentless bombardment and street fighting in Mariupol have killed at least 21,000 people, by Ukrainian estimates. A maternity hospital was hit by a lethal Russian air strike in the opening weeks of the war, and about 300 people were reported killed in the bombing of a theatre where civilians were taking shelter. An estimated 100,000 people remained in the city out of a pre-war population of 450,000, trapped without food, water, heat or electricity. Drone footage carried by the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti on Sunday showed mile after mile of shattered buildings and, on the citys outskirts, the steel complex from which rose towering plumes of smoke. Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar described Mariupol as a shield defending Ukraine. Russian forces, meanwhile, carried out aerial attacks near Kyiv and elsewhere in an apparent effort to weaken Ukraines military capacity ahead of the anticipated assault on the Donbas. After the humiliating sinking of the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet last week in what the Ukrainians boasted was a missile attack, the Kremlin has vowed to step up strikes on the capital. Russia said on Sunday that it had attacked an ammunition plant near Kyiv overnight with precision-guided missiles, the third such strike in as many days. Explosions were also reported in Kramatorsk, the eastern city where rockets earlier this month killed at least 57 people at a train station crowded with civilians trying to evacuate ahead of the Russian offensive. Burma Civilian Deaths Continue in Kayah State Amid Heavy Fighting Two women killed in junta shelling in Padanye village, Loikaw Township, on April 7. / Shwe Loikaw Humanitarian Association An estimated 205 civilians have been killed by Myanmars regime in the anti-junta stronghold of Kayah State after five more people were shot dead this month. After almost a year of armed resistance against regime forces in Kayah State, heavy fighting continues in Loikaw, Demoso, Hpruso and Bawlakhe townships. On April 5, a man was shot dead while riding a motorbike with another person in Hpruso Township. Another dead body was found on April 11, according to the Karenni Human Rights Group, which records junta atrocities in the state. Banyar, the groups director, said: Two people died immediately and four family members were injured after artillery hit their house in Pa Hike Nyin village, Loikaw Township, on April 6. Another two civilians were shot dead on a Hpruso Township road while walking to a village. Since January there have been about 53 civilians killed. The most common form of death came through being detained, tortured and killed by troops and artillery strikes were the second most common. Our organization only collects civilian deaths and injuries because of junta attacks. We dont include deaths in displacement camps because of illness, said Banyar, who only uses one name. Kayah State is a fiercely contested resistance stronghold because of its proximity to the capital, Naypyitaw. Repeated fighting and heavy artillery strikes are reported across the state and over 200,000 people have fled their homes. Fighting in the state capital, Loikaw, ceased in early February but broke out again in the citys Chi Kel and Hta Ta Ma wards on April 14. Intense fighting has been reported in Htar Lae and Nan Phe villages in Hpruso Township and about four regime forces, including battalion commander Win Htike Soe from the 66th Light Infantry Division, apparently died in a Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) mine attack. According to the KNDF, about 58 regime and 10 resistance troops had been killed so far this month. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the numbers. You may also like these stories: About 20 IDPs Test Positive for COVID-19 in Camp in Myanmars Karen State Myanmar Rohingya Genocide Case Is Legitimate, Gambia Tells UNs Top Court Cobra Gold Military Exercise Kicks Off in Thailand Without Myanmar Burma Explosives For Myanmar Resistance Group Seized in India Explosives Seized in Mizoram. / Assam Rifles One of Indias premier investigating agencies is probing the seizure of a large quantity of explosives believed to be intended for a Myanmar-based resistance group fighting the military regime. The explosives were seized in January close to the India/Myanmar border in Siaha District in Indias Mizoram State, after the Assam Rifles intercepted a vehicle with explosives packed in around 100 cardboard boxes. Over 2,421 kilograms of explosives, as well as 1,000 detonators and 4,500 metres of detonating fuse, were recovered from the vehicle, along with 73,500 Indian Rupees and 935,500 Kyats. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is under the administrative control of Indias Home Ministry, subsequently seized incriminating documents and digital devices during searches at two locations in Mizoram, after the case was registered last month in Indias capital New Delhi. During the course of the investigation, police arrested three people including a Myanmar national, according to the first information report registered by NIA. He had fled his home in Myanmar and had been camping in a border district in Mizoram. The government is of the opinion that a scheduled offence under the 2008 NIA Act has been committed and having regard to the gravity of the offence, its international linkages and ramifications on national security, it is required to be probed by the investigating agency. In a similar incident last year, the Assam Rifles recovered a large haul of war-like stores being smuggled to Myanmar and apprehended two people. The items seized included 63 sacks of an explosives substance weighing a total of 1.3 tonnes, 3,000 special detonators, 925 electric detonators and 2,000 meters of fuse. Officials were of the opinion that the explosives were intended to be smuggled from Mizoram to Myanmar for use against the Myanmar junta. The operation was carried out by the Assam Rifles in the Farkawn road track junction area of Mizoram after a tip-off. The recovered items and apprehended persons were handed over to the Indian police. Since last years coup, refugees from Myanmars Chin State have been fleeing to neighboring Mizoram State. The Myanmar military has launched brutal crackdowns on suspected strongholds of the resistance movement across Chin and elsewhere in the country. Some 29,532 refugees are currently sheltering in Mizoram, according to the Mizoram government. Siaha District alone is sheltering 9,464 refugees, including women and children, while Champhai District has 7,810 refugees. The Mizoram government has begun the process of issuing them with identity cards. While the central government had ordered that Indias borders be closed to refugees from Myanmar, the Mizoram government has welcomed them on the grounds of close ethnic ties with Chin people. Rajeev Bhattacharyya is a senior journalist in Assam, India You may also like these stories: EU Adds More Myanmar Companies, Regime Officials to Sanctions List Junta-Appointed Chief Minister Attacked For Sixth Time in Upper Myanmar Myanmar People Urged to Join Six Twos Revolution General Strike Against Regime Burma Myanmar Political Prisoners not Among 1,600 Freed in New Year Amnesty Prison officials stand guard as they prepare for the release of prisoners outside of the Insein Prison in Yangon on April 17, 2022. / AFP YANGONFamilies of detained Myanmar protesters had their hopes dashed Sunday after political prisoners were not included in some 1,600 people released by the junta to mark the Buddhist New Year. The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since Daw Aung San Suu Kyis civilian government was ousted last year in a military coup, which sparked huge protests and a deadly crackdown. State television announced that 1,619 prisoners, including 42 foreigners, had been pardoned and will be released to mark the new year an annual tradition that last year saw 23,000 prisoners freed. A prisoner released from Yangons Insein prison told AFP that political cases and protesters were not among those released, with authorities only freeing criminals. Crowds in front of the prison slowly left on Sunday afternoon. More than 100 people had gathered hoping to be reunited with loved ones, AFP correspondents said. Among them was a woman waiting for her 19-year-old nephew, sentenced to three years imprisonment for incitement against the military. He was young, and he may have some feeling to fight, she said, declining to give her name. I wish all young children will be released including my nephew. They all were innocent. Aye Myint, whose 19-year-old daughter was serving three years on a political charge, had hoped she would be released. Now, she has been more than one year in prison, Aye Myint said. Subdued holiday At around midday, a prison officer confirmed that about 160 prisoners including six women prisoners had been released from Insein, without giving more details. There was no mention of the Australian economist Sean Turnell, a former Suu Kyi advisor who was arrested shortly after the coup. He is currently on trial for allegedly breaching the official secrets act, which carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence. The exact details of his alleged offence have not been made public, though state television has said he had access to secret state financial information and had tried to flee Myanmar. The country typically grants an annual amnesty to thousands of prisoners to mark the Buddhist New Year, usually a joyous holiday celebrated in many parts with water fights. But this year, with the bloody military crackdown on dissent, the streets in many major cities have been silent as people protest junta rule. You may also like these stories: EU Adds More Myanmar Companies, Regime Officials to Sanctions List Junta-Appointed Chief Minister Attacked For Sixth Time in Upper Myanmar Myanmar People Urged to Join Six Twos Revolution General Strike Against Regime Burma Myanmar Regime Leader Awards Himself Two Highest Honorary Titles Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in 2018. / The Irrawaddy Myanmars junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, whose regime has killed more than 1,700 civilians, has awarded himself two honorary titles which are traditionally given to those who make huge contributions to the country. On Sunday, to mark Myanmars new year, the regime announced its honorary titles and medals for outstanding work for the country during the 75 years since independence. Min Aung Hlaing gave himself the two highest titles Sadoe Thiri Thudhamma and Sadoe Maha Thray Sithu. The list was dominated by dictatorial figures. Ne Win, the first military dictator who led the 1962 coup, was posthumously named Agga Maha Thray Sithu, the second-highest honor. Former military dictator Than Shwe, who picked Min Aung Hlaing as his successor as commander-in-chief, was given the same title. Former president and general U Thein Sein was not mentioned as he already had the Agga Maha Thray Sithu. Former brigadier general Kyaw Zaw, a central figure in the independence struggle and establishment of the armed forces, has previously only received a lower Thray Sithu honor. He was one of the 30 comrades who led the struggle against British colonial rule and the Kuomintang invasion. Former prime ministers U Nu and U San Yu and the leader of the 1988 military reshuffle Senior General Saw Maung were awarded the Agga Maha Thiri Thudhamma and Agga Maha Thray Sithu on Sunday. However, former military intelligence general Khin Nyunt, who was purged by Than Shwe in 2004 and now suffers from Alzheimers, was overlooked. Former lieutenant generals Aye Ko and Tun Yi, who were Ne Wins deputies, were both awarded the Maha Thray Sithu. Former vice-senior general Maung Aye, Than Shwes deputy, received no award on Sunday. The current juntas acting president, U Myint Swe, was awarded the Sadoe Thiri Thudhamma. Late influential Buddhist monk Myaing Gyi Ngu Sayadaw U Thuzana, Karen National Union chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe, Restoration Council of Shan State leader Yawd Serk and some other leaders of ethnic armed groups were given Wunna Kyawhtin medals for their outstanding performances, which is normally given to leading artistic and literary figures. U Hla Maung Shwe, a former adviser to the Myanmar Peace Center, was given the Wunna Kyawhtin medal. Many artists, including some from the colonial era, were given posthumous medals. The regime also awarded honorary titles on March 27, Armed Forces Day, which marks the anniversary of armed resistance against Japanese occupation. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Regime Backs Russias Invasion of Ukraine Myanmar Junta Threatens to Disband Two Major Parties After They Refuse to Submit Financial Records Cambodian, Malaysian PMs Call on Myanmar Junta to Implement ASEAN Consensus Burma Myanmar Regime Soldiers Tempted to Defect by NUGs Cash Offer An armored personnel carrier and army trucks seen in Naypyitaw on the first day of the coup in 2021. / The Irrawaddy Over two dozen enquiries about defecting from the Myanmar military were made within a week of Myanmars shadow government offering huge cash incentives to the regimes troops to defect with a military plane, navy vessel, tank or armored personnel carrier. The civilian National Unity Government (NUG) said that between 20 to 30 enquiries were made to Peoples Embrace, a Facebook page set up to help the juntas soldiers and police to defect. However, the NUG didnt specify whether the enquiries came from pilots, sailors or army personnel. Thats the number [of people] who have just contacted Peoples Embrace. There are also others who have directly contacted some NUG ministers and others close to the NUG, said U Nay Phone Lat, a member of the shadow governments media team, on Saturday during a press conference held on the first anniversary of the NUGs formation. When asked if the NUG has prepared airfields for pilots fleeing with planes, he said the NUG could not reveal that sort of information. Peoples Embrace declined to confirm whether those who contacted them were pilots or other personnel due to possible repercussions for those planning to defect. We are thoroughly reviewing the requests to see if they are genuine or not. Its likely that there will be some defections soon, he added. On April 7, in an unprecedented move to encourage more defections as well as to protect civilians from junta airstrikes, the NUG offered huge cash incentives of up to half a million United States dollars to military regime pilots and sailors who have been fighting their compatriots since last years coup. The NUG said it will pay US$500,000 to airmen or sailors who defect from their units with a military airplane or navy vessel. A US$300,000 per vehicle reward will go to anyone who causes serious damage to a parked jet fighter, military helicopter, logistics plane or warship, or to anyone who is able to destroy one while it is being used in a military mission. Among the other incentives is a US$100,000 reward for anyone who can sabotage a jet fuel storage tank, blow up a regime armor or weapons factory, or defect with a tank or armored personnel carrier. The Myanmar military has responded to popular resistance against its rule with airstrikes and artillery and tank attacks in many part of the country. Since its coup against the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government in February 2021, the junta has faced ever-growing resistance across the country. Elected lawmakers from the NLD and their ethnic allies set up the NUG in April 2021 to challenge the military regimes legitimacy. Many Myanmar people regard the NUG as their legitimate government and many Western countries have shown support for it, although they have stopped short of offering official recognition. The NUGs monetary offer comes at a time when the regime is struggling with a growing number of defectors, as soldiers face popular hatred for their brutal suppression of the anti-regime movement. Nearly 3,000 soldiers have defected from the Myanmar military since the coup including some battalion commanders, the highest rank among those to defect so far. Making matter worse for the military, Australia has agreed to accept army defectors. Since last year, the NUG has been trying to build trust with Myanmars ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) to fight together against the junta. Established EAOs such as the Kachin Independence Army and the Karen National Liberation Army have openly engaged with the NUG by fighting alongside the NUGs armed wing, the Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs), against junta troops. Other EAOs support the NUG unofficially, said the NUGs media team. During Saturdays press conference, the NUG, which is largely reliant on donations from the public, said that they have spent more than half their funding on the PDFs and have been able to arm them to some extent, but they are still in need. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Rohingya Genocide Case Is Legitimate, Gambia Tells UNs Top Court Cobra Gold Military Exercise Kicks Off in Thailand Without Myanmar EU Adds More Myanmar Companies, Regime Officials to Sanctions List Burma Myanmars Civilian President Demands Deeper International Support Myanmar's pro-democracy supporters marched from the White House to the Capitol in Washington DC in support of the parallel civilian National Unity Government a year after its formation. / Save Myanmar The acting president of Myanmars National Unity Government (NUG), Duwa Lashi La, called on the international community to double support for Myanmars people to save lives and help create a federal democratic union. Formed as a parallel government on April 16 last year, largely by elected lawmakers from the ousted National League for Democracy and their ethnic minority allies, the NUG has enjoyed popular support at home and abroad. A majority of Myanmars people see it as their legitimate government, while the regime has branded it a terrorist organization. In his state of the union address to mark a year since the NUGs formation, Duwa Lashi La expressed gratitude for the international communitys diplomatic support in isolating the illegitimate junta and imposing targeted sanctions. However, I would like to stress the urgency, he said. Each day the military murders and tortures more innocent men, women and children. As the world is witnessing the atrocities and crimes committed by the Russian military in Ukraine, we too are witnessing the tyrannical military in Myanmar committing similar atrocities and crimes against the entire population for over a year, he said. Since seizing power on Feb. 1 last year, the regime has slaughtered at least 1,756 people, many of whom were engaging in anti-regime activism. The regime has killed numerous children and elderly people in its escalated terror campaign. Rights groups have reported more than 100 child deaths since the coup. The regime has burned down at least 9,187 civilian homes, with the resistance stronghold of Sagaing Region suffering the heaviest damage, according to the independent research group Data for Myanmar. Amid rising violence the NUG declared a peoples war on Sept. 7 last year against the regime, taking the armed struggle to another level. Support our efforts to enable the people to defend themselves from atrocities. The people can and will win. Lives will be saved if you provide support, the ethnic Kachin acting president said. He also called for support for the civil disobedience movement and Peoples Embrace program, which helps military defectors to resettle. According to the NUG, around 10,000 police and military defectors have left their posts through the Peoples Embrace. The international community can help stop further bloodshed by providing aid and asylum to those who have sought refuge through Peoples Embrace, he added. On Saturday, the NUG reported that its armed wing, in the numerous peoples defense forces, and ethnic allies, controlled around half of the country, particularly rural areas, as well as positions around several major cities. Duwa Lashi La said the NUG has built trust and cooperation with many ethnic armies and is working to build unity with all ethnic organizations. We shall make every effort to protect the people from the brutally violent assaults of the juntas forces. At the same time, we will continue working to free people and territory under the domination of the military council. I am convinced that we will succeed in the end, and the people will win back the entire country. You may also like these stories: Myanmars Escalating Conflict Threatens ASEAN Stability Myanmar Regime Sacks 120 Striking Staff from State-Run Broadcast Service Myanmar Nationals Fleeing Military Regime Turned Back From India An elementary school teacher has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of inducing more than 100 teenage girls to film sexually exploitative material, and of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old, a court reported Monday. The man, in his 30s, who had taught at an elementary school in Seoul since 2012, was indicted on charges of possessing 1,910 items of sexually abusive content filmed by about 120 teenagers he met through social media between 2015 and 2021. He was also found guilty of having sexually assaulted the then 13-year-old girl at a motel in 2020. "The accused made the victims a subject of sexual desire using their lack of sexual self-determination and the ability to protect themselves," the court said. "The case is more shocking, because the accused was an elementary school teacher who taught children of similar ages as the victims," the court added. The court also ordered the man to complete 80 hours of sexual offender treatment, a five-year identity disclosure, and banned him from working with children for seven years. (Yonhap) Patching of vulnerabilities is the security industry's equivalent of thoughts and prayers, a prominent American security expert has said during a debate on the topic "Patching is useless" at a recent online conference named Hack At The Harbor. Dave Aitel, 46, a former NSA computer scientist who ran his own security shop, Immunity, for many years, said the remedies proposed by security vendors and big technology companies had served to lull people into a false sense of security all these years and ensure that all the old problems still remained. His reference was to the standard phrase offered by politicians whenever there is a mass shooting in the US and there are calls for action on guns. The status quo is maintained because of the influence that the arms industry has. Aitel spoke for the motion while his opponent, Phillip Wylie, a well-known offensive security expert and a tech evangelist at CyCognito, argued that patching was not totally useless, but one of the many tools in a defender's armoury. Wylie's arguments were somewhat nuanced, while Aitel used clear, concise phrases, with the occasional touch of wicked humour. Thewas organised byon 8 and 9 April. Aitel posted a YouTube clip of the debate on Twitter on 18 April. The debate on Patching is useless. Phillip Wylie is at the top right, the moderator is on the top left, and AItel at the bottom. Aitel pointed out that if there were vulnerable devices on a network, then they should be removed and substituted with others, rather than being continuously patched. During his time with Immunity which he sold to Cyxtera Technologies in 2019 Aitel said many of his customers had been big financial firms and he had advised that any contracts they signed with software vendors also contain a clause that would enable them to walk out of contracts if any software proved to be overly buggy. He said this could be a way to prevent big companies from being forced to continue to use security solutions even though they were a constant source of grief. Aitel likened patches to orange juice a common part of breakfast in the US pointing out that for many years people had believed that it was the most useful part of one's morning meal. In the end, it had been found to be a source of too much sugar and something that made people obese, he added. He had harsh words for Microsoft and other big software vendors whom he said had done little to actually mitigate the problems posed by poor-quality software. He also criticised PHP for its numerous security problems. Aitel was no less severe on Linux, noting that the biggest contributor to the kernel was the Chinese telecommunications vendor Huawei Technologies, which he claimed had been indicted by the US, and asking how one could rest content if so many patches were coming from a company of this kind. On the positive side, he had praise for ChromeOS, an operating system that is produced by Google, and recommended the use of Chromebooks rather Windows machines. Aitel called for vulnerability management, advocating the government as the best entity to handle this. His argument was that no other entity had sufficient power to push back against the lobby of the big software vendors and the security industry. Surprisingly, the audience vote to determine the winner of the debate came down on Wylie's side, with 56% of those present supporting his stance. Quantum computing startup Q-CTRL has released Black Opal Pro, an upgraded and expanded version of its world- first interactive quantum computing learning platform. Black Opal Pro adds new modules and features to the basic version announced in November 2021, which Q-CTRL says already has 3,000 registered users. The announcement of the Black Opal Pro release came on World Quantum Day, an international initiative dedicated to promoting the public understanding of quantum science and technology around the world. In honor of World Quantum Day, Q-CTRL announced that it will be offering two Black Opal Pro annual subscriptions for the price of one from April 14-20. Black Opal serves to build the quantum technology community by allowing anyone to learn quantum computing in minutes a day, irrespective of their backgrounds - andiIt supports engineers and developers wanting to enter the field as well as analysts, consultants, investors, and public servants who are seeking to understand how this technology will disrupt their industries. Black Opal is an ideal tool to help users build real intuition for a field many have heard of, but few truly understand, said Q-CTRL Founder and CEO Professor Michael J. Biercuk. We see that building and supporting a community is essential for the success of the quantum industry where our team leads global innovations. We need educated and empowered future team members, investors, and policymakers who can really understand the opportunity that quantum computing presents. With Black Opal, we combined our expertise in quantum computing with our prowess in product design to help anyone go from zero background to programming quantum computers. Accessible on any browser, Q-CTRL says Black Opal reduces the barrier to entry into the complex and fast-growing field of quantum computing by allowing users to complete modular, hands-on tasks. Its a highly intuitive, modern learning platform that leverages visualization, interactivity and animation, so anyone can learn quantum computing. Black Opal users are also invited to join an existing online community that presents them with the opportunity to engage with fellow learners, says Q-CTRL. According to Q-CTRL Black Opal aligns with the goals of major governments, national science foundations, academic institutions and companies around the world regarding the need to attract and train a new quantum workforce. In February 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policys (OSTP) National Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) released the National Strategic Plan for Quantum Information Science and Technology Workforce Development, which recommends a series of actions and community opportunities to grow the quantum workforce through expanded training and education at all levels, including early K-12 education and outreach. This effort directly identifies the need for quantum education to expand the quantum workforce. Available as an annual subscription at only $9.99 per month, Q-CTRL says Black Opal Pro delivers content built by true global leaders in quantum technology at a price point much more accessible than university courses. The platform allows users to now tackle intermediate and advanced skills, taking them through reading and interpreting quantum circuits, understanding the spooky quantum concept of entanglement, composing algorithms, and even writing code to program real quantum computers. Users earn shareable skills badges, and can practice the skills theyve learned in freeform circuit and coding sandboxes. Q-CTRLs basic version of Black Opal remains free and allows users to build intuition for the fundamentals of quantum information. All features of the basic version are included in Black Opal Pro. The Tech Council of Australia is dedicated to supporting the growth of Australias technology industry, with a goal to contribute $250bn to GDP from tech-related activity by 2030, said Tech Council of Australia CEO Kate Pounder. Q-CTRL's Black Opal is a perfect example of how the local tech sector can contribute to this mission. Combining modern software product design with the team's world leading depth of expertise in quantum computing has delivered a real solution that can give Australian businesses a leading edge. We're excited for this product to become a pioneering effort in how the tech industry can help lift the resilience and diversity of the broader Australian economy. Q-CTRL says that based on the laws of physics at the tiniest sizes, quantum computing is projected to transform our world by allowing us to solve problems that were previously impossible across fields - from medicine and chemistry to finance, AI, and more. This potential is estimated at up to $850 billion per year by the Boston Consulting Group. Ideal for anyone aged 16 and older, Black Opal was designed by Q-CTRLs team of quantum computing experts to make learning quantum computing fun and interactive. For more information or to purchase a Black Opal Pro subscription click here. To learn more about Q-CTRL, visit q-ctrl.com. Elon Musk: his money is the same colour as that of all billionaires. The objections to Elon Musk buying Twitter can be distilled down to one simple thing: his policies will remove the objections to the return of Donald Trump to the platform. Which for the mainstream in the US and hence the mainstream in all acolyte countries means the end of civilisation as we know it. Trump is a loose cannon. But then he has as much right to tweet out what he wants, provided that it adheres to the rules of the platform. The degree of hypocrisy around opposition to Musk can be seen in the fact that nobody has any objection to Jeff Bezos owning the Washington Post which, incidentally, has been one of the more vociferous voices opposing Musk's Twitter bid. Im going to leave Twitter if Elon Musk takes over is the new Im going to move to Canada if Trump wins. Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) April 14, 2022 Neither have these virtuosos anything to say about Mark Zuckerberg and his ownership of both Facebook and Instagram, platforms which have spewed more wrong information in their existence than has been spread for the whole of the 20th century. And what about Rupert Murdoch and all the havoc he has casued around the world through his various media organs? And as for Sergei Brin and Larry Page, who have presided over Google and YouTube, and all the censorship seen on those two platforms? Why, that is all good because it is part of the mainstream. How about eBay owner Pierre Omidyar and his funding of The Intercept? And before one forgets, one has never heard any objections to Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, who forced upon the world a mediocre computer operating system known as Windows, one that has caused more woe for the world than even COVID-19. US President Joe Biden shakes hands with an imaginary human being. No, all these billionaires are fine and dandy. But Musk is a tool of the devil. He doesn't fit into anybody's definition of what a "good" human being; no, the man is inherently "evil". These ridiculous arguments have been articulated because one cannot claim Musk does not know how to run a business. No, that will really not wash; he has founded and runs two successful companies, Tesla and SpaceX. Elon Musk got the entire ruling class to publicy come out against free speech. Incredible. thebradfordfile (@thebradfordfile) April 15, 2022 Voices have also been raised questioning whether he has the money to buy Twitter which, according to his own offer, should be about US$43 billion (A$58 billion). Most of his money is tied up in the two companies he runs. But then, if he has sufficient assets and he is said to be worth in excess of US$250 billion it should not be too difficult to raise that amount towards the purchase of Twitter. That is a non-argument. As to free speech, I really think it varies; one man's free speech is another's racism. the old argument about shouting "fire" in a crowded cinema comes to mind. But what has remained with me over the years is something which Arjen Lentz, a techie from the free and open source community, told me many years ago: "In the Netherlands, freedom of speech is bound by the liberties of people around you; so I can exercise my liberties as long as they don't hurt the people around me. It is not absolute. I can't shout anti-Semitic abuse not that I would, I'm Jewish myself or other racial abuse because that hurts other people. I can't shout about religious opinions which hurt other people around me. In the USA, you can." Musk is unpredictable. But then so are many businessmen; one never knows what they will do from one day to the next. It is laughable that a country which is willing to accept a president who shakes hands with non-existent people is making a fuss about Musk owning a social media company. Another furphy is the objection by employees. Since when did employees decide who should own a company they work for? Given that Twitter has about 7500 people working for it, there will definitely be some who hate the owner, and yet continue to work there because they get a decent pay packet. Remember, no Twitter employee is being asked to cut down on urine breaks and pee into a bottle something for which Bezos has been unmasked. If Musk has been emboldened to make a bid for Twitter, then one can only blame the management which has shown blatant bias in censoring individuals who do not fit in with the thinking of the mainstream. One of the latest to suffer has been former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, an American patriot if ever there was one. The system used to throw people off Twitter is simply crazy. Why, Twitter once even banned me, a person who has at best 100 followers and one who has never sought to use it as a marketing tool. That makes the rules of the platform more of a joke than it would be otherwise. I am one of the few who joined Twitter to listen to others, with most of those I follow being tech types. You do get some very good stories via Twitter, I must say. When I sent one of my rare tweets, poking fun at a suggestion by former Trump official Mike Pompeo, that the people who served as sources for a story that the CIA was planning to kidnap and assassinate Julian Assange should be held to account, my account was locked. I had to delete the tweet in order to gain access to my account again. The Twitter board has a duty to put the offer to its shareholders and follow their verdict. CEO Parag Agrawal has already put in place a so-called poison pill allowing other shareholders to buy shares at a discount to prevent Musk from increasing his ownership beyond 15%. He currently holds 9.2%. Musk has hinted that he has a Plan B to buy the company, if his bid is rejected. One hopes for the good of the platform, that he succeeds. Today Sunny skies. Becoming windy late. High 87F. W winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Tonight Partly cloudy. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low 58F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Tomorrow A few clouds early, otherwise mostly sunny. High 84F. WNW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph. Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo / Yonhap President Moon Jae-in agreed to meet with Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo on Monday after turning down the resignation offer Kim submitted in protest of the ruling Democratic Party's push to strip the prosecution of its investigative powers, an official said. Kim tendered his resignation on Sunday in protest of the DP's push for legislation that would leave the prosecution with no authority to conduct investigations on its own, as part of efforts to reform the powerful agency that has long been accused of abusing its power for political and other purposes. Before offering to resign, Kim had earlier requested a meeting with Moon, though no meeting took place. On Monday, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said Moon decided to turn down Kim's resignation and instead meet with him later in the day. A presidential official explained that Moon did not accept the resignation because the prosecutor general's term is guaranteed and because he wants to hear Kim's opinions as the head of the executive branch. Kim, who was appointed by Moon, has more than a year left in his two-year term. His resignation offer came less than a month before Moon is set to leave office at the end of his five-year term. Moon's decision is seen as an attempt to stop the row between the prosecution and his party from escalating. Under his administration, the prosecution's investigations have been reduced to six categories of crimes, with the rest being assigned to the police, as critics have accused the prosecution of abusing its powers. Kim requested a meeting with the president last week to discuss his opposition to the proposed legislation. A Cheong Wa Dae official suggested the issue should be discussed with the National Assembly, saying "now is the time for legislation." (Yonhap) Staff Writer Jonathan Roberts is a reporter and photographer for the Johnson City Press covering Jonesborough, healthcare and higher education. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and has been with the Press since 2019. Plateau residents value education, urbanization Xinhua) 17:06, April 18, 2022 XINING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Qiao Shujuan's new home is just 2 km from her school. If the 12-year-old girl's family was still living in their old village, that journey to school would be around 60 km. Qiao's hometown is Minzhu Village, Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County, in the city of Haidong, northwest China's Qinghai Province, where the average altitude is more than 4,000 meters. Now they have moved to an urban area within the same county, making life much easier. "We wanted to provide better education for our children, so the family decided to buy a house elsewhere in the county," said Qiao Mingsheng, the father. The senior Qiao receives dividends by leasing his farmland in the village and runs a small shop in town. "We get a bigger income now than we got by planting crops in the past," he said. Sitting in the east of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the city of Haidong has nearly 200,000 hectares of cultivated land, making an average per capita area of 0.2 hectares. Yuan Fude, a village official of Yangjia Village in Haidong, said an increasing number of villagers have settled down in towns or cities in recent years, with children's education being the main reason for moving. The situation is similar in the pastoral area. Tazang, a herdsman from Laiyang Village, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, is now taking care of 13 children from the village who are attending schools in the town. Herders from 16 households in Laiyang Village set up a cooperative and built bungalows for their children in the town. Some of them take care of the children in the town, some stay and graze sheep and cattle in the village, and others take part in the processing and selling of mutton and beef. "In the past, children in the village dropped out of school at a very young age in order to help their families graze livestock. But now, more people attach importance to education for their next generation and send their children to schools in cities and towns. They also move there to take care of their children," said Tazang. An increasing number of villagers deep in the mountains are moving to cities and towns for their children's education, which has also changed the pattern of urbanization on the plateau, said Liu Changyuan, Party chief of Haidong's Yaozhuang Village, which has seen the majority of residents move to the town. Census data shows that, by the end of 2020, the urban population of Qinghai Province was over 3.5 million, and the urbanization rate of permanent residence hit 60 percent, increasing by 41 percent and 15 percentage points, respectively, compared with the figure for a decade ago, which reflected the rapid development of the province's urbanization. Although rural residents are flocking to cities and towns, those staying in the rural areas also see new opportunities. "There is a lot of vacant farmland, so I rented land and started to develop sheep breeding on a large scale," said Zhao Longfa, a villager in Xiexia Village. A villager named Wei Wenhong also rents around 100 hectares of land to grow potatoes, forage grass, oats and beans. "I earned more than 200,000 yuan (about 31,391 U.S. dollars) last year," Wei said, adding that he plans to expand the land to grow more vegetables and open a starch factory in the future. Prior to engaging in agriculture on a large scale, Wei used to be a migrant worker, toiling in logistics, with an income of only around 60,000 yuan every year. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) The main opposition People Power Party and minor opposition People's Party agreed to merge Monday in line with an earlier deal between President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and his coalition partner Ahn Cheol-soo. The two parties approved the merger at their respective Supreme Council meetings, both sides said, and will jointly field candidates for the June 1 local elections. The merger was part of a broader agreement between Yoon of the PPP and Ahn, the leader of the People's Party, under which Ahn dropped out of the presidential race, just days before the election, to back Yoon's campaign. The two sides are expected to officially announce their merger later Monday. The People's Party was founded by Ahn in February 2020. The combined party is expected to keep the PPP's name and be headed by PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok. The three lawmakers currently belonging to the People's Party will now represent the PPP, raising its number of seats to 113 in the 300-member National Assembly. The merger talks were briefly suspended as Yoon and Ahn apparently clashed over the nomination of Cabinet members but were finalized after the two patched up their row last week. (Yonhap) President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with Kim Oh-soo, prosecutor-general, in Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo President Moon Jae-in rejected Prosecutor-General Kim Oh-soo's resignation on Monday, in an apparent move to prevent a full-scale conflict between the prosecution and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which is seeking to reform the prosecution to remove its investigative powers. Kim told the president the concerns shared by prosecutors about the consequences of the DPK-led reform bill, if approved, during their meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae in late afternoon. Moon expressed his trust in Kim and asked the top prosecutor to finish his term of appointment without stepping down, saying that he has no reason to resign because he's not responsible for the current situation. Although Moon was wary of the confrontation between the DPK and the prosecution, the president was basically on the same page with the DPK regarding the bill, and noted the need for reforms. The DPK argues that the reform bill is necessary to rein in the prosecution's overreaching authority both to prosecute and lead investigations, while the main opposition party, the People Power Party (PPP), along with the prosecution, argue that the bill seeks to deprive prosecutors of their investigative powers. "People have trust in the investigative capability of prosecutors, but it is also true a stark reality that they have doubts over the fairness of investigations. Forcible investigation and prosecution are the most powerful powers the state has, so victims or suspects cannot help but question the fairness," Moon was quoted as saying. "Looking at past history, it is difficult to say that prosecutors' investigations have always been fair and that is why the need for legislation and systemization has arisen. The prosecution needs to make ceaseless efforts for reform and self-scrutiny," he said. Moon added that reforming the prosecution should be conducted for the purpose of serving the people, and that the National Assembly's passage of the reform bill has the same purpose. Kim offered his resignation a day earlier in protest of the DPK's efforts to pass a reform bill aimed at separating the prosecution and investigative powers that Korea's prosecution has. Presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee speaks during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap The top prosecutor has been aggressively protesting the reform bill, citing its possible side effects. "A new legal system that may seriously affect people's rights requires public consensus and agreement between the ruling and the opposition parties," Kim said in a statement announcing his resignation. After the March 9 presidential election, which ended in a razor-thin victory for Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, the DPK accelerated its efforts to pass the bill, as it believes that the prosecution's power will grow to an excessive degree under the president-elect, who is the former prosecutor-general. Yoon turned himself into a political heavyweight without having any political experience, thanks to and public support he gained during his stint as the prosecutor-general. While he was originally appointed by President Moon, he then used his authority to launch investigations into some of the Moon administration's top officials. The DPK decided to call a vote on the bill this month at the National Assembly, where it holds the majority 172 seats in the 300-member Assembly. The bill will then be tabled at the final Cabinet meeting under President Moon Jae-in on May 3, before Yoon is sworn in on May 10. As the move has drawn strong opposition from Yoon's People Power Party (PPP), other prosecutors and Kim, Moon appears to have rejected Kim's resignation in order to entice the DPK and the prosecution to discuss the bill. Despite Moon's efforts to prevent a full-scale conflict, the DPK is expediting its efforts to pass the bill before Yoon steps into office. "Kim's resignation was meaningless and irresponsible," DPK floor leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said Monday. "The resignation contains no self-reflection on the prosecution's inappropriate exercising of its authority, and turns a blind eye to Yoon's efforts to control the prosecution. He is trying to break the legally-set prosecutor-general's term in order to protect the prosecution's privileges." The PPP is seeking to block the DPK's efforts to pass the reform bill in the National Assembly through a filibuster, which the latter is looking to end with the help of the minor progressive Justice Party. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. It took nearly seven years for the Special Criminal Court (CPS) created by a 2015 law to try crimes under international law and serious human rights violations perpetrated since 2003 in the Central African Republic (CAR) to announce its first trial. Starting April 19, three defendants from the 3R (Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation) armed group will be tried before this mixed court sitting in Bangui for acts committed in May 2019 in Lemouna and Koundjili, in the northwest of the country, including killings and other inhumane acts constituting crimes against humanity, according to the courts statement . This first trial comes five months after the humiliating episode of the arrest and release of Hassan Bouba, current Minister of Livestock. A former number two in the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC) rebel group, Bouba is believed to be responsible according to an investigation by the conflict-fueled money-tracking NGO The Sentry for the November 2018 attack on an IDP camp in Alindao, 500 km east of Bangui, which resulted in the deaths of at least 112 villagers, including 19 children. The Bouba case By 2017, Bouba had joined the government as a special adviser to CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera. Later, he would have become the interface between the UPC leadership and Bangui diplomacy, according to Nathalia Dukhan, an investigator and analyst at The Sentry. Arrested on November 19 by the CPS on several charges, including crimes against humanity for murder, inhumane acts and cruel treatment such as torture, Bouba was initially taken by Central African special forces to Camp de Roux, the central prison in Bangui. But a few days later, there was a twist of fate: Bouba was exfiltrated from the prison in which he was awaiting his hearing, and taken back by the presidential guard to his home in the PK5 neighborhood, according to several eyewitnesses. The unit in charge of extracting him [to bring him to court] was prevented from accessing his place of detention, the CPS said in a statement. In a context of general indignation from civil society, the Minister of Livestock and Animal Health even received, a few days later, the Order of Merit from the President of the Republic. Then he resumed his work at the Ministry located a few hundred meters from the headquarters of the CPS. Overview of the first public hearing of the CPS on December 17 in Bangui. Maxence Helen The Court is instrumentalized Interviewed by Justice Info, Jean-Bruno Malaka, spokesman for the Special Court, said that the Bouba case demonstrated to everyone what the CPS is capable of and allowed it to register more than 261 complaints, including 107 in 2021. But this arrest revealed above all the dysfunctions of the Court. I am not aware of this type of interference with justice in other contexts, says Patryk Labuda, assistant professor of international criminal law at the University of Amsterdam. The Court is instrumentalized, and the governments actions show that it doesnt always find desirable the presence of the Court, which is supposed to be independent, he says. Arrests depend on the goodwill of the state, confirmed a source close to the CPS, who said that a national judge and military police in charge of arrests have received threats from the government. In addition to this lack of independence from the state, there are problems within the court. The relationship between nationals and internationals is difficult to establish. In addition, Central African judges are under pressure from the government, said a source close to the institution in Bangui who prefers to remain anonymous. Lack of transparency It also took the CPS many years to assemble its judges. On February 2, the last two judges of the appeals chamber, Frenchman Olivier Beauvallet and German Volker Nerlich, were sworn in in Bangui. The establishment of this jurisdiction follows a certain procedure, we have not had all the means since its creation, it took time to recruit international judges, explains the spokesman of the CPS. The notable absences of Special Prosecutor Toussaint Muntazini, a senior prosecutor in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have added to the weakness of the CPS. The prosecutor has health concerns and is rarely present, which hinders investigations and proceedings, said an anonymous source close to the CPS. The prosecutor is on leave, the spokesperson tried to reassure. The CPS is also often criticized for its lack of transparency. In December 2021, Amnesty International denounced the courts lack of transparency and stated that it remained very difficult, if not impossible, to find information on the status of ongoing proceedings. Pre-trial detentions are a sensitive example. The court refuses to disclose the identity of its detainees, a situation unheard of in international justice. The CPS spokesman assures that there are currently 14 people in pre-trial detention and that nine detainees have been released for having reached the regulatory and reasonable time limit for their detention, which is one year. Pre-trial investigations are covered by secrecy, says the president of the CPS, Michel Landry Louanga. We are in a situation of crisis, of conflict, we have victims and witnesses who need to be protected. Publicizing the investigations puts the lives of these people in danger. In the Central African Republic, the main perpetrators of crimes are still there, in society, he said in an interview with Justice Info. Budgetary tension The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (Minusca) is among the main donors to the CPS, along with the European Union, the United States, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Netherlands. Despite the importance of its mandate, the Special Criminal Court has a relatively small budget compared to other hybrid judicial institutions that try international crimes, warned the NGO Human Rights Watch in an April 12 article, noting that the financial situation of the CPS is complex and reflects the increased difficulties that justice efforts for serious crimes in different countries have faced in recent years when it comes to finding adequate operating resources. If the European Union does not renew its funding for the coming year, the CPS will die, said a UN source, who preferred to remain anonymous, in early 2022. The Court needs about 12 million dollars a year to function but we only manage to mobilize 6 to 8 million from scattered donors, explains this same source. The Central African Republic, devastated since 2013 by civil war, is still experiencing a latent conflict where there are neither winners nor losers. Despite the war, our investigators have infiltrated these [war] circles to be able to push forward the proceedings and that is a feat, reassures the president of the Court. Usually, people work in post-conflict contexts where the perpetrators of these crimes are in a weak position, but this is different. Recommended reading Hassan Bouba: a rebel minister before the Special Court Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of wanting to destroy the entire eastern region of Donbas, as the last remaining forces in the strategic port of Mariupol prepared Monday for a final defence. Moscow is pushing for a major victory in the southern city as it works to wrest control of Donbas and forge a land corridor to already-annexed Crimea. But Ukraine has pledged to fight on and defend the city, defying a Russian ultimatum Sunday that called on the remaining fighters inside the encircled Azovstal steel plant to lay down their arms and surrender. Ukrainian authorities have urged people in Donbas to move west to escape a large-scale Russian offensive to capture its composite regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. Russian troops are preparing for an offensive operation in the east of our country in the near future. They want to literally finish off and destroy Donbas, Zelensky said in an evening statement. Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraines unexpectedly fierce resistance since Russian troops invaded the former Soviet state on February 24. The city still has not fallen, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. Theres still our military forces, our soldiers. So they will fight to the end, he told ABCs This Week. We will not surrender. While several large cities were under siege, he said, not one with the exception of Kherson in the south had fallen, and more than 900 towns and cities had been re-captured. Last chance to save you Lugansk governor Sergiy Gaiday said the coming week would be difficult. It may be the last time we have a chance to save you, he wrote on Facebook. Russian forces continued to shell the eastern Lugansk region and two people died in the town of Zolote, he told Ukrainian media earlier in the day. And five powerful Russian missile strikes hit Lviv early Monday, in a rare attack on a western city that has so far been spared much of the fighting since the invasion began almost two months ago. Two people also died and four were wounded in attacks on the towns of Marinka and Novopol, west of Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram and an air strike hit an armaments factory in the capital Kyiv. In the countrys second city of Kharkiv, at least five people were killed and 20 wounded in a series of strikes just 21 kilometres (13 miles) from the Russian border. Maksym Khaustov, the head of the Kharkiv regions health department, confirmed the deaths there following a series of strikes that AFP journalists on the scene said had ignited fires throughout the city and torn roofs from buildings. The whole home rumbled and trembled, 71-year-old Svitlana Pelelygina told AFP as she surveyed her wrecked apartment. Everything here began to burn. I called the firefighters. They said, We are on our way, but we were also being shelled.' In the eastern city of Kramatorsk, Orthodox Palm Sunday granted its residents some respite before the expected Russian onslaught. In the Orthodox Svyato-Pokrovsky church, around 40 people mostly women wearing colourful headscarves attended the service. Its very hard and scary right now, said a congregant as she arrived at the red-brick church topped with four gleaming domes. One young mother, Nadia, said she refused to be evacuated for fear of travelling alone with her two children and leaving her relatives in Kramatorsk. We dont go to the basement each time theres a (bomb) siren. Its too stressful for them (the children), she said. We have our spot in the basement just in case, but we prefer to stay in the house if possible. We dim the lights. And in Kharkiv, the citys metro stations are now home to residents of the eastern metropolis fearful of the battle raging above. Those impromptu living spaces have become host to makeshift stages, where poets and puppeteers work to lift spirits. A person cannot live only with war, Serhiy Zhadan a literary celebrity in poetry-obsessed Ukraine said. It is very important for them to hear a word, to be able to sing along, to be able to express a certain emotion. Catastrophe Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has urged Russian forces to let people flee besieged Mariupol, saying that humanitarian corridors allowing civilians to escape would not open on Sunday after failing to agree terms with Moscow forces. But Lugansk governor Gaiday said he had proceeded with evacuations. At our own peril and risk, we took out several dozen people anyway, but its already dangerous, he told Ukrainian media. The UN World Food Programme says that more than 100,000 civilians in Mariupol are on the verge of famine and lack water and heating. And Ukraines Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said the city was on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, saying they were compiling evidence of alleged Russian atrocities there. We will hand everything over to The Hague. There will be no impunity. The mayor of Bucha a town near Kyiv where the discovery of dead civilians sparked international condemnation and war crimes accusations said Russian troops had raped men as well as women and children there. Zelensky said he had invited his French counterpart to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence that Russian forces have committed genocide a term President Emmanuel Macron has avoided. I talked to him yesterday, Zelensky told CNN in an interview recorded on Friday but broadcast Sunday. I just told him I want him to understand that this is not war, but nothing other than genocide. I invited him to come when he will have the opportunity. Hell come and see, and Im sure he will understand. Zelensky, describing the situation in Mariupol as inhuman, has called on the West to immediately provide heavy weapons. But Russia has warned the United States this week of unpredictable consequences if it sent its most sensitive weapons systems to Ukraine. Its defence ministry claimed Saturday to have shot down a Ukrainian transport plane in the Odessa region, carrying weapons supplied by Western nations. On Sunday, spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian missiles had destroyed ammunition, fuel and lubricant depots in eastern Ukraine and 44 Ukrainian military facilities, including command posts. Russian air defence systems shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft in the Kharkiv region and a drone near the city of Pavlograd, he added. burs-oho/cwl Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday bestowed an honorary title on a brigade accused by Ukraine of war crimes and mass killings in the town of Bucha. The announcement was made on the 54th day of Moscows military campaign in Ukraine, with thousands killed and 12 million people fleeing their homes or country in the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. A decree signed by Putin gave the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade the title of Guards for defending the Motherland and state interests and praised the mass heroism and valour, tenacity and courage of its members. In early April, the Ukrainian defence ministry said the unit occupied the town outside the capital Kyiv and committed war crimes. The Ukrainian defence ministrys Intelligence Directorate published the names, ranks and passports details of members of the brigade, saying they will face justice. A majority of the people killed in Bucha died from gunshot wounds, Ukrainian police said last week. After the departure of Russian troops, bodies of men dressed in civilian clothes, some with their hands tied, were found scattered in the streets, according to AFP. The Kremlin has rejected accusations that Russian forces were responsible for killing civilians near Kyiv and suggested images of corpses were fakes. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday lauded a brigade accused by Ukraine of committing atrocities near the capital Kyiv as his forces pounded targets across the country, killing at least seven people in the western city of Lviv. The air strikes in Lviv came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of wanting to destroy the entire eastern region of Donbas where Russian forces were massing for an expected all-out assault. Despite widespread condemnation of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Putin appeared to double down on Monday. He signed an official decree bestowing the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade the title of Guards for defending the Motherland and state interests and praised the mass heroism and valour, tenacity and courage of its members. The Ukrainian defence ministry has accused the same outfit of committing war crimes while occupying the suburb of Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv, where residents were shot dead, some with their hands bound. The European Union condemned Russias indiscriminate bombing of Ukrainian civilians following the strikes on Lviv. Its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pointed to particularly heavy attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine and an offensive against second city Kharkiv, where officials said Russian shelling killed three people. Attacks on Lviv and other cities in western Ukraine show that no part of the country is spared from the Kremlins senseless onslaught, Borrell added. Seeking to strengthen ties and accelerate admission to the 27-nation bloc, President Zelensky said Ukraine hoped to receive EU candidate country status within weeks. On Monday, he handed the EUs envoy to Kyiv, Matti Maasikas, a two-volume response to a membership questionnaire brought by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in March. We will receive support for this work, become a candidate for admission, and then the next final stage will begin, Zelensky told Maasikas, in a video of the meeting on social media. Our people mentally have been in Europe for a long time, he added. No safe places Russias defence ministry on Monday said it had hit 16 military targets at various locations across Ukraine. Among the targets was a depot near Lviv that Moscow said held weapons recently delivered to Ukraine from the United States and European countries. Following the attack on Lviv, black smoke billowed from the gutted roof of a car repair shop in the northwest of the city as air raid sirens wailed. Fires were set off as a result of the strikes. They are still being put out. The facilities were severely damaged, Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytsky said on social media. Lviv has largely been spared the Russian bombardment that has rained down on other parts of the country since Russia invaded on February 24. The city and its surroundings have instead become a relatively safe haven for those seeking to escape the fighting further east. Today we understood clearly that we dont have any safe places in Ukraine. Its very dangerous, a bank employee who gave her name as Natalia told AFP after the strikes. Prisoner swap In the south, Russia continued its push to capture the besieged port city of Mariupol where the last remaining Ukrainian forces prepared for a final stand. Ukraine has pledged to fight on and defend the strategic city, defying a Russian ultimatum for remaining fighters inside the encircled Azovstal steel plant to lay down their arms and surrender. Russian state TV on Monday broadcast a video of what it described as Britons captured fighting for Ukraine and demanding that Prime Minister Boris Johnson negotiate their release. The two haggard-looking men asked to be exchanged for Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian tycoon close to President Vladimir Putin, who was recently arrested in the pro-Western country. Ukraine then aired its own video featuring Medvedchuk calling for his exchange in return for an evacuation of civilians and troops from Mariupol. Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraines unexpectedly fierce resistance since Russian troops invaded the former Soviet state on February 24. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russia to have a land bridge between the Crimea peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, and the two Moscow-backed separatist statelets in Ukraines east. They have to be pushed back In the east, Ukrainian authorities urged people in Donbas to move west to escape a large-scale Russian offensive to capture its composite regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. Russian troops are preparing for an offensive operation in the east of our country in the near future. They want to literally finish off and destroy Donbas, Zelensky said. Lugansk governor Sergiy Gaiday said Monday that Russian troops had captured the nearby town of Kreminna in a major attack overnight. The Russian army has already entered there, with a huge amount of military hardware Our defenders have retreated to new positions, Gaiday said in a statement on social media. Four civilians had died as they tried to flee Kreminna, he added. Ukraines security and defence council secretary Oleksiy Danilov said the attack had been part of a general Russian push against Ukraines defences. Fortunately, our military is holding on, he added. Four other civilians died in Russian bombing in Donetsk, said regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. Heavy bouts of shelling resumed in the countrys second city of Kharkiv Monday morning, according to an AFP reporter on the ground, killing at least three people. It came a day after another five were killed and 20 wounded during a string of strikes in the city just 21 kilometres (13 miles) from the Russian border. On the edge of Kharkiv over the weekend, Ukrainian forces huddled in fortified positions surrounded by earth blemished with craters where they stared down the Russian lines. The longer they stay in one place, the more they entrench, and the harder it will be to knock them out, a sergeant using the call sign Oreshek told AFP. They have to be pushed back. Ukraine officials also said on Monday they were halting the evacuation of civilians from frontline towns and cities in the east for a second day, accusing Russian forces of having blocked and shelled escape routes. burs-ds/imm/jj The European Union on Monday condemned the indiscriminate bombing of civilians by Russian forces in Ukraine, after deadly strikes hit the western city of Lviv. The EU condemns the continued indiscriminate and illegal shelling of civilians and civilian infrastructure by Russian armed forces, said a statement by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. He noted particularly heavy attacks in the east and south of Ukraine and the ongoing offensive against the countrys second city, Kharkiv. Attacks on Lviv and other cities in western Ukraine show that no part of the country is spared from the Kremlins senseless onslaught, the statement added. Air strikes on Lviv killed at least seven people, officials said. The city had become a refuge for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict in areas further east and for foreign diplomats. Borrell said the EU supported measures to prosecute those suspected of atrocities in the invasion. There can be no impunity for war crimes, his statement said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier accused Moscow of wanting to destroy the entire eastern region of Donbas bordering Russia. He said on Monday that he expected Ukraine would acquire EU member candidate-status within weeks. But the complex process typically takes years and EU member states are divided on Ukraines application. Russia has launched a major offensive into eastern Ukraine, authorities in Kyiv said, opening a new phase of its invasion after being thwarted in efforts to capture the capital. The United States is due to hold a video meeting with allies Tuesday to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, where Moscows military campaign has refocused on the eastern region of Donbas, partly controlled by pro-Kremlin separatists since 2014. We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, which they have been preparing for a long time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram late Monday. No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. Ahead of the widely anticipated advance, Ukrainian authorities had urged people in Donbas to flee west to escape. The second phase of the war has started, Kyivs presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said. Control of Donbas would allow Moscow to create a southern corridor to the occupied Crimean peninsula. In the south of the region, Russia continued its push to capture the besieged port city of Mariupol, where the last remaining Ukrainian forces have taken a final stand. But despite the desperate situation in the city, a senior US Defence Department official said Mariupol is still contested. Russia has also added 11 battalion tactical groups consisting of, among other things, artillery, helicopters, and logistical support to its forces in east Ukraine, the official added, bringing the total to 76 in the country. Monday also saw the first shipments of a new US military aid package arrive at Ukraines borders to be handed over in its fight against the Russian invasion. The United States on April 13 unveiled an $800-million tranche of equipment for Ukraine, including helicopters, howitzers and armoured personnel carriers. Strikes across Ukraine Moscows forces on Monday pounded targets across the country, killing at least seven people in the far western city of Lviv. Lviv has largely been spared bombardment since Russia invaded on February 24, and the city and its surroundings had become a haven for those seeking safety from the war zone. But today we understood clearly that we dont have any safe places in Ukraine. Its very dangerous, a bank employee who gave her name as Natalia told AFP after the strikes. Russias defence ministry said Monday it had hit 16 military targets across Ukraine. Among the sites struck was a depot near Lviv that Moscow said held weapons recently delivered to Ukraine from the United States and Europe. Shortly before Zelenskys address, the regional governor of the Lugansk region Sergiy Gaiday also announced the beginning of Russias much-anticipated attack. Its hell. The offensive has begun, the one weve been talking about for weeks. Theres constant fighting in Rubizhne and Popasna, fighting in other peaceful cities, he said on Facebook. Russian shelling killed at least eight civilians in eastern Ukraine, according to local authorities. Gaiday said four people died as they tried to flee the city of Kreminna in Lugansk as Russian troops moved in. The Russian army has already entered there, with a huge amount of military hardware Our defenders have retreated to new positions, Gaiday said in a statement on social media. But Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovich said Russian forces had not conquered the city. Nearby, in the village of Novodruzhesk, weary locals have borne the brunt of the fighting. We are bombed everywhere. Its a miracle that were still alive, said Nadya, 65, her voice trembling. We were lying on the ground and waiting. Since February 24 weve been sleeping in the cellar. Theres no more water, electricity, nothing. Weve got no more money, no more petrol we cant leave. Ukrainian officials on Monday halted the evacuation of civilians from frontline towns and cities in the east for a second day, accusing Russian forces of having blocked and shelled escape routes. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Tuesday there would be no humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians in the country for a third consecutive day because there has been no agreement from the Russian side. Vereshchuk previously said that Russias refusal to open these humanitarian corridors will, in the future, be grounds for prosecuting all those involved in war crimes. The Mariupol city council has reported there are over 1,000 civilians trapped in shelters under the Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian forces are waging a desperate last stand against the Russians. (They are) mostly women with children and the elderly, they said on Telegram. Heavy attacks President Vladimir Putin has said he launched the military operation on February 24 to save Russian speakers in Ukraine from a genocide carried out by a neo-Nazi regime. He recognised the independence of two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Donetsk and Lugansk shortly before the invasion began. On Monday, Putin lauded the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade which is accused of committing atrocities near Kyiv bestowing battle honours on them for heroism and valour, tenacity and courage. Ukraine has alleged the brigade is guilty of war crimes while occupying the suburb of Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv, where residents were shot dead, some with their hands bound. The European Union condemned Russias indiscriminate bombing of Ukrainian civilians following the strikes on Lviv. Its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pointed to particularly heavy attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine and an offensive against second city Kharkiv, where officials said Russian shelling killed three people. Attacks on Lviv and other cities in western Ukraine show that no part of the country is spared from the Kremlins senseless onslaught, Borrell added. Seeking to strengthen ties and accelerate admission to the 27-nation bloc, Zelensky said that Ukraine hoped to receive EU candidate country status within weeks. On Monday, he handed the EUs envoy to Kyiv a two-volume response to a membership questionnaire brought by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in March. burs-bgs/oho/dva Main opposition conservative People Power Party chief Lee Jun-seok, second from left, and minor opposition conservative People's Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo, second from right, pose holding a joint statement, during a press conference officially announcing the merger of the two parties, at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Monday. Screenshot from SBS' YouTube account By Jung Da-min Main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) chief Lee Jun-seok and minor opposition conservative People's Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo officially announced the merger of the two parties, Monday, holding a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul's Yeouido area. "The People Power Party and the People's Party declare an agreement as follows for the birth of a better Korea and laying the foundation for a joint government based on the proposal for candidacy unification declared in the 20th presidential election," read a joint statement that was signed by the leaders of the two parties. Earlier in the day, the PPP and the People's Party held Supreme Council meetings with their members, respectively, to approve the merger of the parties. The unified party will use the name, "PPP," and conduct nominations for candidates to run for the June 1 local elections. The unified PPP is planning to accept additional applications from those in the People's Party who wish to run in the local elections, as the PPP had already started its nomination process. The merger of the PPP and People's Party came about a month and a half after Ahn Cheol-soo, then-presidential candidate of the People's Party, announced his candidacy withdrawal so as to unify with Yoon of the PPP. Once unified, the conservative bloc and Yoon were able to beat their main rival, Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), by a razor-thin margin in the March 9 presidential election. "Both parties have formed a policy platform task force to lead constant change and reform (of politics) and propose new policy platforms," read the statement. The merger of the PPP and the People's Party came four days after a dinner meeting between Yoon and Ahn, where they reaffirmed their united efforts for the success of the upcoming Yoon government. Earlier, there had been speculations of a possible rift between Yoon and Ahn over Yoon's nomination of his first ministers, which occurred last Thursday. As none of the Cabinet nominations included any of Ahn's picks, Ahn had called off his scheduled appearances the same day, in what appears to have been an expression of his frustration over Yoon's Cabinet nominations. Adding to the speculations of a possible conflict between Yoon and Ahn, was the resignation of Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the People's Party from his post on the planning and coordination committee of Yoon's presidential transition committee on April 11, a day after Yoon's first round of Cabinet nominations. Although the two sides are trying to settle their conflict, the merger of the parties is still imperfect, with some members of the People's Party still remaining against the idea of forming such a coalition with Yoon or the PPP. Rep. Kwon Eun-hee, who had led the People's Party as the floor leader, had opposed both the merger of the parties as well as Ahn's presidential candidacy withdrawal. Kwon has said she cannot accept the idea of the merger when it only helps to entrench further the nation's political system, which is led primarily by the two major parties, thereby limiting the voices of minor parties. She had requested that the party revoke her membership in it so that she could continue her legislative activities as an independent lawmaker after the merger. However, as she was elected as a proportional representation lawmaker of the People's Party, she cannot maintain in her lawmaker position if she withdraws her membership from the party. "I have confirmed party leader Ahn's decision on my request for dismissal," Kwon said, adding that she will be leaving the unified party later in early June. Leading Scotch whisky maker Chivas Brothers said it aims to double exports to India if New Delhi lifts whisky tariffs, the UKs top priority in bilateral trade talks ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnsons visit to India this week. Require. India is the worlds largest whisky consumer and the second largest export market for Scotch whisky. But British industry has accused India of hampering growth in the country of 1.4 billion people with a 150 percent tariff on imported wine. New Delhis levy on British whisky makers has become a sore point in the UK-India trade relationship and at the heart of trade talks that began earlier this year. Johnson will travel to India this week and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he looks to advance talks and expand security cooperation in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Jean-Etienne Gourg, chairman of Chivas Brothers, part of Frances Pernod Ricard group, told the Financial Times that the odds of a trade deal have never been higher. Scotch only a small part of all the whiskies people enjoy [in India], he said. The medium-term goal is to at least double the size of the market. And with the size of the population of the middle class, I see a very large appetite. It should be one of the top markets. Trade between the UK and India was worth 18.5bn in 2020, but stand still over the past ten years. This compares to 38bn in trade between the UK and Belgium in the same year. India currently accounts for 1.2% of UK exports it is the UKs 21st largest export market and UK companies currently sell more to countries such as Singapore, Sweden and Norway. London and New Delhi agreed last year to establish a comprehensive UK-India strategic partnership to boost investment and jobs as part of a plan to double trade by 2030. But analysts remain sceptical that a long-discussed free trade deal will be reached in time to finalize the 2024 British and Indian elections. New Delhi has long demanded easier access to British visas for Indian students and skilled workers, sparking political controversy in the UK. Trade Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan told the Financial Times in January that everything is on the table, including immigration, as countries seek to hammer out a deal. Samlow, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, said Britain had given India a lot of what they wanted on immigration after Brexit, and a trade deal between the two countries was now possible. The lifting of the so-called secondary cap on skilled workers coming to the UK in December 2020 and the UKs decision to put Indian workers on an equal footing with their EU counterparts was a pivotal moment. However, India is expected to push more of its students and workers into the UK for trade talks, some Conservative MPs and immigration hawks at the Home Office. Boris Johnson can do that, but it will involve some fights with the Home Office, Low said. However, he warned that any trade deal between India and the UK could initially be pretty shallow. He added that given New Delhis refusal to criticize Russias invasion of Ukraine, politics is not suitable for an early and ambitious trade deal. admired Indian authorities have long been wary of opening up domestic industries through free trade agreements, but the country recently signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates and an interim agreement with Australia. Most Indian whisky is locally produced, and the high taxes and fees imposed on imported liquor are an important source of revenue for Indian authorities. But the country has also long been hostile to the alcohol industry, with some states banning it altogether. The Scotch Whisky Association said lowering tariffs must be a priority in trade negotiations and said it hoped the two countries could reach an interim early harvest deal before a full trade deal. "Our Blues" episode 4 opens the story of a ship captain and a haenyeo (female diver) who are both scared to take a step closer despite being drawn to each other. In the latest episode, fans and viewers experience a heart-fluttering watching experience with Kim Woo Bin and Han Ji Min. Keep on reading to know more! 'Our Blues' Episode 4: Lee Young Ok Opens Up To Park Jeong Joon "Our Blues" episode 4 begins with Lee Young Ok (Han Ji Min) enjoying her free time at the bar. She is drinking a cold beer and dancing to the music. A man who is obviously into her keeps on insisting that they should go to a motel, but Young Ok is still sober to entertain his queries. Thankfully, Park Jeong Joon appears to pacify the drunk man. He also walks Young Ok home to ensure her safety, which makes it more obvious that Jeong Joon likes her, too. To his surprise, Young Ok suddenly talks about her past relationships and how she ended up in Jeju Island after living in Seoul for a while. Because he did not know what to say, he kept quiet and listened to her stories. Jeong Joon became interested in Young Ok even more. Meanwhile, a clinically depressed Min Seon Ah (Shin Min Ah) gets into an altercation with her irate husband. He seems to have no care about her mental stability. Lee Young Ok Gets In Trouble With Her Co-Workers As a haenyeo (female diver), Young Ok has to wake up early to make a living. She dives in deep waters to collect abalones, conches, and other sea life to sell in the market. Young Ok already has a bad reputation in the haenyeo community as her own coworkers do not like her, and even spread rumors about her. While the other female divers already climbed back to their boat, Young Ok has not resurfaced yet which totally inconvenienced the others. Because of this, Young Ok's reputation has been tainted even more, amplifying her coworkers' hatred for her. On the other hand, high school classmates Bang Young Joo (Noh Yoon Seo), Bang Ho Sik's (Choi Young Jun) daughter, alarms Jung Hyeon (Bae Hyung Sung), Jung In Kwon's (Park Ji Hwan) son, about their possible pregnancy. Park Jeong Joon Takes One Step Closer To Lee Young Ok Despite being warned not to fall for Young Ok, Jeong Joon's fascination towards the older woman becomes stronger. When Young Ok visited her small bus for a cup of cold tea, Jeong Joon bares his soul and bravely asks her out. Young Ok tells him that he'll only get hurt because of the endless rumors that come with being with her. However, Jeong Joon braced himself, and asked her to be careful with his heart as long as she can. Because of their mutual feelings and understanding, they seal their new relationship with a kiss full of longing. KDramaStars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. Donations for humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine will be collected during a performance in Kelowna on May 14 at the Community Theatre of the Ukrainian-Canadian dance troupe Cheremosh. Health minister nominee Chung Ho-young speaks during a press conference held in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap The office of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that whether the health minister nominee is fit for office should be determined after his confirmation hearing, despite calls for withdrawing the nomination over suspicions he used his position to get his children into a medical school. The nomination of Chung Ho-young, a former chief of Kyungpook National University Hospital, has become the hottest political issue after allegations surfaced that he used his position to help his daughter and son gain admission to the university's medical school and exempt his son from active duty military service. Chung rebutted the allegations in a press conference Sunday, saying he welcomes an investigation by the education ministry and will send his son to receive another medical exam at an institution designated by the National Assembly. He also offered to take all responsibility if the allegations turn out to be true. In the face of mounting calls from the Democratic Party and other critics for immediate withdrawal of the nomination, Yoon has said that "clear facts about irregularities" should first be confirmed if he is going to take action about the nomination. "I think it would be good if we could decide whether he is fit in the eyes of the people at the parliamentary confirmation hearing," Bae Hyun-jin, Yoon's spokesperson, said during a press briefing. "We cannot say that our personnel vetting system is perfect from the people's perspective. However, I will say that we are doing our best to carry out a vetting that is more detailed than that of any previous administration's transition team," she said. When asked if Yoon made any comment on Chung's press conference, Bae said he did not and that he is "calmly" monitoring the situation. Transition Committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo said what's most important is to sort out the truth. "I don't know the details," he said during a meeting with reporters. "In any case, wouldn't the most important thing be to clearly determine the truth so that the people have no suspicions?" (Yonhap) A Kilkenny farmer has scooped one of the top national awards in grassland farming. Peter Brophy, from Paulstown, has been named as the runner-up in the Dairy Enterprise Category at this year's awards. Paul was accompanied by his wife Jane and daughter Caroline for the presentation. They are pictured above with sponsors Eamon O'Reilly, AIB, Liam Woulfe, Grassland Agro, Martin Heydon T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Padraig Walsh, FBD Insurance & Chairman Teagasc Grass10 stakeholder committee, Aidan Brennan, Irish Farmers Journal, Liam Herlihy, Teagasc Chairman & Prof. Frank O'Mara, Teagasc Director. Now in its fifth year the awards recognise and reward the top grassland farmers in the country who are growing and utilising more grass on their farms in a sustainable manner. The awards are supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with an overall prize fund of 20,000. The Overall Winner of the Grassland Farmer of the Year 2021 is Colin Doherty, Adare, Co Limerick. The winners were announced at the Teagasc Animal and Grassland, Research and Innovation centre, Moorepark, County Cork Speaking at the awards ceremony, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Martin Heydon T.D. congratulated all of the 10 finalists on their achievements in grassland management. He said: As finalists you are joining a group of top class grassland farmers, and I would particularly like to congratulate Colin Doherty on winning the overall Grassland Farmer of the Year Award. Its an achievement you can be really proud of. It is clear that initiatives such as Grass10 and the Grassland Farmer of the Year are to the fore in helping farmers achieve the most they can from the natural resource they have on their farm, which is grass. The Grassland Farmer of the Year awards are part of the Teagasc Grass10 campaign which is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Teagasc, AIB, FBD Insurance, Grassland Agro and the Irish Farmers Journal. The 1st year of Phase II of the programme has been completed with a continued focus on improving nutrient management and efficiency on farm and clover incorporation. Runners-up Dairy Enterprise Runner-up - Peter Brophy, Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny Dairy Enterprise Runner-up - Daniel Rundle, Ardee, Co. Louth Dairy Enterprise Runner-up - Jim Conway, Cahir, Co. Tipperary Drystock Enterprise Runner-up - Shane Moore, Athleague, o. Roscommon Category winners: Young Farmer Category Philip Tyndall, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford Mixed Soils Category Sean ODonnell, Ballina, Co. Mayo Clover/Sustainable Farming Category Brendan Walsh, Cahir, Co. Tipperary Innovation in Grassland Brigid Carroll, Gorey, Co. Wexford Enterprise Category Winners: Drystock Category Aidan Maguire, Navan, Co. Meath Dairy Category Colin Doherty, Adare, Co. Limerick Overall Winner of the Grassland Farmer of the Year 2021 - Colin Doherty, Adare, Co. Limerick Speaking on behalf of the competition judges, Aidan Brennan Irish Farmers Journal said: One thing that we looked at this year was clover establishment and management. We also focussed on sustainability, particularly the environmental footprint, but also Health and Safety. There was a massive uptake of low emission slurry spreading and protected urea among the contestants. The fact that the average grass growth among the finalists was 13.4 tonnes of Dry Matter per hectare just shows that you can be very efficient while also being very sustainable. Padraig Walshe, dairy farmer and chair of the Teagasc Grass10 stakeholder committee said: Grass10 is a very important programme for the promotion of best practise in grassland management. Its about transferring the research and innovation out onto farms. These awards are a celebration of this. It is very important to recognise the excellence achieved and we look forward to holding farm walks later in the year, so the messages get out to more farmers. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Teagasc Chairman Liam Herlihy said: Congratulations and very well done to all the farmers who are finalists today. You are all exceptional farmers doing an excellent job and today is a day to acknowledge this. Your focus on grass growth, grass measurement, and the grass management skills is acknowledged through these awards. In relation to the Grass10 programme, the focus in Phase II, is to challenge four main areas. These areas are specifically; Moving Grassland Knowledge out to the industry; Continuing to increase the usage of PastureBase Ireland; Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency on grassland farms in 2022 and increasing the emphasis and adoption of White Clover in grassland swards. Professor Frank OMara, Teagasc Director said; Grass is the bedrock of our beef, dairy and sheep enterprises. It is what gives us our competitive advantage from an economic and environment perspective. The judging panel for the Grassland Farmer of the Year competition consisted of John Maher, Teagasc Grass10; Bryan Doocey, AIB; John OLoughlin, Grassland Agro; Aidan Brennan, Irish Farmers Journal; Bridget Lynch, Teagasc; Colin Heaney, FBD and Liz Hyland DAFM. To read more about each of the finalists and the winners visit https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/grass10/grassland-farmer-of-the-year-2021/ Prosecutors sought formal arrest warrants Monday for a woman and her boyfriend who stand accused of causing the 2019 drowning death of the woman's husband for a hefty insurance payout, officials said. Investigators suspect they committed the crime for 800 million won (US$650,000) in insurance money. Police also launched an investigation into suspicions of Lee's ex-lovers who died while snorkeling in Thailand in 2014 and in Incheon in 2010 due to a car accident at Seokbawi Rock. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Mostly sunny and windy. High around 95F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 71F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. By Kim Jae-heun Kering Chairman Francois Henry Pinault spoke highly of Lotte Department Store by saying he "has never seen any other global retailer with such experience (in the luxury business)" during his visit to Seoul last week, according to Lotte officials, Monday. Kering is a French-based multinational corporation specializing in luxury goods. The company owns well-known designer brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and Yves Saint Laurent. Pinault met with Lotte Department Store CEO Jung Joon-ho and shared his opinions on the local retailer's luxury business team. Pinault is said to have been amazed by the luxury team's expertise in the field during the meeting. "I have faith in the company's drive for change (in business) led by brand experts from the chief executive officer to branch managers. I want to form a good, long-term partnership with the new Lotte Department Store and cooperate with it," Pinault said. After CEO Jung joined Lotte Department Store on Dec. 1, 2021, he scouted former Chanel Korea and Givenchy Korea President Lee Hyo-wan to lead the retailer's luxury business. He also formed a team with experts who had built careers at Louis Vuitton, Shinsegae and Samsung Engineering & Construction (Samsung E&C) before coming to Lotte. Samsung E&C owns Samsung Group's fashion affiliate. After meeting with Pinault, Jung told all of his employees online that he had a great meeting with the Kering chairman and that he is optimistic about what lies ahead. Jung recently revealed his goal of targeting Shinsegae and take away the title of being the No. 1 department store in Gangnam, Seoul, in the next three years. Currently, Shinsegae Department Store is the top player in the tony district with annual sales of 2.4 trillion won ($19.4 billion). Lotte Department Store's Gangnam branch is far behind with just 251.2 billion won worth of sales in the same period. Lotte said it will invest 547.6 billion won to renew its major branches including those in Sogong-dong, Jamsil and Gangnam this year. Here's what you need to know: Monday, April 18 New seclusion and restraint policy to go to CPS board for approval By Kim Hyun-bin The Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) and the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), are scrambling to host U.S. President Joe Biden during his expected visit to Korea in May as the country's two leading business lobby groups compete for prominence under the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration, according to industry officials, Monday. "KCCI and the FKI are the two major lobby groups and one of them is most likely to become the representative economic group for the Yoon administration and all eyes are on who will be selected," said an industry official familiar with the matter. The FKI Chairman Huh Chang-soo recently sent Kim Bong-man, head of the International Cooperation Office, to the U.S. to meet with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, while discussing possible preparations for Biden's visit to Korea. FKI Chairman Huh Chang-soo "If President Biden comes, there may be a meeting between U.S.-Korea business officials. When Kim visited the U.S., we expressed our opinion about wanting to host the possible presidential visit." an FKI official said. "At that time, The FKI and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce discussed a wide array of issues including customs issues between the two countries and supply chain disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine crisis." In the past, the FKI used to play the representative role for large business groups, but its influence has diminished since being embroiled in a national corruption scandal in 2016, which put former President Park Geun-hye behind bars. Due to the incident, the four leading conglomerates Samsung, Hyundai, SK, and LG withdrew their memberships from the FKI. After President Moon Jae-in took office, the lobby group suffered the humiliating blow of being excluded from key business events hosted by Cheong Wa Dae. However, the FKI is actively seeking to recover its status as the leading business lobby group and hopes to work closely with the incoming Yoon administration. KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won A traveler walks through the George Bush Intercontinental Airport on December 03, 2021 in Houston. A federal judge in Florida struck down on Monday the CDC mask mandate for travelers . The biggest risk to the global economy no one is talking about Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo / Yonhap Malaysia expressed support Monday for Korea's bid to join a mega free trade deal in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Seoul's trade ministry. Malaysia's Senior Minister and International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali voiced support for Seoul's envisioned entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) during a virtual meeting with Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo. Last week, Korea announced its decision to join the pact and is working to submit an application this month. "The Malaysian minister welcomed Korea's planned application for the CPTPP membership and shared his country's ratification procedures for the agreement," the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a release. The CPTPP involves 11 nations, including Malaysia, Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico and Vietnam, and accounted for around 15 percent of the world's total trade volume of $5.2 trillion as of 2020. So far, seven out of the 11 member nations, including Malaysia, Canada, Australia and Vietnam, have voiced support for Seoul's push to win membership. The four nations who haven't done so are Japan, Singapore, Chile and Peru. During the meeting, the two sides also exchanged opinions on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which the U.S. has sought to launch in the Asian region amid an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry. Yeo told the Malaysian side that Korea "is positively reviewing" the participation in the framework, as the platform is expected to help strengthen the region's economic competitiveness and achieve sustainable growth, according to the ministry. He also voiced hope for enhanced cooperation with Malaysia in supply chains, clean energy and other issues within the framework and via various other cooperation mechanisms. (Yonhap) South Korea called in Iran's ambassador Monday after a conservative Tehran newspaper claimed Iran must block Seoul ships in Strait of Hormuz. Korea's deputy foreign minister, Yeo Seung-bae, summoned Iranian Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and conveyed concerns about a published contribution in the Kayhan newspaper that Iran should block Korean ships in the strait due to disputes over Tehran's assets frozen here under U.S. sanctions. During the meeting, the Iranian envoy said the newspaper's contribution was not in line with Tehran's official stance and briefed Yeo about Iran's stance over the matter, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps seized the MT Hankuk Chemi over environmental pollution allegations on Jan. 4 last year. The ship, which was traveling from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates, was carrying 20 crew members, including five Koreans. The ship was released about three months later, but speculation had persisted that the seizure could be linked to Iran's anger over its $7 billion frozen in Korea under U.S. sanctions. (Yonhap) A group of farmers and fishermen hold a rally protesting the government's move to apply for membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) at the Gwanghwamun Government Complex in Seoul, April 8. Korea Times file Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki attends a meeting at the Gwanghwamun Government Complex in Seoul, April 8. Korea Times file Membership application due this month, negotiations may take years By Lee Kyung-min Joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will be a tall task for the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration, as it will require effective leadership and communication skills to coordinate the diverse range of interests from those of export firms to those of agricultural workers according to market watchers, Monday. Whether and how well the business-friendly Yoon administration wins the support of farmers and fishermen in fear of the permanent loss of their livelihoods will define the success of its economic policy directives under the president-elect, whose top advisers are trade and business experts with strong convictions about market-driven growth. The outgoing Moon Jae-in administration has not broached the politically divisive issue over the past few years, mindful of voters in rural regions, where Korea becoming a member of the mega trade deal involving 11 member countries could mean the outright abandonment of traditional farming and fishing industries, already long sidelined to prioritize the country's rapid export-oriented growth of the last 60 years. The 11 member countries of the CPTPP are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The Moon administration was criticized by some for the swift ratification of the less invasive trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which includes 15 member countries the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Some viewed that the ratification was due to diplomatic pressure from China, while others saw it as an attempt to diversify Korea's export market so it can become be less dependent on China. By Choe Chong-dae Since the dawn of civilization, dogs have been the animals most tightly attached to humans, almost like family members, due to their unconditional affection, outstanding intelligence and unflagging loyalty. Dogs seem to understand the minds of their human masters perfectly and follow them regardless of their age, gender and other aspects. Moreover, the dog is traditionally considered an auspicious animal for driving away evil spirits. As in many countries, Korea has native breeds of dogs that are strongly associated with its history and traditional culture. Three of them, the Sapsaree, the Jindo and the Donggyeongi, have been designated Korean cultural heritage and were featured on commemorative stamps issued by the Korea Post last October. Together with the Pungsan, those breeds are considered worthy of preservation because of their distinctive characteristics. In Korea, the Sapsaree dog is viewed as a symbol of luck bringing good fortune to people. It appears in a wide range of cultural genres since it has been closely related to the joys and sorrows of common people. In particular, the dog is mentioned in several Korean traditional folk songs. In a popular traditional ballad written by Cho Myeong-am and composed by Kim Young- pa, which was sung by Lee Hwa-ja and recorded on SP records in 1939, the lyrics say: "Hey! Hey! Hey Sapsaree! If you hear a leaf making a sound, you bark. Hey! Hey! Hey Sapsaree! Please light a 'cheongsachorong' (a traditional Korean lantern with a red-and-blue silk shade), don't bark when my beloved comes." Buddhism was in full bloom in Korea in the early eighth century, during the Silla Kingdom. At that time, a group of eminent Korean monks and scholars journeyed to China to undertake higher studies, during the Tang Dynasty. Most of them returned to Korea and brought about remarkable progress in Buddhism. One of them, Kim Kyo-gak (696-794), a son of King Seongdeok, became a monk and decided to return to China at the age of 24, together with his beloved Sapsaree dog. Kim achieved personal milestones and great fame after his lengthy practice of asceticism at a hermitage on Mount Jiuhua in Chizhou, Anhui Province. One day, he was saved by his brave Sapsaree dog as a tiger was threatening him. The monk lived until the age of 99, teaching his disciples about the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, called Jijang Bosal in Korea. Many believed Kim Kyo-gak was a reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, who was compassionate toward sinners, and some referred to him as the Ksitigarbha King, since a bodhisattva is a deity according to the Buddhist tradition. The Buddhist teachings of Kim Gyo-gak and the story of his dog have been spread widely in China and Japan. After Kim Kyo-gak passed away, a shrine was built on Mount Jiuhua to preserve his body and commemorate his remarkable accomplishments in Buddhism. The shrine became the cradle of the Jijang faith and many people from all over the world make pilgrimages there to pay their respects to the Silla prince who became a monk, the life of whom is strongly associated with his devoted Sapsaree dog. Thanks to the special efforts of scholars and academic researchers, indigenous Korean dog breeds have been saved from extinction and gained recognition. I hope the Sapsaree, Donggyeongi, Jindo and Pungsan dogs can gain the full recognition they deserve as native Korean dog breeds. Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is the president of Dae-kwang International Co. and director of the Korean-Swedish Association. Ukrainian servicemen attend an Orthodox Palm Sunday service at Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, April 17, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP-Yonhap Ukrainian fighters who were holed up in a steel plant in the last known pocket of resistance inside the shattered city of Mariupol ignored a surrender-or-die ultimatum from Russia, Sunday, and held out against the capture of the strategically vital port. The fall of Mariupol, the site of a merciless seven-week-old siege that has reduced much of the city to a smoking ruin, would be Moscow's biggest victory of the war yet and free up troops to take part in a potentially climactic battle for control of Ukraine's industrial east. Capturing the southern city would also allow Russia to fully secure a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and deprive Ukraine of a major port and its prized industrial assets. As its missiles and rockets slammed into other parts of the country, Russia estimated that 2,500 Ukrainian troops and about 400 foreign mercenaries were dug in at the sprawling Azovstal steel mill, which covers more than 11 square kilometers (4 square miles) and is laced with tunnels. Many Mariupol civilians, including children, are also sheltering at the Azovstal plant, Mikhail Vershinin, head of the city's patrol police, told Mariupol television Sunday. He said they were hiding from Russian shelling, and from any occupying Russian soldiers. Moscow gave the defenders a midday deadline to surrender, saying those who laid down their arms were ''guaranteed to keep their lives.'' The Ukrainians rejected it, just as they've done with previous ultimatums. ''We will fight absolutely to the end, to the win, in this war,'' Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal vowed on ABC's ''This Week.'' He said Ukraine is prepared to end the war through diplomacy if possible, ''but we do not have intention to surrender.'' As for besieged Mariupol, there appeared to be little hope Sunday of military rescue by Ukrainian forces anytime soon. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CBS' ''Face the Nation'' that the remaining Ukrainian troops and civilians in Mariupol are basically encircled. He said they ''continue their struggle,'' but that the city effectively doesn't exist anymore because of massive destruction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent Easter greetings via Twitter, saying: ''The Lord's Resurrection is a testimony to the victory of life over death, good over evil.'' If Mariupol falls, Russian forces there are expected to join an all-out offensive in the coming days for control of the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin is bent on capturing after failing in its bid to take Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. A man walks past a residential building, which was destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 17. Reuters-Yonhap The relentless bombardment and street fighting in Mariupol have killed at least 21,000 people, by the Ukrainians' estimate. A maternity hospital was hit by a lethal Russian airstrike in the opening weeks of the war, and about 300 people were reported killed in the bombing of a theater where civilians were taking shelter. An estimated 100,000 remained in the city out of a prewar population of 450,000, trapped without food, water, heat or electricity in a siege that has made Mariupol the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war. ''All those who will continue resistance will be destroyed,'' Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman, said in announcing the latest ultimatum. Samsung Heavy Industries CEO Jung Jin-taek, right, and his counterpart from Seaborg, hold a copy of a signed memorandum of understanding, Thursday. Courtesy of Samsung Heavy Industries By Lee Kyung-min Samsung Heavy Industries and Doosan Enerbility, the plant building and energy affiliates of Samsung Group and Doosan Group, respectively, are accelerating their nuclear energy businesses, buoyed by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's pledge to elevate the much criticized energy source as a new national growth driver, according to industry watchers, Friday. The move toward rapid business expansion abroad is the latest in the incoming administration's energy policy directives, defined by the early and full scrapping of the nuclear phase-out policy spearheaded by President Moon Jae-in. President-elect Yoon said that Korea should embrace nuclear energy for a stable supply of power to lower production costs for businesses and to meet the short-term energy demands of households for heating and air-conditioning. Samsung Heavy signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Seaborg, a Danish next-generation nuclear reactor developer, Thursday, to develop floating nuclear power plant barges, a high-tech cooperation integrating the Samsung affiliate's shipbuilding capabilities and the Danish firm's Compact Molten Salt Reactor (CMSR) technology. The Seaborg-developed CMSR uses highly efficient fission energy to generate electricity without producing greenhouse gases. The reactor is far smaller in size compared to large nuclear power plants and is suited for broader use with fewer limitations. Safety concerns from radioactive waste being released into the sea due to meltdowns or explosions are dispelled, due mostly to how the fuel is mixed into a molten fluoride salt, which also acts as the coolant and can shut down the reactor in cases of an emergency. This is why the Danish firm says its products provide significant safety benefits. Samsung Heavy said that the fuel salt will cool down and turn into solid rock immediately after coming into contact with the atmosphere, containing all the radioactive material within itself. Also eliminating a wide range of accident scenarios is the fact that the reactors can be operated at near-atmospheric pressures. Similarly, Doosan Enerbility, formerly Doosan Heavy Industries, is seeking to win advance orders to build nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic. The Doosan officials attended a meeting organized by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), a state-run power company, Thursday, to discuss business strategies to win the project involving the construction of a nuclear reactor with a power capacity of 1,200 megawatts in 2029. The Czech government is considering building three more nuclear power plants. The project led by Doosan Enerbility is joined by KHNP, Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), two other KEPCO affiliates and Daewoo Engineering and Construction. The Doosan affiliate is speeding up cooperation with NuScale Power, a leading U.S. firm specializing in small modular reactor (SMR) technology. SMRs are the next generation of nuclear reactors that are smaller and produce less output. Seoul National University economics professor Lee In-ho said that a revival of the nuclear energy business is long overdue and added that it will help map out a long-term energy strategy. "Pushing for renewable energies while excluding nuclear energy use was not viable in the first place. It is time for a more balanced approach without demonizing or glorifying any particular energy source," he said. People queue to join an Easter meal organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio in solidarity with refugees, displaced persons and the homeless, at the social canteen in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome, April 17. EPA-Yonhap The head of the UN refugee agency hoped Sunday that peace would prevail over war, with more than 4.8 million Ukrainians having fled their country since the Russian invasion. "As Christians celebrate resurrection on this somber Easter Sunday, we must stubbornly hope that in the days, months and years to come the methods and language of war will not prevail over those more difficult, more complicated that lead to peace," said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi. UNHCR said 4,869,019 million Ukrainians had left the country since Russia invaded on Feb. 24 up 32,574 from Saturday's total. The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) says nearly 215,000 third-country nationals largely students and migrant workers have also escaped to neighboring countries, meaning more than five million people in all have fled Ukraine since the war began. It is one of the fastest-growing displacement and humanitarian crises ever. More than 2.75 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to Poland. Nearly 740,000 reached Romania. UNHCR figures show nearly 645,000 Ukrainians fled in February, with nearly 3.4 million doing so in March and more than 830,000 leaving so far this month. Women and children account for 90 percent of those who escaped, with men aged 18 to 60 eligible for military call-up and unable to leave. Nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have been forced from their homes, including those still inside the country. Beyond the refugees, the IOM estimates 7.1 million people have left their homes but are still in Ukraine. "In this season of renewal, our thoughts are with all those who have been forced to flee their homes and have had to rebuild the life they left behind," the UNHCR said. Before the invasion, Ukraine had a population of 37 million in the regions under government control, excluding Russia-annexed Crimea and the pro-Russian separatist-controlled regions in the east. Here is a breakdown of how many Ukrainian refugees have fled to neighboring countries, according to UNHCR: We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Jason Soderland, left, and Rebecca Dixon of architectural firm RQAW, Fishers, present samples of the brick that will be used in the construction of the new Steuben County judicial center on Monday before the Steuben County Board of Commissioners. The red brick will be the main field and the lighter brick is an accent that will create bands around the building. Seated at the desk from left are commissioners Lynne Liechty, Wil Howard and Ken Shelton. Firefighters from eight area departments responded to a Monday morning house fire at 2161 C.R. 28 between Waterloo and Corunna. The fire started in the kitchen area and was contained to that room, but the rest of the structure sustained smoke and heat damage. From March 31 to April 14, StarPlay held a poll to discover which K-pop idols have the most charming deep voices. Keep on reading to see the top ten rankings! The winner of the poll wins one Seoul Station CM board video advertisement and online news PR. 10. (G)I-DLE Yuqi Yuqi received 848 votes (0.06%), ranking in tenth place. The female idol is known for her husky, low-pitched voice. She once confessed that she used to be bullied for her voice but now considers it her greatest weapon! Her attractive voice is definitely recognizable in all (G)I-DLE songs. 9. Oh My Girl Yubin (Binnie) Yubin, also known as Binnie, received 2,776 votes (0.21%), ranking ninth. Yubin's voice is known for its natural timbre, which Oh My Girl fans love. Throughout the years, Yubin has proved herself as a vocalist, and while her official position is as a sub-vocal, she has acted more as a lead vocal in recent comebacks. 8. STAYC J Ranking in eighth place is J, who received 3,748 votes (0.29%). During STAYC's appearance on MMTG, J revealed that she modeled her unique voice type off Dua Lipa, a popular Western artists. She practiced and became comfortable with the voice, which is now part of STAYC's identity. 7. SEVENTEEN Wonwoo Wonwoo received 11,780 votes (0.90%), ranking in seventh place. Out of all of the rappers in SEVENTEEN, Wonwoo has the deepest voice, so it is easily distinguishable from the other members. His voice is also one of the most dynamic, which allows him to pull off SEVENTEEN's range of concepts. 6. EXO D.O. D.O. ranked in sixth place with 13,045 votes (1.00%). You may be surprised to see D.O. here because he can pull off falsettos. This just proves he is an agile vocalist! However, D.O. is most comfortable with his lower register, proving that the idol has a naturally deep voice. 5. MAMAMOO Moonbyul Ranking in fifth place is Moonbyul, with 19,597 votes (1.50%). While the other three members of MAMAMOO are sopranos, Moonbyul stands out with her husky alto range. Though she debuted as a rapper, she has started releasing more vocal-heavy solo songs, proving her versatility as an artist. 4. BTS V V ranked in third place with 49,208 votes (3.77%). As BTS continues to rise in fame, the more V is recognized for his baritone singing voice. In addition, the idol is often praised for his vocal range and husky tone, with many saying V's deep voice is a critical element in BTS's sound. 3. MONSTA X I.M I.M received 62,051 votes (4.78%), ranking in third place. I.M is known for his low-tone rapping, which helps set him apart from Joohoney, who is MONSTA X's high-tone rapper. Over the years, I.M has garnered a solid fanbase thanks to his smooth, silky, and sexy rapping! 2. ITZY Ryujin Ryunin ranked in second place with 412,279 votes (31.55%). Ryujin is known for her strong lower vocal range, which allows her to stand out from her members, who all have higher range voices. Her deep, masculine voice suits her girl crush image, and MIDZYs love it. 1. Stray Kids Felix Ranking in the first place is none other than Felix, who received 730,840 votes (55.93%). His voice is arguably the most recognizable among fourth-generation male idols due to how deep it is. The Stray Kids member is a bass baritone, which is considered rare in K-pop. His raspy vocals will definitely leave a mark in your mind! Who is your favorite K-pop idol? Tell us in the comments below. For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns This Written by Alexa Lewis Ukraine on Monday aired a video showing Viktor Medvedchuk, a detained pro-Russia tycoon and ally of President Vladimir Putin, seeking to be exchanged in return for an evacuation of civilians and troops from the besieged port city of Mariupol. Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraine's unexpectedly fierce resistance since Russian troops invaded the former Soviet state and pro-democratic country on February 24. "I want to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to exchange me for Ukrainian defenders and residents of Mariupol," he said in the video published by Kyiv's security services, wearing black clothes and looking directly into the camera. Medvedchuk, who escaped from house arrest after Russia's invasion and was detained last week, said the troops and residents there "do not have the possibility of a safe exit through humanitarian corridors". Medvedchuk is one of Ukraine's richest people and is known for his close ties to Putin. He is also a politician. He says Putin is the godfather to his youngest daughter, Darya. The Kremlin had earlier rejected the idea of exchanging him for Ukrainians detained by Russia, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky floated the idea of a swap. Separately on Monday Russian state TV broadcast a video Monday of what it described as "Britons" captured fighting for Ukraine demanding that Prime Minister Boris Johnson negotiate their release. The two men shown in the video asked to be exchanged for Medvedchuk, who had been accused of treason and attempting to steal natural resources from Russia-annexed Crimea and of handing Ukrainian military secrets to Moscow. (AFP) Turkey has launched a new ground and air cross-border offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, Turkey's defense minister announced early Monday. Turkish jets and artillery struck suspected targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and commando troops supported by helicopters and drones then crossed into the region by land or were airlifted by helicopters, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a video posted on the ministry's website. Akar said the jets successfully struck shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and headquarters belonging to the PKK. The group maintains bases in northern Iraq and has used the territory for attacks on Turkey. Turkey has conducted numerous cross-border aerial and ground operations against the PKK over the past decades. The latest offensive, named Operation Claw Lock, was centered in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan regions. There was no information on the number of troops and jets involved in the latest incursion. ''Our heroic commandoes and maroon berets supported by attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, armed unmanned aerial vehicles arrived on the scene by land and by air and captured the determined targets,'' Akar said in a second video. ''Many terrorists were neutralized.'' ''At this point we have reached, all planned targets have been captured,'' he said. The Defense Ministry said the new offensive was launched after it was determined that the militants were regrouping and preparing for a ''large-scale attack.'' The offensive was carried out in coordination with Turkey's ''friends and allies,'' the ministry added, but didn't elaborate. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, which controls the areas that were attacked. The Turkish minister said the incursion was targeting ''terrorists'' and that ''maximum sensitivity'' was being shown to avoid damage to civilians and cultural and religious structures. There was no immediate statement from the Kurdish militant group. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union, began an insurgency in Turkey's majority Kurdish southeast region in 1984. (AP) Sonipat (Haryana) [India], April 18 (ANI/ OP Jindal University): The OP Jindal Global University (JGU) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Spain in the presence of His Excellency Jose Maria Ridao Dominguez, Ambassador, Embassy of Spain in India, and Alfonso Perez-Hernandez Egart, First Secretary, Embassy of Spain. The agreement under the auspices of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Spanish Ministry of External Affairs (MAEC) will especially benefit the Jindal School of Languages and Literature (JSLL), which shall host a native Spanish language lecturer to teach Spanish language, culture and literature. This long-term academic engagement of a native Spanish speaker (lector or lectora) with specialised training in teaching Spanish as a foreign language (ELE) shall benefit students of JSLL as they gain a richer and more complete experience of Hispanidad (Hispanicity). JGU has the distinction of being the only private university in India and one of a select group of 12 universities in India and Sri Lanka partnering with the government of Spain for Spanish language teaching. Also Read | Jahangirpuri Violence Case: Delhi Police Crime Branch To Investigate Case of Communal Clashes. Students are currently being admitted to the B.A. (Hons.) Spanish programme for 2022-2025. These students will work with the Spanish lector/lectora and other JSLL faculty on language skills such as pronunciation and improve their communicative and socio-pragmatic competencies. The Founding Vice Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University, Professor (Dr) C Raj Kumar welcomed the development and said, "The MOU demonstrates the commitment of JGU and JSLL to advancing the study of Hispanic literatures and cultures in India. JSLL is proud to join the burgeoning field of Hispanic studies in India. The number of Spanish speakers in the world today exceeds 500 million. Students in JSLL will be able to make the most of the wide-ranging teaching expertise of Indian and foreign faculty members possessing the highest level of language training and proficiency." Also Read | Delhi University Recruitment 2022: Apply for 92 Assistant Professor Vacancies, Check Details Here. Professor (Dr) Denys Leighton, Dean, Jindal School of Languages and Literature, JGU remarked on the academic significance of the programme: "We are thankful to the Spanish government and are excited about having a native speaker of Spanish trained in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. JGU is currently the only Indian private higher education institution to be part of this programme of Spain's Agency for International Development Cooperation and one of about ten participating institutions in India and Sri Lanka. Students of the B.A. (Hons.) Spanish programme will receive excellent instruction by Indian and international Hispanists at JGU and will benefit from a rich learning environment. We will also work to ensure that students of the programme have a meaningful Study Abroad experience in a Spanish-speaking country as part of their course of study at JGU. This will be an added value for our students." Professor (Dr) Mohan Kumar, Dean of International Affairs and Global Initiatives, JGU commented, "It is a matter of great pride for JGU to have this formal arrangement with the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi under the MAEC-AECID Spanish Assistantships at Foreign Universities programme. I am sure learning Spanish from a native Spanish Language Specialist will expand the learning horizons of our students and help them in their careers and further education pursuits." Over the course of the three-year programme, JSLL students shall acquire a solid grasp of Spanish grammar and linguistic nuances that will enable them to communicate effectively in Spanish and explore the treasure trove of literary texts and cultural products of Spanish. Along with the development of linguistic competency, the programme fosters meaningful engagement with literature, cinema, music and other arts of Spain, Latin America and the wider Hispanosphere. The B.A. (Hons.) Spanish programme curriculum is designed with a high degree of electivity so that the students may tackle courses in language, literature, communications, and cultural studies offered through many schools of the university. Students will complete several internships to gain exposure to organisations and enterprises engaging with Spanish-speaking clients, and they will apply skills learned from their courses and other academic activities. This MOU is in addition to 22 other agreements and instruments of cooperation signed by JGU with prestigious higher education institutions in Spanish-speaking countries - including University of Granada, University of Salamanca, University of Chile and the National University of Colombia. JGU learners of Spanish will have unique opportunities to experience Hispanidad through linguistic and cultural immersion. Academic credits earned by JGU students from the foreign universities will transfer to JGU for completion of the students' degrees. The B.A. (Hons.) Spanish programme of JSLL is the only such undergraduate degree programme in India to incorporate study abroad as an integral part of the undergraduate learning experience. Special workshops at the JGU campus and extracurricular activities will ensure thorough linguistic training so that students attain the B2 proficiency level under the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Students of the B.A. (Hons.) Spanish programme will enter a vibrant community of learners and scholars dedicated to exploring the Hispanosphere. This story is provided by OP Jindal University. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/OP Jindal University) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], April 18 (ANI): Four police personnel were injured after Naxals opened fire on a police camp in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, an official said on Monday. According to IG Bastar (Chhattisgarh) P Sundarraj, the incident took place late Sunday evening at Jaigur Camp under the Kutru police limit in the Bijapur district. Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Writes to PM Narendra Modi, Urges for Meaningful Ties With India. All injured personnel were brought to the district hospital, out of which two were airlifted to Raipur for better treatment, Sundarraj said. Three out of four injured are from District Police force Bijapur and one from 4th Batallion Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) Also Read | Sensex Sharply Declines by 970 Points in Early Trade Due to Rising Inflation. Further details are awaited. (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, Apr 18 (PTI) India logged 2,183 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,30,44,280, while the active cases declined to 11,542, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll climbed to 5,21,965 with 214 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. Also Read | India Reports 2,183 Fresh #COVID19 Cases, 1,985 Recoveries and 214 Deaths in the Last 24 Latest Tweet by ANI. The active cases comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate remained at 98.76 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 16 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. Also Read | China Reports 2,723 New Local COVID-19 Cases. The daily positivity rate was recorded as 0.83 per cent and the weekly positivity rate as 0.32 per cent, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,25,10,773, while the case fatality rate was recorded as 1.21 per cent. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 186.54 crore. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. (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, Apr 18 (PTI) CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat and the party's Delhi state committee secretary K M Tewari have alleged that the Ram Navami procession taken out in Delhi's Jahangirpuri was armed, with several men carrying "swords, lathis and firearms", days after communal violence broke out in the area. In a letter to the Delhi police commissioner, the duo have also raised questions over the role of the force in the incident. Also Read | Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visits Command & Control Centre for School in Latest Tweet by ANI. "Video evidence aired on several television channels, along with eyewitness reports to our fact-finding team, is conclusive evidence that the procession taken out by members of the youth wing of the Bajrang Dal was armed, with several men carrying naked swords, lathis and also, shockingly, firearms. "These weapons were openly flaunted and brandished during the procession. The police have stated that the procession had police permission. Did the police give permission to carry arms? In fact, the processionists who carried arms had clearly violated the Arms Act, which has stringent provisions of imprisonment for such violations," the letter read. Also Read | Delhi High Court Junks PIL To Remove Election Symbol From Ballot Papers. It also said from the police commissioner's statements to the media, it is unclear whether those carrying arms during the procession were identified or not. "If so, whether they have been arrested under the relevant provisions of law, including the Arms Act. It is also unclear from your statement whether there is any investigation into the role of the police. "Who is accountable for allowing an armed procession to stop in front of a mosque, shouting provocative and aggressive slogans at the exact time when the prayers to break the Roza fast were scheduled to begin? Such deliberate acts of omission and commission by the police have directly resulted in the ensuing incidents," the letter written by the Left leaders read. While both the leaders raised the issue of injuries suffered by police personnel during the violence, they also asked if senior officers had followed due diligence in the matter. "...if adequate police arrangements had been made, if action had been taken against weapon-carrying processionists, if the procession had not been allowed to stop in front of the mosque -- the incidents would not have taken place. It should be noted that there have never been incidents of a communal nature in this area earlier. Two communities have lived together in harmony. This is further evidence that the events were manufactured by outsiders in the procession in the name of shobha yatra," the letter read. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders also said they have information that male police personnel raided houses in C block at night and "manhandled and beat up women". "This is against all norms and rules laid down, which forbid male police personnel to touch a woman. Further, on the 17th (April), when our members along with others had met Additional DCP Kishen Kumar at the Jahangirpuri police station, they were shocked to find that leaders of the BJP were holding a press conference within the compound of the thana. This is highly irregular and strengthens the apprehension of an entirely partisan and biased police role in the present case," the letter read. The leaders appealed to the commissioner to take action against the police personnel who allowed weapons to be carried during the procession, who were responsible for the lack of adequate arrangements, who allowed the procession to stop in front of a mosque and those conducting a "one-sided, biased" investigation. "You have stated that people from both communities have been arrested. We stand for the arrest and punishment of all those guilty. However, the overwhelming majority of arrests is from the minority community, whereas the course of events shows that the main provocations and planning for the incidents were done by the organisation which held the procession -- an affiliate of the Bajrang Dal as stated by the police. "The Crime Branch, to whom the investigation has been handed over, is under the overall jurisdiction of the very police force which in the case of the Jahangirpuri incident is responsible. It is for this reason that the CPI(M) has demanded a time-bound judicial inquiry or an impartial investigation. In the meanwhile, we request you to take action against the police responsible," the letter read. (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], April 18 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced every village and town in the country is becoming open defecation free under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan of the Centre and said that it is a proof that public participation can fill new energy in the development of the country. "How public participation can fill new energy in the development of a country, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a direct proof of this. Be it the construction of toilets or disposal of waste, preservation of historical heritage or competition for cleanliness, the country is writing new stories in the field of cleanliness today," PM Modi tweeted in Hindi. Also Read | National Green Tribunal Seeks Report on Illegal Tree Felling in Sarai Kawaja Village in Faridabad. The Prime Minister also informed that under the programme, toilets were built in more than 11.5 crore houses nationwide. Adding further PM Modi said that be it the construction of toilets or disposal of waste, preservation of heritage or competition for cleanliness, the country is writing new stories in the field of cleanliness today. Also Read | Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Attacks Centre Over Appointment of UPSC Chairman Who Have Close Ties With RSS. The programme has made more than 58,000 villages and 3,300 towns open defecation free. PM Modi announced the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15, 2014. He launched the second phase of the programme on October 2, 2021. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) On April 13, 2022, Vietnam International Commercial Joint Stock Bank announces the change of address of Hung Phu branch with details as follows: - Old address: Ground floor, Finance Bank Building, Quang Trung Street, Hung Phu Ward, Cai Rang District, Can Tho City. - New address: No.01-02 Area A2, Can Tho Trade Center, Hung Phu Ward, Cai Rang District, Can Tho City. New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Asserting that new stories are being written in the field of cleanliness, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan shows how public participation can fill new energy in the development of a country. Taking to Twitter, the prime minister shared a graphic detailing the achievements under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan such as construction of toilets in over 11.5 crore households and more than 58,000 villages as well as over 3,300 cities becoming open defecation free. Also Read | Navi Mumbai Shocker: FIR Against Man for Threatening Woman Friend Over Disclosing Their Relationship. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan directly demonstrates how public participation can fill new energy in the development of a country, Modi said in a tweet in Hindi. "Be it construction of toilets or disposal of waste, preservation of historical heritage or competition for cleanliness, the country is writing new stories in the field of cleanliness today," he said. Also Read | Shanghai Reports 2,417 Confirmed and 19,831 Asymptomatic COVID-19 Cases. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], April 18 (ANI): Following the violence that erupted in the Bhagwanpur area of Haridwar during a religious procession on Saturday, a police official said that 11 people have been arrested so far while also asserting that the situation is now peaceful. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Yogendra Singh, told ANI that sufficient force has been deployed in the village. Also Read | Pakistan: CPEC To Advance Under PM Shehbaz Sharifs Watch, Says Pak Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed. "Eleven people have been arrested. Sufficient force is present in the village. Meetings are being held with the people. The situation is peaceful," he said. Meanwhile, the procession in the village was being conducted on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti when the incident reportedly occurred in the late-night hours leaving numerous people injured. Also Read | African Swine Fever in India: 16 More Pigs Die in Mizoram, Toll Rises to 770 in State. "Stones were pelted by unknown persons and the search operations have begun to arrest the miscreants. Yes, injuries have been reported but no police personnel was injured in the incident. Over 60 police personnel have been deployed in the area," said the SSP on Sunday. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 18 (ANI): A day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray reiterated his warning to take down loudspeakers from the mosques by May 3, the state Home Department on Monday stated that the use of loudspeakers at the religious sites will only be allowed with due permission. State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil will hold a meeting with the Director General of Police Maharashtra to instruct him to direct all police commissioners and officers on the matter, said the sources. Also Read | Navi Mumbai Shocker: FIR Against Man for Threatening Woman Friend Over Disclosing Their Relationship. In wake of the ongoing loudspeaker row in the state, Thackeray on Sunday said that the Muslims in the country should understand that "religion is not above law and country" while also asking them to take down loudspeakers from mosques. "We don't want riots in Maharashtra. No one has opposed the offering of prayers. We want the loudspeakers that are put up in the mosques and are illegal in the entire country should be taken down. If you do it on loudspeaker, then we will also use loudspeakers for it. Muslims should understand that religion isn't bigger than the law. After May 3, I will see what to do," Thackeray said. Also Read | Shanghai Reports 2,417 Confirmed and 19,831 Asymptomatic COVID-19 Cases. The MNS chief asked the Hindus to "wait till May 3" and play Hanuman Chalisa thereafter in front of the mosques that "don't take down the loudspeakers". "I only have to say to the Hindus across India to wait till May 3. And after that, play Hanuman Chalisa in front of all such mosques that don't take down the loudspeakers," 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) New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court Monday stayed the takeover of the land of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur initiated by the Uttar Pradesh Government for nonadherence to certain conditions on which the land for the institution was granted to a trust run by Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in 2005. A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravikumar issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and others on the appeal filed against the Allahabad High Court order. Also Read | Semicon India 2022: PM Narendra Modi to Inaugurate 3 Day Conference in Bengaluru on April 29. The High Court had in September last year dismissed the petition filed by Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust seeking quashing of a report submitted by Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in March 2020 on the constructions over the land as well as the order dated January 16, 2021, by Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Rampur for vesting of the land in the state. Both Azam Khan and his son Abdullah are currently lodged at Sitapur district jail and are facing several cases. Also Read | Jahangirpuri Violence Case: Delhi High Court Asks Police To Produce Juvenile Accused Before Juvenile Justice Board. Citing the SDM's report, the high court had said a mosque was constructed over the land which was only for educational purposes, and thus, is a violation of the permission granted by the state government. The high court had said that no interference was required in the order passed by the ADM to initiate proceedings under Section 104/105 of the UP Revenue Code, 2006 for vesting of University's land in UP Govt i.e. taking over the land given to the Trust. In 2005, the then Samajwadi Party government enacted the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University Act, paving the way for the creation of the university. Thereafter, the state government granted permission to the Trust to acquire 400 acres of land against the ceiling of 12.5 acres (5.0586 hectares) for the establishment of the University while imposing certain conditions, one of which was that the land will be used only for educational purposes. According to law, if such a condition is violated, the permission granted by the state government stands withdrawn. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Agartala, Apr 18: A middle-aged woman suspected of having an extramarital relationship has been allegedly beaten up and forced to marry her "lover" in Tripura's Khowai district, police said on Monday. The alleged incident took place at Madhya Krishnapur in Teliamura police station area on Saturday night, following which the woman has been hospitalised, an officer said. "We will send a team to meet the victim to know the actual incident. The police has not received any written complaint yet, but there will be an inquiry into the alleged incident," Teliamura Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sonacharan Jamatia told PTI. The woman told reporters that on Saturday night, 15 people led by her husband took her to a paddy field on suspicion of her having an extra-marital affair and thrashed her mercilessly following which she lost consciousness. Ahmedabad: Woman Makes Sister Marry Lover To Hide Extramarital Affair Her alleged lover was also roughed up. A purported video that went viral on social media showed the woman, after regaining consciousness, being forced by villagers to exchange garlands with her alleged lover amid ululation. It also showed some youths compelling the man to apply vermillion on the woman's forehead. Karnataka Shocker: Daughter Kills Her Mother To Cover Up Affair With Cousin Brother The woman's husband confessed before the media that he and his family members beat her up for her alleged relationship with a man of the same village. "After the incident, I took her to Teliamura hospital for treatment, and I spent the whole night there. The police visited my residence," he said without sounding repentant. Tripura Commission for Women (TCW) Chairperson Barnali Goswami condemned the alleged incident. "In a civilised society, we can't tolerate such gruesome torture on a woman. Forceful marriage between a married woman and a man is not a natural practice. We will send a team to meet the victim to know the actual sequence of events," she said. London [UK], April 18 (ANI): A large number of Afghans living in the United Kingdom protested outside the Pakistan embassy in London against recent airstrikes in parts of Khost and Kunar provinces in Afghanistan. On the night of April 15, Pakistani aircraft launched airstrikes into Afghan territory killing more than 40 civilians. Also Read | US Shooting: 2 Dead, 8 Injured After Shooting at House Party in Pittsburgh. Following the incident, the Taliban summoned Pakistan's ambassador Manssor Ahmad Khan to convey concerns to the Pakistan government over the incident. A protester said, "Pakistan army has killed more than 100 Afghan civilians - they were children, they were women, they were elderly people - they were not terrorists." Also Read | Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Says 'Russian Troops Inflicting Deliberate Terror'. The protesters called Pakistan a terrorist state and shouted slogans like "We want justice from the United Nations" and urged the international community to hold Islamabad responsible for genocide in Afghanistan. The demonstration organized by All Afghan Protection CIC also raised the issue of the inhumane treatment of Afghan refugees by Iran. The protesters gathered at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Knightsbridge, before marching to demonstrate outside the High Commission for Pakistan, where they demanded an end to Pakistan's interference and killing of Afghan civilians. Similar demonstrations were also held in Paris, France. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington [US], April 18 (ANI): A Chinese airline has resumed commercial flights on Boeing 737-800 jets, the same model that crashed last month killing all 132 passengers and crew members on board, The Hill reported on Sunday (local time). In a statement on Sunday, China Eastern Airlines (CEA) said that it has conducted numerous systematic tests to resume commercial flights on the Boeing model. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Estonia Bans Russian Ships from Entering Countrys Ports. Last month, a China Eastern Airlines plane with 132 people on board crashed in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Flight MU5735, with 132 people aboard, was enroute from the southwestern city of Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21 when it plunged from cruising altitude and crashed. Also Read | Shehbaz Sharif Govt to Retract from Decision on Fuel Hike in Pakistan. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had announced that a team of US investigators had departed for China to probe the causes of an airliner crash that killed all 132 people on a Boeing 737-800 operated by China Eastern Airlines on March 21, "NTSB team has departed for China to participate in CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China's) B-737 accident investigation," Sputnik reported citing NTSB's statement. The US investigators will limit interactions with those outside of investigation similar to the safety protocols at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games earlier this year, the NTSB 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) Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], April 18 (ANI): Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, accompanied by a high-level delegation and his spouse Kobita Jugnauth, arrived in Rajkot of Gujarat on Monday as part of his eight-day visit to India. The Mauritius Premier is arriving in India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Also Read | Indian Parliamentary Delegation Led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to Visit Vietnam, Cambodia from April 19 to 25. "Glad to receive Honourable PM of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth at Rajkot. Extended heartiest welcome for his visit to Gujarat where he will be taking part in important programmes that will further strengthen ties between maritime neighbours," Minister of AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal, said in a tweet. Tomorrow, Jugnauth will participate in the groundbreaking ceremony of the WHO-Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar. Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Says His Speedy Work Will Frighten Imran Khan. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Jugnauth will also participate in the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit in Gandhinagar on Wednesday, along with PM Modi. The Mauritius PM will also pay a visit to Varanasi apart from his official engagements in Gujarat and New Delhi. "India and Mauritius enjoy uniquely close ties, bound by shared history, culture, and heritage. The upcoming visit will further strengthen the vibrant bilateral ties," MEA said. Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Secretary to the Cabinet of Mauritius NK Ballah in New Delhi and said the bilateral cooperation between the two countries was "progressing from strength to strength". Earlier in January, PM Modi and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth had jointly inaugurated the India-assisted social housing units project in Mauritius virtually. They also launched the Civil Service College and 8 MW Solar PV Farm project in Mauritius that is being undertaken under India's development support. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Peshawar, Apr 18 (PTI) Unknown gunmen shot dead two excise and narcotics department officials in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, police said. Officials said militants shot at the officials on the Daraban Kalan Bypass Road in DI Khan district. Also Read | Indian Parliamentary Delegation Led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to Visit Vietnam, Cambodia from April 19 to 25. The bodies were shifted to DI Khan Hospital. Police and rescue teams rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. A search operation has begun to nab the culprits. Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Says His Speedy Work Will Frighten Imran Khan. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz and Paul Dano-starrer The Batman was released in theatres last month on March 4, 2022 and had its digital release on April 18, 2022. Streaming on HBO Max where its available and on Book My Show Stream in India, the Matt Reeves helmed DC film released to rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. The Batman sees the Caped Crusader go on a journey to stop the Riddler who has been murdering corrupt politicians in Gotham City. However, unfortunately, within a few hours after its release digitally on OTT platforms The Batman leaked online. The movie is now available for streaming on torrent sites. Theres an HD print of the film available to watch online. The Batman Movie Review: Matt Reeves & Robert Pattinson Deliver the Definitive Version of DCs Dark Knight! (LatestLY Exclusive). Search engine platforms are flooded with keywords such as The Batman movie download, The Batman movie download in 720p HD, The Batman movie in 1080 HD download, and so on. The film is available for download on Torrent websites and other channels. Keywords like The Batman Full Movie Download, The Batman Tamilrockers, The Batman Tamilrockers HD Download, The Batman Movie Download Pagalworld, The Batman Movie Download Filmyzilla, The Batman Movie Download Openload, The Batman Movie Download Tamilrockers, The Batman Movie Download Movierulz, The Batman Movie Download 720p, The Batman Full Movie Download 480p, The Batman Full Movie Download bolly4u,The Batman Full Movie Download Filmyzilla, The Batman Full Movie Watch Online, and more are being used by people to watch the pirated version of the film. Watch The Trailer: However, this is not the first time, a movie has been leaked or surfaced online for free watch. As almost all film becomes the victim to this mess, it's very sad. In the past, many strict actions and restrictions were taken against these sites, but even after getting blocked, the sites rebound elevating piracy and illegal download options. The cyber cell needs to take serious action regarding this. This really needs to be stopped with hard steps. The Batman: New Look at Barry Keoghan's Joker Revealed in a Deleted Scene From Robert Pattinson's DC Film! (Watch Video). For the unversed, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne aka Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Selena Kyle aka Catwoman and Paul Dano as Edward Nashton aka The Riddler. Apart from the leads, they movie also stars Andy Serkis, John Turturo, Jeffrey Wright and Colin Farrell. The Batman is currently playing in theatres and streaming on HBO Max and Book My Show streaming. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2022 03:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Aizawl, April 18: At least 16 more pigs died of African Swine Fever in Mizoram with the toll due to the disease rising to 770 in the state in a little over two months, an official said. At least 124 pigs have been culled to prevent the spread of the infection since February this year, he said. Besides, 205 pigs have died due to suspected African Swine Fever. At least 17 villages in Aizawl, Champhai, Lunglei and Saitual districts have been affected due to the outbreak, animal husbandry and veterinary department joint director Dr Lalhmingthanga said. The state government is making efforts to prevent the spread of the pig disease as per the 'National Action Plan for Control, Containment and Eradication of African Swine Fever, he said. Mizoram has already banned the import of pigs and pork products from other states after ASF cases broke out this year. Altogether 33,417 pigs had died due to the outbreak of ASF last year, causing monetary losses to the tune of Rs 60.82 crore. The infectious disease was reported for the first time in the state in March last year. New Delhi, April 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over loss of lives in a road accident at Gauriganj in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi. Taking to twitter he said: "The road accident in Gauriganj is very shocking. I express my deep condolences to families who lost their kin in this accident." He also prayed for speedy recovery of those injured. As many as six people were killed and four were injured when a jeep and truck collided near Babuganj Sagra in the Gauriganj Kotwali area of Uttar Pradesh's Amethi on Sunday night. Lakhimpur Kheri Violence Case: SC Cancels Ashish Mishra's Bail, Directs Him To Surrender Within a Week. According to Amethi police officials, the people were returning from a wedding when the incident took place. The injured were taken to the local hospital for treatment and further investigation into the incident is underway. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2022 05:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). A girl suffered burn injuries after two unidentified men attacked her with acid in Bihar's Rohtas district on Monday. The victim, Shilpi Kumari is a resident of Dhangai village under Vikramganj subdivision. The incident took place when the girl was going with her brother to visit a relative in Bikramganj. When they reached S College turning, two bikers wearing helmets overtook them and the pillion rider threw a bottle of acid on the girl's face. Shilpi was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. A doctor at the hospital said that she suffered burn injuries on half the face. The acid damaged the skin badly and the treatment is currently underway. Amritsar: Woman Lawyer Escapes Unharmed in Acid Attack; Search On To Nab Accused. "We have registered an FIR against two unidentified persons based on the statements of the victim and her brother. They have given the registration number of the bike. Efforts are on to identify them," said KM Sharma, an investigating officer of the case. Bhopal, April 18: Over 150 people have been booked for allegedly attempting to disrupt peace in Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch district. The development came two days after members of the Muslim community in Neemuch protested against the BJP-led state government accusing it of biased action in Khargone and Barwani districts following communal violence. As per the official information, on Friday (April 15) after offering Namaz, a large group of people staged a protest against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led state government. They raised slogans against the chief minister the state Home Minister Narottam Mishra. Meanwhile, they also allegedly called Mishra a 'terrorist' during the protest. The district police registered a case against the protesters and booked them for disrupting peace in the town (Neemuch). Out of total, 11 have been booked by name whereas, others are unidentified, as per the police. Jahangirpuri Violence Case: Delhi Police Crime Branch To Investigate Case of Communal Clashes. "Protesters have been booked under section 188 (disobedience to order dully promulgated by public servant) for violating prohibitive orders under section 144 of the CrPC," said Neemuch district police. The police said action has been taken to get the bond filled by the protesters to ensure that such incidents would not be repeated in the district. "We are monitoring the situation day and night to ensure peace in the town," police official added. Jahangirpuri Violence: Even Women Were Carrying Stones, Says Injured Delhi Police Sub-Inspector Arun. The protest was against the state government's demolition drive wherein several houses have been bulldozed following communal clashes that broke out in Khargone and Barwani districts on April 10. Since then, the state police have imposed curfew in riot-hit areas and also 144 imposed in other parts of the state. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2022 12:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Mumbai, April 18: A special court here on Monday extended the judicial custody of Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik till April 22 even as the NCP leader complained of ill health. Malik was produced before Special Judge R N Rokade, designated to hear cases related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir: Quake of Magnitude 3.4 Hits Kishtwar. The NCP leader stepped into the witness box and told the court that he has been unwell due to kidney ailments and that he has a swelling in his legs. Malik further said that whenever he complained of pain in his legs, the jail authorities only gave him painkillers. "I want a permanent solution to my medical problems," Malik said. Malik's lawyer Kushal Mor told the court that the minister's plea filed before the Supreme Court challenging his illegal arrest and seeking immediate release is likely to be heard on April 22. Special Judge Rokade then extended Malik's judicial custody till April 22. Malik was arrested on February 23 by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. The NCP leader was in ED's custody till March 7 before he was sent to judicial custody till March 21, which was later extended till April 4. On April 4, his custody was extended again till April 18. New Delhi, April 18: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday sought to draw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attention to the condition of some schools in Gujarat, saying during a visit, he found that toilets were broken and students did not have any desks. The senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also shared on Twitter pictures from his visit to these schools that showed children sitting on the floor of classrooms. Sisodia had visited two state-run schools in Bhavnagar, the Assembly constituency and hometown of Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani, last week. The deputy chief minister's tweet came in response to one by Modi in which he stated that he will be visiting the Vidya Samiksha Kendra in Gujarat on Monday. "Upon reaching Gujarat tomorrow, I will visit the Vidya Samiksha Kendra. This modern centre leverages data and technology in order to improve learning outcomes. I will also interact with those who are working in the education sector," Modi had said in a series of tweets on Sunday, sharing details of his three-day visit to Gujarat. Gujarat: Grand Welcome Awaits Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth at Rajkot Airport. Replying to Modi's tweet, Sisodia said, "Prime Minister! You may not see from the modern centre of Vidya Samiksha Kendra the picture of these schools, where there is no desk to sit, there are cobwebs like those in closed junkyards, toilets are broken... I have personally seen such schools in the constituency of the education minister of Gujarat." After his visit to the Bhavnagar schools, Sisodia had claimed they were in a bad shape and guest teachers were managing them on a salary that is renewed every month. Seeking to highlight the Delhi model of education during his visit ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls, he had said the ruling BJP had done little to improve the condition of government-run schools despite being at the helm for the last 27 years. Two days after returning from Gujarat, Sisodia wrote to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and Vaghani asking them to keep political differences aside and visit Delhi's government schools to witness the AAP's model of governance. After its stupendous victory in the Punjab polls, the AAP is gearing up to contest all 182 seats in the Gujarat Assembly elections by presenting itself as a viable alternative to both BJP and Congress. To woo the voters, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is showcasing changes it has brought in the education sector in Delhi and promising to replicate them in Gujarat, the home state of Modi and a BJP bastion, where elections are due in December this year. The Achalpur violence broke out on the heels of the Jahangirpuri communal clash in Delhi on Saturday. Currently, a curfew has been imposed under Section 144 and a large police contingent has been deployed. However, tensions are still brewing in Achalpur -- the second most populous in Amravati district after Amravati, after the incident. Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy on Sunday suggested that the actions taken by President Joe Biden's administration towards Ukraine led to the Russian invasion. Speaking to "Fox News Sunday," McCarthy pointed out what Ukraine needs amid its war with Russia, claiming that the conflict will get stronger and that all they need are weapons to defend themselves, per New York Post. "If we would have taken those actions earlier instead of waiting until after Russia invaded, they probably never would have invaded, had we done that sooner," McCarthy underscored. McCarthy also suggested that if Biden and his administration moved the weapons to Ukraine earlier, Zelenskyy's country would have defended itself and they might have been able to save thousands of lives. The Republican House leader further noted that he does not believe the sanctions imposed by President Joe Biden and the allies of the U.S. allies were not feared by President Vladimir Putin. McCarthy then slammed Biden for refusing to safeguard the airspace of Ukraine airspace with a NATO no-fly zone, as well as turning down an offer from Poland to ship Soviet-era MiG-29 jets to the U.S. airbase in Germany so that they can transport them to Ukraine, according to the Post. The Biden administration defended itself from rejecting such a move, contending that it could lead to an escalation of the war between Russia and Ukraine. READ NEXT: Ukraine-Russia War: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Reiterates His Country's Need for Weapons; U.S. Responds to Plea Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wants Pres. Joe Biden to Visit Ukraine McCarthy's comments came on the same day the pressure for President Joe Biden to visit Ukraine is heightening after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed that he wanted the U.S. chief executive to go to his country. Speaking to CNN's "State of the Union," Zelenskyy said that he expects Biden to go to Ukraine to see the effect of Russia's invasion, The Hill reported. "I think he will. And I think he - but it's not - I mean, it's his decision, of course. And about the safety situation, it depends. I mean that. But I think - I think he's the leader of the United States, and that's why he should come here to see," Zelenskyy said. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CBS that President Joe Biden's visit will be an important message of support for them. Kuleba also mentioned that a meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy could pave the way for new supplies and weapons, as well as the discussion on a possible political settlement to end the conflict with Russia. Will Pres. Joe Biden Visit Ukraine? Several Biden administration officials previously shot down the idea of the president traveling to Ukraine. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week that President Joe Biden has no plans of visiting Ukraine, but assured that he is always in the Oval Office and coordinates with the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, per the Post. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also noted on the "Pod Save America" podcast that President Joe Biden is always ready for anything. "The man likes a fast car, some aviators - he's ready to go to Ukraine... [But] we are not sending the president to Ukraine," Psaki highlighted. It can be recalled that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Ukraine earlier this month. READ NEXT: U.S. Should Not Be Afraid of Russia and Send More Weapons to Ukraine Now to Win the War, Experts Say This article is owned by Latin Post. Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Biden Doubles Down on 'Genocide' Claim in Ukraine - From ABC News SNAP Benefits 2022 in Florida are delayed as the Florida Department of Children and Families noted that it has "experienced challenges" in hiring staff. DCF said that the department continues to increase resources to prioritize processing benefits applications. It includes using volunteers from other program areas to assist, according to a WearTv News report. The agency added that they have recruited more than 200 new employees since December 2021 with eligibility determinations, noting that they offer overtime to compensate for the efforts of their team. Two Escambia County women experienced delays in their SNAP benefits approval. They reported their concerns about not being able to provide food and other essential items for their families. READ NEXT: SNAP Benefits 2022: Schedule of April Payments in Oregon, Emergency Allotments Revealed SNAP Benefits Florida Delays Brenda Powell, the outreach director for Guided Path Foundation, noted in February that they are seeing a lot of delays in the distribution of SNAP benefits in Florida. Guided Path Foundation is a non-profit that provides outreach services to the community, with Powell helping families apply for SNAP benefits. She said that there were times that they call in and are on hold for two hours and get disconnected, adding that the shortage "must be phenomenal," according to a WFLA News report. Earlier, DCF denied the delays and said that applications were processed within 30 days or less. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to discuss the matter with DCG Secretary Shevaun Harris to expedite the process. The DCF took action two days after. In December and January, the DCF spokeswoman said that the agency added 125 new team members. However, Powell said that she has not seen improvement yet. In February, 546 people put their names on the list of people reporting a SNAP delay. Yessica Santos of Orlando said that she was three hours waiting for a phone call and never received a callback, according to a Fox 35 Orlando News report. David Mtetwa of Plant City said that there was a notice that his benefits were being terminated. He noted that he re-certified his benefits but said that the DCF never completed the process. SNAP Benefits 2022 SNAP benefits recipients have received emergency allotments equal to the maximum benefit for the household size minus their monthly base benefit since March of 2020. U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that emergency allotments were authorized under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to help address temporary food needs amid the pandemic, according to a Go Banking Rates report. State SNAP agencies have had the option to release emergency allotments to all SNAP households if the state meets certain criteria. U.S. Health and Human Services Department Secretary Xavier Becerra extended the COVID federal public health emergency. The average benefit per household per month in Florida stands at $127, with 2.85 million recipients. Thirteen percent of the population receives SNAP benefits, according to another Go Banking Rates report. READ MORE: SNAP Benefits 2022: Texas, California, Florida, Other States Payment Updates This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: DCF delays threaten SNAP benefits for thousands in Florida - FOX 35 Orlando U.S. FDA has reportedly opened a probe on Lucky Charms cereal, which is one of the most popular cereals in the country, after several people have reported becoming ill after consuming it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration noted that it has received more than 100 complaints linked to Lucky Charms cereals this year, according to The Daily Wire report. Several people have also reported on the food safety website, iwaspoisoned.com, citing symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting after consuming Lucky Charms. The FDA noted that it takes reports of any possible adulteration of food that may cause illness or injury seriously. The company that makes Lucky Charms, General Mills, said they have done their internal review and have not found anything that connects their cereal product to reports of illness after eating it. READ NEXT: Tate's Bake Shop Workers Threatened With Deportation Ahead of Their Union Vote Lucky Charms Cereal Consumers Reporting Illness Food-safety experts noted that it is rare for people to get sick from eating breakfast cereal as it is usually baked, which typically kills pathogens, according to a Fox Business News report. Patrick Quade, the founder of the consumer website iwaspoisoned.com, said that the site has so far received around 2,500 reports from people around the country who said they got sick after eating Lucky Charms cereal. Quade added that a huge majority of the reports have been posted over the past two weeks. He added that some consumers who reported their illness told Quade that the FDA has contacted them about testing their cereal. Kristin Johnson, who lives in Lexington, Ky., said she allowed her two-year-old daughter to eat Lucky Charms about a week ago. Johnson then said that her daughter got sick for a few days after that. She said that when her daughter started to feel better, she gave her Lucky Charms again as it was her daughter's favorite treat. However, her two-year-old child got sick again. Lucky Charms Cereal Complaints General Mills did not further comment on the matter. However, it encouraged its consumers to share their concerns directly with the company, according to a CBS News report. One person from Ohio noted that it was their second time experiencing symptoms after eating Lucky Charms, and noted that they are certain it is the cause. They wrote that they were having "extreme abdominal pains" and that they were hoping to get the cereal left in the box tested, according to a Daily Mail News report. One person from Pittsburgh complained that they had Lucky Charms for breakfast and got ill later that day. The person said that it came out of nowhere and lasted for a couple of days. In 2018, a salmonella outbreak was traced back to Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal, leaving 36 people sick across 36 different states. Kellogg recalled 28 million boxes of Froot Loops and other brands in 2010 after complaints about taste and smell. Some people also complained that they got sick after eating it. READ MORE: Kellogg's Workers at All Cereal Plants Go on Strike, Demand Better Wages and Benefits This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: FDA investigating Lucky Charms after reports of illness - from 10 Tampa Bay Rosario Ibarra died at age 95 due to failing health. Ibarra has been championing cases of disappeared people in Mexico since the disappearance of her son. She helped develop Mexico's human rights movement and prompted her to become Mexico's first female presidential candidate, according to a Washington Post News report. Her daughter, Rosario Piedra, now heads the National Human Rights Commission. Piedra announced her mother's death on the commission's Twitter account, wherein Ibarra was described as the "pioneer in defense of human rights, peace, and democracy." Ibarra died in the northern city of Monterrey after several years of failing health. Ibarra founded the Eureka Committee, a movement focused on gathering information about the fate of her son and other disappeared people in Mexico. The advocate and other mothers in Eureka were reported to have faced an "authoritarian regime," where there was no respect for human rights, according to a CNDH Mexico News report. Ibarra was awarded the Belisario Dominguez Medal of Honor as recognition for her hard work and activity as a human rights defender in favor of prisoners, disappeared, and political exiles. READ NEXT: Mexico: 400 Missing Persons Found Dead in Guanajuato State Plagued by Mexican Drug Cartels Rosario Ibarra's Son Jesus Piedra Jesus Piedra was accused of belonging to the Communist League guerilla group and disappeared during the "dirty war" against dissidence waged by the authoritarian government of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, according to a Paris Beacon News report. Jesus was also accused of killing a police officer. Ibarra, with some 80 mothers of the disappeared, held protests, such as the hunger strike of August 1978 in front of the Cathedral of Mexico, which was a place that prohibited demonstrations. The protests led Mexico to enact an amnesty law in 1978 that freed some dissidents and allowed exiles to return. Jesus was also a third-year medical student at the UANL. He talked about inequality along with other colleagues, motivating Jesus to join an anti-government group. It was the judicial policeman Juventino Romero who was commissioned for Jesus' arrest, according to a Milenio report. Jesus was tortured and was placed at the disposal of Nassar Haro, wherein he ultimately disappeared. Rosario Ibarra Ibarra was the first woman to appear on a Mexican presidential ballot in 1982. However, she won relatively few votes for the Revolutionary Party of the Workers. The advocate for the disappeared has become a federal deputy twice and once a senator. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador noted in a tweet that they will always remember Ibarra for her most "profound love for the children and her solidarity with those who suffered due to the disappearance of their loved ones." Ibarra considered Lopez Obrador as her friend. She mentioned the president, saying that she leaves in the Mexican president's hands the custody "of so precious a recognition." Lopez Obrador chose Ibarra to present him with a presidential sash of office in a ceremony declaring him the legitimate president of Mexico. Ibarra continued to scrutinize force disappearances in Mexico and called for more progress regarding the matter. READ MORE: Mexico: 90,000 People Have Disappeared Without a Trace Amid Drug War This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Rosario Ibarra de Piedra abrio caminos hacia la justicia #EnPortada - from El Universal Texas Gov. Greg Abbott might be vying for the White House in the 2024 presidential election after he enacted his new policy of sending illegal immigrants to D.C., which is part of his plan to sway GOP voters, analysts say. GOP strategist Doug Heye noted that just like several Republicans, Abbott is upping his reputation and pushing on important issues to the base, which puts himself in a position to run, according to a Daily Mail report. Sen. Ted Cruz commented on Abbott's policy, saying that it gets "liberal elites" and U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to actually care about millions of illegal aliens streaming across the U.S.-Mexico border. Texas-based GOP strategist Brendan Steinhauser said that Abbott's move "has been favored in the polls." Steinhauser said that he thinks it is playing well with Republicans as they "clearly want their elected officials to be tough on illegal immigration." He added that people want to ensure that security is placed first on the list of priorities. Meanwhile, Heye said that despite GOP's support for Abbott, the Texas governor will not be making any formal decision until former U.S. President Donald Trump announces whether he will run or not. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is seen to be a possible top contender for Trump, with many seeing him as a lawmaker that can push the same policies that made Trump popular. READ NEXT: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Strikes Deal With Mexican Governor Samuel Alejandro Garcia Sepulveda to Address Texas-Mexico Border Issue Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Illegal Immigrants Last week, a second group of asylum seekers arrived in Washington D.C. on Thursday on a charter bus after Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to send migrants to D.C., according to an ABC News Go report. It was a day after the first bus of undocumented migrants from Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua was transported to Washington D.C. The Texas governor noted that the order is a direct response to Biden's plans to end Title 42 expulsions on May 23. Abbott also said that there will be more that will be dropped at Washington "by bus or plane so that Washington is going to have to respond and deal with the same challenges" that they are facing. Immigration advocacy groups and faith leaders had a joint press conference in front of Union Station to welcome asylum seekers who arrived in Washington. Abel Nunez, the executive director of Carecen, noted that their community is ready to receive any immigrants that the governor of Texas wants to send, adding that they have the support of the local government. Carecen is a Central American refugee nonprofit. 2024 Presidential Election Biden said in March that he would consider himself "very fortunate" if Trump decides to run against him for a second time in the 2024 presidential election, according to a CNBC News report. In the 2020 election, Biden defeated Trump by more than four percentage points in the popular vote, while he defeated the former Republican president by 74 Electoral College votes. Trump has falsely claimed that he had won the 2020 election without any basis. The former president and his allies argued that Biden's win was based on ballot fraud. However, the courts dismissed dozens of lawsuits regarding the matter. READ MORE: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Says He Will Deliver Illegal Immigrants to Washington D.C., Drop Them at Capitol Hill Steps This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Texas Governor Greg Abbott battles with Biden administration over immigration policies - from CBS News One Florida man has been accused of cutting his arm open and defacing a Holocaust memorial using his own blood in Miami Beach, Florida. The man was identified as 44-year-old Christopher Green and was seen by several witnesses digging into his left forearm until it bled, according to a New York Post report. He then smeared the blood all over the wall of the Holocaust Memorial of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation on Tuesday, according to police. Green was reportedly homeless and wrote "numerous letters of the alphabet" using his blood. The police noted that the letters Green wrote did not spell anything readable. READ NEXT: Miami Seaquarium Dolphin Attacks Trainer in Front of Terrified Families; Ex-Veterinarian Says It's Not an Isolated Incident Florida Man Defacing Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach Police announced that they have arrested Green and was charged with criminal mischief on a place of worship. Green is jailed and was held on a bond worth $5,000, according to a Miami Herald News report. The Holocaust program coordinator immediately called the police when several witnesses saw the Florida man cutting himself and using his blood to deface the Holocaust Memorial. However, Green had already left before officers could arrive at the scene. Miami Beach intelligence unit spotted Green walking on the MacArthur Causeway. He was asked about defacing the memorial. Green replied to the police and said that he did not mean "any harm by that," and that "it was just my blood." Officers inquired about Green's intention of doing it. The Florida man replied that he was just trying to spell out in his blood, "Abracadabra." The homeless man added that the "Holocaust Museum is a magical place," which urged him to do "something magical." Green said that he has nothing against the Jewish people, reiterating that he thought the place was "magical." The Holocaust Memorial at Miami Beach was established by a small group of Holocaust survivors who joined together to develop a permanent memorial in Miami, Local 10 News reported. The group said that the area was a sacred place where people come to remember lives lost, adding that violence of any kind should not be tolerated. Holocaust Memorial Defaced The Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach was not the only Jewish memorial that was defaced in the United States. In May 2021, Oregon police reported that someone spray-painted swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti at the Oregon Holocaust Memorial. Officers also noted neo-Nazi sayings and symbols were scrawled across the stone wall of the memorial, according to a KGW News report. At the time of its reporting, investigators noted that there is no suspect information available, and there have been no arrests made. Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education Director Judy Margles said that the memorial is a sacred space, serving as a place for contemplation. Rabbi Eve Posen, Congregation Neveh Shalom Associate Rabbi and Chair of the Oregon Board of Rabbis, noted that antisemitism and hatred are still alive after all "we've been through as a society and country." READ MORE: Florida Shooting Kills 2, Injures 2 Others in Transit Bus; 3 More Fall Victim in Related Crash This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Man faces judge after cutting arm, smearing blood letters on Holocaust museum - from WPLG Local 10 Date of Judgement: 06th April 2022 Coram/judge: The Honble Justice Ms.Asha Menon Parties to the Case: PlaintiffHTC Corporation Defendants-Mr. LV Degao & Ors. Legal Provisions Order XXXIX Rules 1 & 2 Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 Order XXXIX deals with the provisions for temporary injunctions and interlocutory orders. Rule-1 lays down cases in which temporary injunction may be granted. Rule-2 lays down provision for injunction to restrain repetition or continuance of breach. Section 124 of Trade Mark Act, 1999- lays down provision for stay of proceedings where the validity of registration of the trade mark is questioned, etc Section 29 of Trade Mark Act, 1999- lays down conditions which leads to infringement of registered trade marks Overview The plaintiff company was incorporated under the laws of Taiwan in the year 1997 and claimed to be a leading manufacturer of consumer electronic items. The plaintiff was initially registered as High Tech Computer Corporation, but gained popularity among consumers as HTC and had been known as HTC since 1998. The plaintiff got its Trade Mark registered in India on 12th May, 2006, which was valid till 12th May, 2026. On 24th November, 2011, the plaintiff applied for and was granted registration of its Trade Mark HTC ONE in India. On 7th March, 2014, the plaintiff obtained international registration for the Trade Mark HTC in China. The defendant was a Chinese individual and owner of the companies being defendants No.2 to 4. The defendants No.2 to 4 were manufacturers of electronic products bearing identical infringing Trade Mark [HTC] in China and exporting the same to India. These defendants were also selling their products through Amazon India website. The defendant No.1 had applied for registration of the Trade Mark in Class 8, for grant of protection in India on 15th November, 2013 and it escaped the notice of the plaintiff, consequently the protection sought for, was actually granted. Various other applications were lying under objection in the Trade Marks Registry. In the present circumstances, the defendants had continued to infringe the Trade Mark. The suit had been filed and the interim relief claimed by the petitioner for an injunction restraining the defendants from manufacturing, selling and offering for sale including through online platforms, exporting, importing, directly or indirectly dealing any goods bearing the impugned Trade Marks. Arguments Advanced by The Petitioner Learned Counsel for the plaintiff submitted that this was a clear case of copying with a deliberate attempt being made to associate the goods of the defendants with those of the plaintiff. Learned Counsel contended that through Amazon, while displaying the goods of the defendants, links had been given, which upon clicking would take the person to the site of the plaintiff. It was submitted that if the intentions of the defendants were honest, there would have be no need to provide such a link. A Cease and Desist Notice was sent to the defendants and when they did not stop selling their products on the E-commerce platforms of Amazon, the plaintiff had sent a Legal Notice to Amazon, who then, took the products down. However, later on Legal Notices were sent by the defendants No. 2 & 3 claiming that the Trade Mark had been registered by the defendant No.1, who had authorized the defendants No.2 & 3 to produce the goods with the said Trade Mark. In these circumstances Courts direction was required. Hence, the suit was filed, while also applying for cancellation of the registration. The plaintiff had a worldwide social-media following.It reflected tremendous goodwill, popularity and reputation enjoyed by the plaintiff company and the trade markin India as well as internationally. Learned Counsel submitted that when there was dishonest use, then commonality of the product was not essential, and the plaintiff was entitled to an injunction even though the goods of the defendants No.1 to 4 were different from those of the plaintiff. Arguments Advanced by The Defendant Learned Counsel for the defendants submitted that the products of the plaintiff and the defendants were very different, while the registration of the Trade Mark of the plaintiff was in Class 9 that of the defendant No.1 was in Class 8. The plaintiff manufactured computer and computing products whereas, the defendant was manufacturing only hair grooming products. It was submitted that there was no substitutability of the products even if they were to be sold in the same market, as the customers would clearly differentiate between the products. There was nothing in the product range that would confuse the customers. It was further submitted that in any case, these provisions of the Trade Mark Act would be attracted only when the alleged infringer was himself holding no registered Trade Mark.But in the present case, the defendant No.1 was the registered proprietor of the mark. It was submitted that during the past six years, the plaintiff took no efforts to question the validity of the Trade Mark of the defendants and had filed a Cancellation Petition just before filing of the present suit. Since that matter was still pending, as on date, both, the plaintiff as well as defendant No.1, had registered Trade Marks in their favour and therefore, against each other, even in respect of identical or similar marks or products, they were at par. Learned Counsel submitted that Section 29 Trade Mark Act was not attracted as the goods were not comparable, allied or cognate. Since the defendant No.1 was registered proprietor of his Trade Mark, his use of the same could not be described as without due cause. The plaintiff had no goodwill in respect of grooming products and the plaintiff had no sales whatsoever in hair trimmers and grooming products.Hence, it could claim to have built any goodwill in that area. The plaintiff had to also show that the name was synonymous to its goods. Thus, there was no pleading to establish passing off. The Learned Counsel submitted that the defendants would give an assurance that they would not be producing any goods in Class 9 or using the mark for their products, but they would use their registered Trade Mark. Issue Whether in the present circumstances the plaintiff can be granted injunction against the use of similar trademark by the defendants until the result of cancellation application would be out? Judgement Analysis It was observed that before the filing of the suit, an application for cancellation of trade-mark had already been filed by the plaintiff, which was pending. Under Section 124 of the T.M. Act, the present suit would be stayed pending final disposal of such cancellation proceedings. As pointed out by Learned Counsel for the plaintiff and rightly acknowledged by the Learned Counsel for the defendants, under Section 124of the T.M. Act, the court was not precluded from making any interlocutory order, including any order granting an injunction during the period of the stay of the suit. Hence, The Court proceeded to consider whether the plaintiff made out a case for an interlocutory order i.e., an injunction against the defendants restraining them from the use of the Trade Mark. In the present case, both Trade Marks had been registered. This was unlike in the several of the cases cited by both sides, where a registered proprietor was seeking relief against the defendants, who were yet to obtain registration or had applied for the same or other situations where, having once been granted, the registration was cancelled at the time the suit was filed. Section 28 of the T.M. Act confers some rights to the registered proprietor of a Trade Mark upon its registration. The exclusive right to use it in relation to the goods and services in respect of which the Trade Mark was registered, was limited where there were two or more such registered proprietors, as they could not claim exclusive use against each other, but had those rights against other persons. Concurrent registration of the same or similar Trade Mark by two or more persons was not per se barred under the Act. When a challenge would be raised to the registration, ordinarily till the Register was rectified, both the proprietors would be entitled to claim a right to its use. On a plain reading, Section 29 of the T.M. Act, on the basis of which the Learned Counsel for the plaintiff had sought the interim injunction dealt with infringement of a registered Trade Mark by a person, who was not a proprietor of the registered Trade Mark or a permitted user of the registered Trade Mark. The court when faced with a situation as prevailing in the present case, would be helpless and would it also mean that the plaintiff could seek only protection against passing off. The Court was of the opinion that as Section 124 dealt with a situation where the validity of the registration of the trade mark is being questioned and Section 124(5) empowers the court to pass interim injunction orders.It would be logical that even when there were two registered Trade Marks involved and the plaintiff wanted protection against the user of a similar or identical trade mark, The Court could consider not just the question of passing off, but also of infringement since Section 124 of the T.M. Act was in relation to a trade mark and not to mere passing off. Where no rectification application had been filed, the Civil Court could determine the tenability of the plea of invalid registration. The Court could consider the existence of a prima facie case on the same basis, to decide whether or not to grant interim orders of injunction, etc. By providing a link to the plaintiffs site from that of the defendants, the intent to blur the source and origin of the goods was established. Thus, no protection under Section 30 of the T.M. Act would be available to the defendants for use of their registered Trade Mark. The explanation offered for the adoption of the random alphabets HTC and copying of the exact trade mark of the plaintiff, disclosed dishonest use and bad faith. For a consumer of average intelligence and observation, it might not be difficult to believe that the hair grooming products of the defendants with the Trade Mark and link to the website of the plaintiff, were actually being produced and marketed by the plaintiff. This being an act of deception and creation of confusion, was even against public interest. It would therefore be of no significance that the plaintiff was not producing any hair trimmers or clippers, as unquestionably they had an excellent reputation in India in respect of the goods that they actually produce and market. The unfair and dishonest use of the identical trade mark by the defendants for their products clearly hampered the reputation of the plaintiff. There was a clear intent to take unfair advantage of the reputation, it could lead to a detrimental effect on the distinctive character of the trade mark of the plaintiff. The trademark of the plaintiff company was initially drawn from their corporate name and subsequently, itself became their corporate name. The application was accordingly allowed and till the decision in the cancellation proceedings was rendered. Conclusion The Honourable Court in light of a series of case laws, decided to pass an interlocutory order thereby granting temporary injunction to the plaintiff against the use similar trademark which was simultaneously registered by both the parties. Such an order was to remain effective until the application filed by the plaintiff to cancel the registration of trade mark of the defendant would be finally adjudicated and decision pronounced. Learn the practical aspects of CPC HERE Click here to download the original copy of the judgement A woman who assaulted a nurse at Tullamore hospital was given the benefit of the probation act at Tullamore district court. At 8pm on November 21, 2021 Sandra Ward (43) 34, Churchview Heights, Edenderry, was admitted to the Accident and Emergency unit of Tullamore hospital where she assaulted Nurse Catherine Lally biting her on the upper arm and causing it to bleed. Nurse Lally was traumatised by the incident and required medical attention including a tetanus injection and a HIV test. Ms Ward, who is the mother of one daughter, was highly intoxicated. She was later arrested. Her solicitor Donal Farrelly said Sandra Ward was taking steroids and antidepressants which had caused an allergic reaction resulting in a severe itch and swelling all over her body. The defendant told Judge Patricia Cronin she had passed out and the first she heard of it was in January. She said she had no idea and couldn't believe what happened. Solicitor Donal Farrelly said Ms Ward is now off all medication. Judge Cronin said this was a very serious matter and a section 3 assault carries a 5 year prison sentence. She said she was taking into account the aggravating circumstances at the hospital and commented that for a nurse to be assaulted is a very serious matter. She took note of Ms Ward's guilty plea and that she had no previous convictions. She also read a medical report from her doctor stating that this was out of character. She noted she had been on steroids and antidepressants and one may have reacted with the other. She had no recollection of the event until Gardai told her. Judge Cronin commented that the victim impact statement from nurse Lally made for difficult reading and remarked that nurses have had a difficult time over the last two years. She noted that compensation had been paid to nurse Lally. She applied section 1.1 of the probation act, adding that she didn't believe that Sandra Ward would be before the court again. She noted she was hard working and had a 23 year old daughter who was getting on well. A midlands man has just returned from Ukraine where he helped to rescue 53 dogs, bringing them across the border to safety in Poland. Offaly man, Darren Bracken, who volunteers with the Laois based Husky Rescue Ireland regularly transports rescued dogs from Ireland to good homes in Sweden. He had been watching what was happening in Ukraine and thought Husky Rescue should travel there to take care of the pets who had been abandoned in the war through no fault of their owners. ''I have 4 dogs of my own and I would feed them before I would feed myself,'' said Darren. ''Myself and Andy Cullen, the founder of Husky Rescue Ireland were talking about it and we agreed to go. We put up the appeal online and we were overwhelmed. We got 10 to 15 tons of supplies. We got food for dogs, cats, hamsters and rabbits plus people donated food for the people of Ukraine as well, along with toiletries and other things, added Darren. We were overloaded with stuff and a little bit overweight, but we got through customs and we drove from Dublin to France. to Germany and Poland. We crossed the border three times to rescue the dogs. Darren and Andy were only allowed to bring 10 dogs at a time which they found frustrating as the van can hold a number of large dogs, but they were the rules so it required them to make the hazardous journey three times. We passed through an army barracks the same night as it was blown up. We didn't know until we came out, said Darren. The dogs were being cared for in a small family run rescue centre in Ukraine. Many of the buses crossing the border with refugees dont allow dogs on board so people left their dogs with the rescue centre. Darren and Andy off loaded their supplies at this particular centre which meant that people who were dropping off their pets were able to pick up vital supplies. ''We know the stuff got to the people and to some of the soldiers as well. The people who were picking it up knew the area. They knew which roads to travel to avoid being bombed.'' Darren and Andy were able to reunite three of the dogs with their owners. The owners of the other dogs will know their pets are in a safe place and being well looked after, until the day they can be reunited. ''One dog gave birth to 7 pups just days after she was brought across the border. She waited until she was in a warm and safe place.'' said Darren. Darren said he and Andy couldnt have made the journey without the support of the team at Husky Rescue Ireland. They looked after the centre while they were abroad, feeding and walking the dogs in their care. He also gave a big thanks to Star Rescue for all their help. To make a donation to Husky Rescue Ireland log onto https://www.huskyrescueireland.ie/donation-options More details have emerged about a major event being held at the Curragh Camp next month to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the handover of the military base from the British Army to the Irish Free State Army. The significant moment in history took place at 10am on Tuesday, May 16, 1922, when the Camp was transferred to a party of Irish troops commanded by Lieutenant General JJ Ginger OConnell. To mark the centenary of the occasion, the Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC )in the Curragh Camp has organised a ceremonial event on May 16 next. The day of activities will involve invited guests, families of serving personnel as well as members of the general public. The event will begin at 11.15am with an official address in the Main Barrack Square by General Officer Commanding DFTC, Brigadier General Brendan McGuinness. At 12 noon, the national flag on the water tower will be hoisted followed by the unveiling of plaques. A reception and military display will follow at 12.30pm. It is understood that the ceremonial event will allow the families of serving soldiers and members of the public to interact with soldiers of the Camp and view several stands of weapons displays, vehicle displays and information hubs. A Defence Forces spokesperson said: Defence Forces personnel will be involved in several State and local ceremonial events nationwide, throughout this centenary year, with the key focus lying on the centenary of the barrack handovers. These occasions will involve personnel from the Army, Air Corps and the Naval Service, as part of the commemorative programme. These ceremonies are to commemorate the hugely significant handovers of the military barracks from British to Irish forces in 1922, but will also encompass other events as part of the decade of centenaries programme, including the handover of Dublin Castle in January 1922 and the death of General Michael Collins in August 1922. An upcoming fundraiser will see its proceeds going towards both the maintenance of a Kildare-based community centre, as well as towards victims of the Ukraine crisis. The latest Bluebells and Buskers event will raise money for the RYARC Community Centre in Rathangan: specifically, it will pay for the insurance, light and heating for this invaluable service in Rathangan. This year proceeds will be also be supporting victims of the war in Ukraine. The event began in 2013 as a tribute to the memory of the late Jimmy O' Loughlin, and is one that is suited perfectly for nature and music lovers, walkers, children and families. Brian OLoughlin, main organiser of the event, said: "We are looking forward to another super event this year and we have a great line up of 20 different events including music and story-telling for children. "Over the years we have raised more than 50,000 for the RYARC Centre and we hope to do even better this year... more importantly though its an opportunity for people and families to gather in our lovely woods and enjoy nature and culture." Kildare-based Fianna Fail Senator Fiona O' Loughlin added: "After a gap of two years because of Covid, we are looking forward to gathering together once again to celebrate our wonderful Killinthomas woods and Buskers, and also to remember those who are no longer with us, in particular John and Mairead Fullam, with whom we always shared this special day. "A huge thank you to the Scouts for their help with our giant BBQ, local sporting volunteers for their help with parking and marshalling, the Kildare Civil Defence and of course our wonderful musicians and entertainers." The event will take place on Sunday, May 1. Passengers onboard an Aer Lingus flight from Zurich to Dublin on Saturday, April 16, had a nervy experience when an announcement of an emergency landing was allegedly made in error throughout the cabin. The announcement allegedly told passengers that the flight was in an emergency situation and to prepare for a "ditched landing." One of the passengers onboard the flight took to Twitter looking for answers and spoke of "two nervous minutes" before the announcement was corrected. Fearghal O'Lideacha described it as "very scary" and asked Aer Lingus what happened. Dear @AerLingus , I was on your flight from Zurich to Dublin this morning and found it very scary when an emergency crash landing in the sea was announced on the PA. Two nervous minutes followed before the fault was corrected with another announcement. What happened? @IrishTimes April 16, 2022 Mr OLideacha told the Irish Times that his interest in aviation allowed him to deduce that a "ditched landing" meant going into the sea. He said flight attendants remained behind the curtains at either end of the cabin and did not rush to deliver more news to passengers. He said there was very little reaction among other passengers, many of whom were wearing headphones. Aer Lingus said the announcement on the EI343 flight from Zurich to Dublin was played in error. It was a pre-recorded announcement "momentarily played on board." A spokesperson said a follow-up announcement was made advising passengers of the error. They insisted that there was no risk to the safety of the plane or its passengers at any point. The airline also responded to Mr OLideacha to apologise. An Irish-based online teaching platform is calling for volunteers to teach English to Ukrainian adults in Ireland. The call has been made by eTeachers Global in response to the war in Ukraine, which has left millions of Ukrainian people displaced across Europe. The company usually requires all teachers to be qualified primary or secondary teachers registered with the Teaching Council with English Language Education qualifications. The platform has now been made freely available to teachers wishing to help Ukrainian refugees. However, teachers must hold registration with the Teaching Council. They should also preferably have a qualification in teaching English as an additional language, though this is not essential for volunteer teachers. CEO Joan Gilligan said, "The aim is to help Ukrainians adapt to life in Ireland and support them as they learn English for work and for day-to-day living here." She continued: "Teachers can teach on a one-to-one or small group basis. They can cater for individual needs which may not always be possible in a large group setting e.g., someone may need help with the English needed for taking up a catering or healthcare job. "During lockdown, many teachers quickly adapted to teaching online and now have the skills to do so effectively. For any teachers who may need help setting up, eTeachers Global IT team are on hand to help. "Covid has negatively impacted on schools with both pupil and staff absences so understandably not everyone is in a position to help. It may suit teachers who are job-sharing, on career break or retired and who can commit to as little as an hour a week. The booking calendar on the platform is easily adjusted by teachers themselves to reflect their availability." As part of the initiative, eTeachers Global is wavering all fees for teachers who voluntarily teach English to adult Ukrainian refugees. Joan said, "Usually, a small commission fee and an annual token subscription fee is charged on each class taught but these fees are waivered as part of our efforts to support the Ukrainian community." Anyone willing to support or help with the project should contact joan@eteachersglobal.com. Fifteen million euro in capital funding has been announced for the upgrade and refurbishment of community centres across Ireland. The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, made the announcement this week (Friday April 15) and is encouraging all community groups to consider applying. She said, "Community Centres are at the heart of every community in Ireland, rural and urban. We need places for people to meet up, to play sport and engage in all sorts of activities whether it is meals for the elderly, indoor soccer or basketball, or providing a space for the local dramatic society to perform. "This new fund is about supporting them to carry out vital upgrade works as well as enhancing the services and amenities they can provide to persons of all ages in their community. "I am encouraging all community groups to look at this fund and think about how they can use it to improve their own local parish hall or community centre. Do you need new windows or doors? Does the stage or sound system need to be upgraded? Could you look at developing space for a Youth Hub or Community Cinema? Community Centres are all about bringing people together in a locality." According to the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Community Centres Investment Fund will provide grants for works such as energy retrofitting, disability access, and communal facilities such as toilet improvements. Funding will be available under three Categories with grants of between 10,000 and 300,000 available. Small scale projects and improvements can access between 10,000 and 25,000 (category 1) with 25,001 and 100,000 for larger projects (category 2) and 100,001 to 300,000 for major projects (category 3). Applications for category two and three options must include a minimum contribution of 5% of the total project costs from the applicants' own funds. More information on the fund is available here. Hello, it's lunchtime in Paris and both candidates have been campaigning in slow motion during an Easter weekend that the French usually spend with their families switched off from the news. What happened during the week-end? Emmanuel Macron (La Republique en Marche) made an emphatic appeal to young and environmentally conscious voters by declaring multiple commitments during a rally in Marseille on Saturday. Why does it matter? Still ahead in the polls, the incumbent and centrist candidate needs significant vote transfers to be re-elected for a second and final term. The second round run-off for the presidential election plays by its own rules. The winner is always the one who can define who his or her opponent is rather than being defined by him, or by her. In terms of this game, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen (Le Rassemblement National) is now clearly playing defense. In the early days, when she was campaigning among eleven other presidential contenders, her sole focus on purchasing power had been an effective message and a winning bet. She is now paying the price for a strategy of "de-demonization" mostly limited to public appearances. Under fresh scrutiny, all the weaknesses of her program are being exposed. More on this topic: Subscribers only Le Pen rolls out her tired foreign policy recipe It all started with the kind of constitutional issue that usually puts people to sleep. The first groundbreaking decision she would make if she were to be elected would be to hold a referendum which would create a legal discrimination against foreigners. The problem is that she could not actually proceed in the way she says she would (without a green light from parliament). Le Conseil Constitutionnel, the French constitutional court, has an explicit power to review the content of a bill submitted to a referendum. All legal experts agree on this. She will no doubt have to defend her untenable position on this issue when she comes face-to-face with Mr. Macron on April 20 for their only debate. She also seems to be wavering on a central symbolic measure which connects with her far-right base: the banning of headscarfs for women in public spaces, which would directly target the Muslim population. Ms. Le Pen has defended this radical measure by hiding behind a historical precedent (it was applied in Tunisia, although the candidate spoke of Algeria in a radio interview). After a lively meeting with two veiled women in the south of France on Friday, she seemed to hesitate. The ban on scarfs was no longer the alpha and omega of the fight against Islamism the day after. "I am not being obtuse," she said, before acknowledging that it was "a complex issue". She also flip-flopped on the question of restoration of the death penalty she presented as a possibility on Tuesday, before backtracking again on Friday. You have 38.76% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. LIMERICK City and County Council is looking for five artists, creatives or creative industry partners to work collaboratively with a local community to explore an aspect of decarbonisation that matters to them. The council has put out this open call after securing funding from the Creative Climate Action Fund for a project known as Decarbonising Together. Decarbonising is about reducing carbon (CO2) emissions resulting from human activity in order to combat climate change. It involves emitting less (e.g. by burning less fossil fuel) and absorbing more (e.g. by planting trees) carbon. "The process of decarbonisation will change aspects of our day-to-day lives and can happen in a way that creates other benefits for communities including improved air and water quality, better health and wellbeing, more comfortable homes, lower noise levels and less waste. "The changes in behaviour that can contribute to decarbonisation is what we plan to explore creatively through Decarbonising Together," said a council spokesperson. Creative partners can come from a range of disciplines including: Arts: music, performing and visual arts Architecture, crafts, design: product, graphic and fashion design Audio visual: film, TV productions, TV, video, radio and photography IT: software and computer game development Publishing and literature Museums, galleries and libraries Advertising and marketing "Funding is available for artists and creative industry partners of 12,000 per artist. It is anticipated that the five outputs from the creative collaborations will use diverse skills in a range of creative mediums. "The project will focus on learning and doing together, and will use Limericks Citizen Innovation Lab as a collaboration hub and a platform to empower communities to decarbonise Limerick by 2050, with citizen creativity placed at the core of the process. "Successful participants can also access Fab Lab Limerick, a maker space and digital fabrication laboratory run by the School of Architecture at University of Limerick and co-located with the Citizen Innovation Lab on Sarsfield Street," said a council spokesperson. For more details and applications forms please click here A JUDGE has warned she may consider imposing a prison sentence in the case of a man who was begging on streets which he was forbidden from being on. James Clune, aged 44, who has an address at McGarry House, St Alphonsus Street, has pleaded guilty to breaching an exclusion order three times in the space of six months. At Limerick District Court, Judge Patricia Harney said gardai observed the defendant begging on Little Ellen Street on June 12, 2021 and at Denmark Street on another date last year. On March 24, 2021 Mr Clune was seen walking at Roches Street - also an area from where he is banned. He was not begging on that occasion. Sergeant Sean Murray said Mr Clune, who has 133 previous convictions for a variety of offences, had cooperated with gardai on all occasions. Solicitor John Herbert said his client has had difficulties with alcohol and drug addiction for years but that he is now dealing with his issues and is on a methadone programme. He said he was living in homeless accommodation around the time but is now engaging with support workers. Judge Harney said she was satisfied Mr Clune was aware of the exclusion order and she expressed concern about the repeated breaches. He doesnt seem to have grasped what it means, she commented. Adjourning the matter to facilitate the preparation of a Probation Report, she said she would have to consider a prison sentence given Mr Clune's previous criminal record. However, she indicated she will give him an opportunity to avoid prison if the probation report is positive. I will deal with matters in a certain way, she stated. I HAD TO do something, I couldn't just watch, says Anne-Marie Stacke as she sifts through a mountain of donations to help some of the hundreds of Ukrainians in Limerick who've arrived after fleeing war in their homeland. She is one of the many volunteers who have transformed the old St Lelia's school in Kileely on the city's northside into a one-stop shop giving a helping hand to those arriving after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In normal times, the old school in Kileely would fall silent after traditional working hours, it's role of providing educational opportunities to older people done for the day. But we are not in normal times, and, instead, the facility is all abuzz with activity, with Ukrainians setting up home here. What's happened here is just a transformation, said Linda Ledger, the centre manager of St Munchin's, which runs the former primary school. She chats to the Limerick Leader in between taking calls from local TDs, agencies, and the Redemptorist fathers, who have provided washing facilities for the city's newest residents, ahead of the installation of showers in St Lelias this week. Former classrooms in the old school have been converted into dormitories for those arriving from Ukraine, while two new modular buildings have been delivered in order to provide extra space for the new arrivals to socialise. It's a one-stop shop. We'll have kitchens to allow three families to cook at a time. A fridge-freezer has been donated to us tonight. The modular unit will be their communal space, where they can make their own breakfast and lunch, Linda explained. Signage in the centre is in both English and the Cyrillic script - from directions to the toilets to helpful translations. But the language barrier is lessening as the refugees become more and more integrated as the days go on. They were traumatised, and not communicating when they first arrived, said Anne-Marie. But after a day or so, they've just blended in. They are joking with us. You know what? There's no language barrier any more. We are communicating. I've learnt so much in a short space of time, Linda added. Nothing spurs you on more than seeing the difference in these refugees. Seeing the kids go out and play, seeing them chatting, and being able to go in the kitchen and mix. Anne-Marie has an office in the centre, where the Aid for Ukraine group she founded in Limerick is operating from. It was set up to co-ordinate the delivery of donations to St Munchin's, and also - using the power of social media - appeal for certain items which are still needed. Their Facebook page, which has 749 fans, seeks chairs, a flat-cap for an elderly Ukrainian gentleman, and good condition book cases among other things. But one thing they are not seeking is clothing - with bags of new and second-hand garments flying through the doors, leaving Anne-Marie to appeal for people to cease these donations for the time being. When a refugee arrives into the centre, they are given a welcome pack of clean pyjamas, underwear, shampoo, a shower-gel, a face towel and a change of clothes. A pop-up free-shop is to be opened shortly to afford those arriving the dignity of choosing their own clothes, rather than having to trawl through bags, as is the case at this time. That respect is important for Linda, who said: They are not greedy, they literally came here with nothing. I want them to come in and have that dignity. These people will be like Irish people - they will not want anything. They will want to be safe, happy, healthy and treated with dignity. It's hard to imagine the barbarity of having to flee your homeland as it comes under attack. Regina, from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv gave a glimpse into the personal horror visited on her and her partner. She saw an apartment she had saved up for years for destroyed by Russian forces. While en-route to Ireland, a bag of valuables including US dollars, jewellery and her European passport were stolen. Speaking through a translator - Belarussian national Tanya Dunworth, who now lives in Thomondgate - Regina said: For the past eight years, we've not gone on holiday. Not a single day to make sure we had enough saved up. Now the whole block is in ruins, destroyed. Before I used to dream nice dreams, sometimes with flowers. I was looking forward to the future. Now, it's all darkness. It's is if I am constantly falling down a black hole, she added, holding back tears. The only silver lining is the welcome she and her fellow Ukrainians have received upon arrival to Limerick. I did not expect to receive such kindness. The Ukrainian people are eternally grateful. Not everyone would do this. We want to prove to you that we are a nation who is hard working, and we will prove for all you have done for us, that we will repay you one day, she said. In the centre, the children play with each other, as well as other local youngsters who have formed new friendships. On Sunday last, many saw the sea for the first time on a day trip to Kilkee. As much as the spirit of the Ukrainian people is inspiring, the generosity of Limerick is also commendable. Linsey Kinsella and her friend Valerie Houlihan launched an online fundraiser which has raised money for things needed at the centre. As a result, a large smart-TV, a fridge and ladies' accessories have been purchased. Linsey - whose daughter Chanel, 8, played with 11-year-old Ukrainian refugee Michelle - has first-hand experience of the support of the community which gave her emotional support when her sister Chloe died almost a decade ago. Valerie added: Its been heartbreaking. No-one knows what they left behind. They had to just up and leave. We don't realise how lucky we are. We can go home. We have a bed. These people came with nothing - only a plastic bag - into a country where they don't know anyone. Two men murdered on the west coast of Ireland have been laid to rest following funeral services. Aidan Moffitt, 42, and Michael Snee, 58, were found dead in their own homes in Sligo earlier this week. A man was remanded in custody at Sligo District Court on Thursday after being charged with their murders. A representative of Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar attended the funerals in Sligo and Roscommon on Easter Monday. A funeral for Mr Snee, a retired care assistant, took place at Saint Josephs Church in Ballytivnan, Sligo. Father Noel Rooney described much sadness and grief in the church, as well as anger. Mr Snee was remembered as a beautiful, kind and gentle person, and also witty with a typical dry Sligo sense of humour. It is important today that we do not allow the horror of Michaels death to define his beautiful life, he told mourners. He was much-loved by all and had a heart filled with love. He was a sensitive man and couldnt do enough for his family, his friends and loved ones. Fr Rooney described the care worker as having a beautiful way with residents and had retired about 10 years ago with sight problems. Michael was always dapper and well-presented, always wore the very best clothes and shoes, he said, describing how his sister said he had aged gracefully and became better with age. Fr Rooney described his family as the centre and the heart of his life and said one of the last things Mr Snee did was to cook a stew for his family on Tuesday, before two of his nieces found he had been murdered in his home. The funeral for Mr Moffitt, a business man and Fine Gael activist, took place at the Church of Christ the King, Lisacul, Co Roscommon at the same time at Mr Snees funeral. Father Michael McManus said the indescribable pain and suffering on the Moffitt family cannot adequately be defined or put into words. He said Mr Moffitt made the world a better place, describing him as considerate, caring, respectful, intelligent, funny, engaged but above all kind. Fr McManus also emphasised Mr Moffitts pride in his home countys GAA side despite being an adopted Sligo man and his love of horses, as well as how he regarded the historic republican leader Michael Collins as an inspiration. He had a love for his country and he used politics as a mechanism to positively develop and improve the lives of others, he told mourners. He held many voluntary positions in Fine Gael over the years and he tried to drive positive development. He wanted things to be better for people and he wanted to get things done. Although he had many setbacks in this sphere, he persevered and devoted his time to this cause that he held so dear to his heart. The murders of the two men sparked shock and anger across Ireland, and a number of vigils took place in memory of the two men at towns and cities on both sides of the border. NEW DELHI : Finland is keen to step up cooperation with India in areas like waste-to-energy, low carbon mobility and communication, said Finlands visiting minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintila, who on Monday made a joint announcement with science and technology minister Jitendra Singh on cooperation in quantum computing. Lintila said in an interview that India and Finland are exploring more tie ups and that the two sides would be announcing partnerships in the areas of energy too. Lintila, who is on a week-long visit to India said Finnish companies have expertise in areas like quantum computing, 5G technology, renewable energy and low emission mobility, the areas that could benefit from greater bilateral cooperation. Indias collaboration with Finland in the technology segment has done well for companies like Nokia and digital technology would naturally be an area of future collaboration between the two countries, he said. Under the deal announced by both the sides on Monday, an Indo-Finnish virtual network centre on quantum computing would be set up, said an official statement from the ministry of science and technology. A deal to this effect was signed by officials from both the sides in the presence of Singh and Lintila. Lintila said that he would be meeting commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri. We try to open doors for companies for cooperation. In energy sector we have solutions which could be very interesting for India, for example in waste-to-energy and circular economy," said Lintila. The minister said that connectivity is a key area in bilateral cooperation. The MoU signed today looks at quantum technology opportunity. There are specific areas where Finland is really advanced. We have strong research (capability) and companies that have technology," said the minister. The statement from the science and technology ministry said quoting Jitendra Singh that bilateral collaboration between the two countries was an attempt to stimulate innovative research and development projects that address specific needs or challenges, demonstrate high industrial relevance and commercial potential and aim to deliver benefit to both the nations. Singh said that the Department of Science & Technology has started several mission mode programs covering electric vehicles, quantum technologies, future manufacturing and green hydrogen fuel and have sought collaboration with Finland in solving issues of societal challenges. We are an export country. More than 40% of our GDP come from exports. We strongly support open trade. We (India and Finland) have good trade relations and we have to continue that and companies have a big role in that," said Lintila. On the proposed Free Trade Agreement between India and the EU, the minister said that a trade agreement tailored for todays needs--not a conventional one, but one that facilitates a broad range of economic cooperation-- would be in the interest India, Finland and the EU. An email sent to the ministries of power and petroleum and natural gas on Monday evening remained unanswered at the time of publishing. Millions of tourists flock to the Leaning Tower of Pisa every year, drawn to its gravity-defying tilt that has withstood centuries. But how much longer will this iconic Italian attraction stand? Understanding the tower's future structural integrity (or lack thereof) requires a look at its past. Construction began on the bell tower within the Piazza del Duomo, or Cathedral Square, in 1173, marking the start of two centuries of on-and-off building interrupted by wars. Even from the first few floors, builders of the tower noticed a southward lean. The main culprit? The malleable soil underneath, softened by the area's high water table. Instead of scrapping the attempt and starting again, the builders got creative. They built each floor at an angle to try to correct the tilt only to have the tower lean even more. This resulted in a slight " banana shape," said Gabriele Fiorentino, a Marie Curie research fellow in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. Upon its completion in around 1370, the tower tilted at 1.6 degrees. The finished structure was a hollow cylinder that rose eight stories, reaching about 196 feet (60 meters) high. Its masonry skeleton composed of rock fragments and mortar was coated with marble, columns and vaults. Related: What is the oldest known archaeological site in the world? As the tower's slant gradually grew to 5.5 degrees, the Italian government took action to protect the landmark, according to Fiorentino. In 1990, it appointed a committee of experts to mitigate the lean but without eliminating it and its tourist attraction. "It's one of the symbols of Italy," Fiorentino told Live Science. "There is a great debate around how much we can change about the monument. It's part of the culture." The committee first affixed 600 tons (544 metric tons) of lead to the base of the tower's north side in 1993, hoping to compensate for the sinking southern side. But this didn't stop the rate of tilt, even after they added an extra 300 tons (272 metric tons) to the north side, along with ground anchors, according to Fiorentino. After more brainstorming, the committee attempted "underexcavation" that is, using long tubes and drills to noninvasively remove the ground beneath the north side of the tower's foundation. As soil was removed, the structure slowly started to rotate northward. These efforts decreased the tower's lean by 10%, leaving it at a 5-degree slant. "When they did it, they said they [turned] back the clock of the tower by 200 years," Fiorentino said. This was only a temporary fix, he said, and it's impossible to estimate how much longer the tower will stand. Within the next 300 years, it could tilt back to its 5.5-degree lean from the 1990s, shifting atop the soft soil yet again. But in the meantime, the tower is safe for a few reasons, Fiorentino said. First, the long interruptions to the tower's construction gave the structure time to settle into the malleable soil, fortifying its structure until the next bout of building. Additionally, because the tower's base is thicker than its column-coated upper half, its center of mass is lower to the ground, making it more stable. Fiorentino's own research has investigated why the tower has fared well during earthquakes despite its precarious tilt. He and his colleagues learned that it has a longer, less destructive natural vibration period or the time it takes structures to vibrate back and forth during seismic activity thanks to the soft soil under the tower's foundation, which offers the building protection from the region's earthquakes. Although no physical interventions are planned, the tower is monitored constantly with instruments that measure factors such as its tilt and the water table. For now, iconic history will live on through the tower. Just like the " ancient Romans wanted to build monuments that last," like the Coliseum, so did the tower's builders, Fiorentino said. "They wanted them to be eternal." Originally published on Live Science on July 5, 2011, and updated on April 18, 2022. Click here to read the full article. More than 400 French artists and entertainment figures, including Juliette Binoche and Charlotte Gainsbourg, have signed an emotionally charged op-ed published in Le Monde newspaper on April 15 to urge people to vote for incumbent President Emmanuel Macron during the election runoff on April 24. The letter is aimed at those who may not support Macrons politics, probably didnt vote for him during the first round of the election and are now inclined to abstain from going to the polls next Sunday. Actors, filmmakers, musicians, artists and producers who signed the plea argue that casting a ballot in favor of Macron, a pro-EU centrist, is an absolute necessity as it is the only way to beat far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. Like in 2017, Macron and Le Pen qualified for the runoff with 27.84% and 23.15% of the vote, respectively. Many people in the film and cultural industries voted for Jean-Luc Melenchon, the hardleft candidate and leader of La France Insoumise party. After being defeated with 21.95 % of the vote, Melenchon called on his supporters to not give a single vote to Le Pen but elected against encouraging them to go vote for Macron. Its the third time a far-right candidate makes it to the second round of the election since the Fifth Republic was established by Charles de Gaulle in 1958. Before the 2017 election, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marines father, who founded the notoriously anti-semitic and xenophobic Front National party, faced incumbent President Jacques Chirac in 2002. Chirac and Macron ultimately won the 2002 and 2017 elections with 82.21% and 66.10 % of votes, respectively. Le Pen has gained significant ground since rebranding her party Rassemblement National in 2018 to widen her base, as well as making appeals to the centre and even to the left. During this race, she positioned herself as a socialist and has been increasingly perceived as a more moderate candidate compared to the other more radical far-right candidate, Eric Zemmour, a former pundit who was nicknamed Frances Trump. Le Pens political program, however, continues to pose a threat to democratic and republican principles, argues the plea, which was also signed by Jane Birkin, Francois Cluzet, Gilles Lellouche, Guillaume Canet, Fabrice Luchini, Jeanne Balibar and Caroline Benjo, among others. Here are some abstracts of the letter: Actresses and actors of the world of culture and live entertainment, we often have profound disagreements () with the power in place. We have also felt deceptions, anger and even rage. But even if the outcome of this elections first round was not one we hoped for, even if some of us still feel some distrust (towards Macron), today, there is no hesitation, no doubt, wavering. We dont put on the same level democracy and populism, (or) a democratic government and the Rassemblement National. Nothing in Marine Le Pens program reflects the legacy of France as a country of resistance, humanism, generosity and openness towards the world. Tomorrow, we dont dare to imagine what would become of our countrys cultural landscape if (she won the election). We cannot imagine, at the helm of France, a candidate whose program remains one of xenophobia and bigotry, a candidate who made alliances with totalitarian (regimes). We cant imagine the feeling of the Ukrainian people who have been invaded, bombarded and massacred, when they would discover that we have elected an accomplice of the Kremlins leader at the head of our country. We cant imagine that France, the country of the enlightenment and the Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen, would bring to power a president whose self-proclaimed friendships with the worst dictators in power, and cause us shame or dishonor. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. After a break from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Natalie Portman is back and more powerful than ever in the first teaser for Thor: Love and Thunder. The fourth film in the Thor series is directed by Taika Waititi, who helmed the well-received Thor: Ragnarok. The movie follows on the heels of Avengers: Endgame, which ended with Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth), adrift after the fall of his kingdom Asgard, leaving Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The teaser begins with him as a member of the group, with Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel set to reprise their roles. Previous MCU stars Tessa Thompson and Waititi himself as the rock gladiator Korg will also return for the film, but the biggest moment of the teaser comes in the final seconds, when Portmans Jane Foster is revealed as the new Mighty Thor. Set to Guns N Roses Sweet Child O Mine, the trailer begins with Thor on a quest of self-discovery. These hands were once used for battle, now theyre but humble tools for peace, he says as he puts aside his new hammer Stormbreaker and watches an intergalactic sunset. Now I need to figure out exactly who I am. After a weight-loss training montage and a new outfit, Thor leaves the Guardians of the Galaxy behind to find his own path. He claims his superhero days are over and sets off with Korg across the galaxy. The teaser shows brief glimpses of Thompsons Valkyrie ruling over New Asgard as its king, a lightning-bolt wielding man whos likely Russell Crowe as the Greek god Zeus, and Thor on a pirate ship kissing an unknown woman. Capping off the teaser, Portman calls down Thors hammer Mjolnir, which is now magically pieced back together, and debuts her comic-accurate Mighty Thor costume. Theres no sign of Christian Bales villain, Gorr the God Butcher, but the plot description describes him as a killer seeking the extinction of the gods. Thor, Valkyrie, Korg and Jane will have to team up on a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butchers vengeance and stop him before its too late. The story of Love and Thunder is based on Jason Aarons critically-acclaimed run on the comic book The Mighty Thor, which saw Jane Foster, who dated and broke up with Thor, take up the superheros mantle after the sacred hammer Mjolnir deemed the Odinson unworthy and stripped him of his powers. In the comics, however, Fosters newfound power-up comes at a heavy cost: Every time she uses the hammer, her breast cancer becomes worse and worse. Its unclear whether the movie will follow the same storyline, though. Portman reprises the role of Jane after last appearing in 2013s Thor: the Dark World. She reportedly left the series due to being unhappy with the film, and particularly the replacement of the original director Patty Jenkins with Alan Taylor. However, Waititi reportedly directly convinced Portman to return to the MCU for the project. In addition to old faces, Love and Thunder will also introduce new cast members to the franchise. Bales Gorr the God Butcher is a more recent addition to the Marvel canon, having been created by Aaron and Esad Ribic in 2013. Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone are also expected to make cameo appearances. Jenny Morris and Simon Russell Beale have been cast in undisclosed roles for the film. Jaimie Alexander, Sean Gunn and Jeff Goldblum are also set to reprise their MCU roles. Waititi wrote the script for the film with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The film is produced by Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum. Marvel Studios produces. The movie filmed in Sydney, Australia last year, after being delayed repeatedly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thor: Love and Thunder premieres in theater July 8. Watch the full trailer below. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. NEW YORK - Tracy Letts has written a play that will be Ibsen-esque catnip for anyone who enjoys seeing the ruling class exposed for all its self-deceptions, indiscretions and hypocrisies. That is to say: I adored it. "The Minutes" had its official opening Sunday at Broadway's Studio 54, in a juicily subversive production directed by Anna D. Shapiro. Taking place during a closed city council meeting in mythical Big Cherry in Almost Anystate, U.S.A., this sterling comedy-drama starts in unassumingly sedate fashion. Ninety minutes later, it explodes like a meticulously wrapped gift that had been hiding a live grenade. What unfolds in between is a scathing satire of the American way - which is to say, the official predilection for denial, denial, denial of the country's historic sins, particularly as they concern the cruel treatment of its original inhabitants. "Democracy's messy," Big Cherry's mayor, played with impeccable control freakiness by stage and film actor Letts himself, opines to the council's dissenting member, Mr. Peel (an outstanding Noah Reid). That declaration is a smokescreen for the ongoing effort to perpetuate Big Cherry's Big Lie - concerning the town's origin story - which playwright Letts exhilaratingly brings to light, point by mendacious point. There's a hallowed tradition for this kind of story of malign civic behavior - and a hero who challenges the institutions that uphold it. Frank Capra gave us one on film, in Jimmy Stewart's Mr. Smith, who went to Washington and found it in need of a long lecture. Reginald Rose, in his 1950s drama "Twelve Angry Men," offered up the lone juror who turns the tide against prejudice and injustice. The genre's foundational drama debuted 140 years ago: In Henrik Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People," conscientious Dr. Stockmann discovers that a Norwegian town's spa waters have been making tourists sick - and the town seeks to destroy him for blowing the whistle. Here, set designer David Zinn places us grandly, even affectionately, in the realistic government chambers of an average American city. Letts fills the council seats with a gallery of petty tyrants, fading hangers-on and close-minded guardians of their own best interests. They're portrayed by an ensemble out of a director's dreams. In mentioning several, I get to recall their wonderful performances: Jessie Mueller as council clerk Ms. Johnson, a survivor if there ever was one; Jeff Still as Mr. Assalone, the bullying local pol with his hands in too many tills; Blair Brown as Ms. Innes, the old-timer with a spine made of cellophane; Danny McCarthy as Mr. Hanratty, whose ideals extend only so far as the boundaries of his own family. Then there is the play's not-so-secret comic weapon: Austin Pendleton as senior council member Mr. Oldfield, a fossil who lives just this side of lucidity and whose No. 1 legislative priority is securing the building's available dedicated parking space. Pendleton gets every laugh Letts tosses his way, like a cleanup batter who can handle any pitch. (K. Todd Freeman, Ian Barford, Cliff Chamberlain and Sally Murphy play the other council members, all to memorable effect.) "The Minutes" pokes at that sensitive area of American skin - predominantly White - that's invested in a mythology of European virtue and buries a tarnished history of ethnic cleansing. It will doubtless infuriate those who rail against critical race theory, or anything asserting that America's nation-building occurred without a heavenly seal of approval. That sanctimonious posturing is enshrined in the Big Cherry Heritage Festival, a celebration whose entire rationale is undermined by a council member who has discovered the sordid truth of Big Cherry's past. The council's newest member, Mr. Peel, then learns that the minutes of the meeting at which the secrets were revealed have mysteriously been suppressed. The excavation of the city's rotten roots includes a marvelous interlude, orchestrated by Shapiro and choreographer Ty Defoe, that enlists the politicians in an elaborate reenactment of Big Cherry's origin story (fans of Christopher Guest's movies, particularly "Waiting for Guffman," will recognize the kind of parody Letts is going for). Yes, for sure, a bit of urbane condescension spices Letts's comedy, but small-town folkways and the affectations of community leaders are ripe for sendup. I started my journalism life many moons ago as a nightside reporter, covering town councils and planning and zoning boards in little towns in central New Jersey, and let me tell you: Letts's portrait brought back many familiar episodes. Letts is a playwright who reliably goes to extremes, whether in slasher stage comedies such as the great "Killer Joe" or histrionic melodramas, including his Pulitzer Prize-winning "August: Osage County." So the wildly theatrical denouement of "The Minutes" will come as no surprise to his fans. It makes for an ugly and shocking - but also wholly appropriate - adjournment to an electrifying meeting with America's shame. - - - "The Minutes," by Tracy Letts. Set, David Zinn; costumes, Ana Kuzmanic; lighting, Brian MacDevitt; sound and music, Andre Pluess; choreography, Ty Defoe. About 90 minutes. At Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St., New York. 212-239-6200. telecharge.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate After two years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a letter in late February regarding a revision to their previous flood plain map suggested by the team behind the Rancho Viejo Waste Management landfill, the Pescadito Landfill. Ultimately, the letter rejected the changes suggested by RVWM. The letter by RVWM suggested a revision to FEMAs flood insurance rate map and flood insurance study report. It suggested modifications to the Base Flood Elevations, Special Flood Hazard Areas, zone designations and regulatory floodways for San Juanito Creek Tributary and San Juanito Creek Tributary 1-5, stated the agency. Another major factor in the opposition against the landfills location was the fact that the proposed project was set to be built on a 100-year floodplain. The project was stalled as state law, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality does not allow solid waste disposal operations, leading to the county not issuing a permit for the project in 2016. After reviewing the data submitted with the appeal, FEMA determined that it did not warrant changing the issued LOMR, Case No. 18-06-2680P, which became effective on November 25, 2019 (hereafter, the November 25, 2019, LOMR), FEMA wrote. However, FEMA opened Case No. 20-06-0595P to further review the data and determine if a revision to the effective flood hazard information was warranted. As FEMA is in charge of reviewing flood maps and the national flood insurance program, the agency does not issue permits of any kind for projects like the Pescadito Landfill. However, their scientific analysis sets the basis for the flood plain map in 2019, that indicated that the project was indeed in a flood plain. Further review by FEMA was indicated to have the same outcome with a new case analyzing the flood hazard information and stating that their map did not need revision. This comes after a years-long battle between the RVWM and property owner Carlos C.Y. Benavides against his family, state representatives, local officials, environmental activists and surrounding residents; all who lamented the idea of building a landfill close to rural communities around Laredo. This included three public meetings on the subject, a lawsuit against the Webb County floodplain administrator, family disputes over property rights and accusations of environmental racism, the Texas Tribune previously reported. According to Austin based advocate Ray Sullivan, who stood alongside prominent landfill opponent Ana Galo and Benavides cousin in 2016, following FEMAs decision, there are just a few options for Benavides to take that will keep the project alive. If the applicant wants to go ahead and continue this project or a similar project, they should start from scratch and get their science and their rule-following right from the beginning on a new application, Sullivan suggested. Additionally, Sullivan said that he believed there is also the risk of the TCEQ outright rejecting the project if the application deficiencies prevail. Benavides could not be reached for comment regarding this story. A Dallas resident has been sentenced to prison for attempting to smuggle about $1.1 million in meth, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Luke Law, 20, had pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 to smuggling 55.46 pounds of meth. On April 14, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo sentenced him to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. A woman told authorities that her husband made arrangements for her to transport migrants, according to an arrest affidavit. Kassandra Jeaneth Avalos, 24, was charged with smuggling of persons, criminal conspiracy. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) A Kentucky jury has awarded a man $450,000 who sued his employer after he asked them not to celebrate his birthday at work and they did it anyway. Kevin Berling told his manager at Gravity Diagnostics in Covington in 2019 that a birthday celebration would cause him immense stress. But the company didn't heed his request, and Berling suffered a panic attack, the Courier Journal reported. The next day Berling had another panic attack when his supervisor chastised him for stealing his co-workers joy and being a little girl," according to a lawsuit. Berling was fired after the second attack. Berling alleged in his lawsuit the company discriminated against him based on a disability and retaliated against him for demanding a reasonable accommodation to it. The jury returned the verdict after a two-day trial in Kenton County that ended in late March. The jury awarded him $300,000 for emotional distress and $150,000 in lost wages. An attorney for the company, Katherine Kennedy, said it continues to deny liability and is pursuing its post-trial options. Julie Brazil, the companys founder and chief operating officer, said in an email statement to the newspaper that with ever-increasing incidents of workplace violence, this verdict sets a very dangerous precedent for employers and most importantly employees that unless physical violence actually occurs, workplace violence is acceptable. Brazil said that her employees, rather than the plaintiff, were the victims in the case. Berling's attorney, Tony Bucher, said once the jury got to meet his client, they realized the companys claim that he posed a threat was far-fetched. Berling had told his supervisor that a birthday celebration would bring back bad childhood memories surrounding his parents divorce. The supervisor forgot to pass along his request, the company said. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Northern Irish police have marked the third anniversary of Lyra McKee's murder with another appeal for information. Ms McKee, 29, was shot dead in Derry as she observed rioting in the Creggan area in April 2019. An extremist group styling itself the New IRA has previously claimed it was responsible for killing the journalist and author. Detective Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan said, "As we approach the third anniversary of the murder of Lyra McKee on 18 April 2019, our thoughts very much remain with her family, partner, friends and colleagues. Lyras family not only continue to mourn for her but also for her mother, who sadly passed away after Lyras murder. "To date, as part of our ongoing investigation, we have made 30 arrests and nine people have been charged, three with murder and six with public order offences. The investigation into Lyras murder remains very active and I would like to thank the community for their response and support throughout our investigation. I want to re-state the commitment of the police service to work with the community as we collectively seek to release communities from the influence of terrorists. While grateful for the considerable public support we have received, we still need the publics help. If anyone has any information about the events which led up to Lyras murder, and they have yet to come forward, please contact detectives in absolute confidence by calling 101. Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers completely confidentially 0800 555 111. The sister of murdered journalist Lyra McKee has made a fresh appeal for information to bring her killer to justice. Vigils were held in memory of the 29-year-old in Belfast and Derry today (Monday April 18) the third anniversary of her death. Her friends and family visited the spot at Fanad Drive in Derry where she died after being struck by a bullet during rioting in the area three years ago. No one has yet been convicted of her murder. An extremist group styling itself the New IRA has previously claimed it was responsible for killing her. Her sister Nichola Corner told the vigil in Derry that her family are still waiting for justice. Three years ago our sister Lyra McKee was murdered here in this city, and still three years on, we are waiting for justice for Lyra, the person who pulled the trigger of the gun that led to her death still walks these streets, and while they walk these streets, these streets will not be safe for the people of this city, she said. We appeal to anyone with information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for our sister's death, we appeal to them to come forward. Its never too late. We want to thank all the people who have come to honour Lyra and to remember her as a journalist, as a human being and as a person who loved this city. We hope that youll continue to keep Lyra in your hearts and in your minds in a very dignified way. In Belfast, a new banner in memory of Ms McKee was unveiled on the steps of St Annes Cathedral, where then Prime Minister Theresa May, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish president Michael D Higgins were among those who attended her funeral in 2019. Police have also made a fresh appeal for information to bring those responsible for Ms McKees murder to justice. Detectives said they have made 30 arrests and nine people have been charged, three with murder and six with public order offences, in relation to the shooting of the author. Tech & Science, Family & Parenting, Community, Charity & Cause, Arts & Culture, Seasonal & Current Events By Kelly Tenny Published: August 09 2014 During your travels around Long Island keep your eyes out for cool, quirky, roadside attractions and landmarks. Looking for something out of the ordinary to do? Do you enjoy road trips and discovering interesting landmarks and attractions along the way? Why not plan a mini road trip around Long Island to seek out all of the kitschy roadside attractions Long Island has to offer! Youll be sure to learn a little bit of weird Long Island history at the sites and discover a side of Long Island you never experienced before. Bring the family along and make a day of it. Youll get tons of great pictures at the sites and you can show your friends and family all of the amazingly awesome attractions lining the Long Island roadways. Dont forget to look over our DIY road trip emergency kit for ideas of what to bring with you, just in case, on your roadside Long Island journey. Grumman Memorial Park Off Route 25 near 25A intersection in Calverton As youre driving down this more wooded section of Route 25 you begin to see a shape taking form above the trees. Once the trees have cleared you are greeted with a huge F-14A Tomcat, lifted up upon a pedestal. The park is a tribute to advances in aviation and aerospace which have taken place on Long Island, especially through the Grumman Corporation. You can visit the attraction for free and walk around the one acre site reading the informative plaques and standing in awe of this marvel of machinery. Casa Basso Restaurant Off Montauk Highway in Westhampton Twelve foot tall dueling musketeers, a castle, mythological characters, and jumping horses greet visitors to this unique Italian restaurant. The statues and sculptures have a rich history dating back to the late 19th century when artist Theophilus Brower built a castle similar to one hed seen in Seville, Spain then adorned it with romantic sculptures. Make sure to bring the kids along, they will have a blast exploring all of the sculptures and eccentric fare around the grounds. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Off Route 83 at Bald Hill in Farmingville Situated on one of the highest points on Long Island, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial commemorates the efforts and losses of all those who fought and sacrificed for our country during the Vietnam War. It was built in the early 1990s and is a beautiful obelisk shape with a pointed top decorated with the bold colors of the American flag. The memorial is free and there are benches all around the memorial making it a great spot to sit, have lunch, and catch a nice breeze. The Big Duck Off Route 24 in Flanders Its quite impossible to miss The Big Duck as you drive down route 24 in Flanders, NY. The structure is 20 feet tall, bright white, and of course, is in the shape of a very large duck. In the 1930s The Big Duck was originally envisioned to be a place for Martin and Jeule Maurer to sell their farm raised Peking ducks. The Big Duck now serves as a tourist center and gift shop. If you can, try to visit the duck the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving. On that day they hold the annual holiday lighting of the Big Duck. What roadside Long Island attractions and landmarks have you come across in your travels? Which ones do you still want to discover? Let us know below in the comments! [Source: Suffolk County, Grumman Park, Casa Basso, Suffolk County] Pictured: "The Big Duck" in Flanders. Photo by Bob Gutowski, via Wikimedia Commons. CC-BY-2.0. Local News By Long Island Published: April 18 2022 Landlords Who Receive Payments from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program Cannot Raise Rents for 12 Months New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an advisory to landlords reminding them that they cannot raise rents if they accepted or plan to accept funding from the states Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), which was recently expanded in the states budget. Landlords who accept payments from the program are prohibited from raising rents for a year after they receive the funds. Attorney General James is ready to take action to protect tenants if landlords fail to abide by ERAPs rules. The rules are clear: Landlords who accept ERAP payments cannot raise rents for 12 months, said Attorney General James. This program was created to support struggling tenants and keep New Yorkers in their homes during the pandemic. Landlords who accepted payments from the state yet are still raising rents are double dipping and breaking the law. I urge any tenant who accepted ERAP payments and received a new lease with rent increases from their landlord to contact my office. ERAP is a rent relief program that provides support to low- and moderate-income tenants across the state who could not pay rent during the pandemic. Since the state started accepting applications in June 2021, it has provided hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers with financial support to pay off back rent. It pays up to 12 months of rental arrears accrued on or after March 13, 2020 as well as up to three months of additional rental assistance going forward. In addition, the program pays up to 12 months of electric or gas utility arrears that accrued on or after March 13, 2020. The program was recently infused with an additional $800 million. Landlords who accept ERAP payments agreed: Not to increase the monthly rental amount for one year from receipt of the ERAP payment; To waive any late fees due on any rental arrears covered by the ERAP payment; and Not to evict ERAP recipients when their lease expires. This does not apply if the apartment is in a building of four or fewer units and the property owner or owners immediate family members intend to immediately occupy the unit for use as a primary residence. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has received reports from tenants that landlords who accepted ERAP payments are sending them renewal leases with rent increases amid the 12-month grace period. While these leases may be generated automatically by management, landlords are cautioned not to seek rent increases in renewal or new leases that commence during the 12-month period. Now more than ever, it is critical for tenants across New York to empower themselves and know their rights under ERAP, and for landlords to adhere to the law, said Judith Goldiner, attorney-in-charge of Civil Law Reform Unit, The Legal Aid Society. We applaud Attorney General James for putting property owners on notice and reinforcing that there will be serious consequences for unscrupulous landlords. The Emergency Rental Assistance program has been an effective tool in ensuring tenants can remain housed during a global health crisis, said Meghan Zickl, legal tenant advocate, PUSH Buffalo. Continuing to fund ERAP is a decision we are relieved the New York state legislature made a priority in the most recent state budget. However, we remain concerned about landlords who will take advantage of this mutually beneficial program and seek to undermine the tenant protections in it by raising the rent during the first year, apply excessive late fees, or even trying to move their tenants out, all while accepting ERAP. We have seen this happen in the prior round of ERAP funding, and we must remain aware of those patterns and address them if our goal is to stabilize our communities. The state law that implemented ERAP took measures to promote housing stability, said Jill Bradshaw-Soto, Esq, chief program officer, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. Our clients face numerous obstacles to maintaining safe and sustainable housing and these challenges have increased during the pandemic. As the majority of tenants in housing court are unrepresented, it is critical that both tenants and landlords are informed and understand the ERAP program and its protections. During the COVID19 pandemic hundreds of families in North Brooklyn struggled with staying safe and healthy but lost income had difficulty meeting housing costs, said Frank Lang, housing director, St. Nicks Alliance. In 2021 St. Nicks Alliance assisted over 200 households apply to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) so these families dont become homeless. We remind landlords that received ERAP funds to comply with the program regulations. To tenants that received ERAP assistance we encourage them to seek Housing Counseling assistance to ensure that their housing rights are protected. Attorney General James offers the following tips and guidance to tenants who have received funding from ERAP: THE businessman, who claimed to have seeded a US$300 000 Bentley Continental to Prophet Uebert, nine years ago, is the same man today being accused of allegedly abusing his lover Monica Gadu. Last week, H-Metro exclusively reported about the fallout between Ndabazinengi Shava, 43, the buinessman, and his lover, Gadu, 30, with whom he has a child who is one year-old. Gadu claims she has been a victim of abuse, allegedly inflicted by Shava, who has allegedly been threatening to withdraw all the financial support, exposing the woman and her baby to the possibility of being thrown out of the house they are renting. Recently, Gadu posted their photographs, and that of their one-year-old baby, into the inbox of Shavas wife, Eurita. She said she was protesting over unpaid rentals and lack of support and described Shava as abusive. It is better for me to suffer with my child than to continue living in silence while being physically and emotionally abused by Shava, said Monica. I have approached the police several times about being assaulted, but the cases die because of threats that I would lose financial support. Ndofa nekurohwa nekuda mari here yandinopihwa nemuseredzero asi ini ndakabereka mwana naye? I have some photographs of my buttocks and face bruised and he warns me about taking the matter to law enforcement agencies, or anyone in authority, and threatens to kill me. For how long will I live and die silently for the sake of money and a marriage which he does not want to introduce to his legal wife? It is true that I posted some photographs and messages between me and him to his wife Eurita for her to understand my plight. She has since lodged another police report against Shava under RRB 5011895 at Rhodesville Police Station over the threats she received after H-Metro published their story last week. Shava sent threatening messages following the publication of his story and I decided to lodge a police report fearing for my life, said Monica. He threatened to come and deal with me and return to South Africa where he would reside forever. It is better for me to have peace of mind than to be emotionally and physically abused for the sake of being supported financially, she said. Shava denied harassing Gadu but conceded there were some challenges in their relationship. Ndewangu mukadzi wemusikanzwa uyo asi zvaarikutaura ndezvekunyepa nekuti ndakatobhadhara mari yerent ye mwedzi miviri, said Shava. There are some issues behind her claim of lack of support which she does not want to tell. She has not been faithful and I never assaulted her as alleged, but she is hiding the real issues. I do not have one house in Harare, for her to struggle for accommodation, even her Greendale rented house is paid up. She is after fighting me because she sent some photographs of me with her and the child to my wifes Facebook account, exposing me, and I do not know why she is doing this. However, it has since emerged that Shava is the same businessman who dragged Prophet Angel to court over a US$300 000 Bentley Continental he claimed to have seeded to the Spirit Embassy leader. In June 2015, the case collapsed after High Court judge, Justice November Mtshiya, confirmed Prophet Angels sale of the vehicle to another local businessman, after dismissing Shavas application, to repossess the vehicle, with costs. Shava did not appear in court for the judgment. He had claimed he donated the car to Angel after being promised his blessings with increase three-fold. However, this did not happen, as promised. Whereupon, after reading documents filed of record and hearing counsel (Angels lawyer, Advocate Webster Chinamora), it is ordered that plaintiff (Shava) being in default, claim is dismissed with costs, read the judges order. In the court papers, Prophet Angel disputed that Shava was the owner of the vehicle, as he claimed. The Respondent (Shava) was never the owner of the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle was owned by one Anderson Tagara whose name appears on the registration book, said Prophet Angel. Further, the motor vehicle was purchased from Anderson Tagara by Benjamin Mudzanire the Applicants (Prophet Angel) brother and there is an agreement of sale to that effect. H Metro EPFO, or Employee Provident Fund Organisation, is a statutory government body administered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. EPFO is responsible for the management and regulation of the Provident Fund (PF) in India. A Universal Account Number, or UAN, is a unique id used to access all the information related to the Employee Provident Fund (EPF). The EPFO Login can be done using the UAN (EPFO UAN Login). UAN login is also used to access the UAN Passbook online. As UAN is mandatory to access the employee data, an employee can use the EPFO member login to get the UAN passbook. Also Read: National Generic Document Registration System Let us examine the details related to EPFO Login and UAN. What is UAN UAN or Universal Account Number is a unique number assigned to the salaried employees who are covered under the Employee Provident Fund program. The UAN allows access to the EPFO passbook, PF contribution details, balance check of the EPF account. Being a unique number, UAN is transferable in case the employee switches to a new job. It is essential to link the UAN with the AADHAR number of the employee, failing which the employer will not be able to contribute to the PF account. A salaried employee who makes a PF contribution must have his/her UAN number. This unique number comes in handy in cases of job change and PF money withdrawal etc. Do you wish to know how you should find your UAN number? Read on. UAN login: How do I know my UAN Number Before the UAN facility, the EPFO used to work manually. However, with the introduction of a unique number UAN (UAN Login), the computerised system has enabled a seamless UAN login. You can ask your employer to provide the UAN number. It is generally written on the monthly salary slips. If you are facing challenges in accessing the UAN number, you can know your UAN online. To know your UAN number, follow the below-mentioned steps- Step 1: (EPFO Login) Login to the official website of the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), i.e., https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/ Step 2: On the right-hand bar, click on the Know your UAN tab. Step 3: When you click on the Know Your UAN tab, the system will be redirected to the following page. Step 4: Enter the Mobile Numbers and the Captcha code and click on the Request for OTP button. Step 5: You will receive an OTP on the registered Mobile number. Step 6: Enter the OTP and click on the Validate OTP button. Step 7: the system will verify the OTP and you will be redirected to the following screen. Step 8: Here, you will be asked to fill in the details such as Name, Date of Birth, AADHAR/Pan Card/Member ID and the captcha code. Step 9: Click on the Show My UAN. The UAN will be displayed on the screen. UAN login is essential to access the UAN Member portal and UAN Passbook. One can use the UAN to login into the EPFO portal (EPFO UAN login). Once you know your UAN, you can use it to login on the EPFO portal. (EPFO Login). Follow the below mentioned steps to login using UAN (UAN Login). Also Read: QR Code Scams on Realty Portals UAN Login: How to do UAN login on UAN portal? Follow the below-mentioned steps for UAN Login. Step 1: (EPFO Login) Login to the official portal of Employee Provident Fund Organisation. Step 2: Go to the UAN login on the right-hand side and enter the UAN number and password. Step 3: Once you enter the UAN and password, you will enter the dashboard of the concerned person. Step 4: The dashboard will have details like UAN, Name, Date of birth, gender, Aadhar, Pan Number, Bank Account Number, registered Mobile Number, and users email id. Step 5: Under the UAN dashboard, a person can perform various activities such as view the passbook, manage the account, change password, and download pdf etc. Step 6: When you click on the View button on the front, you have the options such as Profile, Service History, UAN Card and Passbook. You can apply for a UAN Card or check the passbook to view the current balance. You can also see the service history in this section. Step 7: When you click on the manage button you have options such as Basic Details, Contact Details, Know Your Customers (KYC), E-nomination for assigning the nominee etc. Step 8: You can manage the PF account using the Account button and even change the password for the account. Step 9: Under the Online services tab, you can perform the following actions- Claim for Form 31,19,10 C and 10 D Request for One Member -One PF Account Track Claim Status Download Annexure K As mentioned, the UAN number is the primary requirement to login into the EPFO portal (epfo login). It must be highlighted that before an employee could use the UAN number only after it is activated. UAN Login: How to activate the UAN Number? The activation of the UAN number is very important to avail of the services available on the EPFO portal (EPFO Login). Here is the step-by-step method to activate the UAN number. Step 1: Visit the homepage of EPFO. Step 2: On the right-hand bar, click on the Activate UAN option. Step 3: Once you click on the Activate UAN option, the system will be redirected to the following screen. Step 4: You will be required to fill in the details such as UAN, Member ID, AADHAR, Name, Date of birth, Mobile Number and Captcha code. Step 5: Once the details are filled in, you will be required to check the declaration. The declaration says that you authenticate the agency to use the Aadhar number, OTP and other basic details. Step 6: Tick the declaration box and click on Get Authorisation Pin. Step 7: Once you get the authorization PIN, you will be required to enter it on the screen, and your UAN number will be activated and ready for EPFO login. UAN Passbook: How to view the EPF member passbook? The UAN number can be used to check the PF balance. An EPFO UAN Passbook can be seen in the following steps. Step 1: Visit the homepage of EPFO (EPFO Login). Step 2: Go to the UAN login on the right-hand side and enter the UAN number and password. Step 3: Once you enter the UAN and password, you will enter the dashboard of the concerned person. Step 4: Under the UAN dashboard, a person can perform various activities such as view the passbook, manage the account, change password, download pdf etc. Step 5: When you hit the View button on the front, you have the options such as Profile, Service History, UAN Card and UAN Passbook. You can apply for the UAN Card or check the passbook to view the current balance. Step 6: Click on the Check passbook option. Step 7: You will be taken to a dashboard where you can see the UAN passbook details and the transactions on a month-on-month basis. The EPF members can also change the contact details on the portal. After the UAN login, the contact details can be changed on the EPFO dashboard. Step 1: (EPFO Login) Login to the official portal of Employee Provident Fund Organisation. Step 2: Go to the UAN login on the right-hand side and enter the UAN number and password. Step 3: Once you enter the UAN and password, you will enter the dashboard of the concerned person. Step 4: Click on manage and click on the contact details button. Step 5: Once you click on the contact details, you will be taken to the following screen. Step 6: Click on the Change Mobile Number option, enter the new mobile number and hit the Get Authorisation Pin button. Step 7: Once you get the authorization pin on the mobile, enter the pin, and your mobile number will be changed in the EPFO records. EPFO Login: How to check the PF balance (PF balance check with UAN number) The PF is contributed both by the employee and the employers. An employee can seamlessly check the PF balance (pf balance check with uan number) in the following ways. Via Umang Mobile Application- An employee who has a PF account and UAN can download the UMANG Application from the Google play store and know the PF balance using the UAN. Via SMS- A user can check the PF Balance using the SMS services. The user can check the balance by sending a message (SMS) on 7738299899. The format of the message must be EPFO UAN ENG. The last three digits denote the language. The SMS must be sent through the registered mobile number only. Via Missed Call- the user can also check the PF balance by giving a missed call. The registered user must give a missed call on 011-22901406. The balance will be shown on the mobile. The missed call must be from the registered mobile number only. Also read: Loan Against PPF Conclusively, the EPFO Login helps a user to check the PF balance via UAN. The UAN login allows a user to access the dashboard online and avail of services such as EPFO passbook check, contact details change and track the status of claims. The UAN login has indeed streamlined the EPFO services What is IGR Maharashtra? IGR Maharashtra is the office of the Inspector General of Registration and Stamps in Maharashtra. IGR Maharashtra is responsible for services such as registration of property documents, payment of stamp duty, valuation of property, property tax computation, calculation of stamp duty amount, payment of stamp duty and registration fees, stamp duty refund and marriage registration etc. With a view to providing the mentioned services to the citizens, the Department of Registration & Stamps, Government of Maharashtra, has its website for Inspector General of registration and Stamps (IGRS). IGR Maharashtra offers various property-related documents and registration services online. IGR Maharashtra has minimized the need to visit the Sub-registrar office services related to document registration. The link for this website is www.igrmaharashtra.gov.in. Lets have a look at some of the key services which can be availed via the IGR Maharashtra Website- Also Read: Stamp Duty in Maharashtra IGR Maharashtra: How to Calculate Stamp Duty in Maharashtra? Stamp Duty is a tax payable on registering a legal document with the Government. Stamp Duty is applicable on various documents, including property sale agreement, leave and license (rental) agreement, gift deed, and mortgage deed, among others. Stamp Duty in Maharashtra is applicable at the rate of 3% to 6% of the total consideration value mentioned in the sale document. This rate differs as per the type of document, the type of area, and many other factors. IGR Maharashtra allows a user to calculate the stamp duty charges online. The exact stamp duty applicable can be calculated using the Stamp Duty Calculator option on the IGR Maharashtra website. A user can easily enter the details of the document and get an estimate of the applicable Stamp Duty. Follow the step-by-step method to calculate the stamp duty charges online. Step 1: Visit the official website of IGR Maharashtra, i.e. https://www.igrmaharashtra.gov.in/frmHOME.aspx Step 2: On the home page, click on the Stamp Duty Calculator tab. Step 3: As soon as you click on the tab, you will be redirected to the following link http://www.igrmahhelpline.gov.in/stamp-duty-calculator.php Step 4: Select the type of document to be registered. If it is a sale deed, click on the Sale Deed option. Step 5: In this step, select the concerned region from Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council, Cantonment or Gram Panchayat (Whichever is applicable). Step 6: If you select the Municipal Corporation option, you will be asked to choose the concerned Municipal Corporation. Step 7: Once you have selected the corporation, you will be required to fill the Consideration amount and Market value. Step 8: Click on the Calculate button. The desired stamp duty details will be displayed on the screen. Also Read: Bhu Naksha Maharashtra: View Land Map Online IGR Maharashtra: How to Search the Property Registration Details? The details of any property registered in Maharashtra can be found using the free search tool of the IGR Maharashtra website. Under this, details of all properties registered from the year 1985 in Mumbai city as well as suburban limits can be procured. For areas other than Mumbai, details are available only from 2002. However, for some selected areas other than Mumbai, details are available for 1985 to 2002 as well. Basic details such as property number and year of registration are required for searching property registration data on IGR Maharashtra. The facility to search a property based on the name of the property holder is also provided, but this is a paid service. To search for a property, follow the step-by-step process- Step 1: Visit the official website of IGR Maharashtra, i.e. https://www.igrmaharashtra.gov.in/frmHOME.aspx Step 2: On the home page, click on the E-search and select the free process option. The system will be redirected to https://freesearchigrservice.maharashtra.gov.in/Login.aspx Step 3: If you are not a registered user, create an account and register using the login Id and password. Step 4: Once you are logged in, select the relevant area of the property from the three options- Mumbai, Urban areas other than Mumbai, and the rest of Maharashtra. Step 5: Enter the relevant details of the property- viz. year of registration, district name, tehsil name, village name, and property no. (One can enter the survey no., plot no., or CTS no., etc. in case the exact property no. is not available, and then select the relevant property from the list populated below) Step 6: Select the relevant property from the list. Click on the Index II option. A PDF file mentioning the registration details will be downloaded. Also read: 7/12 Utara Mahabhulekh IGR Maharashtra: Payment of Stamp Duty and Registration Fees Once the stamp duty has been calculated as in the steps mentioned above, it can be paid online through the Government Receipt Accounting System (GRAS) available on the IGR Maharashtra website. Additionally, the applicable registration fees can also be paid through IGR Maharashtra. The user can use online as well as offline payment methods. Follow the below-mentioned procedure to pay stamp duty and registration charges online. Step 1: Visit the link https://gras.mahakosh.gov.in/igr/nextpage.php Step 2: Click on the Inspector General of Registration tab on the homepage. You will be redirected to the following screen. Step 3: Click on the Pay without registration (If you are an unregistered user). You will be redirected to the screen where you will have to fill in the details. Step 4: Select the required payment to be made: Only stamp duty Only registration fees Both stamp duty and registration fees together Step 5: Select the relevant district of the property, the sub-registrar office under whose jurisdiction the property falls, and the type of document. Step 6: Enter the stamp duty amount as calculated above. If the option of the registration fee is also selected, then the user needs to enter the registration fee as well. The registration fee is 1% of the consideration value mentioned in the document (Maximum Rs 30,000) Step 7: Enter the relevant details of the property and both the parties (buyer as well as a seller). Step 8: Select the mode of payment. The user can use online payment methods such as Credit/ Debit cards and internet banking. Users not familiar with online payment options can generate a challan through this portal and make the required payment at selected bank branches in cash or cheque. Step 9: Click on the Proceed button. Also Read: Your Guide to Executing a Registered Rent Agreement in Maharashtra IGR Maharashtra: How to Apply for Stamp Duty Refund? The IGR Maharashtra allows a user to file for a stamp duty refund in a seamless and online way. Follow the step-by-step method to apply for the stamp duty refund on IGR Maharashtra. Step 1: Step 1: Visit the official website of IGR Maharashtra, i.e. https://www.igrmaharashtra.gov.in/frmHOME.aspx Step 2: On the homepage, click on the Stamp Duty Refund tab. Step 3: As soon as you click on the button, you will be redirected to the following page. Step 4: Enter the refund token number and password and click on the View Status button. Step 5: The details of the refund status will be displayed on the screen. Also Read: Maharashtra Electricity Bill Payment IGR Maharashtra: How to Check Ready Reckoner Rates online? The IGR Maharashtra allows a user to check the latest ready reckoner rates online. Ready reckoner rates are decided by the Maharashtra Government. The ready Reckoner rates are the rates below which a property transaction cannot take place in a specified area. These rates are periodically revised by the state exchequer. Here is the step-by-step method to check the ready reckoner rates online on IGR Maharashtra. Step 1: Log in to the official website of IGR Maharashtra. https://www.igrmaharashtra.gov.in/frmHOME.aspx Step 2: Click on the E-ASR and Process tab. Step 3: The system will be redirected to the following screen. Step 4: On this map, you can select the concerned district for which you wish to know the Ready Reckoner Rates. Step 5: As soon as you select a district from the given map, the following window will be displayed. Step 6: Select the District, Taluka and Village and the Assessment Type, Assessment Range, and rates will be displayed on the screen. IGR Maharashtra: Other Services IGR Maharashtra portal provides a range of services. Some services other than those mentioned above can also be availed online through the website of IGR Maharashtra. These include: Conclusively, the IGR Maharashtra portal has played an excellent role in streamlining the online providence of citizen centric services. The citizens can easily access services such as stamp duty payment, stamp duty refund, challan search, refund status, ready reckoner rates and property search online on the IGR Maharashtra portal. Moreover, the IGR Maharashtra web portal has contributed immensely towards a transparent and efficient delivery of services in a digital mode. This week lets start with a quote by Albert Einstein. He said, The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking. Put another way, we must change our thinking of the past to realize and facilitate change within our community today. After the past couple years which impacted many small businesses and communities, it is important we remind ourselves of the real and tangible value small business brings to our community. Analyst Nick Rokke, of the Palm Beach Daily, recently indicated some astounding small business facts. Small businesses make up 99.7% of U.S. firms. They employ 49% of all Americans and create 64% of all new jobs. Stop, and let those figures sink in. Prior to the last couple years, the locally owned business environment was generally favorable in most communities throughout the country. Governments over time, and more recently with the help of COVID have become less favorable to small business. Even communities incorporating many of the proven tactics such as micro-TIF's, favorable tax rates, fewer regulations, city commitment and other initiatives to assist small businesses, are struggling to survive. Rokke also points out, with fewer regulations, businesses can more accurately predict the future allowing them to hire more employees and expand. Competitive tax rates allow businesses to keep more of their profits creating a stronger small-medium business base in the community. Micro-TIF's provide targeted funds for targeted areas of your community. City commitment and leaders can instill confidence and support. Why do I point out the above information? Now is the time for every community in America to focus their efforts inward and determine if their community is doing everything possible to support and build their local business base. Now is the time for your community to double down on efforts to assure small business growth. Now is the time to create an atmosphere of innovation, change, entrepreneurship, collaboration and synergy. There can be many reasons why this may not be occurring in your community. It may be regional headwinds not seen in other portions of the country, such as being tied to oil prices. It may be local and state taxes coupled with regulation, such as we see in states like Illinois, New Jersey or California stifling growth. It might be a soft labor market where open positions are hard to fill. The list of economic reasons is practically endless. In spite of the reasons above and others that we could add to the list, each community must take their future in their own hands. Be the future you wish to see. If taxes are too high, offer tax incentives. If regulations are stifling, reduce regulations making start-ups easy and painless. If you havent taken advantage of micro-TIF's, look into it and see if that fits your community. You might be surprised. If you have a tight labor market, provide tax incentives for hiring locals in lieu of out-of-town employees. For every issue, there seems to be an excuse. Dont dwell on excuses, seek solutions overcoming your issues through creativity, innovation, and a willingness to invest in local people. Many communities invest major dollars in courting national businesses, not that this is always bad. Evaluate the long-term impact of those dollars on your community. In most cases, the long-term impact is much worse than we can imagine or realize. Not to mention, when times get tough, national chains know no loyalty and will leave. Most importantly, while investing in small business, simultaneously invest in your downtown and the surrounding area. Not only are your downtowns the eyes into soul of your community, but national statistics also indicate investing dollars into your downtown bring the highest return (ROI) to your community. When downtowns are left to deteriorate, you can assure other parts of the community will soon follow. You wont see it overnight, it will be like a cancer or degenerative process that slowly infects the body until it is too weak to battle back. On the other hand, I have yet to see a rebuilt and vibrant downtown that hasnt positively impacted the entire community. Our downtowns are treasures, they link the past, present and future together. They are what drives small business growth throughout the entire community. They are what connects the young, middle aged, and the mature. They are the future for those communities seeking answers to a better tomorrow. THE Meteorological Service Department (MSD) has dispelled rumours that heavy rains which recently pounded South Africa could spill to Zimbabwe. Floods in South Africas KwaZulu-Natal province have killed more than 400 people. Matabeleland South MSD provincial officer Rodgers Munyira said the country was experiencing normal rains, and urged citizens not to panic. Several parts of the country have been experiencing little rain and cold weather lately. The kind of rain that the country is receiving is cool and does not have thunderstorms or floods. It is difficult for this weather to change suddenly and give us floods and thunderstorms, Munyira said. As MSD, we havent recorded any signs which show that the floods will be coming to Zimbabwe anytime soon. We will be soon releasing a statement responding to the concerns and rumours that are circulating on social media. Munyira implored the public to seek information and clarity from the MSD and avoid sharing false information on social media, which can cause panic among citizens. The MSD has read communication on social media warning of flooding in the eastern districts of Zimbabwe and wishes to dispel the contents of the communication making the rounds on social media, he said. While the MSD emphasises the existence of mainly cool to mild weather with drizzle/rain in the area of interest throughout the period April 18-21, 2022, we would be updating all stakeholders of any interesting phenomena that may develop in our country. Munyira further noted that it was important for all stakeholders to understand that MSD was the designated authority for climate and weather forecasts. Newsday British music journalist Eve Barlow, a close friend of Amber Heard, was kicked out of the defamation trial against Johnny Depp. Her journalist instincts kicked in According to the testimony of some of the people who have access to the hearing where a lawsuit that could mean the actor the payment of $50 million dollars for defamation is being discussed, last Friday, the contributor to New York Magazine was caught by the judge handling the case sending text messages from her cell phone and issuing tweets on social networks, where the main objective was to relate what happened in the enclosure. Because of this, the woman in question, who was also in the area that normally corresponds to lawyers, was invited to leave the place without the right to return. Eve Barlow has become an inseparable friend of Johnny Depp's ex-wife to the extent of wanting to act as part of her legal team, exercising functions that do not correspond to her, such is the case of trying to intervene against Gina Deuters, witness and friend of the 58-year-old actor. He tried to mislead the jury Apparently, Barlow also showed a post of the witness alleging that it was recent to the trial, being that this was last year, so the journalist was expelled and her testimony was removed from the record. "Amber had her closest journalist friend sit in the front row - with her legal team - at the trial, live tweeting, texting and posting information. Eve Barlow seems to believe she is part of Amber's legal team. Depp's lawyers finally had enough and banned her from the courtroom," said a source who preferred to remain anonymous. BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- China pursues development in order to bring better lives to the people, without any interests in challenging or replacing others, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on CIA Director William Burns' speech on Thursday, in which he called China a "formidable competitor lacking in neither ambition nor capability," and said that China is "intent" on replacing the United States as "the preeminent power in the Indo-Pacific." Zhao said the United States has been constantly disseminating disinformation about the Ukraine crisis, flagrantly slandering China and driving a wedge between China and Russia with an agenda of profiting from the repercussions of its blame-shifting and the confrontation it incites among others. "The United States should focus more on its responsibility for the outbreak and escalation of the Ukraine crisis," Zhao said. He stressed that China pursues development in order to bring better lives to the people, without any interests in challenging or replacing others. "For too long, the United States has been whipping up the 'China threat theory' and throwing dirty water at China. But lies remain lies, no matter how many times they are repeated. The world can make a fair judgement about China's contributions to world peace and development," the spokesperson said. Certain U.S. politicians should view China's development in an objective light, cease fabricating lies, stop sowing discord between China and other countries that China has normal relations with, and do more that is conducive to the development of China-U.S. relations, Zhao said. CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Australias prime minister on Monday warned that thousands of asylum seekers will attempt to reach the country by boat if the opposition party wins elections on May 21. The annual number of asylum seekers arriving in Australian waters by boat peaked at more than 20,000 in 2013, the year the conservative government was elected and began turning back boats in a military-led policy known as Operation Sovereign Borders. The government also continued a center-left Labor Party administrations policy introduced two months before the election of banishing boat arrivals to immigration camps on remote Pacific islands. Boat arrivals have since become almost nonexistent. Prime Minister Scott Morrison suggested his coalition governments success against the people smuggling trade had inspired Britains plan to put some asylum seekers on one-way flights to Rwanda. We established Operation Sovereign Borders and it has been one of the most successful border protection policies anywhere in the world. So successful, that other countries are taking their lead from Australias successful approach, and why? Its the humane thing to do, Morrison said. Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has said a Labor government would change the national policy on asylum seekers by getting rid of so-called temporary protection visas. Refugees among Australias formal protection intake are permanently resettled. But those who arrived by boat are given three-year protection visas. The visas can be extended if refugees cant be returned to their homelands, but critics argue the uncertainty over their futures gets in the way of creating new lives. Morrison blamed a previous Labor government abolishing three-year refugee visas in 2008 for the surge in boat arrivals that followed. Only 161 asylum seekers arrived in 2008. But more than 2,700 arrived the following year and 6,500 in 2010. I know that when Labor abolished temporary protection visas in 2008, the armada of people smugglers boats came to Australia and that was the launching point, Morrison said. Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul, a Melbourne-based refugee advocate, accused Morrison of scare mongering over the need for temporary visas that dont provide refugees with the same rights as permanent visas. Australias harsh refugee policies have been criticized by the United Nations and human rights groups. Indonesia has condemned the Australian navy turning back asylum seeker boats to Indonesian ports as a violation of Indonesian sovereignty. Some smuggling crews had developed a tactic of sabotaging their crowded fishing boats after being intercepted by patrol boats so that Australian crews would have to rescue them from sinking. Australian ships have countered by putting these asylum seekers and crews into powered lifeboats that are then towed close to the Indonesian coast and left with just enough fuel to reach the shore. The leader of the Anglican church this week strongly criticized the British governments plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, saying sub-contracting out our responsibilities to refugees cant stand up to Gods scrutiny. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby made the unusually direct political intervention in his Easter Sunday sermon, saying there are serious ethical questions about sending asylum-seekers overseas. Labor has been leading the government in most opinion polling in recent months. The government is seeking a rare fourth three-year term. Midland-based Dow announced that its board of directors has approved the repurchase of up to an additional $3 billion of the company's common stock. An April 13 news release explained that the new repurchase program does not have an expiration date and is in addition to the current program announced in April 2019, when Dow was spun off from DuPont. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PARIS (AP) Paris prosecutors are studying a report by the European Union's fraud agency accusing French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and other members of her nationalist party of misusing public funds while serving in the European Parliament. The report was disclosed by French investigative news site Mediapart just days before Le Pen faces incumbent Emmanuel Macron in a runoff election Sunday that could determine Europes future direction. Le Pen's party National Rally seeks to diminish the EUs powers. Le Pen denied wrongdoing, dismissing the report as foul play by the European Union a few days before the second round" of the election. Speaking Monday on a campaign stop in Normandy, she said, I am well accustomed to this, and I think the French will absolutely not fall for it. A similar EU fraud investigation was disclosed ahead of the 2017 French presidential election, which Le Pen lost to Macron. Le Pen was handed preliminary charges by French investigators over that case, which is still ongoing. Macron, a pro-EU centrist, leads Le Pen in polls ahead of Sundays vote, though the race is tighter than when they faced off in 2017. EU fraud agency OLAF submitted its latest report last month to the Paris prosecutors office, which is in the course of analyzing it, the prosecutors office said Monday. No formal investigation has yet been opened, and no further details were released. According to Mediapart, the OLAF report found that Le Pen, her firebrand father and party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen and other party members who served in the European Parliament used 617,000 euros of public money for fictitious reasons, notably for the benefit of companies close to the party. The fraud office is reportedly seeking reimbursement of the funds and potential fraud and embezzlement charges. OLAF accused party members of grave violations and said the inappropriate behavior of members of National Rally formerly called the National Front imperiled the reputation of the Unions institutions, according to Mediapart. OLAF didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Monday, a holiday in Belgium and several European countries. It's not the first time Le Pen has been accused of misusing EU funds. Among several legal affairs that have dogged her party, Le Pen was handed preliminary charges in 2018 based on a separate investigation by OLAF accusing members of her party of using aides on the European Parliaments payroll for the partys political activity. Other French political parties faced similar accusations. Le Pen, who served in the European Parliament from 2004-2017, smiled for selfies as she met with hundreds of voters Monday in the Normandy town of Saint-Pierre-en-Auge. A small group of Macron supporters came with posters to urge voters to prevent the far-right from running France. She and Macron face a crucial debate on Wednesday. ___ Jeremias Gonzalez contributed from Saint-Pierre-en-Auge. ___ Follow APs coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HELSINKI (AP) Swedish police said Monday that the riots that have shaken several cities and towns in the Nordic country are extremely serious crimes against society and suspect some protesters are linked to criminal gangs that intentionally target police. Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has seen unrest, scuffles, arson and violence since Thursday that has left some police officers and protesters injured. It was triggered by Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludans meetings and planned Quran burnings across the country. We suspect that those involved (in the riots) have links to criminal gangs, National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg told a news conference on Monday, adding some of those criminal individuals are known to police. I have been in touch with the public prosecutor to prosecute these individuals. Swedens National Police Commander Jonas Hysing said Monday that 26 police and 14 individuals protesters or other people have been injured in the riots and 20 police vehicles destroyed or damaged. The latest riots broke out Sunday night in Malmo, Swedens third-largest city, as an angry crowd of mainly young people set fire to car tires, debris and garbage cans in the Rosengard district. Protesters threw stones and police responded by firing tear gas into the crowd. A school and several cars were set on fire, but the situation calmed down early Monday. A total of 11 people were detained and three people arrested in Malmo. No serious injuries were reported. Since Thursday, in addition to Malmo, riots, unrest and violent clashes have been reported in Stockholm, the central city of Orebro, the eastern cities of Linkoping and Norrkoping and southern town of Landskrona. Police have been forced to use weapons in self-defense, Hysing said. Three people were hurt in Norrkoping on Sunday as they were hit by ricochets as police fired warning shots into a crowd of protesters. There is a lot to suggest that the police were targeted, Hysing said, adding that some protesters were suspected of attempted murder, aggravated assault and violence against an official. Both Thornberg and Hysing stressed that the main target for the rioters was Swedish police and society, not Paludan seen by many Swedes merely as an agent provocateur and his Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, which runs on an anti-immigrant, anti-Islam agenda. Thornberg, Swedens supreme police chief, said criminal individuals who took advantage of the situation with Paludans Swedish Easter tour and joined the riots, were the main suspects for the violent flare-ups of violence. The unrest escalated quickly after Paludans first demonstrations, which were met by counter-protesters in many places last week. We must put an end to this early. What we see here is a very serious crime, Thornberg said, referring to the riots. Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said Monday that he continues to have great confidence in the Swedish police despite the unrest over the weekend and pledged more resources to law enforcement. When you end up in these critical and aggressive situations, theres nothing else police officers can do but to put up a hard fight, Johansson told Swedish news outlets. We cannot accept that perpetrators commit this type of violence. Iraqs Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Swedens charge daffaires over Paludans planned Quran burnings, reportedly saying that such activity could seriously endanger Swedens relations with the Muslim world. In Iran, dozens of students gathered Monday at Swedens embassy to protest Paludans planned Quran burnings. Chanting Insulters of Quran must be condemned! they also repeated traditional slogans such as Death to America!" and Death to Israel! ___ Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this article. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkey has launched a new ground and air cross-border offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, that has left at least 19 suspected Kurdish rebels dead and has wounded at least four Turkish soldiers, Turkeys defense minister said Monday. Turkish jets and artillery struck suspected targets of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and commando troops supported by helicopters and drones then crossed into the region by land or were airlifted by helicopters, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a video posted on the ministrys website. Akar said the jets successfully struck shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and headquarters belonging to the PKK. The group maintains bases in northern Iraq and has used the territory for attacks on Turkey. At least 19 militants were killed while four Turkish troops were wounded during the offensive, the ministry said. There was no immediate comment from the Kurdish militant group on the incursion and the defense ministry statement couldn't be verified independently. Turkey has conducted numerous cross-border aerial and ground operations against the PKK over the past decades. The latest offensive, named Operation Claw Lock, was centered in northern Iraqs Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan regions. There was no information on the number of troops and jets involved in the latest incursion. Our heroic commandoes and maroon berets supported by attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, armed unmanned aerial vehicles arrived on the scene by land and by air and captured the determined targets, Akar said in a second video. Many terrorists were neutralized. At this point we have reached, all planned targets have been captured, he said. The Defense Ministry said the new offensive was launched after it was determined that the militants were regrouping and preparing for a large-scale attack. The offensive was carried out in coordination with Turkeys friends and allies, the ministry added, but didn't elaborate. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region, which controls the areas that were attacked. The Turkish minister said the incursion was targeting terrorists and that maximum sensitivity was being shown to avoid damage to civilians and cultural and religious structures. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union, began an insurgency in Turkeys majority Kurdish southeast region in 1984. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) A federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit Monday, and airlines and airports swiftly began repealing their requirements that passengers wear face coverings. The judge's decision freed airlines, airports and mass transit systems to make their own decisions about mask requirements, resulting in a mix of responses. The major airlines switched to a mask optional policy, with some eliciting cheers from passengers when the changes were announced over loudspeakers. The Transportation Security Administration said Monday night that it would it will no longer enforce the mask requirement, and airports in Houston and Dallas almost immediately did away with their mandates after the TSA announcement. Los Angeles International Airport, the world's fifth-largest by passenger volume, also dropped its mandate but the Centers for Disease Control continued to recommend masking on transportation and I think that's good advice," LAX spokesman Heath Montgomery said. Sleepy passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight between Atlanta and Barcelona, Spain, cheered and applauded when a flight attendant announced the news mid-flight over the ocean. No ones any happier than we are," the attendant says in a video posted by Dillon Thomas, a CBS Denver reporter, who was on the flight. She added that people who wanted to keep on their masks were encouraged to do so. But were ready to give em up," she added. So thank you and happy unmasking day! New York Citys public transit system planned to keep its mask requirement in place. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said it would make masks optional for riders on its buses and trains. The Association of Flight Attendants, the nations largest union of cabin crews, has recently taken a neutral position on the mask rule because its members are divided about the issue. On Monday, the unions president appealed for calm on planes and in airports. The last thing we need for workers on the frontlines or passengers traveling today is confusion and chaos, union leader Sara Nelson said. Nelson said it takes airlines 24 to 48 hours to put new procedures in place and tell employees about them. She said passengers should check with airlines for updates about travel requirements. The mask requirement covered airlines, airports, mass transit and taxis, and was the biggest vestige of pandemic restrictions that were once the norm across the country. The decision by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, also said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking procedures that left it fatally flawed. In her 59-page ruling, Mizelle said the only remedy was to vacate the rule entirely across the country because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who objected in the lawsuit. The judge said a limited remedy would be no remedy at all and courts have full authority to make a decision such as this even if the CDC's goals in fighting the virus are laudable. The Justice Department declined to comment when asked if it would seek an emergency stay to block the judges order. The CDC also declined to comment. The White House said the court ruling means that for now the mask order is not in effect at this time. This is obviously a disappointing decision, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. The CDC is recommending wearing a mask on public transit. The CDC had recently extended the mask mandate, which was set to expire Monday, until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S. In New York, Metropolitan Transportation Authority communications director Tim Minton said the system was "continuing to follow CDC guidelines and will review the Florida court order. The MTA operates New York City buses and subway trains as well as two commuter rail lines. Face coverings have been mandatory on all trains and buses since early in the pandemic. United Airlines said in a statement that, effective immediately, masks would no longer be required on domestic flights or certain international flights. "While this means that our employees are no longer required to wear a mask and no longer have to enforce a mask requirement for most of the flying public they will be able to wear masks if they choose to do so, as the CDC continues to strongly recommend wearing a mask on public transit," United said. Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines also made similar announcements. The federal mask requirement for travelers was the target of months of lobbying from the airlines, which sought to kill it. The carriers argued that effective air filters on modern planes make transmission of the virus during a flight highly unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to kill the mandate. Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January. There have been a series of violent incidents on aircraft that have mainly been attributed to disputes over the mask-wearing requirements. The lawsuit was filed in July 2021 by two plaintiffs and the Health Freedom Defense Fund, described in the judge's order as a nonprofit group that opposes laws and regulations that force individuals to submit to the administration of medical products, procedures and devices against their will. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was not directly involved in the case but has battled against many government coronavirus requirements, praised the ruling in a statement on Twitter. Great to see a federal judge in Florida follow the law and reject the Biden transportation mask mandate. Both airline employees and passengers deserve to have this misery end, DeSantis tweeted. ___ Associated Press writers David Koenig in Dallas, Michael Balsamo and Will Weissert in Washington, and Karen Matthews in New York contributed to this story. STAMFORD Two men were killed and two others were hospitalized Sunday after a boat capsized in Long Island Sound off Shippan Point, officials said. Rescue crews responded to the Sound around 10:20 a.m. after officials received a report of a small boat struggling to return to the shore due to strong winds and rough seas, according to Stamford Fire Department Deputy Chief Matt Palmer. The boat was being carried by the tide and wind away from Stamford when the last cellphone call was made to a family member from one of those onboard the small vessel, Palmer said in a statement. First responders were hampered in determining the exact location of the boat due to a language barrier and conflicting initial reports of the boat's last known location. Palmer said dispatchers used cellphone tracking software to pinpoint the last known location of the callers vessel. The software eventually led first responders to an area about a mile offshore from West Beach where they discovered debris from the boat and the four men in large swells. Each of the men was wearing a life jacket when they were pulled from the frigid water, according to Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesperson Will Healey. Two of the men were unconscious and unresponsive, while the other two were what Palmer called semi-responsive. Rescue crews performed CPR on two of the men before rushing then all to hospitals in Norwalk and Stamford. Two of the men were pronounced dead at the hospital, Palmer said. As of Sunday afternoon, the survivors remained in stable but critical condition. Stamford police described the deceased individuals as Stamford residents and Guatemalan nationals. Officials said they are waiting to notify the Guatemalan consulate about the incident before publicly identifying the two men. Palmer said crews from Greenwich, Darien, Norwalk, the DEEP Environmental Conservation Police and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted with the rescue operation. The boat involved in the incident has not been located, and the investigation is ongoing. The day Teresa Beatty learned she owed the state more than $83,600, she said, she had to ask what for. Thats when Beatty, who reportedly spent about two years in prison roughly 20 years before she learned of her debt, discovered Connecticut can collect money from former inmates for the costs of incarceration. If enacted in time, pending state legislation could bring relief for people like Beatty, who said she now worries about having the financial means to put a roof over her head. House Bill No. 5390, which would repeal the states prison debt statutes, is one step closer to becoming law after the Judiciary Committee green-lighted it late last month. Connecticut brings in between $4 million and $6 million annually using the prison debt statutes, according to the Department of Administrative Services, which handles debt collection. The DAS did not provide data on how many former inmates pay money on prison debt each year, but it did provide an overview of how the funds fit into its entire debt collection program. DAS collections collects just under $70 million dollars from roughly a couple thousand parties annually, spokesperson Lora Rae Anderson said in an email. Prison debt makes up for less than 10% of those dollars, at $4-6 million. DAS takes action on these cases through referrals, she said. Those referrals come from the Department of Social Services, the Department of Correction, attorneys, health care facilities, complaints from the general public, the insurance intercept database, probate court and other entities, according to Anderson. After receiving a referral, DAS verifies that the state should be taking collections action based on state law and regulations, and moves forward with contacting the appropriate parties, she wrote. Asked whether the DAS collects money from people who were imprisoned as juveniles, Anderson deferred to the DOC. DOC spokesman Andrius Banevicius said the prison debt statute does not distinguish between juveniles and adults, but deferred back to DAS for information on whether the state actually collects on people who were incarcerated as minors. In essence DAS still does the collection, he said. Im not aware of any juveniles being charged in recent memory. If they do not distinguish (between juveniles and adults), we wouldnt, Anderson said in a follow-up email. We follow their guidelines. When the state comes knocking During the 2019-20 fiscal year, inmates accrued $249 of debt for every day spent behind bars, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut that seeks to stop the practice. Beatty is a plaintiff in that lawsuit. The state does not appear to go after property such as regular wages but may come after funds earned in certain circumstances, such as lottery winnings, lawsuit proceeds and inheritance money, according to a 2018 report from the Office of Legislative Research. The state also has a claim to certain federal, state, or municipal pension, annuity, insurance contracts, and similar items that are for government employee retirement benefits, the report says. If someone who has prison debt wins money from a legal action, the states claim is a lien against the proceeds, the report says. The maximum amount of the claim is the full cost of the inmates incarceration or 50% of the proceeds, minus certain expenses, whichever is less, it says. Similar guidelines apply when a former inmate is receiving an inheritance, and thats why Beatty found herself with bill for about $83,700 years after she left prison. Ive already paid my debt to society A Stamford resident, Beatty has spent 51 years living in the same home, she said. She cared for her ailing mother there, according to the ACLU lawsuit. But when Beattys mother died in 2020, the lawsuit says, the estate was to be divided among the surviving children. Beatty now expects the probate court to order the house sold, she said. I was 7 years old when my parents bought the home, and in a matter of a month or two Im not gonna know where Im going, she said. The ACLU lawsuit estimates Beatty will receive about $230,000 from the sale and says she needs that money to acquire new housing. But because Beatty spent time in prison in the early 2000s for charges stemming from being caught with drugs, according to the lawsuit, the state is demanding about one-third of her inheritance. Beatty is a mother and grandmother, she said, and she cares for her brother, who is disabled. She works as a certified nursing assistant and has provided in-home services to the same 91-year-old woman for the past six years, she said. She worked hard to turn her life around and stay clean after getting out of prison, she said. My mom died in 2020 and now theyre coming after me for my little inheritance, said Beatty.I just think its wrong. I think Ive already paid my debt to society. Why do I have to pay twice? I dont have money to pay anybody, she said. Im gonna be homeless. When asked about the bill to repeal prison debt, Dan Barrett, legal director of the Connecticut ACLU and an attorney representing Beatty, said he supports taking these oppressive laws off the books. (Beatty) is at risk right now of losing the inheritance that her mother left her, which she needs to put a roof over her and her familys heads, he said in a written statement. The question of whether or not our named clients or other clients suffering would be stopped by legislation would depend entirely on what the language enacted said, which could change at any point in the legislative process if the statute went away starting on July 1, for instance, Ms. Beatty would still have to fight against the state before then. State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, said the bill would repeal the lien process altogether so that even if someone was in prison before the bill passed, they would not owe the state money. The legislation also is meant to end ongoing collections processes, he said. I think we probably have to double-check the language, but as one of the chief proponents of this bill certainly its my intent that this bill would end those collections processes, he said. But there is one caveat: if the state already has collected debt, Stafstrom said, it would not return the money. Debt looms over reformed offenders After serving 171/2 years on a homicide charge, Daee Muhammad McKnight said, he was released from prison 17 years ago. Since then, he has worked hard to prevent situations like his own from recurring, he said. McKnight works for Family Re-entry Inc., a Norwalk-based organization that helps incarcerated individuals successfully reenter society. He is a key advocate for the bill to repeal prison debt. The state twice took money from McKnight after he won proceeds from personal injury lawsuits related to car crashes, McKnight said. And hes still not out of the woods. The state can collect on prison debt for 20 years following an inmates release, he said. I have to have this looming over my head for 20 years, said McKnight, who argues the system is not only morally wrong, but its legally wrong. McKnight was sentenced in 1988, he said, years before the prison debt statutes became law, yet still has been subject to them. McKnight also said his sentencing documents waived all fines, a point that ties in with an argument in the ACLU lawsuit. The lawsuit contends prison debt violates the Excessive Fines Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It says Beattys conviction carried a maximum fine of $10,000, the amount associated with a Class C felony, and that the court waived the fine during sentencing. Yet the states prison debt claims against Beattys inheritance far exceeds what she could have been fined as a punitive measure. Trying to move forward State Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, sees prison debt collection as double jeopardy. People released from prison have the chance to restore their families and finances and become better citizens, Porter said. Especially in Black and brown communities disproportionately affected by economic disadvantage and incarceration rates, Porter said, money from sources such as an inheritance can help build generational wealth. Prison debt makes that harder. I think after years of not being able financially to take care of yourself and your family, to have something like that happen after youve paid your time, youve done your time. Its just its not fair, she said. But will the bill pass? On March 29, the Judiciary Committee voted 28-11 to move it forward, a vote that fell largely among party lines but received support from a handful of Republicans. Many who spoke against the bill, including Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, said they thought the prison debt system could be reformed but did not want to do away with it altogether. I think its worthwhile to try to make sure that there is some compensation if for no other reason than managing money and knowing that there are some debts that you incur that you have to pay back over time, he said during the March 29 Judiciary Committee hearing, according to a recording available online. He also worried about the hole the legislation would leave in the budget. (Prison debt collection) actually raises about $6 million a year, and so for us to just move forward with this legislation and toss this program away, thats gonna create a hole of $6 million, he said. Theres programs out there that are going begging for less than that. Legislators currently are having conversations about working the legislation into the budget package, according to Stafstrom. Obviously its a short legislative session. ... Were getting short on time, the Bridgeport lawmaker said when asked whether he thought the bill would pass. But Im hopeful that well be able to do at least some piece of this bill as we get toward a final budget package. It is time to repeal the prison debt statutes, he said. Its far more advantageous to be smart on crime and invest in rehabilitation and preventing recidivism, he said. The lien process runs counter to that goal. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday asked state lawmakers to approve a massive package of financial incentives, including tapping into the state's reserve funds, to help lure an unnamed company to the state. The first-term Republican said he was prohibited by a non-disclosure agreement from naming the company or outlining the total cost of the package. But he hinted that the incentives targeted a company associated with the electric-vehicle industry. Tens of billions of dollars are going to be invested over the next five to seven years in this space, and we want Oklahoma to be the spot that these folks land," Stitt said. He said the unnamed company planned to build one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the country, a humongous factory with billions and billions of dollars worth of investment, thousands and thousands of jobs." Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing unnamed sources, reported last month that Panasonic Corp. was looking at both Kansas and Texas as a potential location for a factory to produce electric-vehicle batteries for Tesla and other vehicle makers. Kansas earlier this year authorized more than $1 billion in state incentives in hopes of attracting a $4 billion project. Panasonic did not immediately respond to a message left Monday seeking comment. A bill unveiled Monday afternoon in a joint budget committee authorized rebates of up to nearly $700 million in state funds that could be disbursed to a company that reached specific benchmarks, including at least a $4.5 billion capital expenditure and the creation of up to 4,000 new jobs within the first four years of the project. Oklahoma reportedly was in the running for the new Tesla assembly plant near Tulsa, and its CEO Elon Musk visited the city, but the company ultimately selected Austin, Texas. After the competition to land the Texas plant, Oklahoma launched a new effort to lure the automotive industry to the state. Stitt wants lawmakers to expand the state's Quality Jobs Act, which provides quarterly cash payments up to 5% of new payrolls for up to 10 years for qualifying companies, to payments of up to 7.5% for major projects. Stitt also wants to raise the cap on a separate investment tax-credit package, which provides tax credits to manufacturers based on either investment in property or the addition of employees, from 2% to 3%. Speaker of the House Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat both indicated their support of Stitt's proposal. House Democratic Leader Rep. Emily Virgin said her members had been briefed by Stitt's Secretary of Commerce Scott Mueller on the general components of the plan, but was hesitant to offer her support without more information. The governor has not spoken to us about the bill, and it's very concerning he would ask us to support something without giving us the bill number or language," said Virgin, D-Norman. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The U.S. special envoy for North Korea said Monday that Washington and Seoul agreed on the need for a strong response to North Korea's recent spate of missile tests, though they remain open to dialogue with the country. Sung Kim flew to South Korea on Monday for talks two days after North Korea conducted a new type of missile test in its 13th round of weapons firing this year. Experts say North Korea wants to advance its weapons arsenal and wrest concessions such as sanctions relief from its rivals. Weapons tested include nuclear-capable missiles able to target both the U.S. mainland and its allies such as South Korea and Japan. There are concerns that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test soon to intensify its pressure campaign. We agreed on the need for a strong response to the destabilizing behavior we have seen" from North Korea, Kim told reporters after meeting with his South Korean counterpart. (We) also agreed on the need to maintain the strongest possible joint deterrent capability on the peninsula. South Korean nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk said he and Kim shared concerns that North Korea will likely continue to engage in acts that raise regional tensions. He urged North Korea to return to talks. Kim said the allies have not closed the door on diplomacy with North Korea and have no hostile intent" toward the country. He repeated his earlier statement that the United States is ready to meet North Korea anywhere, without any conditions. North Korea has so far rejected Kims outreach, saying the United States must first drop its hostile policy before talks can resume. Some experts say North Korea wants the U.S. to relax sanctions or suspend its regular military drills with South Korea, which it views as an invasion rehearsal. Earlier Monday, the U.S. and South Korean militaries kicked off their springtime computer-simulated command post exercise. North Korea has previously responded to such drills with missile tests and warlike rhetoric. North Korea said Sunday it tested a new tactical guided weapon a day earlier which would boost its nuclear fighting capability. Some analysts said the weapon is likely a short-range ballistic missile to be mounted with a tactical nuclear warhead capable of targeting South Korea. Last month, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile potentially capable of reaching the U.S. homeland in its first long-range weapons test since November 2017. U.S.-led diplomacy meant to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for economic and political rewards remain largely stalemated since 2019. The Department of the Air Force is pumping the brakes on creating a National Guard or reserve component for the Space Force, opting instead for full-time or part-time Guardians in a new congressional proposal. The legislative proposal, which was submitted to Congress earlier this month and approved by Force Secretary Frank Kendall, seemingly would combine the Space Force's active-duty and reserve elements. "This component proposal is a new approach to managing reserve component forces by merging what has traditionally been called active-duty forces and reserve forces into a new component that provides full-time and part-time service options to guardians," Lt. Col. Justin Brockhoff, Kendall's spokesman, said in a statement to Military.com. Read Next: Towing Company Illegally Auctioned Troops' Cars Including a Deployed Navy SEAL's, Justice Department Alleges Kendall's proposal, which was first reported by Space News, is the first definitive move to settle a debate that has raged since the creation of the service about whether the Space Force needs reserve forces. Gen. John Raymond, the chief of space operations, has spoken publicly about the full-time and part-time concept as a possible way to recruit more talent from the private sector. "We would be giving opportunities for people to go to the commercial industry, to go to NASA, and then come back," Raymond told Space News. "Maybe at certain times in their life, if they want to have children, they can go part-time for a while and then come back without having to get out of active duty and then go into the reserves." Since the creation of the Space Force in late 2019, there have been several attempts by military leaders to establish a reserve or National Guard element for the newest and smallest military service branch. Those efforts have ultimately been delayed, sidelined or stymied, as lawmakers grapple with the costs and logistics it would take to create another element of the National Guard. Additionally, President Joe Biden's White House has not supported the efforts. The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement last year saying it was "strongly opposed" to any efforts to create a Space Guard component. "Establishing a Space National Guard would not deliver new capabilities -- it would instead create new government bureaucracy, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates could increase costs by up to $500 million annually," OMB said in its statement. Simpler moves, such as a proposal submitted last year to rename the Air National Guard as the Air and Space National Guard, have not been approved either. Kendall's latest proposal does not sit well with Guard leaders, according to the National Guard Association. Nearly 2,000 personnel across 14 National Guard units with space-related missions are located in California, Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Colorado, Ohio, New York and Guam. Arkansas also has one unit with a space-focused targeting mission. John Goheen, a spokesman for the National Guard Association, told Military.com that not weaving that existing talent and skill into the Space Force is an insult to those men and women. "It's a slight," Goheen said. "And we trace it back to some faulty analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. It's very frustrating for many Guard leaders." Debate about a Space National Guard will likely reemerge during discussions about the 2023 defense budget. Brockhoff said the Department of the Air Force will continue to figure out "the appropriate future disposition of current Air National Guard space units in a manner that is efficient, effective, and appropriate for space missions." -- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly. Related: Space Force Guardians Grow Exasperated Waiting for the Branch's Policies to Slowly Emerge LONDON The family of a former British Army soldier allegedly captured by Russian forces while fighting in the Ukrainian resistance have called on his captors to treat him as a prisoner of war in accordance with international rules. Footage on Russian television appeared to show Shaun Pinner, 48, in captivity, saying he was captured in Mariupol while fighting with the Ukrainian marines. The former Royal Anglian soldier, who appeared tired in the video, said he had been fighting in the besieged city for five to six weeks but was now in the breakaway region of Donetsk. Origin APNews He is the second British soldier fighting with the Ukrainian army to be paraded on Russian media after Aiden Aslin, 28, was filmed being led around in handcuffs with a cut on his forehead after surrendering to the Russian military in Mariupol last week. In a statement released by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Pinner's family explained how he became involved in the defence of Ukraine, which they said he considers "his adopted country." The statement read: "Shaun was a well-respected soldier within the British Army serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment for many years. He served in many tours including Northern Ireland and with the United Nations in Bosnia. "In 2018 Shaun decided to relocate to Ukraine to use his previous experience and training within the Ukraine military. "Shaun enjoyed the Ukrainian way of life and considered Ukraine as his adopted country over the last four years. During this time, he met his Ukrainian wife, who is very focused on the humanitarian needs of the country. "He progressed into the Ukrainian Marines as a proud member of his unit." The statement continued: "We would like to make it clear he is not a volunteer nor a mercenary, but officially serving with the Ukrainian Army in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. "Our family is currently working with the Foreign Office along with the family of Aiden Aslin, who is also being held by the Russian Army to ensure their rights as prisoners of war are upheld according to the Geneva Convention." They described Pinner as "funny, much-loved, well-intentioned" and said they hoped for a quick resolution to allow the captured men to return to their families. "Our hearts go out to all those caught up in this horrific conflict," the statement concluded. The FCDO has been in contact with the families of Pinner and Aslin to support them. However, Britain's ability to obtain information and provide consular services on the ground is severely limited because of the conflict. In a second heavily- edited video, Pinner, who is originally from Bedfordshire, appeared to be questioned by a Russian journalist about how he was captured. He answered: "We were in the factory area of Mariupol. "In early hours of Tuesday morning, it was decided we move from the area of the factory, but we didn't know exactly where. "At about four in the morning we left the factory." There was "not much time to think," he said. The Russian reporter then appeared to tell Pinner his Ukrainian commanders wanted him to be killed. Pinner spoke of his fear of capture in January, telling the Mail on Sunday: "I fear for my life. The Russians will treat us differently if we are captured because we are British. This is always on my mind, that I will be captured." Aslin, originally from Nottinghamshire, had been defending Mariupol with his unit during heavy fighting in recent weeks before having to surrender after 48 days. "We have no food and no ammunition," a post on his Twitter account, which was being run by a friend while he was fighting with the Ukrainian marines, read. Aslin's grandmother told the PA news agency that a video on Russian television showing him saying Ukraine was not making "the right decisions" was "propaganda." 2022 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Six Northeast High School students were hospitalized Thursday night because of what could be overdoses at an Air Force JROTC Military Ball at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida, according to Broward County Public Schools. Two students are still in the hospital. School staff is also at the hospital to assist, according to a statement from the Broward County school district. The safety of our students is always our top priority, the statement said. The District and Northeast High School administration are concerned and closely following the Davie Police investigation into what caused six students to become ill Thursday night while attending the Air Force JROTC Military Ball at the Signature Grand in Davie. One person described what they saw at the scene. I saw everybody crying and grieving and I think I saw one having a seizure, Lorenzo Toafa told CBS-Ch. 6. The ball included students from Coral Springs and Northeast High Schools. Some students speculated drinking water might have been spiked. The water at one of our tables, it had drugs in them. People started putting drugs in them, Earl Cayo, a student, told WPLG-Ch. 10. We dont know exactly who or how many people did it, but for the kids who drank it ... they got high and everything. ____ 2022 South Florida Sun Sentinel. Visit at sun-sentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. SEVERODONETSK, Ukraine The rows of graves were marked with simple crosses of fresh-cut wood. Black plaques with gold lettering declared the names. The occasional wreath broke the monotony of dull earthen colors, and, in the front, three rectangular holes awaited the newly fallen. "How many graves? I don't know. Go count them," said the caretaker of this cemetery on Severodonetsk's southern edge, which started to grow when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. "We're digging new ones almost every day now." In the escalating fight over eastern Ukraine, Russia's army after consolidating and redeploying its forces from other parts of the country, including the capital, Kyiv has renewed its thrust to seize the Donbas region. Fresh destruction is wreaked daily on communities battered both by nearly eight years of war against Moscow-backed separatists as well as this latest onslaught the Russians call a "special military operation." Origin APNews Russia's strategy is to encircle the east and close in on Ukrainian forces. That has placed Severodonetsk, the easternmost tip of Ukrainian government control in the Donbas, as well as the city of Slavyansk, some 40 miles to the west on the strategic M03 highway, at the top of Moscow's target list. The main fear for residents here is that Russia will attempt to shell this region into submission as it is doing in the southern port city of Mariupol. With the growing certainty that the vise is closing Russian troops on Friday fought Ukrainian soldiers for control of a town just over a mile northwest of Severodonetsk many have already escaped. Only a fifth of Severodonetsk's 106,000 people and possibly a quarter of Slavyansk's 111,000-strong population have stayed put, authorities say. Those who remain endure a surreal existence under increasingly lethal skies. The few who brave the streets of Severodonetsk keep one eye on the ground as they pick their way past artillery-ravaged buildings, mangled cars and low-hanging power lines. Sounds of destruction echo around them. Some ride a bicycle or walk their dog near the large square in front of the city council, past a crater with the remains of a rocket still inside. Wary soldiers, stationed with their rifles at the corner behind stacked sandbags, watch them go, fingers on trigger guards. War makes suspicion even of neighbors. After more than 50 days of fighting, some, like Vladimir Kadavy, 49, a thin, shabbily-dressed man who worked as a caretaker maintaining Severodonetsk's public spaces, seemed inured to the erratic drumbeat of missiles and shells playing above. "I don't have a basement or anywhere to shelter. I'm not afraid anymore. I hear this every day," said Kadavy, his tired eyes unflinching as a thunderclap of artillery sounded. He looked around the square, his voice tinged with sadness. The places he had spent much of his life keeping beautiful now lay in ruin. His boss told him that he would be evacuated in three days, but Kadavy, like many others interviewed, thought he would be at a loss if he left his hometown. "If we go, who cares about us?" he said. "I was born here. Somehow I will survive here, I think." Though they did not display the same equanimity, Yura Alforov and his wife, Olga, didn't want to leave either. "We're not calm about this. We just want peace," Olga said. The couple were on the way to the hospital, which was even closer to the front line. Yura, an electric maintenance engineer who had moved to Severodonetsk in 1984, had sprained his ankle while rushing to the basement during a shelling. "We don't have money to go, and have no place to go to anyway. How would we live if we left?" Alforov said. He took off his glasses and wiped away a tear. The choice to stay is hard, but the decision to leave one's home carries its own uncertainty. Miles to the west, on a grimy corner near the Slavyansk train station, where a trio of stray dogs growled at each other over a scrap of food, Yuri Kovalenko, a 58-year-old coal miner, waited for the bus that would take him and his family to safety. Two hours before, he had left his wife back at their farm in the mining town of Gorskaya, bringing with him his daughter Yulia and his two grandchildren, Dmitri, 7, and 5-year-old Igor. They were going to his sister's place near Chernihiv. "If we all came, it would be different," he said, his blue eyes staring steadily ahead. "But my wife is staying to take care of the animals. I worry about her. So many years we lived together, had our life together, and now it's time to go. How do I feel? I wish I never felt this." His gaze faltered; he walked away, his eyes reddening for a moment before he looked at his grandchildren playing off to the side and pulled himself together. A shell falling near their town a day earlier had spurred the family's escape. But it was also about the threat of living under Russian-backed separatist rule and the economic evisceration that was sure to follow. "If Russians come here," he said, "it will become a dangerous place." Their leaving wasn't a moment too soon: That morning, train service was suspended from Slavyansk after an attack on the railway somewhere to the north and the Russian advance on the city of Barvinkove, 25 miles to the east. Many were also too afraid to go by train after last week's horrific attack on the station in the nearby city of Kramatorsk. Scenes of departures have become intimate portraits of loss and fear twined into the shared burden of survival. Near the Slavyansk City Council building, a crowd of 71 people lugged suitcases, overstuffed backpacks and bags toward seven vans that would take them to the western Ukrainian city of Ternopyl. Among them was Dina Zhivilyak, 18. She helped an elderly woman, Lyudmilla Botkovskaya, carry her dog Kashtanka (so named after the dog in the eponymous short story by Anton Chekhov; it means "little chestnut") to one of the vans before wrestling with her own suitcase. "I have the essentials here. Clothes I need for the trip, comfortable shoes, documents. And this," Zhivilyak said, rummaging through her bags before coming up with a ragged-looking teddy bear: a gift from her foster parents when they first brought her from the orphanage. With most shops shuttered and only a few major grocery stores operating, municipal authorities had taken to dispatching trucks to various parts of the city to distribute aid. One of them parked near Slavyansk's central square. People queued to receive a bag full of onions and carrots. "It's very hard to get products. Everything is closed. So I'm standing here. I don't even know what they're giving out," said Tanya, a 62-year-old pensioner who gave only her first name for reasons of privacy. She was staying behind because of her three cats, she said, but had little fear anything would happen. "I'm an optimist," she said. Just as fervent in her belief was Lydia Mychislavena, a caretaker in the city's Alexander Nevsky church. She lit the candles for the second daily service. A few parishioners came, kneeling and bowing their heads as a priest and two women sang, their voices resonating across the church's ornate interior. "In the 2014 war, we stayed. We won't go now," said Mychislavena. She recounted how she was getting out of the shower and heard a voice in her head telling her to move to the other room. She did so, and saw shells coming; she prayed, and they flew over her head. "Our prayer is stronger a million times than the bombs." Perhaps not a million, but many bombs have fallen between Slavyansk and Severodonetsk. They have taken lives, roads, shops and animals; they have ripped across fields and leveled buildings. Sergei Zaharolka, the 51-year-old deputy director of the Severodonetsk School, was bunkered with his wife, Lila, and several others at the school. "The director went away, but I stayed. Where would we go? We want to watch over the school," said Zaharolka. They had converted much of the space underground into living quarters, including the school clinic and areas near the indoor swimming pool. Some staff members were assigned to cook food (bean stew, chicken and freshly baked bread). Others would clean or rig solutions to get amenities. Zaharolka, a handsome man who resembled David Lynch he believed he looked more like the dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov did woodwork. The atmosphere seemed less siege than strange camping trip, with two kids playing hide-and-seek in one of the hallways before straying into a boiler room crowded with mattresses, religious icons and belongings. But all that did little to improve the mood of Natalya, the 44-year-old cleaning lady, who was there with her 9-year-old daughter Alona. She had stayed at the school almost from the beginning of the invasion on Feb. 24. She too had no intention to go, but was terrified of the bedlam happening nearby. "Only fear. I feel nothing else. Just fear," she said. She added that Alona understood there was war and wasn't asking too many questions. Still, when the bombing became too much, "we just sit here and pray." Zaharolka walked up the stairs to the school's outer yard. To the side lay a stack of crosses. Locals had asked him to make them, along with coffins. It was another way he could help, he said, and they would soon be going to the cemetery a prospect he met with a shrug. "I'm a carpenter. Some live. Some die. This is life." Moments later, an artillery shell landed to the north, striking something that released a dark, angry-looking plume of smoke that rose for miles, darkening the skies above the city. 2022 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Gen. James McConville, the Army's chief of staff, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and is working remotely, the service announced. The news of McConville's illness comes as measures to combat the pandemic have started to recede across much of the country, with many businesses and schools returning to normal operations and mask mandates largely being lifted. The Pentagon's mask mandate, for example, was dropped in March. McConville is experiencing only mild symptoms, according to an Army spokesperson. He is fully vaccinated and has received two COVID-19 booster shots. Read Next: Breakdowns, Ripped Clothing and Dying Batteries: Army Commits to Arctic But Still Figuring Out What Soldiers Need According to tracking by the New York Times, while deaths from the pandemic have been declining, coronavirus cases have been climbing nationally with a 39% spike in the past two weeks. Most of the military's senior leaders, whose jobs require them to travel frequently, have been infected with the virus since the pandemic. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tested positive in January, and Gen. Dan Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, tested positive in December. All have made full recoveries. Researchers have reported that patients who suffer the most severe effects of the virus typically have comorbidities, such as obesity and diabetes. The Washington, D.C., area has seen a spike in high-profile COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Elaine Luria, D-Va.; and Attorney General Merrick Garland. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: A Sign of the Times? DoD Skips Publishing Weekly COVID-19 Numbers In the wake of reports that a Navy psychologist played an active role in convicting for drug use a sailor who had reached out for mental health assistance, the service is standing by its policy, which does not provide patients with confidentiality and could mean that seeking help has consequences for service members. The case highlights a set of military regulations that, in vaguely defined circumstances, requires doctors to inform commanding officers of certain medical details, including drug tests, even if those tests are conducted for legitimate medical reasons necessary for adequate care. Allowing punishment when service members are looking for help could act as a deterrent in a community where mental health is still a taboo topic among many, despite recent leadership attempts to more openly discuss getting assistance. On April 11, Military.com reported the story of a sailor and his wife who alleged that the sailor's command, the destroyer USS Farragut, was retaliating against him for seeking mental health help. Read Next: Towing Company Illegally Auctioned Troops Cars Including a Deployed Navy SEALs, Justice Department Alleges Jatzael Alvarado Perez went to a military hospital to get help for his mental health struggles. As part of his treatment, he was given a drug test that came back positive for cannabinoids -- the family of drugs associated with marijuana. Perez denies having used any substances, but the test resulted in a referral to the ship's chief corpsman. Perez's wife, Carli Alvarado, shared documents with Military.com that were evidence in the sailor's subsequent nonjudicial punishment, showing that the Farragut found out about the results because the psychologist emailed the ship's medical staff directly, according to a copy of the email. "I'm not sure if you've been tracking, but OS2 Alvarado Perez popped positive for cannabis while inpatient," read the email, written to the ship's medical chief. Navy policy prohibits punishment for a positive drug test when administered as part of regular medical care. The email goes on to describe efforts by the psychologist to assist in obtaining a second test -- one that could be used to punish Perez. "We are working to get him a command directed urinalysis through [our command] today," it added. Later, the same psychologist is listed on Perez's nonjudicial punishment paperwork as a witness. Although Perez was told he had tested positive when a second test was conducted, he was never provided with paperwork of a positive test, according to his wife. After she demanded the document be produced, Perez's punishment was overturned, she said. Military.com is not naming the psychologist, a Navy officer, because it does not appear that they violated Navy policy or been charged with any wrongdoing. However, the documentation provided by Alvarado strongly suggests that the medical provider who was responsible for treating Perez was also actively participating in his legal proceedings. Sean Timmons, a managing partner at the law firm Tully Rinckey and a former Army judge advocate general officer, told Military.com that "it sounds like the psychologist has participated in a conspiracy to set him up." Timmons explained that the military has a policy known as "limited use" that is supposed to protect some drug test results from being used against service members. "If you have an alcohol problem or drug problem and you go see emergency room care ... if you test positive after a self-referral, that's not supposed to be used in an adverse manner against you," he explained. "It sounds like they immediately gave another test, then they used that second test," Timmons said, referring to the second test mentioned in the Navy doctor's email. "That's corrupt -- that's not legally sufficient." The Navy, through Angela Steadman, a spokeswoman for the service's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, agreed that "while reportable to the command for awareness, medically ordered drug testing and alcohol marker testing cannot be used for administrative proceedings by the command." Steadman said the reasoning behind that prohibition is not patient confidentiality but "chain of custody" issues. She was responding to overall policy questions posed by Military.com and not speaking specifically on Perez's case. Traditionally, none of the military branches will address allegations in which an individual's medical records or private information are involved, given privacy concerns and regulations. Steadman went on to say that "the command can do a command urinalysis or breathalyzer, or both, upon the Sailor's or Marine's return" from treatment. Dr. Stephen Xenakis, a psychiatrist and retired Army brigadier general, said the doctor's behavior struck him as unethical. "I can see no justification, when it comes to doing good care -- good medical, clinical care -- for this psychologist to disclose this to the commander," Xenakis told Military.com in an interview. "I think it violates the basic principles of what we need to do," he added. Steadman says that, overall, "positive drug tests ordered by mental health and other medical providers are reported to the Sailor or Marine's Commander if they meet the command reporting requirements" in a Department of Defense instruction. That instruction lists nine reasons for which a health care provider needs to break confidentiality on either mental health or substance abuse conditions. Some are self-explanatory, such as "harm to self" or "harm to others." But other reasons are far broader and open to interpretation, like "harm to mission;" an "acute medical condition" interfering with the "ability to perform assigned duties;" or "other special circumstances in which proper execution of the military mission outweighs the interests served by avoiding notification." Timmons said that the "significant number of loopholes" is intentional and that they are used so regularly that "the limited use policy is functionally worthless." "If they want to retain, they focus on limited use. If they want to toss the sailor, they focus on the loopholes and accomplish the objective through gamesmanship," he said. Steadman was asked by Military.com why the service doesn't provide sailors with a clear right to confidentiality with their medical providers, like civilians, and whether Navy leadership is concerned that the weak protections for mental health treatment will deter service members from seeking help. She did not reply by the time this story was published. Incidents like the one Perez faced are problematic, considering the reputation and trust issues the military already faces in getting help for its service members. "You've undermined the effectiveness of any mental health services and broad services that you need, particularly at a time when you're seeing more suicides and all sorts of other problems within the active duty and the family," Xenakis said. Senior leaders, like Adm. Mike Gilday, the Navy's top officer, have recently released a number of messages about mental health meant to counteract the stigma associated with seeking help. In last year's message for Mental Health Month, Gilday, told "all of our leaders out there, no matter your rank" to "talk to your people, listen to them, be available, and encourage them to seek help if they need it." Studies have shown that it is common for some service members to turn to drugs and alcohol -- especially marijuana -- as a way of self-medicating and coping when suffering from mental health ailments. For example, Marine Cpl. Tyson Manker, who was dismissed with an other-than-honorable discharge after he was caught using marijuana, told The New York Times the drug helped him deal with the traumatic experiences he encountered in Iraq in 2003. Manker sued the Navy and forced the service to review thousands of general and other-than-honorable discharges awarded to troops over the past decade for problems that may have stemmed from a military-related mental health condition or sexual assault. If the comments from service members on social media on mental health stories are any indication, the message isn't getting through. Stories about retaliation against sailors like Perez are consistently met with cynical quips over the lack of surprise at the news or a plethora of anecdotes involving specific instances of unsupportive leaders. Xenakis, who in civilian life has focused some of his efforts on using technology to improve health care services and sustain military readiness, thinks that decades of war have taken a toll on the entire military. "The whole chain of command, up and down, has been just beat up over 20 years ... and everybody's struggling," he said. "Some of the senior leaders that have survived and gotten through it just detached themselves from it." Timmons, whose practice involves routinely defending military clients, also points to the inconsistent and often confusing system of regulation surrounding drugs in the military as part of the problem, and the fact that false positives for cannabinoids happen in particular. "The military is a large bureaucracy, [with] a lot of moving parts and a lot of overlapping regulatory guidance," he said. "[Commanders] don't look at the deeper guidance." However, the lawyer is quick to note that "part of this is because robotically they check the box and move on." On a form designed to let Perez's leadership make recommendations for how his case was to be handled by the ship's commander, his division officer simply wrote "Zero Tolerance Policy," while the department head wrote "NSTR. Cut and dry case." NSTR is often an acronym for "Nothing significant to report." All four leaders recommended he be punished with a nonjudicial proceeding. While stories like Perez's paint a grim picture for service members looking to get assistance for mental health struggles in the military, help is out there. Outside organizations like Stack Up, Military Helpline or the Veterans Crisis Line offer crisis response and limited counseling options with the promise of confidentiality. The first two are not affiliated with any government organization, while the last is run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, not the military. Military OneSource, which is run by the Department of Defense, is also an option. However, its website notes that "present or future illegal activity" falls outside of its confidentiality promises. Xenakis explained that service members looking for help don't necessarily need to look for a professional. "There are people out there that you can trust, and you have to use your personal instincts to go find that individual," he said. "It's not about the treatment, it's about the therapist," he added. "I always tell everybody, nothing is more valuable than your life," Timmons said, adding that "you can always clean the records up later, if necessary. "Yes, the military may very well act in an unprofessional manner or have a very draconian, vindictive response, but nothing's more valuable than your long-term future," he explained. The lawyer also encourages sailors who are facing legal issues not to hesitate to get legal advice "as a minimum, through the free services available on installation from the uniformed attorneys." If you or someone you know needs help, the Veterans Crisis Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-273-8255, press 1. Services also are available online at www.veteranscrisisline.net or by text, 838255. -- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin. Related: A Sailor With Diagnosed Mental Health Issues Says He's Being Targeted for Seeking Help A towing company in Virginia Beach, Virginia, illegally auctioned, sold or trashed the vehicles and personal belongings of at least seven U.S. service members, including two cars owned by a Navy SEAL deployed overseas, according to a lawsuit filed April 15 by the Justice Department. Government court documents allege that as early as April 2019 Steve's Towing Inc. began a pattern of violating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, or SCRA, which guarantees certain financial and housing protections to active-duty members, when the company failed to recognize military ownership of multiple vehicles and obtain a court order before putting them up for bid. The DoJ is seeking damages for the Navy SEAL and the other impacted service members in a Virginia district court. Read Next: McConville, the Army's Top General, Tests Positive for COVID-19 "The Department of Justice is taking action to ensure that all servicemembers harmed by unscrupulous actions receive just compensation," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the department's civil rights division said in a press release. This is not the first time the DoJ has come down on businesses for selling troops' vehicles in their absence. Towing companies must receive a court order to dispose of property owned by a service member during their military service, or for 90 days after they separate, thanks to the SCRA, which was enacted in 2003. DoJ court documents identify an unnamed Navy petty officer first class from the elite SEAL Team 2, based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia, who parked his two cars in a lot across from headquarters while he was deployed overseas from roughly October 2019 to April 2020. Both his 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ73 -- containing a duffel bag of military uniforms, plus a Navy challenge coin -- and his 1987 Toyota 4Runner had Arizona license plates and registrations, the state where his parents live. Around Jan. 3, 2020, Steve's Towing towed the two vehicles, and about a month later filed with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to take ownership of the property, shortly after purchasing both vehicles from itself for $500 each. Although the car service company contacted the Virginia DMV, the state where the cars were collected, it reportedly did not do so in Arizona, where the vehicles were actually registered. The filing on Friday came as a "complete shock" to Lee Gilliam, general manager at Steve's Towing. "We love our military and would never auction off an active-duty military vehicle knowingly," Gilliam said in an interview. The case was filed in the Eastern District Court of Virginia, Norfolk Division, and no court date has been set. The DoJ advises service members and dependents who think their SCRA rights have been violated to reach out to their nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. As of Monday afternoon Steves Towing had not been served the court paperwork, Gilliam said, but the company continues to tow vehicles for the military police. -- Jonathan Lehrfeld is a fellow at Military.com. Follow him on Twitter @lehrfeld_media. Related: DOJ Is Cracking Down on Towing Companies That Seize Troops' Cars SEOUL, South Korea The U.S. special envoy for North Korea said Monday that Washington and Seoul agreed on the need for a strong response to North Korea's recent spate of missile tests, though they remain open to dialogue with the country. Sung Kim flew to South Korea on Monday for talks two days after North Korea conducted a new type of missile test in its 13th round of weapons firing this year. Experts say North Korea wants to advance its weapons arsenal and wrest concessions such as sanctions relief from its rivals. Weapons tested include nuclear-capable missiles able to target both the U.S. mainland and its allies such as South Korea and Japan. There are concerns that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test soon to intensify its pressure campaign. Origin APNews We agreed on the need for a strong response to the destabilizing behavior we have seen" from North Korea, Kim told reporters after meeting with his South Korean counterpart. (We) also agreed on the need to maintain the strongest possible joint deterrent capability on the peninsula. South Korean nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk said he and Kim shared concerns that North Korea will likely continue to engage in acts that raise regional tensions. He urged North Korea to return to talks. Kim said the allies have not closed the door on diplomacy with North Korea and have no hostile intent" toward the country. He repeated his earlier statement that the United States is ready to meet North Korea anywhere, without any conditions. North Korea has so far rejected Kims outreach, saying the United States must first drop its hostile policy before talks can resume. Some experts say North Korea wants the U.S. to relax sanctions or suspend its regular military drills with South Korea, which it views as an invasion rehearsal. Earlier Monday, the U.S. and South Korean militaries kicked off their springtime computer-simulated command post exercise. North Korea has previously responded to such drills with missile tests and warlike rhetoric. North Korea said Sunday it tested a new tactical guided weapon a day earlier which would boost its nuclear fighting capability. Some analysts said the weapon is likely a short-range ballistic missile to be mounted with a tactical nuclear warhead capable of targeting South Korea. Last month, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile potentially capable of reaching the U.S. homeland in its first long-range weapons test since November 2017. U.S.-led diplomacy meant to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for economic and political rewards remain largely stalemated since 2019. When you think of "camouflage," there's a good chance the first image that comes to mind is the woodland pattern on the Battle Dress Uniform. From 1981 until the early 2000s, this was the one uniform that firmly identified a member of the U.S. military. It didn't matter in which branch they served, that woodland camouflage commanded respect. All of the most famous advertisements for joining the armed forces featured this uniform. Despite being in service for so long, the uniform went mostly unchanged for 20-plus years. The Pentagon eventually issued summer-weight versions; the button waist adjusters gave way to an easier sliding tab; and the lapels on the BDU blouse were shortened. The 470th Military Intelligence Brigade in Panama during Operation Just Cause (U.S. Army) It seemed like the perfect working uniform -- until commanders started demanding improvements. They began with demanding trouser-like creases in the pant legs. Then came creases in the arm sleeve. These all eventually became regulations. American troops then did what they do best: trying to outdo one another in the quest to look as "sharp" as possible. By the end of its time in service, between 2005 and 2012, depending on the service branch, the BDU had suffered a stream of adjustments that would either make troops' lives easier or so much harder, depending on what they tried. These adjustments were by no means universal, but they happened. A lot. We got a little carried away. 5. Intense Levels of Starch Two sets of my BDUs were the same ones issued to me in basic training, a stunning tribute to the durability of the uniform. When preparing them for an inspection day or some other event where people would care how sharp my creases were, I unloaded an entire can of starch into them. Twelve years later, these uniforms are still so crisp, they literally stand up on their own. If anyone took their BDUs to the base laundry or an on-base dry cleaner, they would likely receive the same treatment. There were entire businesses dedicated to this practice, right outside most gates. You can't get "laser creases" into this nylon-cotton blend without the use of performance-enhancing substances. After treating them with starch, they needed only a simple iron now and then to renew the creases, which kept my effort minimal, along with my washes. These babies are razor thin, even after a decade of being in a bin somewhere. Just like god intended. I wasn't going to "break starch" (put on a new uniform) for no reason. And when I touched up, my BDUs glowed with the flash that only superheated starch on cotton BDUs could bring. 4. Sewing Creases into Arms and Legs Maybe you needed laser creases but didn't want to put the effort into your everyday wear. Maybe you wanted to avoid "summer creases" (summer here, summer there, creases everywhere). Either way, starch wasn't your thing. The simple solution was to go to that same off-base dry cleaner and see whether they had an alterations service to put a seam right where the regulations said that crease should be. They usually did. Because, again, they were near the base for a reason. And they knew every word of whatever regulation governed your branch's uniform wear. Some airmen would put plastic fishing line in the crease of their BDU sleeves and iron over it to melt the line into the crease, creating an instant, permanent crease. Either way, you could easily walk into work every day, looking like you at least tried to touch up those creases, even if you just rolled out of bed. 3. Gluing Down Pocket Flaps With BDUs, it wasn't only hands that didn't belong in your pockets. Using any of the pockets on the BDU blouse was a faux pas that would cause any onlooking officer to metaphorically clutch their pearls. While it was perfectly acceptable to use the waist pockets on the BDU pants (for any purpose except keeping your hands warm), using the side leg pockets would cause equal amounts of confusion and alarm, as they poofed out with use. The solution American troops found to this issue was to literally glue or sew those pockets flaps shut and either sew the inner pockets down or remove them entirely. You can't use pockets you don't actually have. If you needed those pockets for combat, you probably weren't deploying with that uniform anyway. 2. Using Weights Inside Pant Legs Not only did those pants need to be creased and clean, if you were going to take them to the next level, they needed to be straight-legged too. There's no better way to keep pants looking like they've never been worn even when you're currently wearing them than installing heavy rubber weights in the area you also just bloused. Grown adults would blouse their BDU pants as usual, but instead of allowing the material to naturally flow over the tops of their expertly-shined combat boots, they would control how they looked -- by force. Very large, very heavy rubber cuffs were placed at the bottom of the bloused pant area so the wearer could smooth the fabric flowing over his or her boots over and around the heavy rubber cuff. The end result made it look like the wearers' pants weren't bloused work pants, but instead were doggedly-starched camouflage pattern dress pants. 1. Cutting Off Sleeves It gets super hot in many of the places American troops are based or deployed. In those instances, BDU-wearing soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines would be allowed to roll their sleeves to a predetermined area on their arm. The Navy and Marine Corps wore their rolled BDU sleeves with the lighter-colored material facing out, while the Army and Air Force wore rolled sleeved mostly rolled this way, but with the outer cuff facing outwardly. As if anyone else wore rolled sleeves like that anywhere, ever. Rolling our sleeves the way literally no one else would. (U.S. Air Force photo) If stationed somewhere that gets continually hot and required rolled sleeves day-after-day, some airmen and soldiers would simplify the rolling process. Normally, they would have to keep the roll perfectly flat and get the outer cuff on top, then have to restarch and iron the sleeves once they came down. Or they could just cut off most of the sleeve and sew the cuff to the predetermined place on the short sleeve, to make a perfect short-sleeved BDU blouse, one they'd have to change immediately if a VIP showed up. No problem, though. A regular pressed, heavy-starched replacement was probably somewhere close at hand. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys. < and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys. > in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys. ? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key. Other keyboard shortcuts: 1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons Scalebar If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular. Controls - Video Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key. Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation) Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys. The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types. The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control. Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways: - without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method - with stereoscope - with anaglyph glasses. - on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system) For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them. Controls - photo comparison mode If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu. Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder. Summary of all keyboard shortcuts News Frontrunner Vaccine Will Affact the Price of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder - Market Trend CEO of Pfizer partner BioNTech says coming winter will be hard but by April, 300 million immunization units should be ready, which will have an impact on the global pandemic. If coronavirus vaccinations are rolled out widely, life could return to normal by next winter, one of the scientists behind the front-running coronavirus vaccine told British television on Sunday. Ugur Sahin, the Turkish co-founder of the German firm BioNTech, told the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show that this winter will be hard, without any major impact from vaccinations. Together with US giant Pfizer, BioNTech is developing the leading candidate in the worldwide chase for a vaccine. Israel has ordered millions of units of the vaccine, hoping that the first deliveries will arrive in the country by January. Affected by the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, the Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-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 November 2020-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. The price of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-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 Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-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 Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder will increase to a certain extent. Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder, the cost of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder will increase slightly from today to next week. The market trend of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder? The global Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powdermarket is constantly changing. The latest Global Market Report provides clear and accurate statistics and market estimates of the global Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder target market. The report includes an analysis of the different factors driving the market growth. It includes market drivers, constraints, opportunities and trends. This report is written by experienced and knowledgeable market analysts and researchers. It is an amazing compilation of important research that explores the competitive landscape, segmentation, geographic expansion, and revenue, production and consumption growth of the global Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder target market. In addition, the report provides a series of different market segments and applications that can promote market development during the forecast period. In-depth information is based on historical milestones and current trends. In addition, the Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder market report also covers development policies and plans, manufacturing processes and cost structures, marketing strategies, and then analyzes top Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder producers, distributors, marketing channels of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder, potential buyers and Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder History of development. The report also lists import and export, supply and consumption data as well as costs, prices, revenue and gross margins by region. The market demand for Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder? The world's leading Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder target market report contains research on competitive dynamics. It also has a specific awareness that can help you choose the right business execution and steps. Market reports systematically display information in the form of organizational charts, facts, charts, statistics and graphs, which represent the status of related transactions on global and regional platforms. In addition, the report also includes the entire business chain, through which the growth rate and decline rate of specific industries in the market can be analyzed. The report also describes the total cost of manufacturing the product and analyzing its assembly process. In addition, the report also includes major developments in the market. The report involves value chain analysis and represents the workflow in the market. In addition, the market is classified by category, process, end-use industry and region. The report divides the market based on geographic location. TRUNNANO (aka. Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd.) 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 Aluminum Silicon Alloy (Al12Si)-Powder manufacturer, Luoyang Tongrun 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. Please send an inquiry as needed. Li3N is short for lithium nitride, which is a metal nitrogen compound that is a purple or red crystalline solid, showing a light green luster under reflected light and a ruby color in transmitted light. At room temperature, metallic lithium can partially generate lithium nitride when exposed to air, and lithium generates lithium nitride in a nitrogen stream 10 to 15 times faster than in air. At this time, all lithium is converted into lithium nitride. Learn more knowledge about Lithium nitride from nanotrun website. Inquery us South Korea's Central Epidemic Prevention Countermeasures Headquarters reported on March 19 that as of 00:00 on the 19th local time, South Korea had newly added 152 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia, and the cumulative number of confirmed infections rose to 8,565.In South Korea, the number of new cases in a single day stayed within 100 cases for four consecutive days and then jumped to three figures.According to a report by Yonhap on March 18, a cluster of hospital infections has recently occurred in Daegu, South Korea, where the epidemic has slowed recently. As of March 18, a total of 87 people in 5 hospitals have been diagnosed with new crown pneumonia.Among them, the most significant number of confirmed cases was an elderly nursing home located in the Western District of Daegu. Seventy-four cases have been diagnosed, 57 are hospital patients, and 17 are hospital employees.The nursing home specializes in treating older adults with dementia. There are 115 patients in the nursing home. On the 16th, a nurse at the hospital was diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia, becoming the first confirmed case. Since then, the health department has performed a virus test on all patients and medical staff in the hospital. At present, only one third has been completed, and more than 70 confirmed cases have been detected.South Korea's Disease Management Division, the hospital, and the Daegu City Government have initiated pathological investigations and adopted preventive measures to block similar infections. During the investigation, confirmed cases were found in four other nursing homes or elderly hospitals, and a total of 87 confirmed cases in 5 hospitals.With signs of a rebound in the domestic epidemic, it can be concluded that in the future, South Korea's epidemic prevention measures will be more stringent, and import and export trade will be more strictly controlled. As well as other domestic manufacturers of polycarboxylic acid superplasticizers , they will affect the supply of superplasticizers in Asia. As a professional supplier of the polycarboxylic acid water-reducing agent, our company will always provide our customers with high-quality water reducing agent as the epidemic situation in China improves. If you need, you can contact us at any time: tech@cie-china.org. Products Frontrunner Vaccine Will Affact the Price of Beryllium (Be)-Rod - Market Trend CEO of Pfizer partner BioNTech says coming winter will be hard but by April, 300 million immunization units should be ready, which will have an impact on the global pandemic. If coronavirus vaccinations are rolled out widely, life could return to normal by next winter, one of the scientists behind the front-running coronavirus vaccine told British television on Sunday. Ugur Sahin, the Turkish co-founder of the German firm BioNTech, told the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show that this winter will be hard, without any major impact from vaccinations. Together with US giant Pfizer, BioNTech is developing the leading candidate in the worldwide chase for a vaccine. Israel has ordered millions of units of the vaccine, hoping that the first deliveries will arrive in the country by January. Affected by the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, the Beryllium (Be)-Rod market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next November 2020-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. The price of Beryllium (Be)-Rod 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 Beryllium (Be)-Rod 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 Beryllium (Be)-Rod will increase to a certain extent. Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of Beryllium (Be)-Rod, the cost of Beryllium (Be)-Rod is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of Beryllium (Be)-Rod will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of Beryllium (Be)-Rod will increase slightly from today to next week. The market trend of Beryllium (Be)-Rod? The global Beryllium (Be)-Rodmarket is constantly changing. The latest Global Market Report provides clear and accurate statistics and market estimates of the global Beryllium (Be)-Rod target market. The report includes an analysis of the different factors driving the market growth. It includes market drivers, constraints, opportunities and trends. This report is written by experienced and knowledgeable market analysts and researchers. It is an amazing compilation of important research that explores the competitive landscape, segmentation, geographic expansion, and revenue, production and consumption growth of the global Beryllium (Be)-Rod target market. In addition, the report provides a series of different market segments and applications that can promote market development during the forecast period. In-depth information is based on historical milestones and current trends. In addition, the Beryllium (Be)-Rod market report also covers development policies and plans, manufacturing processes and cost structures, marketing strategies, and then analyzes top Beryllium (Be)-Rod producers, distributors, marketing channels of Beryllium (Be)-Rod, potential buyers and Beryllium (Be)-Rod History of development. The report also lists import and export, supply and consumption data as well as costs, prices, revenue and gross margins by region. The market demand for Beryllium (Be)-Rod? The world's leading Beryllium (Be)-Rod target market report contains research on competitive dynamics. It also has a specific awareness that can help you choose the right business execution and steps. Market reports systematically display information in the form of organizational charts, facts, charts, statistics and graphs, which represent the status of related transactions on global and regional platforms. In addition, the report also includes the entire business chain, through which the growth rate and decline rate of specific industries in the market can be analyzed. The report also describes the total cost of manufacturing the product and analyzing its assembly process. In addition, the report also includes major developments in the market. The report involves value chain analysis and represents the workflow in the market. In addition, the market is classified by category, process, end-use industry and region. The report divides the market based on geographic location. TRUNNANO (aka. Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd.) 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 Beryllium (Be)-Rod manufacturer, Luoyang Tongrun 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. Please send an inquiry as needed. Li3N is short for lithium nitride, which is a metal nitrogen compound that is a purple or red crystalline solid, showing a light green luster under reflected light and a ruby color in transmitted light. At room temperature, metallic lithium can partially generate lithium nitride when exposed to air, and lithium generates lithium nitride in a nitrogen stream 10 to 15 times faster than in air. At this time, all lithium is converted into lithium nitride. Learn more knowledge about Lithium nitride from nanotrun website. Inquery us Products Global TC4 market trend 2025-2028 Properties and Applications of Ti6Al4V TC4 Powder by Newsmis-asia Oil futures tumbled more than $5 a barrel on news that the Biden administration is considering releasing about 1 million barrels a day from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) for several months to cool surging crude prices. Brent crude futures were down $4.71, or 4.2 percent, at $108.58 a barrel by 0035 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell $5.45, or 5 percent, to $102.74 a barrel. At an earlier time, gasoline prices had already reached record levels because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The prices of other commodities like the TC4 are also expected to be volatile. Introduction to Ti6Al4V Powder TC4 Powder TC4 titanium alloy material, also known as Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy, belongs to the (+) type titanium alloy. It has good comprehensive mechanical properties, good stability of the structure, good toughness, plasticity, and high-temperature deformation performance. It can be better for hot pressure processing, quenching, and aging to strengthen the alloy. The strength after heat treatment is about 50%~100% higher than that after annealing. It has high strength at high temperatures and can work at 400~500 temperature for a long time. TC4 also has good low-temperature performance. It still has good toughness below -196and, therefore, is used to manufacture low-temperature high-pressure vessels, such as liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for rockets and missiles. Physicochemical Properties of Ti6Al4V Powder TC4 Powder TC4 titanium alloy material is characterized by lightweight, excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. In addition, it has low thermal conductivity and is non-magnetic. Titanium-based metal, as a new type of metal, its properties depend on other elements like carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, etc. In general, it has: 1, high strength. Titanium typically has a density of 4.51 grams per cubic centimeter, only 60 percent of that of steel. The density of pure titanium is similar to that of ordinary steel, and the strength of some high-strength titanium alloys is higher than that of many alloy structural steel. Therefore, the specific strength (strength/density) of titanium alloy is much higher than that of other metallic structural materials. 2, high thermal strength. At medium temperature, titanium alloy can still maintain the required strength and can work at 450~500 for a long time. 3, good corrosion resistance. Titanium alloy works in a humid atmosphere and seawater medium, its corrosion resistance is far better than stainless steel pitting corrosion, acid corrosion, stress corrosion especially strong alkali, chloride, chlorine organic matter, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and so on. 4, good low-temperature performance. Titanium alloys can still maintain mechanical properties at low and ultra-low temperatures. TA7 is a titanium alloy with good low-temperature performance and very low gap elements, which can maintain certain plasticity at -253. Therefore, titanium alloy is also an important low-temperature structural material. 5, high chemical activity. Titanium has high chemical activity and has a strong chemical reaction with oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, CO, CO2, water vapor, ammonia, and so on in the atmosphere. When the carbon content is greater than 0.2%, hard TiC is formed in titanium, and a hard TiN surface is formed at high temperatures. When the carbon content is above 600, titanium can absorb oxygen and form a hard hardening layer. At high temperatures, with the increase of hydrogen content, a hard hardening layer is formed. After inhalation, the depth of the hard brittle surface can reach 0.1~0.15mm, and the hard brittle surface can reach 20%~30%. Its chemical affinity is also strong, and easy to adhere to the friction surface. 6, small thermal conductivity elasticity. The thermal conductivity of the titanium system is about 1/4 of nickel, 1/5 of iron, 1/14 of aluminum, and the thermal conductivity of various titanium alloys is about 50%. The elastic modulus of titanium is about 1/2 that of steel, with poor stiffness and easy deformation. It is not suitable for slender rods and thin-walled parts. Ti6Al4V Powder TC4 Powder Properties Other Names Ti6Al4V Powder, TC4 Powder CAS No. N/A Compound Formula TA0,TA1,TC4,TC4 ELI,TC11,TC17,TC18,TC21,TA7,TA12,TA15,TA17,TA19, Ti40,Ti60,TiAl(Ti36Al,Ti48Al2Cr2Nb) Molecular Weight N/A Appearance grey powder Melting Point N/A Boiling Point N/A Density N/A Solubility in H2O N/A Exact Mass N/A 3D Printing Ti6Al4V Powder TC4 Powder Applications of Ti6Al4V Powder TC4 Powder Ti6Al4V is used in many high-performance engineering applications, such as aerospace, automotive, and medical device manufacturing. Aerospace: Components for jet engines Manufacturing: Industrial turbines Car: muffler Medical: implants, artificial bones In the petrochemical industry: In most inorganic salts, TC4 titanium rods are completely inert and have excellent corrosion resistance. For example, in the production of electrolytic Mn02, the electrolyte is a neutral MnSO4 solution, which requires the electrode to be resistant to sulfate corrosion. The effect of a telegraph machine made of lead alloy and graphite is not good. After switching to titanium, the anode is not corroded and becomes a semi-permanent device. TC4 titanium alloy rod has excellent corrosion resistance in almost all organic acids and organic media except formic acid and oxalic acid. In addition to methanol, titanium also resists corrosion by organic alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones. For example, in the petrochemical industry, acetic acid is prepared from acetaldehyde. Because acetic acid, acetaldehyde, chloride, and catalyst corrode the stainless steel equipment seriously, titanium material is used to solve the corrosion problem of equipment in acetic acid production. Acetone, for example, can be made from propylene, or titanium production facilities can be used. Japan built a plant with an annual output of 30,000 tons of acetone and used nearly 40 tons of titanium. Finally, TC4 titanium rods are resistant to wet H2S gas, wet SO4 gas, ammonia, and industrial atmospheres (titanium should be used with particular care in small hydrogen-containing media and pure oxygen). For example, in the oil refining industry, equipment is often corroded by H2S, NH8, sulfide, chloride, and titanium equipment can solve the corrosion problem. Titanium is mainly used in distillation towers, condensers, air coolers, and other equipment in petroleum refining. Titanium is an ideal corrosion-resistant material in ammonia and urea production. Main Supplier of Ti6Al4V Powder TC4 Powder Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials, including silicon powder, nitride powder, graphite powder, zinc sulfide, calcium nitride, 3D printing powder, etc. If you are looking for high-quality Ti6Al4V Powder TC4 Powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. ([email protected]) With Tesla's new factory in Germany starting TC4. In the future, the demand for TC4 will become more and more extensive. Please feel free to contact us for the latest news on TC4. Inquery us Products Market Trend and Demand-Successfully Sent The Chang'e-5 Probe Will Affact the Price of Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump At 4:30 on November 24th, the Chang'e-5 probe was successfully launched. As the final battle in the three-step process of my country's lunar exploration project, the Chang'e-5 lunar exploration mission will challenge my countrys space history. The four "firsts" are: The first lunar surface automatic sampling; The first lunar surface take-off and rise; The first lunar orbital rendezvous and docking; The first time to bring the lunar soil high speed to return to the earth. The Chang'e-5 probe plans to shovel some lunar soil samples from the lunar surface after landing on the lunar surface, and will also drill a lunar soil core about 2 meters long. According to Lin Yangting from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, using samples obtained on the moon's surface combined with modern analysis techniques, scientists will unlock the moon's more than 1 billion years of volcanic activity and meteorite impact history. If the samples of Chang'e 5 confirm that the moon was still active 1 to 2 billion years ago, it will rewrite human perception of the moon. The most recent moon sampling was the Moon 24 sampling mission of the Soviet Union in 1976. Yes, it is the "Soviet Union" that has become history. It has been 44 years since the last time mankind successfully obtained a lunar sample. If the Chang 5 mission is successful, China will become the third country where mankind obtains lunar samples. Affected by Successful launch of Chang'e 5 probe, the Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next November 2020-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. The price of Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump 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 Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump 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 Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump will increase to a certain extent. Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump, the cost of Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump will increase slightly from today to next week. The market trend of Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump? The global Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lumpmarket is constantly changing. The latest Global Market Report provides clear and accurate statistics and market estimates of the global Dihydrogen Hexachloroiridate(IV) Hydrate (H2IrCl6 xH2O)-Lump target market. The report includes an analysis of the different factors driving the market growth. It includes market drivers, constraints, opportunities and trends. This report is written by experienced and knowledgeable market analysts and researchers. 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Li3N is short for lithium nitride, which is a metal nitrogen compound that is a purple or red crystalline solid, showing a light green luster under reflected light and a ruby color in transmitted light. At room temperature, metallic lithium can partially generate lithium nitride when exposed to air, and lithium generates lithium nitride in a nitrogen stream 10 to 15 times faster than in air. At this time, all lithium is converted into lithium nitride. Learn more knowledge about Lithium nitride from nanotrun website. Inquery us Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez is unfortunately stepping away from the booth after receiving a cancer diagnosis. Martinez announced the decision himself with a press release, presented here by Sportsnet. The Blue Jays responded with a show of support. Martinez will undergo treatment, after which he hopes to be able to return to the booth. Martinez has long been an ambassador for the Blue Jays, going all the way back to his playing days. Martinez spent the final six seasons of his 17-year playing career with Toronto. He would even go on to manage the club from 2000-01. Hes now been part of the Toronto organization for four decades. But the 73-year-old has become closely aligned with the Blue Jays from his work in the booth. While he has some experience as a national broadcaster, he is now in his 12th year with Sportsnet announcing Blue Jays games, notes MLB.coms Keegan Matheson. Blue Jays games certainly wont be the same without Bucks familiar commentary over the next couple of months. We here at MLBTR wish Martinez a speedy recovery as he, in his words, fights the good fight. By 2021, South Africa's unemployment rate was at 44% . Around 55.5% of South Africans were living in poverty. Figures show that in 2021, 10 million people, including 3 million children, lived in a household affected by hunger. Poverty is a key driver of poor mental health. People who also experience insecure income, housing and food supply are particularly vulnerable. The burden of mental illness in South Africa is high. Nearly half of the population (47.5%) is at risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in their lifetime. Despite this high burden, access to mental healthcare in South Africa is severely limited. Only 27% of patients with severe mental illnesses receive treatment. South Africa's public health system was under-resourced and overburdened even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare in the publicly funded system is provided by 35% of the country's doctors for 84% of the population . Major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders, have drastically increased during the pandemic, with figures from 2020 suggesting that 24% of the population exhibit depressive symptoms. Adolescents and young people growing up in households with unemployment and lacking income and a regular supply of food are known to experience even greater stress and anxiety than young people in less resource restricted households. Adolescent girls and young women in the poorest communities in South Africa also face additional challenges to their mental health. These include a lack of social support, financial insecurity, and vulnerabilities related to their gender. But services specifically targeted at adolescents and young people are woefully inadequate. The HERStory2 study In our recent study we looked at the socio-economic and mental health impacts of COVID-19 on South African adolescent girls and young women. The aim was to understand how the additional challenges brought on by COVID-19 had added to existing risks faced by this population group. Between November 2020 and March 2021, we conducted a survey and interviews with adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years in six districts of South Africa. The young women in our study came from communities with some of the highest rates of HIV, teenage pregnancy and socio-economic hardship in the country. We found that COVID-19 restrictions had led to increased experiences of stress and anxiety. But despite the many hardships, some of the young women showed signs of emotional resilience. Understanding the strategies that some young women have used to cope with the uncertainty of COVID-19 could point to better ways to respond to their needs. Our findings show that the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown restrictions, introduced by the South African government in March 2020, worsened situations of poverty, unemployment and food insecurity, adding to mental health stressors. Young women in our study described how households' loss of income, economic and food insecurity, fear of infection, and death of family members resulted in feelings of frustration, anxiety and depression. Nearly three quarters (71.8%) of young women reported financial problems during COVID-19 and the lockdowns. Hunger was a major issue, with 75.4% of young women saying they had been concerned about food running out due to lack of money. A quarter said they had gone a day and night without food. This anxiety related to food supply negatively affected mental health, with 69% of young women reporting they had became more distressed and anxious during COVID-19 and the lockdown. Poor mental health was made even worse by strained family relationships, increased fear of domestic violence, household unemployment, economic stress and food insecurity. Respondents described feeling bored, frustrated, isolated, lonely, scared and hopeless. Young women had not been able to get the emotional support they needed during the lockdowns. They spoke of their experiences of increased tension in the home environment, with fraught family relationships due to lockdown, and family members feeling stressed, frustrated and confined in close quarters. Fear was a predominant emotion in the narratives of respondents in our study: fear of infection, fear for the health and safety of family, fear related to economic insecurity and future prospects, and fear of leaving home during lockdown due to concerns about police brutality . Respondents described an overwhelming sense of hopelessness about their current situation, and the future. Young women spoke of having their dreams for the future shattered. Some shared desperate stories of their friends no longer being able to cope, and choosing to end their lives due to a loss of hope that things would ever improve. On a positive note, some respondents articulated an emotional resilience, describing how they managed to cope in healthy ways and retain hope. Some described taking things one step at a time, accepting their situation and being patient, hoping that things would improve. Respondents also described sources of psycho-social support which enabled them to cope. These included parents, grandparents, and community or faith based groups. Going forward The South African government urgently needs to recognise child and adolescent mental health services as a health priority, and develop appropriate interventions. These should be innovative, cost-effective, scalable and evidence-based. Working through schools and community-based services could be a cost-effective way of increasing access. Building skills and capacity of lay mental health providers and frontline workers, including community health workers and teachers, could help to reduce the mental health treatment gap. Support could also be offered through accessible and data-free mobile health applications, digital technologies, virtual support solutions and online platforms. Telephonic counselling services and community safe spaces are options too. Mental health is not possible if basic needs aren't met. Therefore, it's critical to strengthen social protection responses and social safety nets. Read more: COVID-19 holds lessons for the future of social protection Finally, efforts need to be made to create an enabling environment to foster hope among adolescents and young people in South Africa. Zoe Duby receives funding from the South African Medical Research Council. By Zoe Duby, Socio-behavioural public health researcher, South African Medical Research Council 18.04.2022 LISTEN The founder and presiding Bishop of the Lighthouse Group of Churches (UD-OLGC), Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, has said the death of his son, David Heward-Mills, has created a funny environment. Bishop Heward-Mills made the comments on Sunday, 17 April 2022, while delivering a sermon titled: The grave is not the end. My son David just passed away. It spoils everything. You ask me am I sad? If you had a son who died, will you be sad? You should ask yourself that question. It spoils everything. It brings a funny environment and it makes nonsense of everything. We always try to wish it further and further away but that is how it is, Bishop Heward-Mills. Dr. David Heward-Mills died in the United States after a short illness. He was 31. It is with deep regret and great sorrow that we announce the sudden passing away of David Heward-Mills, after a short illness. David was the first son of our Founder and Presiding Bishop. We, also as a church, are heartbroken, however, we stand with our leader and his family and believe that God will comfort and see us through this very difficult season, a circular issued to members of the church said. Please respect their privacy during this difficult time. Funeral arrangements will be communicated in due course, the circular added. David Heward-Mills was a Research Physician at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Galveston. Source: classfmonline.com Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of wanting to "destroy" the entire eastern region of Donbas, as the last remaining forces in the strategic port of Mariupol prepared Monday for a final defence. Moscow is pushing for victory in the southern city as it works to wrest control of Donbas and create a land corridor to already-annexed Crimea. Ukraine has pledged to fight on and defend the city, defying a Russian ultimatum on Sunday that called on the remaining fighters inside the encircled Azovstal steel plant to lay down their arms and surrender. The Ukrainian authorities have urged people in Donbas to move west to escape a large-scale Russian offensive to capture the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. "Russian troops are preparing for an offensive operation in the east of our country in the near future. They want to literally finish off and destroy Donbas," Zelensky said in a statement. Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraine's unexpectedly fierce resistance since Russian troops invaded the former Soviet state on 24 February. "The city still has not fallen," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. "There's still our military forces, our soldiers. So they will fight to the end. We will not surrender." While several large cities were under siege, only Kherson in the south has fallen under Russian control, and more than 900 towns and cities have been re-captured. Thousands of civilians facing famine The UN World Food Programme says that more than 100,000 civilians in Mariupol are on the verge of famine and lack water and heating. Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said the city was on "the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe", saying there was compiling evidence of Russian atrocities there. "We will hand everything over to The Hague. There will be no impunity." The mayor of Bucha -- a town near Kyiv where the discovery of dead civilians sparked international condemnation and war crimes accusations -- said Russian troops had raped men as well as women and children there. Zelensky invites Macron to 'see for himself' Zelensky said he had invited his French counterpart to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence that Russian forces have committed "genocide" -- a term President Emmanuel Macron has avoided. "I talked to him yesterday," Zelensky told CNN in an interview recorded on Friday but broadcast Sunday. "I just told him I want him to understand that this is not war, but nothing other than genocide. I invited him to come when he will have the opportunity. He'll come and see, and I'm sure he will understand." Zelensky, describing the situation in Mariupol as "inhuman", has called on the West to provide heavy weapons. Russia has warned the United States this week of "unpredictable consequences" if it sent its "most sensitive" weapons systems to Ukraine. The Catholic Bishop of Koforidua Diocese, Most Rev Joseph Afrifa-Agyekum, has raised issues against the lack of continuity of projects and policies when a new government takes over administration of the country. He said this way of doing things in the country must stop. Regarding the free senior high school (SHS) policy, he said it is a programme that should remain no matter the government in place. Speaking in interview with TV3s Eastern Region correspondent Yvonne Neequaye on Sunday April 17, he said We start a project, let us try to continue. I am happy the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo started this free senior high school policy . This is a policy that we also need to assist for it to be successful in spite of the challenges that came up at the beginning but I think gradually they are trying to make it up, he said. He further called on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to address issues facing feeding of pupils in the various schools. I also mention the buffer stock which is where the headmasters and headmistresses will get their supplies from the suppliers who have been designated. At the beginning it was wonderful, you go to school and the students say they are eating eggs, fish, mackerels, but these days it looks like the situation is becoming more challenging for the heads. I think it is an area that we seriously have to look into, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, so that we unearth the challenges that are causing this issue, he said. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2017 launched the Free Senior High School Policy in fulfilment of his campaign promise in 2017. Today, we throw open the doors of opportunity and hope to our young people We have a sacred duty to our children and the generations beyond in ensuring that, irrespective of their circumstances, their right to education is preserved, the President said to an ecstatic crowd at the West Africa Senior High School premises at Adenta. He added I want every Ghanaian child to attend secondary school not just for what they learn in books, but for the life experiences that they will gain. I want each of them to look in the mirror in the morning, every morning, and know that they can achieve anything they dream of when they complete their studies. I want them to be confident that what they study is relevant to the demands of today, and of tomorrow. I want every Ghanaian child to be comfortable in the knowledge that, when they work hard, they will be as capable as anyone else in the world. And I want parents to look upon their children with pride, as they watch them mature into self-confident adults, the President said. 3news.com The Catholic Bishop of Koforidua Diocese, Most Rev Joseph Afrifa-Agyekum, has called for the arrest and prosecution of officers who fixed ghost names into government payroll. He explained that the names on the payroll did not get there by themselves therefore, persons who ought to have known better should be dealt with in accordance with the law. Speaking in interview with TV3s Eastern Region correspondent, Yvonne Neequaye on Sunday April 17, he said with the ghost names, I am really surprised that every now and then we come up with this same issue that we have cleared some thousands of of names from the payroll. My question is, how did the names get there and who are the directors or who are the officers who are supposed to have known that these are not our staff? In the long round, who is collecting the money at the end of the day. So, when you clear these names what happens to those who managed the get the names there? Recently, the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta said the government would conclude on-going measures to eliminate ghost workers from the Government payroll by end December 2022. He said this while announcing measures to deal with the challenges facing the country on Thursday March 24. Government will conclude on-going measures to eliminate ghost workers from the Government payroll by end of December 2022; prioritize ongoing public projects over new projects. This is to enhance the efficient use of limited public funds over the period by finishing ongoing or stalled but approved projects; reduce expenditure on all meetings and conferences by 50%, effective immediately. He further revealed that with immediate effect, the Government has imposed a complete moratorium on the purchase of imported vehicles for the rest of the year. He said this will affect all new orders, especially 4-wheel drives. With immediate effect, Government has imposed a complete moratorium on the purchase of imported vehicles for the rest of the year. This will affect all new orders, especially 4-wheel drives. We will ensure that the overall effect is to reduce total vehicle purchases by the public sector by at least 50 percent for the period, he said at a press conference on Thursday March 24 while announcing measures introduced to deal with the economic challenges. 3news.com Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben South, Michael Kyere Baafi has urged churches in the country to welcome the implementation of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy). In a plea to churches, the MP who is also the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry stressed that the new levy has become necessary to foster national development following the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic. What the church can do to help the country are prayers and promoting the patriotism. You will agree with me that the country is going through some difficulties because we didnt see COVID-19 coming to disrupt the economy. But by the grace of God and your prayers the economy is recovering. I know that you will not stop praying for the country so that the country crashes. Continue to remember President Akufo Addo and his appointees in prayers. The second issue about patriotism, many things have happened some are quiet difficult decisions but all for the sake of the countrys development. That is why the President and the Finance Minister initiated e-levy. We know it is difficult but it is for the sake of national development so accept it for us. If the church doesnt accept e-levy nobody can accept it .We know it is quiet worrying but at all cost try to welcome the e-levy to enable government embark on developmental projects, Michael Okyere Baafi said on Sunday in Koforidua during the climax of the Easter Convention by the Church of Pentecost. Following the passage of the controversial Electronic Transaction Bill and the swift assent to the bill into law by President Akufo-Addo, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is set to commence its implementation on May 1, 2022. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has presented GHC60,000 to victims of the Zakoli attack in the Yendi Municipality of the Northern Region. Dr Bawumia made the presentation when he visited the community on Sunday to commiserate with the victims and the bereaved families. Naa Abukari Andani, the Chief of Zakoli, received the money for onward disbursement to the victims. Last Wednesday, April 13, some unknown persons besieged Zakoli, a nomadic settler community, and killed eight members. Four other people sustained gunshot injuries and are receiving treatment at the Yendi Government Hospital. A number of thatch-roofed houses, food crops and motorbikes were also destroyed. It is not clear what triggered the attacks but the Ghana News Agency gathered that it was a possible retaliation of an earlier robbery attack on a teacher at Zagbang on the YendiZabzugu Road, which led to his death. Out of the GHC60,000.00, families of the eight deceased persons would each receive GHC5,000.00 towards the burial rites while the four injured persons would each receive GHc5,000.00 for their medical bills and upkeep. Dr Bawumia gave the assurance that government would, during the week, dispatch relief items to the community to support the victims. Naa Andani demanded swift investigations into the attack to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators to ensure justice was served. GNA A global summit to chart an end to the Covid-19 crisis and plan for future upheavals will occur May 12, the White House said Monday, even as President Joe Biden struggles to get vital pandemic funding from Congress. The virtual gathering will be co-chaired by the United States, along with current G7 president Germany, G20 president Indonesia, African Union chair Senegal, and Belize, the current chair of the CARICOM Caribbean grouping. "The summit will redouble our collective efforts to end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future health threats," the countries said in a joint statement. This will be the second global huddle on the pandemic, which has killed more than six million people and triggered profound disruption to leading economies and trading patterns in the two years since it began to spread. Biden hosted a similar summit last September, at which he urged partners to surge vaccines and ensure that 70 percent of every country has been vaccinated by September this year. Although death rates are plummeting world wide, the virus continues to spread, preventing many leading countries from fully lifting restrictions, while Shanghai in China is in the midst of a draconian lockdown. Summit hosts appealed for maintaining the sense of urgency. "In advance of the May 12 summit, we are calling on world leaders, members of civil society, non-governmental organizations, philanthropists, and the private sector to make new commitments and bring solutions to vaccinate the world, save lives now, and build better health security -- for everyone, everywhere," the joint statement said. "The emergence and spread of new variants, like Omicron, have reinforced the need for a strategy aimed at controlling Covid-19 worldwide," it said. And while the latest variants are less lethal, the summit statement stressed there must be a focus on stopping similar future catastrophes from taking the world by surprise. "We know we must prepare now to build, sustain, and finance the global capacity we need, not only for emerging Covid-19 variants, but also future health crises," the statement said. Biden goals face headwinds US President Joe Biden faces problems funding his Covid-19 response. By MANDEL NGAN AFPFile Biden took office in 2021 promising to overcome the pandemic at home but also putting a heavy accent on efforts to vaccinate poor areas of the world. The United States has pledged to deliver at least 1.1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses for global use before 2023 and has so far shipped around half of that. However, Biden's ambition to make the United States an "arsenal for vaccines" similar to US leadership in World War II now faces political headwinds. A package ensuring $10 billion in continued funding for the domestic Covid response has yet to be passed by Congress, while there is no agreement at all on more funding for vaccine donations abroad. "It's vital Congress acts now so the US can continue our momentum in the international effort to get shots in arms in every part of the world, no matter how remote, and to prevent the spread of the next Covid variant with our international allies and partners," a senior administration official told AFP. Also muddying the waters is the war in Ukraine, which is sapping diplomatic attention in the world's most powerful countries. A source familiar with the issue told AFP that nevertheless the pandemic response remains seen as fundamentally important. Prospects of a swift return to civilian rule in Chad seem to be fading nearly a year after the son of the country's veteran leader took the helm after his father died fighting rebels. The international community, led by France, swiftly endorsed Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, a 37-year-old four-star general, after Idriss Deby senior's dramatic demise. Both his father's death and his son's succession as "transitional" leader at the head of a 15-member junta were announced on April 20 2021 -- a day that deeply shook the volatile Sahel region. Previous coups in other countries in the region had triggered a stern response from France and the international community. But Chad -- a key ally in the fight against jihad insurgents -- escaped any such retribution. The younger Deby was immediately embraced as Chad's interim leader. His first acts were to dissolve parliament, sack the government and repeal the constitution. He promised to hold "free and democratic elections" after an 18-month "transition" -- a period that could be extended once -- and vowed not to stand in the future presidential ballot. Cracks France, the European Union and African Union have called for the junta to uphold the 18-month deadline. Chad. By AFP But cracks emerged in Deby's plan soon after it was announced. They have since widened, and today experts doubt the initial timetable can be sustained. Within a couple of months, Deby said he might have to invoke the 18-month extension clause if Chadians proved "unable to agree among themselves". As for his "destiny" in the presidential ballot, he added ambiguously, this lay with "God". The cornerstone of Deby's plans is a national forum that will approve the path back to civilian rule. Due to start on May 10, this "inclusive national dialogue" would bring together the various parties and armed factions from across the nation. However, Chad's political opposition has already threatened to boycott the forum. "Pre-cursor" talks between the junta and a constellation of rebel groups in Qatar's capital of Doha began on March 13 after delays. But the talks have been bedevilled by suspicion and discord among the rebels themselves. Scepticism "The transition timetable won't be met," predicted Thierry Vircoulon, a specialist at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) think tank. "Doha isn't progressing -- an agreement (there) will be hard to achieve and this will delay the transition period," agreed Roland Marchal at the Centre of International Research (CERI) at the Sciences Po school in Paris. As recently as Saturday, the junta insisted that it would stand by the May 10 date. "The dialogue which everyone is expecting absolutely has to lead to democratic institutions," said the transitional government named by Deby. A vast arid country in central-northern Africa, Chad has a long history of volatility since gaining independence from France in 1960. It has a large and shifting array of armed opposition groups, which have varying ethnic affiliations and goals as well as sometimes rivalries. The elder Deby himself came to power at the head of a rebel force which rolled into the capital N'Djamena in 1990. In 2008 and again in 2019, columns of fighters came close to forcing him out, but each time were thwarted by France. Younger Deby Despite the problems, his son's grip on power -- based on powerful armed forces controlled by members of his own Zaghawa ethnic minority -- does not seem in doubt. He swiftly "surrounded himself with stalwarts of the previous regime," said Vircoulon. In 2020, the elder Deby was awarded the title of field marshal to mark Chad's 60th anniversary of independence from France. By Renaud MASBEYE BOYBEYE AFP "There's a real continuity from father to son -- the Deby system is still in place." Unlike his father, who cracked down on shows of dissent, the youthful Deby "leaves a bit of space for the opposition to express themselves", said Marchal. "He is less impulsive than his father -- he's more level-headed, and listens more than he talks," a close adviser to Deby said. Deby senior was mortally wounded in a successful operation to fight rebels in the north of the country, according to the junta. "As far as security is concerned, things are quite manageable for the moment... (and) armed groups do not represent a threat," said Vircoulon, noting there had been no new offensive by the rebels. Mensah Thompson, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has lashed out at the various Women Rights Groups in the country for their loud silence and lack of interest in the dilemma of Serwaa Broni, the Ghanaian-Canadian woman who has been 'exposing' President Akufo-Addo on social media. ASEPA boss said the lack of interest of the women groups and activists in the country smack of cowardice, hypocrisy, and vile selectivity. In a Facebook post, Mensah Thompson argues that although Women Rights Groups, the Affirmative Action Groups, the Women Lawyers Union, the Gender Activists, the Women Church Leaders, the Queen Mothers, and the Girls Rights Protection Groups have in the past made strong cases for the rights of women, it appears they are now conspicuously losing their voice on the trauma and ordeal this Serwaa Broni has gone and is going through due to the actions of our President. Maybe they are not womens rights advocates after all, maybe they are not that strong and vociferous as we think, maybe they dont have that much balls as they made us believe or just maybe they just dont care about enhancing anyones rights but only interested in having platform through which they can fight for their own survival and nothing else, parts of the post on Mensah Thompsons page on Facebook says. He adds, If out of the over 200 women rights CSOs in Ghana and the over 70 strong women who can be identified as Gender Activists here in Ghana, not a single one has shown any interest whatsoever in this Serwaa Broni issue since it broke and till date none of them have reached out or extended a hand of support and encouragement to this lady and asked just how they can help, no matter how much of a drop in the ocean it is then Im sorry I dont respect any so-called Gender Right Activist or CSO in Ghana anymore. In his conclusion, Mensah Thompson insists that what we have in Ghana are a bunch of narcissistic frustrated women and women groups who only show up when theres something to benefit from and conspicuously go into hiding when they are required to put their integrity on the line to fight for their fellow women who have suffered severed trauma due to the direct actions of persons in position of power. Read the full statement from Mensah Thompson below: The Women Rights Groups, the Affirmative Action Groups, the Women Lawyers Union, the Gender Activists, the Women Church Leaders, the Queen Mothers, the Girls Rights Protection Groups who I meet constantly at Civil Society Forums and Engagements most recent was at an EU Delegation workshop making forceful and fantastic propositions for the enhancement and protection of womens rights but conspicuously loosing their voice on the trauma and ordeal this Serwaa Broni has gone and is going through due to the actions of our President is not only disappointing but a smack of cowardice, hypocrisy and vile selectivity. Maybe they are not womens rights advocates after all, maybe they are not as strong and vociferous as we think, maybe they dont have that much balls as they made us believe or just may be they just dont care about enhancing anyones rights but only interested in having a platform through which they can fight for their own survival and nothing else. If out of the over 200 women's rights CSOs in Ghana and the over 70 strong women who can be identified as Gender Activists here in Ghana, not a single one has shown any interest whatsoever in this Serwaa Broni issue since it broke and till date none of them have reached out or extended a hand of support and encouragement to this lady and asked just how they can help, no matter how much of a drop in the ocean it is then Im sorry I dont respect any so called Gender Right Activist or CSO in Ghana anymore, infact they dont exist, what we have are a bunch of narcissistic frustrated women and women groups who only show up when theres something to benefit from and conspicuously goes into hiding when they are required to put their integrity on the line to fight for their fellow women who have suffered severed trauma due to the direct actions of persons in position of power. This is a testament to how deep the moral decay in our society is and Im sorry I cant hide my disappointments anymore!! With All Due Respect - Loud Silence Media Ma'Adzepabi Serwaa-Broni 18.04.2022 LISTEN Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, has enough funds to buy anything, whether it is a social platform or a place like Nigeria. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, he is currently worth about $260 billion. Elon Musk, who is a U.S. citizen, was born in South Africa to a Canadian mother and South African father. The billionaire financier Elon Musk is said to have offered to take Twitter Inc. in a deal valued at $43 billion. The Tesla and SpaceX billionaire said he is trying to buy Twitter as it is not doing well in expanding freedom of speech, the backbone of a functional democracy. While discussing buying Twitter, Musk recently told TEd Talk that "I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy," while discussing buying Twitter. Many tech leaders and lots of people are resisting him, so I say to Musk, like Twitter, Nigeria needs to be turned into a free expression haven, as the largest country in Africa with more than 200 million people. Nigeria remains a major political and economic power in Africa and wields influence regionally, but it is marred by restrained freedoms, a regressing economy, hunger and malnutrition. It is surrounded by ethnic and religious distrust, bouncing corruption, rising levels of homelessness, and the risk of democratic breakdown. Unlike the current huge resistance Musk is facing regarding Twitter's takeover, just take a poll, survey, or quiz. The feedback from Nigerians will be totally welcoming. Nigerians are currently living in daredevil times. Musk, known for space exploration, clean energy, and constantly offering plenty of opportunities for new technology and free ventures, can use some of his money to bring hope, build stability, and transform the future of Nigeria. As for Musk, who is known for using unusual names, as in "Technoking of Tesla" and giving the name X A-12 Musk to his baby boy and his daughters name as Exa Dark Siderl Musk., he will be welcomed by Nigerians to change the name of Nigeria as it has a global reputation for being bad. Musk is known for his "carrot and stick" leadership style and wild firing rages of non-performing and misbehaving employees. The Musk style of leadership will be welcomed into the Nigerian environment known for its chronic "toxic" leadership environment, which fosters bad leaders with the consequences of bad governance. The directorate of the U.N.'s World Food Programme not long ago called on Musk to help end global hunger by making a $6.6 billion donation, and Musk said he could be willing by selling shares of the electric car company, which is worth more than $1 trillion. So, I say this: Musk should inform the U.N. that as a person who can unlock the "extraordinary potential" of a communication platform like Twitter, he could do the same for Nigeria, a rich natural resource country riven with disorderliness and poverty due to corruption and nepotism. I have no doubt that Nigeria, with its huge natural resource wealth and abundant resources such as diamonds, gold, crude oil, natural gas, coal, tin, and iron, will attract Musk, who has offered to purchase Twitter for $43 billion in cash. He can buy Nigeria for the same amount or more as long as the payment goes to the people of different ecological zones and regions. Musk, during the Ted Talk interview, said his reason for wanting to purchase Twitter is not about making money but about "the future of civilization." A turning point for civilization is what Nigeria needs right now, so buy it to make it a trusted country for democracyand make it a better place to improve human quality of life, freedom, and equal opportunity. Prof. Egbeazien Oshodi, an American-based forensic/legal/clinical psychologist and police/prison scientist, wrote in via [email protected] R chocolate in London lives in the passion for life; good life as life is sweet, sometimes bitter and sour, but with chocolate, tears dry easily and the smile on our faces return to shining glory. Tea...no, wine...possibly, coffee...sometimes but chocolate always. Chocolate is the only food item that through itself makes humans happy when eating 30gr of 70% chocolate even extends the life span significantly. From childhood, chocolate runs through my blood system. Pocket money was received and a few moments later I stood before a vending machine to get one gold bar of Chocolate Brocken out of the machine and into my mouth. Stress in school or at University, chocolate was always my comforter. Years passed and I met my good friend, Peter, by then a Professor, a German and only soil specialist in Thailand well known around the world in his field. He shared with me the story of Mr. Jacob, a well-known entrepreneur in Germany with the famous chocolate brand "Milka". He asked him to set up a big plantation on Ivory Coast but during the process, Mr. Jacobs passed on. His heirs were unable to agree on the plantation project, sold the company to Suchard, then Kraft Foods, and now it is a venture of Mondelez. From a pure chocolate lover, I turned into a passionate business-minded growing chocolate enthusiast. For years my chocolate factory and concept improved from level to level. I came to understand chocolate must be produced at the source of harvesting to limit quality loss while reducing the price to give even locals the enjoyment of the chocolate. Asking Hamburg authorities for support I soon concluded that the established companies have no interest in supporting me but rather started to see me as a person to have a critical eye on. Late Joachim Burmeister welcomed me in his white British style Villa in Hamburg-Othmarschen. He was old but willing to disclose secrets of the trade. In a file taken from the shelves in his office, he showed me that he was behind CPC Cocoa Processing Company Ltd in Tema, Ghana established in 1965 under the mandate of former President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. My mind was spinning around and around. The time came I set sail for Accra wanting to buy CPC Ltd with other international investors to produce the best chocolate in the world, not by mouth but by evidence. My spiritual Father, Prophet Dr. Emmanuel Badu Kobi blessed my idea, the King in Adabraka Palace, Accra, the Oyechene promised to bring the factory into my hands but as a State enterprise so far the factory is still suffering taken off Ghana Stock Exchange in 2016 for underperformance. The fact that I am white might have contributed to the denial. Each year Ghana subsidizes CPC Ltd with annually USD 12-14 Mio. to keep a legacy afloat in the hands of political parties' affiliates and not a passionate heart. Asian elephants like African elephants have a long-lasting memory willing to go the extra mile and are passionate enough to wait for the right time to come and enjoy the glory. Former President of Ghana, JD Mahama, before returning from Davos World Economic Forum in 2014 said in an interview with GBC:" I was asked by friends to bring chocolate home from Switzerland. At the airport, I asked myself why? Why does the world regard chocolate made in Switzerland better than our chocolate in the light of the fact that the best cocoa beans come from Ghana and Switzerland is not producing a single one?" And he added: "I want to see that we produce the best chocolate in the world." Eight years have passed and no sign of improvement is insight. When a country puts the wrong people in the right places it never ends in prosperity. The mercury in the water bodies of Ghana from Chinese and locals alike to mine gold destroys precious cocoa farms and the policy of Cocobod adds to the downfall of the cocoa industry by the impoverishment of the poor farmers. The identity of Ghana is not in gold or oil, in cassava, plantain, assembly of foreign cars, etc. but in the humble cocoa bean which cries out for the help of a passionate heart that loves life to the max. BY Karl-Heinz Heerde Kruessweg 3 22307 Hamburg, Germany If God helps you to control yourself, dont judge the other person who is yet to get that, rather pray for them, the Reverend Franklin Emmanuel Agyeman, Senior Pastor of Banner of Grace Ministries at Dawhenya Terrazzo Junction stated on Resurrection Sunday. Rev. Agyeman said it was time that Christians exhibit love and understand that everyone has some weakness and therefore must encourage each other instead of judging people. He however encouraged the public not to allow themselves to be trapped in their weaknesses but rather do their best to break from them and live a holy life for Jesus Christ. Speaking on the topic: The Blessings of the Resurrection, as monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) Rev Agyeman cautioned Christians against bullying others with their righteousness. He said Christians must remember that their righteousness has been perfected not because of their deeds but rather due to the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He said it was unacceptable for Christians to judge others they perceived to be unrighteous. I have seen people who dont drink alcohol or fornicate, but they watch pornography and masturbate, but the same people see you in church and start judging you based on what you wear, he stated. He, therefore, urged people whose righteousness had been perfected to rather pray for others to receive the same grace, stressing that. Touching on some benefits of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he said it gives believers hope adding that without having faith one would not live long. The Banner of Grace Senior Pastor urged Christians to have the hope that no matter the situation they found themselves in God would come through for them. Rev. Agyeman said the resurrection brought total healing to those who believe in Jesus Christ, adding that believers also received victory. The Church of Pentecost, Ashaiman Lebanon District on Resurrection Sunday climaxed the Easter Convention with a mammoth church rally at Ashaiman Zenu Lazio Park which was characterized by miracles and signs and wonders. Ministers of the Gospel, Elders, and Prayer leaders led by the Reverend Aaron Yaw Kyei, the District Pastor of the Church of Pentecost, Ashaiman Lebanon District laid hands-on members of the congregation while praying for the impartation of the resurrection power in the life of every Christian. The Lebanon Zone which includes the Zenu District, New York, Katamanso, and Lebanon climaxed this year's Easter Convention with praises, worship, and dance among various activities which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult). In a sermon, Rev. Kyei charged Christians around the globe to vigorously value the resurrection of Jesus Christ as it is the foundation of Christianity and urged believers to make the resurrection of Christ a topmost priority in their Christian lives. "Our foundation as Christians is based upon the resurrection of Christ because through this particular incident, we have received forgiveness of sin, justification, reconciliation, peace, joy, happiness, and victory," he said. If Christ was not able to resurrect after the crucifixion, Christians would have been false witnesses, lacked hope, and direction, and would perish forever. The resurrection was central and paramount to the faith of Christians hence the need not to take it for granted, he said. "What better sacrifice can one talk of than when our Lord himself laid down his entire life in suffering to save us from our sins, let us praise and thank our Lord for his loving blessings. I wish each and everyone a blessed Easter," he added. Rev. Kyei, who is also the Zonal Leader for the Lebanon Zone said "While the early disciples were unlearned men, even they knew that dead people stay dead. So, imagine their astonishment when they witnessed the risen Lord standing before them three days after he had risen from the dead." He stated that Christs resurrection stands as a giant exclamation point that separates Jesus Christ from all other mortals, adding that the resurrection does not only prove that there was life after death, or that Jesus is God but the resurrection also announced the beginning of a kingdom which would live forever to glorify God. "When Jesus died on the cross, He didnt take the place of Christians, but the place of sinners. He came as mans substitute. The whole world has been saved from the punishment of sin, but Gods interest wasnt just to save man from the punishment of sin but to save man from the life and nature of sin, he indicated. He said Jesus Christ is unique and exceptional therefore He must be worshipped truthfully, righteously, and religiously as His resurrection has brought a new form of newness to the world. Mali's ruling junta on Monday announced the delivery of two more combat helicopters and surveillance radars from Russia as the West African nation tackles a bloody jihadist insurgency. Photographs of the equipment being unloaded from a Russian cargo flight at Bamako international airport were posted on the official Twitter account of Mali's presidency. The posting described the gear as "Mi-24P helicopters, fourth-generation radars and other combat equipment" Army chief of staff General Oumar Diarra said in a statement the delivery was "a sign of a very fruitful partnership with the Russian state". The consignment brings to eight the known number of helicopters that Moscow has provided under closer ties forged by colonels who seized power in 2020. A source in the defence ministry said four similar deliveries were expected over the next three months. Russia has also supplied what are officially described as military instructors -- personnel that former colonial power France and the United States say are operatives from Russia's Wagner security group. They have been helping the impoverished Sahel nation fight a decade-old jihadist campaign that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. Mali's rapprochement with the Kremlin has prompted French forces and their European allies to announce their exit from the country. Visiting German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned in Bamako last Wednesday that European forces would not cooperate with Mali's military while it maintains such links with Russia. There have been allegations that Malian troops, in coordination with foreign fighters, massacred hundreds of civilians in late March. The army-dominated government regularly defends the rights record of its military and has also repeatedly denied hiring Wagner operatives. Helicopter deliveries The previous Russian consignment arrived on March 31 and was seen by an AFP journalist at Bamako airport. It comprised two Mil Mi35P attack helicopters -- an export version of the Mi-24P -- as well as 59N6-TE mobile radar systems, according to the specialist newsletter Africa intelligence. It said the consignment had been ordered under former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was toppled in August 2020 by army officers led by Colonel Assimi Goita. The helicopters had been purchased under a 2019 bilateral agreement in which the Kremlin agreed to provide helicopters at a far lower price than that proposed by the European aircraft maker Airbus, the newsletter said. But the source at the defence ministry, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, denied the report. Mali. By AFP "The helicopters that were delivered two weeks ago were (not) orders that were made by the IBK regime," the source said, referring to the ousted president by his initials. "We don't acknowledge orders made by another government." The first batch of military helicopters from Russia comprised four aircraft that were delivered in October last year. Mali described them at the time as Mi-171 choppers, a model used for troop transport, and said they had been ordered under a contract "signed in December 2020 (and which) took effect in June 2021." On April 12, the United Nations and the British defence ministry said a Malian army helicopter fired several rockets close to British troops serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali. There were no casualties and the incident is being investigated, the defence ministry in London said. According to a diplomatic document seen by AFP, the Malian helicopter fired six rockets. The document said almost all Malian helicopters are flown by Russians assisted by Malian co-pilots 18.04.2022 LISTEN In a primary school, a teacher asked his pupils, What is the name given to a situation where a person dies by hanging himself or herself? Sir, sir, sir, the pupils shouted with their hands raised. The teacher called one of the pupils for an answer; and he said, tie and die. Utterly disappointed, the teacher shook his head and wondered what the future held for his pupils. One after the other, he asked them what they wanted to be in future. One child said he wanted to be a shoe shine boy. When asked why, he said he was always fascinated by the sound shoe shine boys make by hitting their wooden boxes with a stick to attract clients, and that was his motivation. Another child said she would love to be a delegate. Her motivation was that her father was a branch chairman of a ruling party and her uncle a constituency organizer of an opposition party; and during party and primary elections, his father and uncle received assorted items and huge sums of money as gifts. As much as this may sound funny, there are serious underlying issues regarding the endemic rot which is destroying the very fabric of our society. The underhand dealings that go on during party conferences to elect officers at the constituency, regional and national levels is no more a secret, not mentioning how District, Municipal and Metropolitan Chief Executives of Local Government in Ghana are compelled to part with huge sums of money before their appointments are confirmed at the various Local Assemblies, and how these officers reap their investment in the speed of light by stealing money meant for the wellbeing of the rural poor. There are more, in some instances, corrupt politicians get funding from some rapacious businesspeople who become the power brokers when power is won. The most disturbing part of this narrative is that our young ones are watching and emulating. Terrible! I had a shock of my life when I visited a primary school some years ago to see a friend who was a teacher there. A child who appeared to be from an affluent home was sharing toffees to his school mates. Was he celebrating his birthday? No, I was wrong! There was an impending poll to elect prefects, and apparently that child was practising what he had observed from adults in his community whenever there is an election. He was buying votes! I cringed! This marked the instant my life crossed a particular junction of time and space. I'm scared and wondering what the future holds for us as a country. Little wonder a pupil of a basic school sees a "delegate" as a lucrative career. God help us! Anthony Obeng Afrane Dear Honourable Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, I am Rockson Adofo, a native of Ghana, and to be precise, the proud son of Kumawu/Juaben-Asiampa in the Ashanti region. I reside in London. However, I have cultivated interest in the political activities of Ghana and do actively directly or indirectly participate in such activities as far as I am capable of, and my services needed by whomever. I have always been striving to seek the collective interests of Ghanaians, especially, the poor and the needy in the society who are oftentimes regarded with scorn by most of our politicians and the well off. Subsequently, I have come to be seen among some Ghanaians as the defender of the defenceless or the voice of the voiceless. In order not to bore you with any lengthy stories that may take out the essence of my todays urgent letter to you, I will convey to your attention the following. There are about a hundred and sixty-eight students in the Nursing and Midwifery Training College in Ashanti Mampong whose careers risk never to be realised. This is as a result of the malicious decision taken against them by the principal of the school, Mrs Gifty Helena Dwamena Amoah. When their plight came to my knowledge, I rang to interview some of the affected students. Again, I made it a duty to call on some of the students when I went to Mampong on Saturday, 12th March 2022, to gather more information, facts and credible evidence from them. I had desired to contact the principal while I was in Ghana and Mampong on that day but was told she was not available on campus that day. From the evidence I gathered, almost all the students are victims of deliberate official academic discrimination, victimization and demonstration of shameful incompetence by the principal of the school, acting in collusion with the Academic Officer, Mr Paul Antiafere, and the Member of Parliament for Mampong Constituency who doubles as the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Honourable Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong. The students are understood to have been allowed to proceed to their next higher classes or levels without sitting for their final year or semester examinations. This was due to the devastating or fatally infectious Covid-19 pandemic and how to contain its spread hence students not allowed to physically attend classes. Subsequently, they were allowed not to sit for end of year or semester examinations. Letting students proceed or promoted to their next higher class without sitting for an end of year examinations during the Covid-19 pandemic was not unique to Mampong Nursing and Midwifery Training College or Ghana but many countries, especially, the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom for example, final year students were permitted by the government and the national examination board to be assessed and awarded grades by their class teachers using their academic work and previous mock examinations as are known to their individual class or subject teachers. These grades awarded to them by their class or subject teachers without sitting for final year examinations were accepted for admissions of sixth formers into the British Universities. [Withdrawn] Taking exams during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak Why is the principal after promoting the students in question, and the students performing better in their semester exams of their higher classes, has decided to sack or demote them? Does it make sense? From my investigations, most of the students have been sacked by the principal but without officially notifying them or their parents. They are neither allowed on campus, nor dining hall, nor classes. They are simply lodging in privately rented student hostels in Mampong. Honourable Kwaku Ampratwunm Sarpong is established to be instrumental in, if not the architect of, the reprehensible decision taken against the affected students. Therefore, for you, the Sector Health Minister, to somehow accept his version of events or findings presented to you does beat my mind. For, your acceptance of such findings, if any, will not only cause the continuous suffering of the students to culminate in the destruction of their career but may not look good on your credibility. For Honourable Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong to inform you of the outcome of his meeting with the principal of the school and the Board of Governors, sitting on the case affecting the students, and for you to accept it as final, will fly in the face of the underlying legal requirement. In the absence of an impartial judge, men are prone to respond to interpersonal wrongdoing with vengeance, meting out punishments that are disproportionate to the offense. A principle spanning both Roman law and English common law, nemo iudex in causa sua ("no man should be a judge in his own case") - John Locke. I pray you expeditiously reconstitute an independent panel without Honourable Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, a known saboteur of the students, to look into the students case as time is running against them. I understand the school has arranged for the entire non-affected students of the school to sit for exams on 26th of April 2022. Does it look fair on the affected students who by the incompetence, malevolence and discrimination of the principal and her colluders, stand the unfortunate chance of not taking part in, or sitting for, the exams? Time is of essence. Their situation is becoming critical with each passing tick tock sound of the clock. Sincerely yours, Rockson Adofo In most countries that practise it, democracy is all about families. It is all about putting more money in the pockets of working class citizens. It is all about putting in place affordable medical facilities for citizens. It is all about well equipped schools for students. It is all about clean drinking water and nourishing food for families to eat at an affordable cost. It is all about decent and affordable housing for residents. It is all about making sure that citizens do not lack anything that would make them happy and more confident in the government they put in place with their votes to manage the countrys affairs over the years. It is all about the future of the country. If we take a critical look at events in Nigeria in the last 60 years, we will easily discover that the reason the country is failing is that politics in the country has consistently been based on the acquisition of power. It has all been about grabbing power and authority and not about service to the people which is what politics should actually address. There are the seemingly intractable activities of Boko Haram in the north and other armed and unarmed insurgencies in parts of the south. There is the menace of Fulani herdsmen and unknown gunmen which has taken on a national dimension. There are kidnappings almost every day somewhere in both the north and the south. There are cult activities everywhere, especially in the south. There is massive unemployment of even university graduates. There is the epileptic supply of electricity and no clean drinking water in the villages, towns and urban cities. Even ordinary food to eat has become a luxury in Nigeria today. The people groan under a heavy yoke, suffering and smiling, as Fela Ransome Kuti would put it. Politicians are blamed. No one seems to appreciate the fact that the problem with the country was inherited by the first set of politicians from the first day Nigeria had self rule. Everyone seems to forget that right from the first day Nigeria had self rule, the seed was sown for the wrong type of political dispensation. Over the decades, Nigerian leaders continued in that direction of political correctness, oblivious of the fact that the country could no longer continue to move in that direction without damaging its own very existence. Peter Obi My research shows that this politics of power is what is stultifying Nigerias democratic growth and has largely turned the country into a paradox so that the richer the country is, the poorer the citizens are. It is this brand of politics that is at the root of the series of rapes of both Nigerian women and the Nigerian economy, the curse of the country today. It is this brand of politics that is behind the impunity of Fulani herdsmen and unknown gunmen who either attack and sack citizens from their ancestral homes and make them refugees in their own country or kill and maim them at will for no justifiable reason. It is this brand of politics that is encouraging every insurgency that has continued to challenge the country and its leaderships at every turn and every level. Even the official corruption that has been blamed for Nigeria slanting towards a failed state is as a result of Nigerian politicians getting drunk with the politics of power. America was in flames a few years ago because President Donald Trump shifted from Obamas eight years politics of service delivery to his own four years politics of power. We all witnessed the results. So, Nigerians need to move from the politics of power to the politics of service delivery, if they want to save their country from self destruction. That is the realization Professor Obiozor should start from, and concentrate on, in advocating for Igbo Presidency, come 2023. It is important at this juncture to consider the fact that everyone in Nigeria now seems convinced that the Igbo can never speak with one voice again. Even on the pressing issue of Biafra or referendum which every Igbo is concerned about, they have as the mouthpiece of the Igbo in general, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), the Movement for the Realization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the Biafra Zionist Front (BZF), the Biafra Liberation in Exile (BILIE), the Eastern Peoples Congress (EPC), the Biafra United Liberation Council (BULC), the Joint Revolutionary Council of Biafra (JRCB), the Igbo Hebrew Cultural Restoration (IHCR), the Biafra Actualization and Defence Squad (BADS), the Biafra Revolutionary Organization (BRO), the Salvation Peoples of Biafra (SPB), the Biafra Liberation Crusade (BLC), the Biafra Peace Corps (BPC), the Billie Human Rights Initiative (BHRI), the Ekwenche Organization (EO) and the Igbozurume Organization (IO). Obviously, this idea of proliferating leaderships among the Igbo is not going to do them any good. To secure the presidency in 2023, the Igbo must speak with one voice which must be articulated by the President General of Ohanaeze, the highest cultural association of Igbo people. Fortunately, the Igbo are on the lead in creativity and innovation in the country. So, how must they get to speak with one voice? Kingsley Moghalu Professor Obiozor must expeditiously summon all Igbo stakeholders in the 2023 Presidency, all Igbo aspirants to the Presidency and all leaders of activist movements the IPOB, MASSOB, BZF, BILIE, EPC, BULC, JRCB, IHCR, BADS, BRO, SPB, BLC, BPC, BHRI, EO and IO to a crucial meeting. Given the need to redirect the Nigerian political focus from politics of power to politics of service delivery, the meeting must deal exhaustively with the election of a consensus candidate who will effectively represent the Igbo and turn around the fortune of all Nigerians for better, irrespective of their religious leaning, political affiliation and ethnicity. And what the Igbo need to achieve that is a technocrat, not the regular politicians who failed the country over the years both in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and in the All Progressives Congress, APC. It is true that many Igbo sons and daughters who consider themselves qualified have shown interest in the race to Aso Rock in 2023. Professor Obiozor and his team must ensure that every opinion of every interest group counts but that the re-emergence of the Igbo in Nigerian political dispensation and democratic evolution is not characterized by the selfish ambition or egocentricism of presidential aspirants. They must all understand and appreciate the fact that the success or failure of this exercise of electing a consensus candidate is what will make or mar the relevance of the Igbo nation in Nigeria, now and in years to come. So, they must be as selfless and as visionary in electing a consensus candidate and pushing for his or her success at the polls as can be humanly possible, bearing in mind that the interest of the Igbo nation should be considered as more important than the private ambition of any of her sons or daughters. That understanding should goad the conduct of the meeting and its result. At the moment, two aspirants readily come to my mind. One is Peter Obi who many testify succeeded as governor of Anambra State. Many Nigerians believe in him. They trust that he can deliver. But they dont trust his party, PDP, as much. Many Nigerians believe that APC and PDP are the Siamese twins of corruption in Nigerian politics, joined in their hearts, feeling each others heart beat as they sweep the national treasury clean from where PDP stopped or offer umbrella coverage for looters of the national treasury. That feeling of many Nigerians might jeopardize Obis chances unless he can convince Nigerians that he has the magic wand to turn the PDP around. But that would be gambling with his political career and fortune. And then, there is Professor Kingsley Moghalu who vied for the presidency in 2019 under the banner of Young Progressives Party. Professor Moghalu believes that his basic assignment is to first educate Nigerians on their political demands, rights and privileges. So he instituted an organization that aims at switching Nigerian political practice from politics of power to politics of service delivery. That organization is known as TBAN To Build A Nation and it already boasts of several intellectuals and concerned youths of Nigeria who are disillusioned and dissatisfied with the trend of affairs in their beloved country. They come from many countries across the world to register with TBAN. Moghalu was deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and performed well in instituting the current BVN in banks, which can be used to check criminal activities. He worked for 17 years in the United Nations and rose to the rank of Director. My take is that Professor Obiozor should lend his weight to TBAN organization and with the massive efforts of all Igbo, no matter where they live, help wrestle authority from the current greedy politicians who have bluntly refused to see that politics of power is ruining Nigeria and the fortunes of its citizens. Once the Igbo are able elect one consensus candidate among all the aspirants, one who can institute modern politics in clear, unambiguous terms, at national, state and local government levels, an Igbo President would be able to make the difference in the service to God and his countrymen. Igbo business men and women can start complementing TBAN by beginning now to invest in their own home towns and local government areas to create jobs for their teeming population of young people. To make this dream of a competent Igbo President come true is what Professor Obiozor must embark on immediately. The time to start is now. Chief Sir Emeka Asinugo is a London-based journalist, author and publisher of Imo State Business Link Magazine (Website: https://imostateblm.com) April 18, 2022 The Ukraine Is Still Losing So What Is Its Plan? Russian and Donbas forces have cleared the city of Mariupol except for the giant metallurgic complex of Azovstal which is held by some estimated 4,000 men, including many from the fascist Azov battalion. On Sunday Russia opened corridors across the front line and asked for those forces to surrender. However the Zelensky government ordered them to stay and to continue to bind Russian forces which otherwise could be used elsewhere: Russia had given the Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol until Sunday morning to lay down their weapons or be eliminated. On Sunday, the forces at the plant ignored the deadline, and Ukrainian officials vowed that they would not surrender. In response, the Russian assault intensified, with missiles and bombs hitting the city and new attacks occurring near the plant, according to the Ukrainian military. ... Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that the struggle was not over for Mariupol, which for two months has tied up Russian troops and resources that are badly needed elsewhere. The Azovstal complex is a 2 by 2 miles industrial area. It can be surrounded and controlled by a relatively small force. Those within the area no longer have heavy artillery ammunition and presumably little other supplies. The Russian forces can see and bomb anything that moves on the open ground and can otherwise sit back and wait their enemies out. I do not believe that holding on to Azovstal will significantly delay the upcoming second phase of the Russian operation which will surround and destroy the Ukrainian army on the Donbas front. The Russian military has two huge advantage over the Ukrainian forces in the east. One is of course its air superiority. The other is the unimpeded supply line which allows it to get as much heavy artillery ammunition, fuel and food to its forces as it needs. Without fuel the Ukrainian army can not move and without constant supply, especially of large amounts of artillery munitions, it can not counter Russian artillery which will be in heavy use against it. This pictures of a former Ukrainian position show the devastating result of such a situation. bigger Nearly all of the Ukrainian ammunition and fuel supplies have been bombed and destroyed. What is trickling in through its western borders has difficulties to reach the eastern front and is anyway not enough to supply an actively fighting and maneuvering army. On April 16 Russia shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane that was bringing 'western' weapons to Odessa. Today it destroyed another ammunition depot near Lviv were 'western' weapons are crossing the border into Ukraine. Some bits of fuel allegedly still reach the Ukraine through trains from Moldova. But that is far from enough. Here is a week old report on the fuel situation: Since the beginning of the war, the number of gas stations in Ukraine has decreased three times, and private fuel consumption has decreased by about the same amount, said Sergey Kuyun, director of the A-95 consulting group. According to our estimates, a third of the total number of gas stations is operating, this is about 2.5 thousand stations, before the war there were 7.5 thousand. Of course, the main reason is the lack of fuel. Consumption has also decreased three times compared to the pre-war level, he said at a closed briefing at the Media Center in Lviv on Monday. At the same time, Kuyun noted that traders or network owners are forced to provide their most strategic and powerful facilities, located mainly in regional centers or on main routes, while peripheral stations are forced to stand idle, although there are also a lot of consumers there. According to him, the shortage of fuel became especially aggravated after the shutdown of the Kremenchug Oil Refinery as a result of a missile attack by Russian invaders. ... On April 2, the Russian invaders destroyed the infrastructure of the Kremenchug oil refinery with their shelling, and it stopped working. The damage done daily to the Ukrainian military and military industry is huge. One can get a sense of it when one reads through the briefings of the Russian defense ministry. From today's morning brief (here in full as some have difficulties accessing the site): The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine. High-precision air-based missiles destroyed 16 military assets of Ukrainian overnight. Among them: 5 enemy command posts, 1 fuel storage facility, 3 ammunition depots, as well as military personnel and equipment concentrated in Barvenkovo, Gulyai Pole, Kamyshevakha, Zelenoe Pole, Velikomikhailovka and Nikolaev. Operational-tactical aviation hit 108 areas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment. In addition, 1 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down by an air-to-air missile near Buda. Army aviation destroyed 8 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, as well as up to a company of enemy manpower near Pashkovo, Veseloe and Illichevka. Missile troops struck with high-precision Iskander land-based missiles. 4 arms depots and Ukrainian military equipment were destroyed, as well as 3 areas enemy manpower concentration near Popasnaya, Yampol and Kramotorsk. Russian artillery units hit 315 Ukrainian assets overnight. 18 command posts, 22 artillery batteries, 1 OSA-AKM anti-aircraft missile system, as well as 275 enemy strong points and areas of concentration of enemy manpower were hit. Russian air defence means shot down 3 Ukrainian combat aircraft in the air: 2 MiG-29 fighters near Izyum and 1 Su-25 near Avdeevka. 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were also shot down in the air near Klimovo, Nevelskoe, Novotroitskoe, Izyum, Panteleimonovka, Sladkovodnoe and Yasnoe. 10 large-calibre rockets fired by Ukrainian multiple rocket launchers at Chernobaevka were intercepted. In total, 139 aircraft, 483 unmanned aerial vehicles, 250 anti-aircraft missile systems, 2,326 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 254 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,004 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,184 units of special military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation. This has now been going on daily for more than a month. While the precision of the above numbers is somewhat uncertain I do not think that they are exaggerated by much. Yesterday there was no particular heavy fighting and the equipment destroyed on that one day alone was already more than what the U.S. has in total promised to send. That means that the military destruction and defeat of the Ukrainian forces in the country's east is all but assured. What then is the strategy that government in Kiev and its overlords in Washington DC are following? Why has the Ukraine not given up? Why didn't it continue to negotiate with the Russian side? Is their hope that their daily over the top 'Russia is losing' propaganda will create enough political momentum for a large scale NATO intervention? That would end in a disaster for the NATO forces. Russia is obviously prepared for it. It has so far held back large parts of its own forces. Russia has at least 12 tactical missile artillery brigades, each with 36 Iskander missile launchers and 144 fire ready missiles. Only three of the those brigades plus a third of two other ones have so far been committed: Three brigades, or a total of 36 Iskander launchers (two missiles each plus two resupply missiles per launcher) were deployed to Belarus as part of the buildup to war in Ukraine. Two additional brigades (12 launchers) were also assigned to Russia's Southern Military District and moved forward in the area of Belgorod near the Russian border; and to the area of Krasnodar, south of Ukraine. Most of the Russian airforce has likewise been held back. On March 24 the Pentagon claimed that Russia was running out of precision munitions. However, if the Russian defense ministry report is correct, at least 16 precision air ground missiles and 7 Iskander were used just yesterday. To me that does not sound like 'limited supplies'. Other issues: Since Saturday Gonzalo Lira, who has been reported from Kharkov, is no longer reachable. He seems to have been captured or killed by the Ukrainian Gestapo-like SBU. Sadly I had expected that. Doing hours of Youtube live streams when your enemy controls the internet in your area is not very smart. A picture of the damaged Russian cruiser Moscwa was published today. bigger The Russian cruiser was damaged last week and sunk. The ship is listing and so it must have additional damage below its waterline. The picture shows fire midships on its port side where two of its close-in weapons systems and their ammunition storages are. The ships crane is deployed right above that area. The large anti-ship missiles towards the bow and the S-300 air defense launchers behind the deckhouse seem intact. The port side life rafts are no longer where they were and must have been launched. That means that a significant part of the crew likely got off the ship alive before it sank. The picture does not tell us what has happened. Was this an accidental ammunition explosion as Russia had first claimed or was the ship hit by Ukrainian (or British?) anti-ship missiles as the Ukraine is claiming? We will have to wait for further reports to know that. Posted by b on April 18, 2022 at 17:28 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF Texas made its mark on a recent list showcasing the 11 best desert towns in the US, specifically highlighting places with "beautiful landscapes and mystical vibes." The Lone Star State was well-represented on Travel and Leisure's list, with three Texas towns making the cut. This includes Marfa, Terlingua and Amarillo. The other U.S. desert towns listed in the roundup include Grand Junction, Colo., Boulder City, Nev., Ojo Caliente N.M., Cottonwood, Ariz., Joshua Tree, Calif., Moab, Utah, Sedona, Ariz. and Silver City, N.M. The reality of the Midland College Aviation Maintenance Technology program closure has recently been brought to my attention. I have heard rumors of it over the last year or so but did not realize how close to permanent this decision has become. I graduated from the program in 2013 and obtained my FAA A&P license through resources provided solely from the dedicated instructors at Midland College. Without this program my career would be nothing close to what it has become today. I owe a great debt and gratitude to the people that this program introduced into my life. The aviation industry has been struggling recently, especially over the last two years. The need for qualified mechanics is growing and without economic options, like Midland College AMT program, for individuals to gain the qualification needed to join this industry, aviation will be left with few options in the future. I am currently managing Air King Aviation Services, a local aviation company here in Midland. We provide maintenance for small general aviation aircraft, corporate turbine aircraft as well as the commercial airlines -- the ones that families like yours travel on. I have experienced the shortage firsthand. My need for licensed mechanics is growing every day, and the number of individuals in the area qualified to do this work is growing smaller and smaller. With the closure of this program there is even less hope for improvement in the future. I grew up in Midland, graduated from a local high school and pursued a career in aviation, not only because it was a passion of mine but because Midland College offered exactly what I was looking for. I dont think I need to explain the difficulty in convincing people that Midland is a place that they should call home. It is difficult enough as it is to compete financially with the larger aviation companies in the Dallas and Houston areas. That is why this program is so important to local aviation companies. We need employees that are rooted in Midland. Ninety percent of my workforce grew up in this area, just like I did and most of us went through the program at Midland College. The need for this program is real, and I cannot let this closure happen without voicing my opinion. I have seen other programs like this and worked with people that went to other schools. The dedication and the true sense of passion that you feel from the instructors is something that cant be replaced. The level of knowledge that the students leave with is a perfect foundation for rapid growth in this industry. It would be such a shame to see a program like this come to an end. I hope this letter finds its way to the hands of someone that can disrupt this end to a great resource this community is about to lose. By Sun Min Japan and the Philippines hold joint military exercise. Japan and the Philippines held their first two-plus-two talks between their foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo on April 9 and issued a joint statement afterward. The two countries have had frequent interactions recently, and the establishment of the new high-level dialogue mechanism is aimed to elevate bilateral relations to a new level. Media reported that the latest cooperation package between Tokyo and Manila is an interest-driven move under special circumstances that only appears fruitful but will meet many restrictions during implementation. In October 2021, right after taking office, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida proposed the two-plus-two meeting with the Philippines, but the proposal was unavailable until now, due to busy schedules on both sides. However, since late February this year, the regional conflicts have not only affected the international geopolitics but also brought Tokyo and Manila closer, reflected in concrete steps to elevate bilateral ties, though perhaps for different reasons and purposes. The Fumio Kishida administration has been notably more active on the diplomatic and defense fronts recently. Adjusting its diplomacy that takes a panoramic view of the world map and values diplomacy strategy, Tokyo is now giving precedence to interests rather than values and conducting neighboring diplomacy through financial aid and so-called all-around cooperation under the slogan of Indo-Pacific prosperity, with a view to enhancing its own influence while catering to Americas demands. Previously it has consistently intensified the defense and diplomatic cooperation with ASEAN members such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia by providing medical equipment, COVID-19 vaccines and used ships. Its overture to the Philippines now is also aimed to deepen the cooperation with ASEAN and pave the way for future diplomatic moves. The situation in Eastern European has made the Philippines attach more importance to balanced diplomacy, and the Duterte government hopes to get Japanese aid in infrastructure construction, anti-virus supplies and military-industrial goods through cooperation, which would be in his favor in the upcoming presidential election in June. In the joint statement issued after the meeting, officials of the two countries confirmed that as marine neighbors sharing the basic values and strategic interests, they will better coordinate with each other to cope with regional and international issues, and work together for a free and open Indo-Pacific. The meeting revolved around the two countries concerns for their own maritime interests and rights and for international and regional situations, topics that Japan went to great lengths to hype up before the meeting. According to the joint statement, Japan and the Philippines will have their troops visit each other and exchange defense equipment to enhance interoperability. They will also carry out maritime security cooperation in the Sulu Sea. Japan reaffirmed its support for the peace process on Mindanao Island, while the Philippines expressed its support for Japan to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. The ministers also discussed politically driven economic coercion and cyber security. Going forward, Japan, in the name of cooperation, may dispatch oceanographic research ships to carry out hydrological and meteorological research in the Philippines, whereas the collected data may be used in the military domain. Besides, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force made it clear that it will ramp up training intensity in the Indo-Pacific front. Previously, the Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF) dispatches two or three batches of vessels annually to the sea areas of ASEAN countries for port calls, joint exercises and training. It is predictable that such activities will increase sharply both in frequency and scale. It's worth noting that the US and the Philippines just wrapped up their largest-ever joint military exercises in 30 years a day before the "two-plus-two" meeting between Tokyo and Manila. It's foreseeable that with America's backing, Japan and the Philippines will step up their military activities in the Asia Pacific, which should put neighboring countries on alert. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) A Northern California woman pleaded guilty Monday to faking her own kidnapping and lying to the FBI about it, leaving her motive unanswered in the carefully planned hoax that set off a massive three-week search before she resurfaced on Thanksgiving Day in 2016. Sherri Papini, 39, of Redding, offered no explanation for her elaborate hoax during the half-hour court hearing. I feel very sad, she said tearfully when Senior U.S. District Judge William Shubb asked her how she was feeling. Were you kidnapped? he asked her later in the hearing. No, Your Honor, she replied. Did you lie to government agents when you told them you were kidnapped? Shubb continued. Yes, Your Honor, she responded. Papini agreed to plead guilty in a deal with prosecutors reached last week and is scheduled to be sentenced July 11. Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence on the low end of the sentencing range, estimated to be between eight and 14 months in custody, down from the maximum 25 years for the two charges. She also agreed to pay restitution topping $300,000. That includes the cost of the search for her that covered several Western states, and the subsequent investigation into the two Hispanic women she said had kidnapped her at gunpoint. Papini was actually staying with a former boyfriend nearly 600 miles (966 kilometers) away in Southern Californias Orange County. Three weeks later, he dropped her off along Interstate 5 nearly 150 miles (240 kilometers) from her home. She had bindings on her body and self-inflicted injuries including a swollen nose and blurred brand on her right shoulder. She had other bruises and rashes on many parts of her body, ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, and burns on her left forearm. The married mother of two kept lying about it as recently as August 2020 when in fact there was no kidnapping, she admitted in her guilty plea. Papini has offered no rationale for why she did it. Her attorney, William Portanova, said last week that he doubts even she knows. He suggested a very complicated mental health situation," and said her long-delayed acceptance of responsibility and punishment is part of the healing process. Papini said Monday that she has been receiving psychiatric care for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder ever since her return more than $30,000 worth of treatment for which she billed a state victim compensation fund and which is now part of her restitution. Prosecutors say her faked kidnapping wasnt impulsive, and that she planned it for more than a year without her husband knowing. The former boyfriend told investigators they didnt have sex while she stayed with him. Papinis organization and planning would seem to make conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression an unlikely explanation, two mental health experts said independently. Both cautioned that they have not examined Papini and that many factors in the case remain unknown to the public. She may have expected that the kidnapping hoax would bring her fame and fortune, said Dr. Ian Lamoureux, a forensic psychiatrist and frequent expert witness who teaches at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic. And she did benefit financially: Aside from the victim compensation, she must repay nearly $128,000 in disability payments. Separately, a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $49,000 to help the family. As a possibly related factor, Lamoureux has researched the false hero or pathological hero phenomenon that takes advantage of society's treatment of victims as heroes. Those who fake their own victimization may be seeking recognition or popularity, and if mental illness is involved it may suggest a narcissistic or histrionic personality disorder. Another possible explanation is that she faked her kidnapping to avoid some other adverse consequence, he said, typically something like a divorce or being fired, though Papini was a stay-at-home mom. Lamoureux, who specializes in complicated criminal and civil cases, said manufacturing a crisis may be a way for those with fragile egos and poor coping skills to seek to prevent the bad outcome from happening. And there are such things as compulsive liars, as well as those who do not have a great distinction between fantasy and reality, sometimes because of an earlier trauma, said Dr. Ziv Cohen, founder and medical director of Principium Psychiatry in New York City. This case is unusual in that Papini had no clear motive and this is consciously creating some kind of false traumatic situation, said Cohen, who teaches at Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University. She harmed herself she wasn't actually abused by anyone. But for some pathological liars the motivation is simply in fooling others, he said, in this case perhaps her husband and investigators. These patients can sometimes remain quite mysterious and they often can deny their lies right until the end, Cohen said. They will persist and say in the face of all evidence that their version is true. RunPhoto/Getty Images PITTSFIELD A Pike County-based bank is getting a nod as one of the best places to work in Illinois. Farmers State Bank, which has its headquarters in Pittsfield, has been recognized among 2022 Best Places to Work in Illinois by the Daily Herald Suburban Business. It is one of 46 honored statewide in the small-company category for business with 15 to 99 employees. NoahBryant/Getty Images/iStockphoto CARROLLTON A Jacksonville man who escaped last week while being taken to Greene County Jail was found early the next morning, hiding under the porch of a Carrollton house. Tony L. Henson, 34, of Jacksonville escaped about 11:30 p.m. April 10 after being taken to the jail by a Scott County sheriff's deputy, who had arrested Henson on a charge of criminal trespassing. The Illinois General Assembly is ready to send the governor legislation that would provide students with options and resources to deal with mental health issues. Senate Bill 4028 was filed by state Sen. Mike Simmons, D-Chicago, in January. If signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, it would require schools to provide information on how and where students can find mental health resources in the state. The bill also includes the forming of the Student Mental Health Council consisting of six members with different backgrounds to recommend systemic changes to better improve mental health among young students. The task force will have a member of the LGBTQ community, a person of color, and at least one woman. Simmons said the inspiration for the bill came after meeting with the Youth Peoples Legislative Councils, when he spent time discussing mental health with students. "It is a committee made up of young people from schools and this is something that they consistently raise that either they or their friends are experiencing," Simmons said, adding that many of the issues are foreign to the students. "It's things they necessarily do not have a word for or can't quite name it but they know that they are not well and do not know where to go," Simmons said. "This legislation is an effort to help them navigate." According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health-related visits are up by 24% since 2020 for children ages 5-11, and visits by children ages 12-17 have gone up 31%. Simmons said that the pandemic has increased the need for this legislation. "This legislation is an effort to help students with a lot of the mental health crisis that's been born about by the pandemic and aggravated by the pandemic," Simmons said. Schools in Illinois were ordered by the governor to suspend in-person education through most of 2020 and many districts across the state continued with remote learning well into 2021. A recent report from the National Bureau of Economic Research ranked Illinois No. 43 of all 50 states and the District of Columbia for school policies during the pandemic. "[Lack of in-person learning] hurt the children and it didn't help health, it might have even hurt the health a little bit but definitely didn't improve health, didn't reduce COVID or anything like that," Mulligan said. Lindsay McQueen wasnt sure what she wanted to be when she grew up on the rural Franklin farm where her parents still live, but she knew it ultimately was going to be something to do with agriculture. That self-fulfilling prophecy has come true for McQueen, who has spent her entire working life since college with the Illinois Farm Bureau and has been county manager of Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau in Jacksonville since 2014. McQueen is the first woman to hold the position. When I was growing up I didnt really look at a job and think, thats only for men, so I didnt think anything of it when looking for jobs, McQueen said. Im not alone in that when I talk to my colleagues. We younger women think we can do anything a guy can do and I love that. McQueens journey to Jacksonville began when she was in her senior year at Western Illinois University. She was majoring in agricultural business and had received an Illinois Farm Bureau Scholarship the year before, so she decided to apply at the Farm Bureau. She was hired before she graduated. McQueens first Farm Bureau post was in Cumberland County in eastern Illinois. Then she spent several years in Jackson and Union counties in southern Illinois. When former Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau county manager Jim Carlton retired in 2014, McQueen applied for his position and was hired that same year. Although all three of her positions have been with the same organization, McQueen said each area of the state interacts differently with the Farm Bureau. In the eastern part of the state, where I started, it was very much hands-off, the Farm Bureau is there if needed, McQueen said. So it gave me a good opportunity to learn about the organization and not be overwhelmed. In the south, its a lot different. We have a lot of wheat, orchards, vineyards and trees. Id go from office to office and sometimes I wouldnt even see a field of corn or soybeans, McQueen said. We have different kinds of producers to work and, since I grew up on flat land, they were always calling me a Northerner and joking that it takes a real farmer to farm in southern Illinois. McQueen said the southern Illinois counties often combined their efforts, and she frequently was working side by side with her Farm Bureau colleagues from neighboring counties. The whole southern tip of the state was like one giant Farm Bureau; we all did the same programs together, McQueen said. Up here in central Illinois, the counties kind of do their own thing, but there seems to be a lot more issues in our area. I do a lot more work on local affairs here than I ever have. McQueen said Cass and Morgan counties farmers have seen a lot of energy-related activity in recent years involving pipelines, wind farms and solar installations. She likes to stay engaged with each issue so she can better advise Farm Bureau members. I know exactly what our farmers are going through, who they are talking to, and make sure that they are protected as much as they can be and know what they are signing, McQueen said. We like to get them educated before they do anything serious because it can be a 30- or 40-year commitment. The Illinois Farm Bureau has state staff who are dedicated to certain issues, and McQueen often communicates with those experts to stay on top of matters that concern area farmers. The next big issue, she said, will be the Navigator CO2 carbon sequestration pipeline. That pipeline will be coming from the Dakotas through Iowa and all across Morgan County, then on into Christian County, McQueen said. They are trying to get surveys on properties right now. They havent filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission yet, but thats the next possible thing on the horizon. The Illinois Farm Bureau is a membership organization, so its important that McQueen is able to educate her members about the choices they are facing. What these energy companies have been offering are, in the long run, sometimes better for their bank accounts. They wouldnt have to farm if they choose not to, McQueen said. Then there are the farmers who wonder what would Grandpa think, what are they leaving for their kids. Theres a lot of things to weigh when you are considering certain easements on your land. McQueen also enjoys working with the non-farming community so they realize what farming is all about. Making sure that people understand that their food doesnt just start at the grocery store, it starts with the ground where the farmers are planting it, McQueen said. Just keeping that in the back of everyones mind about our industry. McQueen also serves as a role model. The Illinois Farm Bureau has been around since 1916, with Morgan County joining in 1917, Cass County in 1918, and the two counties merging their bureaus into one in 1970. Being in this position, out in front of the FFA kids talking at different programs, they see a leader in the industry, not just based on gender or age, McQueen said. They see that maybe this could be where they could go out of high school or college. The agriculture industry is open and has something for them. McQueen has started an internship program for young people at Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau that has opened many a young persons eyes to the future. When many people think of agriculture they only think about out in the field, and there is so much more in agriculture now, McQueen said. I wanted to make sure that the kid who doesnt necessarily want to dig in the soil every day knows there are other ways to work in agriculture. McQueen is active in the Jacksonville area. She helps with University of Illinois Extension, is involved with the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee, serves on the Jacksonville Memorial Hospital board, is a Kiwanis Club board member, and volunteers at Jacksonville Area Museum. McQueen also picks up trash once a month as part of the Community Improvement Initiative, which I love and its therapeutic for me. I hope it lifts peoples pride in our town, she said. McQueen is proud of her Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau board and the farmers who support my sometimes crazy ideas. McQueen is also happy that she gets to do a job she loves in a vital industry, and credits her Morgan County upbringing for that success. Growing up on the farm was a privilege, but I didnt know it at the time, McQueen said. I was jealous of the kids who lived in town and didnt have to ride the bus home, who could hang out and play at the park. I had to sit on the bus for an hour when I headed home. But looking back on it, I wouldnt have changed a thing about how I was raised. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LVIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale ground offensive to take control of Ukraine's east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles (480 kilometers) long, Ukrainian officials said in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war. The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a video address. He said a "significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. The Donbas is Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia. In recent weeks, the Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after its attempt to storm Kyiv failed. After withdrawing from the capital, Russia began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for an all-out offensive. No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight, Zelenskyy vowed. "We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day. The offensive got underway after Russia bombarded the western city of Lviv and a multitude of other targets across Ukraine in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the countrys defenses. The Ukraine military's general staff said Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces were increasing assaults in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions both of which are part of the Donbas as well as in the area of Zaporizhzhia. This morning, almost along the whole front line of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, the occupiers attempted to break through our defenses," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraines national security council, was quoted as telling Ukrainian media. Fortunately, our military is holding out. They passed through only two cities. This is Kreminna and another small town." He added: "We are not giving up any of our territories. A Ukrainian military official said street battles had begun in Kreminna and that evacuation was impossible. Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said heavy artillery fire set seven residential buildings on fire and targeted the sports complex where the nations Olympic team trains. Haidai later told Ukrainian television that Russians took control of the city after leveling everything to the ground, so his forces retreated to regroup and keep on fighting. Meanwhile, in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard that was holding out against Russian forces, said in a video message that Russia had begun dropping bunker-buster bombs on the Azovstal steel plant where the regiment was holed up. The sprawling plant contains a warren of tunnels where both fighters and civilians are sheltering. It is believed to be the last major pocket of resistance in the shattered city. At least seven people were reported killed in missile strikes on Lviv, a city close to the Polish border that has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. To the Kremlins increasing anger, Lviv has also become a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons. The attack on Lviv hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto shop, according to the region's governor, Maksym Kozytskyy. He said the wounded included a child. A Lviv hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled the fighting in other parts of the country was also badly damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. The city has seen its population swell with elderly people, mothers and children trying to escape the war. The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv, said Lyudmila Turchak, who fled with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe. Lviv, the biggest city and a major transportation hub in western Ukraine, is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Poland, a NATO member. Russia has strongly complained about the increasing flow of Western weapons to Ukraine and warned that such aid could have consequences. On Russian state media, some anchors have charged that the supplies amount to direct Western engagement in the fight against Russia. A powerful explosion also rocked Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to an air base, according to residents. It was not immediately clear what was struck. Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, was hit by shelling that killed at least three people, according to Associated Press journalists on the scene. One of the dead was a woman who appeared to be going out to collect water in the rain. She was found with a water canister and an umbrella by her side. Military analysts say Russia was increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railroads and other infrastructure ahead of its assault on the Donbas. Moscow said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the past day, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. It also reported that its artillery hit an additional 315 Ukrainian targets and that warplanes conducted 108 strikes on troops and military equipment. The claims could not be independently verified. Gen. Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News that Russia was waging a softening-up campaign ahead of the Donbas offensive. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessments of the war, said there are now 76 Russian combat units, known as battalion tactical groups, in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. That could translate to around 50,000 to 60,000 troops, based on what the Pentagon said at the start of the war was the typical unit strength of 700 to 800 soldiers, but the numbers are difficult to pinpoint at this stage in the fighting. The official also said that four U.S. cargo flights arrived in Europe on Sunday with an initial delivery of weapons and other materials for Ukraine as part of a $800 million package announced by Washington last week. And training of Ukrainian personnel on U.S. 155 mm howitzers is set to begin in the next several days. The capture of Mariupol, where Ukraine estimates 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, seized from Ukraine from 2014. The U.S. defense official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas. ___ Associated Press journalists Nico Maounis and Philip Crowther in Lviv, Ukraine, Adam Schreck in Vasylkiv, Ukraine, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report, as did other AP staff members around the world. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIJING (AP) Shanghai authorities on Monday reported the first COVID-19 deaths in the latest outbreak in Chinas most populous and wealthiest city. All three people who died were elderly, had underlying diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and had not been vaccinated against the coronavirus, city Health Commission inspector Wu Ganyu told journalists. After entering hospital, their conditions grew worse and they died after attempts to save them were unsuccessful," Wu said. The deaths raise to 4,641 the number of people that China says have succumbed to the disease since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019. While China has an overall vaccination rate of around 90%, a low rate among the elderly remains a concern. Only 62% of Shanghai residents over age 60 have been vaccinated, according to the latest data available. Some experts say China needs to raise that rate before it can safely live with the virus. While highly contagious, the omicron BA.2 variant driving the Shanghai outbreak is less lethal than the previous delta variant. However, China's low death toll from COVID-19, which is blamed for more than 988,000 deaths in the United States, has raised questions about how China's authoritarian and often highly secretive government counts such fatalities. Most of Shanghais 25 million residents are being confined to their homes for a third week as China continues to employ a zero-tolerance strategy to curb the outbreak, demanding isolation of anyone possibly infected. China on Monday said 23,362 people had tested positive for the virus over the previous 24 hours, most of them showing no symptoms and almost all of them in Shanghai. The city has reported more than 300,000 cases since late March. Shanghai began easing restrictions last week, although officials have warned that the city doesn't have its outbreak under control. Shanghai, which is home to China's biggest port and most important stock exchange, appeared unprepared for such a massive undertaking. Residents have run short of food and other daily necessities while enduring lockdown conditions, and tens of thousands of people put under medical observation have been sequestered in crowded facilities where lights are always on, garbage bins overflow, food is inadequate and hot showers nonexistent. Anyone who tests positive but has few or no symptoms is required to spend one week in a quarantine facility. Concerns have risen about the economic impact of the government's hard-line policy. Chinas economic growth edged up to a still-weak 4.8% over a year earlier in the first three months of 2022 as lockdowns cut production in major industrial cities. Official data showed growth accelerated from the previous quarters 4%. At a meeting Monday, Vice Premier Liu He, President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser, pledged increased spending to stabilize supply chains and provide financial support for health workers and others on the pandemic front lines. While the ruling Communist Party has urged more targeted prevention measures, local officials have routinely adopted stringent regulations, possibly for fear of being fired or penalized over outbreaks in their areas. In the city of Wenzhou, which has seen only a handful of cases, authorities have authorized rewards of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,800) for information about people who falsify their health status, online news site The Paper reported. JERUSALEM (AP) Palestinian militants fired a rocket into southern Israel for the first time in months on Monday, in another escalation after clashes at a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, a series of deadly attacks inside Israel and military raids across the occupied West Bank. Israel said it intercepted the rocket, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Israel holds Gaza's militant Hamas rulers responsible for all such projectiles and usually launches airstrikes in their wake. It was the first such rocket fire since New Year's Eve. Early Tuesday, Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of airstrikes in southern Gaza Strip, targeting a weapons manufacturing site" for Hamas, the Israeli military said. There were no reports of injuries. Hours earlier, the leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group, which boasts an arsenal of rockets, had issued a brief, cryptic warning, condemning Israeli violations in Jerusalem. Ziad al-Nakhala, who is based outside the Palestinian territories, said threats to tighten an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza imposed after Hamas seized power 15 years ago cant silence us from whats happening in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. However, no Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. Palestinians and Israeli police clashed over the weekend in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, which has long been an epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian violence. It is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because the mosque stands on a hilltop where the Jewish temples were located in antiquity. Protests and clashes there this time last year helped trigger an 11-day Gaza war. Police said they were responding to Palestinian stone-throwing and that they were committed to ensuring that Jews, Christians and Muslims whose major holidays are converging this year could celebrate them safely in the Holy Land. Palestinians view the presence of Israeli police at the site as a provocation and said they used excessive force. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday, ahead of the rocket fire, that Israel has been the target of a Hamas-led incitement campaign." The latest tensions come during the rare confluence of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover. Christians are also celebrating their holy week leading up to Easter. Tens of thousands of visitors have flocked to Jerusalems Old City home to major holy sites for all three faiths for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Jordan and Egypt, which made peace with Israel decades ago and coordinate with it on security matters, have condemned its actions at the mosque. Jordan which serves as custodian of the site summoned Israels charge daffaires on Monday in protest. Jordans King Abdullah II discussed the violence with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, agreeing on the need to stop all illegal and provocative Israeli measures there, according to a statement. Jordan planned to convene a meeting of other Arab states on the issue. Israel has been working to improve relations with Jordan over the past year and has recently normalized relations with other Arab states. But the latest tensions have brought renewed attention to the unresolved conflict with the Palestinians, which Israel has sought to sideline in recent years. The U.S. State Department urged all sides to exercise restraint, to avoid provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historic status quo at the holy site. Spokesman Ned Price said U.S. officials were in touch with counterparts across the region to try and calm tensions. U.N. Security Council scheduled a closed-door meeting on the tensions for Tuesday. In Israel, an Arab party that made history last year by joining the governing coalition suspended its participation on Sunday a largely symbolic act that nevertheless reflected the sensitivity of the holy site, which is at the emotional heart of the century-old conflict. Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem which includes the Old City in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and is building and expanding Jewish settlements across the West Bank, which it views as the biblical and historical heartland of the Jewish people. The last serious and substantive peace talks collapsed more than a decade ago. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to take over or partition the mosque compound. In recent weeks, calls by Jewish extremists to sacrifice animals there have circulated widely among Palestinians on social media, sparking calls to defend the mosque. Israeli authorities say they have no intention of changing the status quo, and police are enforcing a prohibition on animal sacrifices. Israel allows Jews to visit the site but not to pray there. In recent years large numbers of nationalist and religious Jews have regularly visited under police escort, angering the Palestinians and Jordan. Israel says police were forced to enter the compound early Friday after Palestinians stockpiled stones and hurled rocks at the gate through which Jewish visitors typically enter. That gate also leads to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. Recent weeks have seen a series of Palestinian attacks inside Israel that killed 14 people. Israel has launched near-daily arrest raids and other military operations in the occupied West Bank that it says are aimed at preventing more. The military said Monday it arrested 11 Palestinians in operations across the territory overnight. In a raid near the city of Jenin, the army said dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks and explosives toward troops. Soldiers responded with live ammunition toward the suspects who hurled explosive devices, the military said. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two men were hospitalized after being critically wounded. Two of the recent attackers came from in and around Jenin, which has long been a bastion of armed struggle against Israeli rule. At least 26 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press count. Many had carried out attacks or were involved in clashes, but an unarmed woman and a lawyer who appears to have been a bystander were also among those killed. ___ Associated Press writers Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, Omar Akour in Jordan, Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada; Matthew Lee in Washington and Jennifer Peltz at the United Nations contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) Britain announced a deal with Rwanda on Thursday to send some asylum-seekers thousands of miles to the East African country a plan it said would stop people-smugglers sending desperate migrants on treacherous journeys across the English Channel. U.K. opposition politicians and refugee groups condemned the move as inhumane, unworkable and a waste of public money, and the United Nations said it raised a number of human rights concerns. The plan would see some people who arrive in Britain as stowaways on trucks or in small boats picked up by the U.K. government and flown 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) to Rwanda, apparently for good. Critics accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of using the issue to distract attention from a scandal over government gatherings that breached pandemic lockdown rules. Johnson is resisting calls to resign after being fined by police this week over the parties. Migrants have long used northern France as a launching point to reach Britain, either by hiding on trucks or ferries, or increasingly since the coronavirus pandemic shut down other routes in 2020 in small boats organized by smugglers. More than 28,000 people entered the U.K. in boats last year, up from 8,500 in 2020. Dozens have died, including 27 people in November when a single boat capsized. On Thursday, dozens of men, women and children were picked up by British lifeboats and brought ashore at the Channel port of Dover as Johnson, speaking just a few miles away, outlined the plan. Anyone entering the U.K. illegally may now be relocated to Rwanda," Johnson said in a speech to troops and coast guard members at an airport near Dover. Action, he said, was needed to stop vile people smugglers (who) are abusing the vulnerable and turning the Channel into a watery graveyard. The Rwandan government said the agreement would initially last for five years, and Britain had paid 120 million pounds ($158 million) up front to pay for housing and integrating the migrants. Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Vincent Biruta said the agreement is about ensuring that people are protected, respected, and empowered to further their own ambitions and settle permanently in Rwanda if they choose. He said his country is already home to more than 130,000 refugees from countries including Burundi, Congo, Libya and Pakistan. Johnson denied the plan was lacking in compassion but acknowledged it would inevitably face legal challenges and would not take effect immediately. Rwanda is the most densely populated nation in Africa, and competition for land and resources there fueled decades of ethnic and political tensions that culminated in the 1994 genocide in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis, and Hutus who tried to protect them, were killed. Johnson insisted that Rwanda had totally transformed in the last two decades. But human rights groups have repeatedly criticized President Paul Kagames current government as repressive. Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said the claim Rwanda was a safe country is not grounded in reality. Arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and torture in official and unofficial detention facilities is commonplace, and fair trial standards are flouted in many cases, Mudge said. Britain says relocation decisions will not be based on migrants country of origin but on whether they used illegal or dangerous routes to reach the U.K. from a safe country such as France. Not all such arrivals will be considered suitable to be sent to Rwanda; it was unclear what the criteria for making the decisions would be, though the British government said children would not be sent to the African country. The United Nations human rights office said it had raised its "concerns directly with the U.K. authorities. A spokeswoman for the office said the U.K. was shifting ... its responsibilities and obligations under international human rights and refugee law onto a country which is already taking great asylum responsibilities. Previous policies of sending refugee applicants abroad have been highly controversial. In 2013, Australia began sending asylum-seekers attempting to reach the country by boat to Papua New Guinea and the tiny atoll of Nauru, vowing that none would be allowed to settle in Australia. The policy all but ended the people-smuggling ocean route from Southeast Asia, but was widely criticized as a cruel abrogation of Australias international obligations. Israel sent several thousand people to Rwanda and Uganda under a contentious and secretive voluntary scheme between 2014 and 2017. Few are believed to have remained there, with many trying to reach Europe. Steve Valdez-Symonds, refugee director at Amnesty International U.K., said the British governments shockingly ill-conceived idea will go far further in inflicting suffering while wasting huge amounts of public money. The chief executive of the U.K.-based Refugee Council, Enver Solomon, called it dangerous, cruel and inhumane. Rwandan opposition figure Victoire Ingabire told the AP that her governments decision to take in migrants was questionable, given that the country is also a source of refugees. The British and French governments have worked for years to stop the cross-Channel journeys, without much success, often swapping accusations about who is to blame for the failure. Britains Conservative government has floated myriad proposals, not all of them workable, including building a wave machine in the Channel to drive boats back. Johnson said Thursday that the Royal Navy would take charge of responding to small-boat crossings, but that the idea of pushing vessels back towards France had been rejected as too dangerous. Several earlier proposed locations for the U.K. to send migrants including the remote Ascension Island, Albania and Gibraltar were rejected, at times angrily, by the nations in question. The Rwanda plan faces hurdles both in Britains Parliament and in the courts. Johnson's Conservative government has introduced a tough new immigration bill that would make it more difficult for people who enter the country by unauthorized routes to claim asylum and would allow asylum-seekers to be screened abroad. It has not yet been approved by Parliament, with the House of Lords seeking to dilute some of its most draconian provisions. Labour Party lawmaker Lucy Powell said the Rwanda plan might please some Conservative supporters and grab headlines, but was "unworkable, expensive and unethical. I think this is less about dealing with small boats and more about dealing with the prime ministers own sinking boat, Powell told the BBC. ___ Ignatius Ssuuna in Kigali, Rwanda, and Andrew Meldrum in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributed to this story. ___ Follow AP's coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As our country approaches 1 million deaths from COVID-19, it can feel impossible to wrap our heads around such a devastating figure. But its essential if we want to treat the pre-existing conditions that made it so deadly. In the beginning, many thought the pandemic would be a great equalizer, since the virus doesnt distinguish between rich and poor. But the tragic reality is that our economic and public health systems do discriminate. A coalition of researchers convened by the Poor Peoples Campaign recently published a report making this reality plain. The researchers define poverty to include all those living up to 200% of the official poverty measure, which has long been considered too low to capture those who struggle the hardest to make ends meet. Using this measure, they found that COVID-19 death rates in poorer U.S. counties were nearly double those wealthier counties. The gap was even bigger during the worst phases of the pandemic. During the dark winter of 2020-21, 4.5 times as many people in poorer counties died. During the Delta phase, that number shot to five times. Vaccination rates tend to be somewhat greater in wealthier counties, but this study looked at counties where vaccination rates topped more than 85%. So vaccination cant account for the disparity. What can account for it is poverty. The over 300 counties with the highest death rates had average poverty rates of 45 percent. These counties include 30 million Americans of every color. Latinx Americans make up about a quarter of their population, while their Black population is about double the national average. Whats more, these counties are home to nearly 30 percent of all Indigenous people in the United States. Theyre also home to many poor whites. Although COVID-related deaths fell disproportionately on people of color, these poorer white people suffered the most deaths. Experts and impacted people recently about these findings in Washington, D.C. At times, our countys rate of COVID hospitalizations and deaths led the nation, said Bruce Grau of Wausau, Wisconsin. In the first six months of the pandemic, nearly all of the residents in just one nursing home died penniless and alone. Because I dont have money, it was 17 days before they told me I had COVID, testified Tyrone Gardner of Goldsboro, North Carolina." "We were slaughtered for the almighty dollar, and we wont be sacrificed anymore, declared Pamela Garrison of West Virginia. It was hard for us to get the vaccine, recalled Vanessa Nosie, a member of the Apache Stronghold in New Mexico. Our lives arent valued. They look at us like it doesnt hurt that we dont survive. The findings of this report reveal intentional decisions to not focus on the poor, summed up Reverend WIlliam Barber, co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign. We cannot say that this is because of individual choices or behaviors. Instead, he declared, something deeper is at work: systems that prey on the poor poor white people and poor people of color. The lessons of this pandemic are brutal and myriad. One of its most important is that when a public health crisis runs headlong into systemic inequities in wages, wealth, and health care, the result is mass death among those the system is rigged against. The Poor Peoples Campaign has been mobilizing Americans across the country to unrig this system. This data is a wake-up call for this nation to heed the calls of the Poor Peoples Campaign, said John Cavanagh of the Institute for Policy Studies. This summer, the campaign is organizing a mass mobilization of poor and low-income people in Washington to fight back. On June 18, thousands of poor people and their allies will arrive in the capital, calling on lawmakers to treat the pre-existing conditions of a pandemic thats killed nearly 1 million Americans. They welcome all to join them. President Joe Biden View Photo President Biden delivered a speech announcing his actions to fight gun crimes. Biden was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: A year ago this week, standing here with many of you, I instructed the Attorney General to write a regulation that would would rein in the proliferation of ghost guns because I was having trouble getting anything passed in the Congress, but I used what we call regulatory authority. A year later, were here. We keep that promise. The gun lobby tried to tie up the regulators in paperwork for a long, long time. The NRA called this rule Im about to announce, extreme. Extreme. But let me ask you: Is it extreme to protect police officers? Extreme to protect our children? Extreme to keep guns out of the hands of people who couldnt even pass a background check? AUDIENCE: Nooo THE PRESIDENT: Look, the idea that someone on a terrorist list could purchase one of these guns is extreme? It isnt extreme; its just basic common sense. (Applause.) You know, if you buy a couch you have to assemble, its still a couch. If you order a package, like this one over here, that includes the parts you need, the directions for assembling a functioning firearm, you bought a gun. Take a look. Take a look at this. It comes in this package. You can see the picture down here maybe. This is the gun. (Holds up upper and lower receivers of a handgun.) Its not hard to put together. A little drill hand drill at home. It doesnt take very long. Anyone can order it in the mail. Anyone. And, folks, a felon, a terrorist, a domestic abuser can go from a gun kit to a gun in as little as 30 minutes. Buyers arent required to pass background checks. Because guns have no serial numbers these guns when they show up at a crime scene, they cant be traced. Harder to find and prove who used them. Meaning you cant connect the gun to the shooter and hold them accountable. In fact, the ATF reports that theyve been able to trace less than 1 percent less than 1 percent of ghost guns reported by law enforcement. And so it makes sense that police across the country are increasingly finding ghost guns at crime scenes. And, by the way, ghost guns can be, quote, rifles essentially assault weapons as well. This is one version of the kit you can buy. Last year alone, law enforcement reported approximately 20,000 suspected ghost guns to be to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Thats a tenfold increase in these ghost guns from 2016. Tenfold in five years. These guns are weapons of choice for many criminals. Were going to do everything we can to deprive them of that choice and, when we find them, put them in jail for a long, long time. Law enforcement is sounding the alarms. Our communities are paying the price. And were acting. Today, the United States Department of Justice is making it is illegal for a business to manufacture one of these kits without a serial number. Illegal. (Applause.) Illegal for a licensed dealer to sell them without a background check. (Applause.) And starting today, weapons like the one used at Saugus High School and to ambush deputies with us to- that are here with us today are being treated like the deadly firearms they are. And if somebody sells a ghost gun to a federally licensed dealer for example, a pawn shop that dealer must make the firearm and mark it with a serial number before reselling it. All of a sudden, its no longer a ghost; it has a return address. And its going to help save lives, reduce crime, and get more criminals off the streets. And this rule is only part of our strategy to go after ghost guns. In February, the Department of Justice launched a nation a National Gun Ghost Guns Enforcement Initiative, intensifying our efforts to bring cases against those who use ghost guns illegally. Were teaching investigators and prosecutors best practices how to build these cases and assigning a coordinator in each of the ATF field divisions to serve as the point person for helping federal, state, and local law enforcement go after ghost guns. If you commit a crime with a ghost gun, expect federal prosecution, not just state. Expect federal prosecution. (Applause.) This rule is an important step. Its going to make a difference, I promise you. And there are a lot of other things we know work to reduce gun violence and other violent crimes and save lives. Thats why Ive put together a comprehensive strategy to supercharge what works while continuing to push Congress to act on sensible legislation to prevent gun violence. In addition to today in addition to todays rule, were working on four areas: First, were going after rogue gun dealers. The last time we had data on this was more than 20 years ago. Five percent of gun dealers sold 90 percent of illegal guns found at crime scenes. Five percent sold 90 percent. These merchants of death are breaking the law for profit and selling guns that are killing innocent people. Were cracking down on these gun dealers and the violent criminals they knowingly arm. Second, were disrupting illegal gun trafficking. Attorney General Garland has directed all U.S. Attorneys to prioritize combatting gun trafficking that is moving guns across state lines and city boundaries. The Justice Department is surging prosecutorial resources to help shut down these trafficking corridors, including the one known as the Iron Pipeline that funnels weapons (applause) from gun shops in states like Georgia to crime scenes up and down the East Coast. Thirdly, were funding strategies we know reduce gun crime: community policing and community violence interruption. Look, Ive said it many times: The answer is not to defund the police. Its to fund the police and give them the tools and training to support they need to be the partners and the protectors of our communities in need. (Applause.) And Ive already made clear that I want cities, states, counties, and Tribes to use some of the $350 billion we sent to them in the American Rescue Plan that I wrote in the first month to reduce gun violence, hire police officers for community policing, pay police overtime, purchase crime-fighting technologies. They were given the money. They can do it. Spend it. (Applause.) And now, on top of that, Im calling for additional funding to put police on the streets for community policing. One thing we learned in the middle of the crime wave not long ago: When the cop knows by first name who owns the corner drug store, who lives in the apartment above 6B, who the people who are the pastors of the churches, guess what? People talk to them. They trust them. My son was the Attorney General in Delaware. Hed go around and make sure everybody, literally, in these high-crime-rate neighborhoods hed give them his personal cell phone number and instructed all of the cops to do the same thing. And they did. And the crime plummeted. Not a joke. Look at the record. Not just my son, but all across the nation. And for the AFT [ATF] to hire agents they need to help the fight gun crime more agents. My budget funds body cameras and makes sure police work with our local communities and are accountable to the local communities. Were also investing in community violence intervention. These are areas, local programs that utilize trusted messengers community members and leaders to work directly with people who are the most likely to commit a gun crime or become victims of gun crime get to them early. It works. (Applause.) It works. They intervene before its too late. Fourth, were funding jobs and training for young people, summer programs, drug treatment, mental health, housing availability, criminal justice reform, and reentry support for people coming home after incarceration. Right now, you get let out of prison after serving your time; you get a bus ticket and 25 bucks. You end up under the same bridge you left 2, 5, 10 years earlier. If you serve your time, you qualify for Pell Grants, you qualify for housing, youre qualified for food, you qualify to get back into the community give them a fighting chance. These are all demonstrated ways to reduce crime. And Im strongly urging cities, states, counties, and Tribes to use the Rescue Plan funding weve sent them to do more in each of these areas. And they need to do more and do it quickly, before the summer, when crime typically surges around America. So were pushing in each of these areas, but none of this absolves Congress with all due respect to my members of Congress here; theyre the wrong people Id be talking to for their responsibility to act. We need Congress to pass universal background checks. (Applause.) Universal background checks. And I know its controversial, but I got it done once: Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. (Applause.) I was getting criticized when I first passed this law when I was a senator. And guess what? I was down in southern Delaware they do a lot of hunting and fishing down there and I was walking up one of the creek beds. And a guy standing said, You want to take my gun? I said, I dont want to take your gun. He said, Well, youre telling me I cant have more than X number of bullets in a in a in my gun. And I said, What do you think the deer youre hunting wear Kevlar vests? What the hell you need 20 bullets for? You must be a hell of a terrible shot. (Laughter.) No, Im serious. Think about it. Think about the mass shootings. As many as a hundred rounds. Its a weapon of war. It has nothing to do with recreation. Outright banning the sale and possession of un-serialized guns. Eliminate gun manufacturers immunity from liability. Theyre the only outfit (applause) theyre the only outfit in the country that is immune. Imagine had the tobacco industry been immune to prost- to being sued. Come on. In February, the families of nine of the Sandy Hook shooting victims achieved a settlement against the maker of guns that was used to kill their children. The Sandy Sandy Hook folks are here. Do you will you be embarrassed if I ask you to stand up? (Applause.) These folks right here did more to keep all of this going than anybody. We owe you, man. We owe you. (Applause.) It never goes away, does it? God love you. Look, this is incredibly rare because gun manufacturers have more immunity from liability than any other American industry, so they have never had to take responsibility for the death and destruction their products cause. But as part of this settlement, Remington agreed to release thousands of pages of internal documents. You did that. And why heres why its so important: Remember, it wasnt until we saw the internal documents that we really understood what cigarette manufacturers were doing to our kids and to our families. Now we may begin to see what gun manufacturers are and are not doing when it comes to making and marketing their deadly products. And, by the way its going to sound bizarre I support the Second Amendment. You have a right. But from the very beginning, the Second Amendment didnt say you can own any gun you want, big as you want. You couldnt buy a cannon when, in fact, the Second Amendment passed. And certain people from the very beginning werent allowed to purchase guns. Its nothing new. Its just rational. Look, this should be just the start. We need to repeal the liability shield of gun manufacturers and finally hold them accountable for false advertising and many other things they do. Theres one more action Im taking today. Its only been and theres been only one Senate who has confirmed a director of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the Bureaus entire history. It used to be it didnt require Senate action when I first got to the Senate. But its only been one since it became required confirmation. This is an agency whose mission it is to protect communities from violent criminals, illegal trafficking of firearms, acts of arson and bombing, and a lot more. The mission of this agency isnt controversial, its public safety. Today, to lead and support the dedicated men and women of the AFT [ATF], I am proud to nominate Steve Del- Dettelbach excuse me, I mispronounced your name I just as Director of Bureau of Al- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Steve is immensely qualified. He served the Department of Justice for two decades. He worked side by side to support the work of federal, state, and local law enforcement, includingAFT [ATF] agents. And one of those was he a case he was personally tried as a U.S. Attorney, where the serial arsonist firebombed the courthouses and police headquarters in Mansfield, Ohio. For his work, Steve got death threats, but the defendant got 60 years. Steve also partnered with the community leaders and law enforcement to help prevent violent crime. Hes worked with the police to combat domestic extremism and to take violent criminals off the street. Steves record makes him ready on day one to lead this agency. And, by the way, in 2009, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed him to serve as a U.S. Attorney. I look forward to working with the Senate to get him confirmed once again. With what Ive know about him and why I was enthusiastic about supporting him, Id like to introduce my nominee to lead the AFT [ATF] to you all of you. Steve, come on up here. (Applause.) MR. DETTELBACH: Thank you, Mr. President; thank you, Vice President Harris, for your leadership in protecting the people of this nation and for placing your trust in me to become the next director of the ATF. Thanks. (Applause.) Thank you, also, Deputy Attorney General Monaco, for all that you and Attorney General Garland continue to do at DOJ to make our nation safer. And thank you, Mia, for your incredible inspiration and courage not just here today, but all over this nation. Thank you. (Applause.) I also want to thank my incredible, supportive, and often patient family who are here. My wonderful wife, Karil, and my children, Allie and David. Please. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: When hes 16 years old, I want to draft him. (Laughter.) MR. DETTELBACH: Is there an agent in the house? (Laughter.) But seriously, more most especially today, I want to thank the men and women of the ATF. You know, I started as a career prosecutor back in 1992. And I have spent three decades watching and admiring agents and staff at the ATF along with its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners as they work tirelessly and courageously to protect the American people. I would also say they work in anonymity, but that would not be completely true because, sadly, one thing Ive also seen over the years is that the ATF often does work in anonymity when its agents are out there risking their lives to protect us only to be thrust into the public eye when its time for criticism. You know, law enforcement is a very tough job, and no person and no agency is perfect. But the President is right: The men and women of the ATF and the public that they protect deserve better support from us. (Applause.) Ive seen firsthand the work that so many at the ATF do to protect us from violence. Theyre dedicated, theyre professional, and theyre effective. They dont write the laws; their mission every day is just to go out and enforce those laws and protect the public from a wide range of threats. When I was a U.S. Attorney, our office partnered with the ATF and the Cleveland Police as they doggedly investigated and brought a case involving the deadliest home arson in Cleveland history killed nine people, including eight kids. I also saw the ATF partner with the FBI and our office, first to find and then to bring to justice a bigot who drove from Indiana to outside Toledo to torch the largest mosque in Ohio. And last and certainly not least, I have partnered with the ATF for decades in its crucial fight against gun violence. You know, whether it was taking a single violent recidivist off the street in Maryland or putting together a big racketeering case against a violent gang in Youngstown, Ohio, I have seen the ATF work with other law enforcement to make so many of our communities safer. As we emerge from this pandemic, weve got to recognize that many Americans still face fear and isolation not because of a virus, but because of an epidemic of firearms violence. Its not a new problem, and it has many causes. Thats why its going to take an all-hands-on-deck-partnership approach to address that issue. And the ATF will be there. (Applause.) If confirmed, I promise to support the men and the women of the ATF and to do everything in our power to protect the people of this nation every single day. Thank you. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: All right, good job. MR. DETTELBACH: Thank you, Mr. President. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. And, by the way, he was responsible for the weather as well. (Laughter.) Thank you, thank you, thank you. MR. DETTELBACH: Thank you. (Applause.) The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) A former Maryland mayor who admitted to posting nude photos of his ex-girlfriend on Reddit will not have to spend time behind bars under a plea deal announced by the state prosecutors office on Monday. Former Cambridge Mayor Andrew Bradshaw pleaded guilty to five counts of distributing revenge porn online and was sentenced to a year and a day for each of the five counts, with all of the incarceration time suspended. He also was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and fined $1,000 for each count. Bradshaw also was ordered to pay $750 in restitution to the victim and to perform 100 hours of community service. The former mayor had faced a maximum penalty of two years incarceration and a $5,000 fine for each count. Bradshaw pleaded guilty to posting nude photos of a woman he was once in a relationship with after the relationship had ended. The woman contacted authorities in May after learning that the photos were posted on Reddit. She told authorities that she had sent the photos only to Bradshaw while they were in an intimate relationship, and she didnt give him permission to redistribute them. Investigators discovered that Bradshaw had made numerous separate public posts that contained at least 10 unique visual representations of the victim, and that numerous posts contained language that was related to humiliation and degradation, the state prosecutors office said. When interviewed, Bradshaw admitted to law enforcement agents that he created the accounts and posted the victims nude photographs, authorities said. Bradshaw resigned his position as mayor in January. Anyone who abuses the trust and confidence of another to degrade and humiliate them, particularly through the use of a forum as powerful and pervasive as the Internet, must be held accountable. Such actions are especially egregious when committed by an individual holding a public leadership role of power and authority, said State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard, III. Maryland law prohibits the nonconsensual distribution of a private visual representation of another which exposes their intimate body parts or displays them engaged in sexual activity, with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten or coerce the person depicted. By BRIAN WITTE Associated Press Shareholders await Musks next move in Twitter takeover bid View Photo DETROIT (AP) Twitter has dropped a major roadblock in front of Elon Musks effort to take over the company, leaving investors to wonder about the mercurial Tesla CEOs next move. The social media company has adopted a poison pill defense that makes it difficult for Musk or any other investor to buy Twitter without the board of directors approval. Musk, who currently owns about 9% of the company, last week disclosed an offer of about $43 billion, or $54.20 per share. Twitters next likely move is to formally reject Musks offer, although it could negotiate. Musk has a number of options which also include talks with the board, sweetening his offer, or even triggering the poison pill, which experts say would be disastrous for the company. In a regulatory filing on Monday, Twitters board said it approved the defensive move to protect the company from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics. The board is leaving open the possibility of negotiating with Musk or another suitor. The filing says the shareholder rights agreement should not interfere with any merger or offer approved by the board. Although he said his offer was final, Musk may have to raise his bid to satisfy other shareholders. A Saudi prince who is among Twitters major shareholders scoffed at the offer last week in a tweet. Al Waleed bin Talal said he didnt believe $43 billion is close to Twitters value given its growth prospects. Twitter shares hit an all-time high of $77.63 in March 2021. When he made his offer public, Musk provided no details on financing, but such a disclosure could improve his chances. He could raise money by borrowing billions using his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX as collateral, and he could bring in other investors. The poison pill would give stockholders as of April 25 the right to buy one one-thousandth of a share of preferred stock for each common share they own, at a price of $210. The rights are triggered if any person or group of investors buys 15% or more of the companys shares without board approval. The preferred stock would have the same voting rights as a common share, according to the filing, which does not specifically mention Musk. The poison pill essentially would spell the end of Twitter if Musk or another investor acquires 15% or more of the company, said James Cox, a professor of corporate and securities law at Duke University. Shareholders who exercise the rights and buy preferred stock at $210 would get $420 in Twitter stock or assets, he said. That would be more than Twitter can afford to pay, and likely would send the company into receivership, Cox said. You want to create an event that Musk would never want to trigger because it would be the death of Twitter, Cox said. He predicts that Musk and the board will negotiate, at least for a while, adding that no investor has ever crossed the line to activate a poison pill. If Musk triggered the poison pill, he risks wiping out much of the money he has invested in Twitter because his stake would be diluted, said Columbia University law professor Eric Talley. You want to deter someone from deliberately triggering the poison pill, Talley said. Twitters board has information that the average shareholder doesnt, such as earnings or market growth projections, and whether theres reason to believe that the share value is artificially depressed, Talley said. The board, he said, could just hold out. Theyre sitting right now on top of a poison pill thats a bit of a showstopper. From a corporate law perspective, theyre on pretty solid footing right now if they just keep that in place and say theyre not comfortable bargaining at this stage. Musk said in making his bid that Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company in order to build trust with users and do better at serving what he calls the societal imperative of free speech. He said shareholders, not the board, should decide whether Twitter goes private. Shares of Twitter closed Monday up 7.5% at $48.45, still $5.75 shy of Musks offer. Thats a sign that investors are skeptical of whether Musk can pull off the deal. Musk began accumulating Twitter shares in late January, ending up with a stake of about 9%. Only Vanguard Group controls more shares. A lawsuit filed last week in New York federal court alleged Musk illegally delayed disclosing his stake so he could buy more shares at lower prices. Musk took to Twitter to criticize board members in recent days, saying hed save about $3 million per year by bringing the board salary to zero if his bid succeeds, and noting that board members collectively owning just a tiny financial stake in Twitter shows that their economic interests are simply not aligned with shareholders. Musk, who has more than 82 million followers, is a prolific tweeter who has criticized other celebrity accounts for not tweeting enough, suggesting that as a sign that Twitter is dying. The takeover episode will put pressure on Twitter executives to show that the company is not underperforming, said Olaf Groth, a business professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Even the entire social media business model of making money through advertising which Musk has questioned is now up for discussion, Groth said. He may decide its not worth it, and that he sent a political signal to exert pressure, Groth said. Now all eyes are on Twitter and the clock is ticking. ____ OBrien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. By TOM KRISHER and MATT OBRIEN AP Business Writers LVIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale ground offensive to take control of Ukraine's east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles (480 kilometers) long, Ukrainian officials said in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war. The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a video address. He said a "significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. The Donbas is Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia. In recent weeks, the Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after its attempt to storm Kyiv failed. After withdrawing from the capital, Russia began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for an all-out offensive. No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight, Zelenskyy vowed. "We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day. The offensive got underway after Russia bombarded the western city of Lviv and a multitude of other targets across Ukraine in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the countrys defenses. The Ukraine military's general staff said Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces were increasing assaults in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions both of which are part of the Donbas as well as in the area of Zaporizhzhia. This morning, almost along the whole front line of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, the occupiers attempted to break through our defenses," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraines national security council, was quoted as telling Ukrainian media. Fortunately, our military is holding out. They passed through only two cities. This is Kreminna and another small town." He added: "We are not giving up any of our territories. A Ukrainian military official said street battles had begun in Kreminna and that evacuation was impossible. Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai said heavy artillery fire set seven residential buildings on fire and targeted the sports complex where the nations Olympic team trains. Haidai later told Ukrainian television that Russians took control of the city after leveling everything to the ground, so his forces retreated to regroup and keep on fighting. Meanwhile, in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard that was holding out against Russian forces, said in a video message that Russia had begun dropping bunker-buster bombs on the Azovstal steel plant where the regiment was holed up. The sprawling plant contains a warren of tunnels where both fighters and civilians are sheltering. It is believed to be the last major pocket of resistance in the shattered city. At least seven people were reported killed in missile strikes on Lviv, a city close to the Polish border that has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. To the Kremlins increasing anger, Lviv has also become a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons. The attack on Lviv hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto shop, according to the region's governor, Maksym Kozytskyy. He said the wounded included a child. A Lviv hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled the fighting in other parts of the country was also badly damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. The city has seen its population swell with elderly people, mothers and children trying to escape the war. The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv, said Lyudmila Turchak, who fled with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe. Lviv, the biggest city and a major transportation hub in western Ukraine, is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Poland, a NATO member. Russia has strongly complained about the increasing flow of Western weapons to Ukraine and warned that such aid could have consequences. On Russian state media, some anchors have charged that the supplies amount to direct Western engagement in the fight against Russia. A powerful explosion also rocked Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to an air base, according to residents. It was not immediately clear what was struck. Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, was hit by shelling that killed at least three people, according to Associated Press journalists on the scene. One of the dead was a woman who appeared to be going out to collect water in the rain. She was found with a water canister and an umbrella by her side. Military analysts say Russia was increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railroads and other infrastructure ahead of its assault on the Donbas. Moscow said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the past day, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles. It also reported that its artillery hit an additional 315 Ukrainian targets and that warplanes conducted 108 strikes on troops and military equipment. The claims could not be independently verified. Gen. Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News that Russia was waging a softening-up campaign ahead of the Donbas offensive. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessments of the war, said there are now 76 Russian combat units, known as battalion tactical groups, in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. That could translate to around 50,000 to 60,000 troops, based on what the Pentagon said at the start of the war was the typical unit strength of 700 to 800 soldiers, but the numbers are difficult to pinpoint at this stage in the fighting. The official also said that four U.S. cargo flights arrived in Europe on Sunday with an initial delivery of weapons and other materials for Ukraine as part of a $800 million package announced by Washington last week. And training of Ukrainian personnel on U.S. 155 mm howitzers is set to begin in the next several days. The capture of Mariupol, where Ukraine estimates 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, seized from Ukraine from 2014. The U.S. defense official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas. ___ Associated Press journalists Nico Maounis and Philip Crowther in Lviv, Ukraine, Adam Schreck in Vasylkiv, Ukraine, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report, as did other AP staff members around the world. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Sri Lanka's president acknowledged Monday that he made mistakes that led to the country's worst economic crisis in decades and pledged to correct them. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa made the admission while speaking to 17 new Cabinet ministers he appointed Monday as he and his powerful family seek to resolve a political crisis resulting from the countrys dire economic state. Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, with nearly $7 billion of its total $25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment this year. A severe shortage of foreign exchange means the country lacks money to buy imported goods. People have endured months of shortages of essentials like food, cooking gas, fuel and medicine, lining up for hours to buy the very limited stocks available. During the last two and a half years we have had vast challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the debt burden, and some mistakes on our part, Rajapaksa said. They need to be rectified. We have to correct them and move forward. We need to regain the trust of the people. He said the government should have approached the International Monetary Fund early on for help in facing the impending debt crisis and should not have banned chemical fertilizer in an attempt to make Sri Lankan agriculture fully organic. Critics say the ban on imported fertilizer was aimed at conserving the country's declining foreign exchange holdings and badly hurt farmers. The government is also blamed for taking out large loans for infrastructure projects which have not brought in any money. Today, people are under immense pressure due to this economic crisis. I deeply regret this situation," Rajapaksa said, adding that the pain, discomfort and anger displayed by people forced to wait in long lines to get essential items at high prices is justified. The Cabinet appointments follow weeks of protests over shortages of fuel and food and demands that Rajapaksa, his politically powerful family and his government resign. Much public anger has been directed at Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. They head an influential clan that has held power for most of the past two decades. Thousands of protesters occupied the entrance to the presidents office for a 10th day on Monday. The president and prime minister remain in office, but some other relatives lost their Cabinet seats in what was seen as an attempt to pacify the protesters without giving up the family's hold on power. Many senior politicians and those facing corruption allegations were excluded from the new Cabinet in line with calls for a younger administration, though the finance and foreign affairs ministers retained their positions to assist with an economic recovery. Most of the Cabinet resigned on April 3 after protests erupted across the country and demonstrators stormed and vandalized the homes of some Cabinet ministers. Opposition parties rejected an offer by President Rajapaksa to form a unity government with him and his brother remaining in power. Opposition parties have failed, meanwhile, to gain a parliamentary majority. Last week, the government said it was suspending repayment of foreign loans pending talks with the International Monetary Fund. Finance Minister Ali Sabry and officials left for talks with the IMF on Sunday. The IMF and World Bank are holding annual meetings in Washington this week. Sri Lanka has also turned to China and India for emergency loans to buy food and fuel. DETROIT (AP) Twitter has dropped a major roadblock in front of Elon Musks effort to take over the company, leaving investors to wonder about the mercurial Tesla CEOs next move. The social media company has adopted a poison pill defense that makes it difficult for Musk or any other investor to buy Twitter without the board of directors approval. Musk, who currently owns about 9% of the company, last week disclosed an offer of about $43 billion, or $54.20 per share. Twitters next likely move is to formally reject Musks offer, although it could negotiate. Musk has a number of options which also include talks with the board, sweetening his offer, or even triggering the poison pill, which experts say would be disastrous for the company. In a regulatory filing on Monday, Twitters board said it approved the defensive move to protect the company from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics. The board is leaving open the possibility of negotiating with Musk or another suitor. The filing says the shareholder rights agreement should not interfere with any merger or offer approved by the board. Although he said his offer was final, Musk may have to raise his bid to satisfy other shareholders. A Saudi prince who is among Twitters major shareholders scoffed at the offer last week in a tweet. Al Waleed bin Talal said he didnt believe $43 billion is close to Twitter's value given its growth prospects. Twitter shares hit an all-time high of $77.63 in March 2021. When he made his offer public, Musk provided no details on financing, but such a disclosure could improve his chances. He could raise money by borrowing billions using his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX as collateral, and he could bring in other investors. The poison pill would give stockholders as of April 25 the right to buy one one-thousandth of a share of preferred stock for each common share they own, at a price of $210. The rights are triggered if any person or group of investors buys 15% or more of the companys shares without board approval. The preferred stock would have the same voting rights as a common share, according to the filing, which does not specifically mention Musk. The poison pill essentially would spell the end of Twitter if Musk or another investor acquires 15% or more of the company, said James Cox, a professor of corporate and securities law at Duke University. Shareholders who exercise the rights and buy preferred stock at $210 would get $420 in Twitter stock or assets, he said. That would be more than Twitter can afford to pay, and likely would send the company into receivership, Cox said. You want to create an event that Musk would never want to trigger because it would be the death of Twitter, Cox said. He predicts that Musk and the board will negotiate, at least for a while, adding that no investor has ever crossed the line to activate a poison pill. If Musk triggered the poison pill, he risks wiping out much of the money he has invested in Twitter because his stake would be diluted, said Columbia University law professor Eric Talley. You want to deter someone from deliberately triggering the poison pill, Talley said. Twitter's board has information that the average shareholder doesn't, such as earnings or market growth projections, and whether there's reason to believe that the share value is artificially depressed, Talley said. The board, he said, could just hold out. "Theyre sitting right now on top of a poison pill thats a bit of a showstopper. From a corporate law perspective, theyre on pretty solid footing right now if they just keep that in place and say theyre not comfortable bargaining at this stage. Musk said in making his bid that Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company in order to build trust with users and do better at serving what he calls the societal imperative of free speech. He said shareholders, not the board, should decide whether Twitter goes private. Shares of Twitter closed Monday up 7.5% at $48.45, still $5.75 shy of Musks offer. Thats a sign that investors are skeptical of whether Musk can pull off the deal. Musk began accumulating Twitter shares in late January, ending up with a stake of about 9%. Only Vanguard Group controls more shares. A lawsuit filed last week in New York federal court alleged Musk illegally delayed disclosing his stake so he could buy more shares at lower prices. Musk took to Twitter to criticize board members in recent days, saying hed save about $3 million per year by bringing the board salary to zero if his bid succeeds, and noting that board members collectively owning just a tiny financial stake in Twitter shows that their economic interests are simply not aligned with shareholders. Musk, who has more than 82 million followers, is a prolific tweeter who has criticized other celebrity accounts for not tweeting enough, suggesting that as a sign that Twitter is dying. The takeover episode will put pressure on Twitter executives to show that the company is not underperforming, said Olaf Groth, a business professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Even the entire social media business model of making money through advertising -- which Musk has questioned -- is now up for discussion, Groth said. He may decide its not worth it, and that he sent a political signal to exert pressure, Groth said. Now all eyes are on Twitter and the clock is ticking. ____ O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. WASHINGTON (AP) Stephen Miller, who served as a top aide to President Donald Trump, was questioned for hours Thursday by the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. Miller was a senior adviser for policy during the Trump administration and a central figure in many of the Republican's decisions. He had resisted previous efforts by the committee, filing a lawsuit last month seeking to quash a subpoena for his phone records. Miller was interviewed virtually for about eight hours, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private testimony. A second person also confirmed that Miller appeared before the committee. A spokesperson for the committee said the panel had no comment, and Miller did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Miller is the latest in a series of sit-downs the committee has scored with those in Trumps inner circle as lawmakers move closer to the former president by questioning people who were with him on the day of the attack or were his confidants in the weeks leading up to it. His appearance comes weeks after Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, also agreed to sit down with congressional investigators, months after the committee had first reached out. Members of the panel said Kushners testimony in late March, which lasted more than six hours, was helpful. Ivanka Trump, who was with her father in the White House on Jan. 6, was questioned for eight hours last week as congressional investigators tried to piece together her fathers failed effort to delay the certification of the 2020 election results. The nine-member panel subpoenaed the former Trump adviser in November along with Steve Bannon and former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the panel's chairman, said at the time that Miller was aware of and had participated in "efforts to spread false information about alleged voter fraud" and had encouraged state legislatures to alter the outcome of the 2020 election by appointing alternate electors. Thompson has also said that Miller helped prepare Trump's remarks for a rally on the Ellipse that preceded the insurrection and was with Trump when he spoke. The House voted last week to hold former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt for their monthlong refusal to comply with subpoenas. The move was the third time the panel has referred people in the former president's orbit to the Justice Department for potential prosecution for contempt. The first two referrals, sent late last year, were for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Bannon. The contempt referral against Bannon resulted in an indictment, with a trial set to start in July. The Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows, much to the committee's frustration. By agreeing to cooperate, Miller appears to be looking to avoid the fate of those former advisers and administration officials. For the committee, comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans, the central facts of the insurrection are known, but what members are hoping to do with the more than 850 interviews and over 100,000 documents is fill in the remaining gaps about the attack on the Capitol. Lawmakers say they are committed to presenting a full accounting to ensure it never happens again. The panel is examining every aspect of the riot, including what Trump was doing while it unfolded and any connections between the White House and the Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol building. Members plan to release information in the coming months as the committee begins to hold public hearings and eventually release a series of reports on the insurrection. While there have been discussions about the possibility of eventually pursuing a criminal referral against Trump, lawmakers have not made a final decision. ___ Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate JERUSALEM (AP) Palestinians and Israeli police clashed at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Friday as thousands gathered for prayers during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Medics said more than 150 Palestinians were wounded Palestinians threw rocks and Israeli police fired stun grenades in what was the most serious violence at the site in nearly a year. The holy site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has often been the epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian unrest, and tensions were already heightened amid a recent wave of violence. Clashes at the site last year helped spark an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The clashes come at a particularly sensitive time. Ramadan this year coincides with Passover, a major weeklong Jewish holiday beginning Friday at sundown, and Christian holy week, which culminates on Easter Sunday. The holidays are expected to bring tens of thousands of faithful into Jerusalem's Old City, home to major sites sacred to all three religions. Hours after the clashes began, the police said they had put an end to the violence and arrested hundreds of suspects. The mosque was re-opened, and some 60,000 people attended the main Friday prayers midday, according to the Waqf, the Islamic endowment that administers the site. After prayers, thousands of Palestinians marched around the esplanade, chanting with our souls, with our blood, we sacrifice for you, Al-Aqsa, in addition to slogans in support of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza. Less than a kilometer (mile) away, thousands of Christians marched in a procession retracing the traditional journey of Jesus to the cross in honor of Good Friday. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was open to visitors, who are returning to the Holy Land in large numbers for the first time since before the pandemic. The violence was confined to the mosque compound. Israeli authorities said that before the unrest broke out they had negotiated with Muslim leaders to try to ensure calm. But the police say Palestinians stockpiled rocks and other objects inside the compound and hurled stones at the Mughrabi Gate, which leads to the Western Wall a major Jewish holy site triggering the violence. Palestinian witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns, said a small group of Palestinians threw rocks at police, who then entered the compound in force, setting off a wider conflagration. Palestinians view any large deployment of police at Al-Aqsa as a provocation. Palestinians threw rocks and fireworks, and police fired tear gas and stun grenades on the sprawling esplanade surrounding the mosque. Dozens of Palestinians barricaded themselves inside the mosque as they fought Israeli security forces. Israeli police later entered the mosque and arrested people inside. The police rarely enter the building, which is seen by Palestinians as an escalation. The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it treated 152 people, many of them wounded by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades. Video footage showed police beating a photographer for the Waqf with batons before knocking him to ground and kicking him. The Waqf said the photographer, Rami Khatib, suffered a broken hand. There was no immediate comment from police. The Israeli police said three officers were wounded from massive stone-throwing, with two evacuated from the scene for treatment. Neighboring Jordan, which has custodianship over the holy site, and the Palestinian Authority issued a joint statement accusing Israel of a dangerous and condemnable escalation that threatens to explode the situation. Egypt also condemned the Israeli raid. Israel's public security minister, Omer Barlev, who oversees the police force, said Israel had no interest in violence at the holy site but that police were forced to confront violent elements who attacked them with stones and metal bars. He said Israel was committed to freedom of worship for Jews and Muslims alike. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said authorities are working to calm things on the Temple Mount and throughout Israel. At the same time, we are prepared for any scenario." The mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It is built on a hilltop in Jerusalem's Old City that is the most sacred site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was the site of the Jewish temples in antiquity. It has been a major flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence for decades and was the epicenter of the 2000-2005 Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Israel captured east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city to be the capital of a future state including the West Bank and Gaza, which Israel also captured during the war nearly 55 years ago. Tensions have soared in recent weeks following a series of attacks by Palestinians that killed 14 people inside Israel. Israeli troops have carried out a wave of arrests and military operations across the occupied West Bank, setting off clashes with Palestinians. At least 25 Palestinians have been killed, according to an Associated Press count. Many had carried out attacks or were involved in the clashes, but an unarmed woman and a lawyer who appears to have been a bystander were also among those killed. Weeks of protests and clashes in and around Al-Aqsa during Ramadan last year helped ignite a fourth Gaza war between Israel and Hamas. This year, Israel has lifted restrictions and taken other steps to try and calm tensions, but the attacks and the military raids are fueling another cycle of unrest. Hamas condemned what it said were brutal attacks" on worshippers at Al-Aqsa, saying Israel would bear all the consequences. Earlier this week, Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza had called on Palestinians to camp out at the Al-Aqsa mosque over the weekend. Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to take over the site or partition it. Israeli authorities say they are committed to maintaining the status quo, but in recent years large groups of nationalist and religious Jews have regularly visited the site with police escorts. A radical Jewish group recently called on people to bring animals to the site in order to sacrifice them for Passover, offering cash rewards for those who succeeded or even tried. Israeli police work to prevent such activities, but the call was widely circulated by Palestinians on social media, along with calls for Muslims to prevent any sacrifices from taking place. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall, issued a statement calling on Muslim leaders to act to stop the violence. He also noted that bringing a sacrifice to the Temple Mount today is in opposition to the decision of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. ___ Associated Press reporter Wafaa Shurafa in Gaza City, Gaza Strip contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban into law Thursday as the state joined a growing conservative push to restrict access to the procedure ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could roll back abortion rights in America. This will represent the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation, DeSantis said as he signed the bill at an evangelical church in the city of Kissimmee. Republicans nationwide have moved to place new restrictions on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court signaled it would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. The high court's decision, expected this summer, could potentially weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a nationwide right to abortion. The law DeSantis signed Thursday also deals a blow to overall abortion access in the South, where Florida has provided wider access to the procedure than its regional neighbors. The new law, which takes effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mothers life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking, despite several Democratic attempts to amend the bill. Under current law, Florida allows abortions up to 24 weeks. Debate over the proposal grew deeply personal and revealing inside the legislature, as lawmakers recalled their own abortions and experiences with sexual assault in often tearful speeches on the House and Senate floors. Republicans have repeatedly called the 15-week ban reasonable. A federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said about 2% of the nearly 72,000 abortions reported in Florida in 2019 were performed after 15 weeks. That same year, 2,256 out-of-state residents got abortions in Florida, with the majority, or about 1,200 coming, from Georgia and more than 300 from Alabama, according to the CDC. The origin of the remaining patients was not clear. Democrats were quick to criticize the new law after the signing. Politicians have no business getting between a patient and her doctor," House Democratic Leader Evan Jenne said. This 15-week abortion ban takes away every womans right to make personal decisions that should only be made by themselves, with their family, their doctor, and their faith. The legislation came a few months after the U.S. Supreme Courts conservative majority indicated it would uphold Mississippis 15-week ban. There also has been substantial support among the conservative justices for getting rid of Roe altogether. If Roe is overturned, 26 states are certain or likely to quickly ban or severely restrict abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights. During the debate over the Florida legislation, as well as at the bill's signing ceremony, Republicans said they want the state to be well placed to limit access to abortions if the Supreme Court upholds Mississippis law. The reality of the Roe decision is that men on the Supreme Court proclaimed that women, in order to achieve equality with men, must be able to kill their own children," said Republican Rep. Erin Grall, the bill's sponsor. As a woman, I refuse to accept such a perverse version of equality." Elsewhere in the U.S., Republican lawmakers have introduced new abortion restrictions, some similar to a Texas law that bans abortion after roughly six weeks and leaves enforcement up to private citizens. Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed a bill to make it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to a decade in prison. Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in March signed legislation to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks if the U.S. Supreme Court leaves Mississippis law in place. ___ AP writer Adriana Gomez Licon contributed from Miami. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KYIV, Ukraine (AP) The bodies of more than 900 civilians have been discovered in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital following Russia's withdrawal most of them fatally shot, police said Friday, an indication that many people were "simply executed. The jarring number emerged shortly after Russias Defense Ministry promised to step up missile attacks on Kyiv in response to Ukraines alleged assaults on Russian territory. That ominous warning followed the stunning loss of Moscow's flagship in the Black Sea, which a senior U.S. defense official said Friday was indeed hit by at least one Ukrainian missile. Amid its threats, Moscow continued preparations for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine. Fighting also went on in the pummeled southern port city of Mariupol, where locals reported seeing Russian troops digging up bodies. In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, shelling of a residential area killed seven people, including a 7-month-old child, and wounded 34, according to regional Gov. Oleh Sinehubov. Around Kyiv, Andriy Nebytov, the head of the capital's regional police force, said bodies were abandoned in the streets or given temporary burials. He cited police data indicating 95% died from gunshot wounds. Consequently, we understand that under the (Russian) occupation, people were simply executed in the streets, Nebytov said. More bodies are being found every day under rubble and in mass graves, he added, with the largest number found in Bucha, where there were more than 350. According to Nebytov, utility workers gathered and buried bodies in the Kyiv suburb while it remained under Russian control. Russian troops, he added, were tracking down people who expressed strong pro-Ukrainian views. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian troops occupying parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in the south of terrorizing civilians and hunting for anyone who served in Ukraines military or government. The occupiers think this will make it easier for them to control this territory. But they are very wrong. They are fooling themselves, Zelenskyy said. Russias problem is that it is not accepted and never will be accepted by the entire Ukrainian people. Russia has lost Ukraine forever. In his nightly video address to the nation, Zelenskyy also said he discussed the fate of Mariupol with top military and intelligence officials. He said he couldnt offer details, but we are doing everything we can to save our people. Zelenskyy said peace and how many more Ukrainians the occupiers have time to kill depend on Ukraine receiving more outside support, and echoed calls for more and faster military aid, as well as an oil embargo on Russia. More violence could be in store for Kyiv after Russian authorities accused Ukraine of wounding seven people and damaging about 100 residential buildings with airstrikes in Bryansk, a region bordering Ukraine. Authorities in another border region of Russia also reported Ukrainian shelling Thursday. The number and the scale of missile attacks on objects in Kyiv will be ramped up in response to the Kyiv nationalist regime committing any terrorist attacks or diversions on the Russian territory, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. Russia used missiles to destroy a facility for the repair and production of missile systems in Kyiv, Konashenkov said. Ukrainian officials have not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports could not be independently verified. However, Ukrainian officials said forces did strike a key Russian warship with missiles. A senior U.S. defense official backed up the claim, saying the U.S. now believes the Moskva was hit by at least one Neptune anti-ship missile, and probably two. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an intelligence assessment. The Moskva, named for the Russian capital, sank while being towed to port Thursday after taking heavy damage. Though Moscow did not acknowledge any attack, saying only that a fire had caused ammunition on board to detonate, the loss of the ship represents an important victory for Ukraine and a symbolic defeat for Russia. The sinking reduces Russias firepower in the Black Sea, although military analysts disagreed on the event's significance to the course of the war. Either way, the loss was viewed as emblematic of Moscow's fortunes in an eight-week invasion widely seen as a historic blunder following the retreat from the Kyiv region and much of northern Ukraine. A flagship russian warship is a worthy diving site. We have one more diving spot in the Black Sea now. Will definitely visit the wreck after our victory in the war, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweeted Friday. Russia's warning of renewed airstrikes did not stop Kyiv residents from taking advantage of a sunny and slightly warmer spring Friday as the weekend approached. More people than usual were out on the streets, walking dogs, riding electric scooters and strolling hand in hand. In one central park, a small group of people including a woman draped in a Ukrainian flag danced to the music of a portable speaker. Such tentative signs of prewar life have resurfaced in the capital after Russian troops failed to capture the city and retreated to concentrate on eastern Ukraine, leaving behind evidence of possible war crimes. But a renewed bombardment could mean a return to the steady wail of air raid sirens heard during the early days of the invasion and to fearful nights sheltering in subway stations. In Mariupol, the city council said Friday that locals reported seeing Russian troops digging up bodies buried in residential courtyards and not allowing new burials of people killed by them. Why the exhumation is being carried out and where the bodies will be taken is unknown, the council said on the Telegram messaging app. Fighting continued in industrial areas and the port, and Russia for the first time used the Tu-223 long-range bomber to attack the city, said Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Mariupol has been blockaded by Russian forces since the early days of the invasion, and dwindling numbers of Ukrainian defenders have held out against a siege that has come at a horrific cost to trapped and starving civilians. The mayor said this week that the city's death toll could surpass 20,000. Other Ukrainian officials have said they expect to find evidence in Mariupol of atrocities like the ones discovered in Bucha and other towns outside Kyiv. Mariupols capture would allow Russian forces in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to fully link up with troops in the Donbas region, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland and the target of the looming offensive. It's not certain when Russia will launch a full-scale campaign. Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces in the Donbas since 2014, the same year Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine. Russia has recognized the independence of two rebel-held areas of the region. Also Friday a Russian rocket hit an airport at night in the central city of Oleksandriia, Mayor Serhiy Kuzmenko said via Facebook. He made no mention of casualties. And a regional Ukrainian official said seven people were killed and 27 wounded when Russian forces fired on buses carrying civilians in the village of Borovaya, near Kharkiv. The claim could not be independently verified. Dmytro Chubenko, a spokesman for the regional prosecutors office, told the Suspilne news website that authorities had opened criminal proceedings in connection with a suspected violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder. Russia's Defense Ministry said strikes in the Kharkiv region had liquidated a squad of mercenaries from a Polish private military company of up to 30 people and liberated an iron and steel factory in Mariupol. The claims could not be independently verified. ___ Fisch reported from Kramatorsk. Burns reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Julian Castro can now add cable news host to his resume after taking over the host chair for Alicia Menendez on MSNBC over the weekend. The former San Antonio mayor and Obama administration cabinet member hosted the show on Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17. The show, American Voices, launched in September 2020 and spotlights the largest political stories and highlights underrepresented stories. Castro's weekend guests included journalist Molly Jong-Fast, legal analyst and author Jill Wine-Banks, and Kavita Patel, a doctor from San Antonio. Patel also served in the Obama administration as director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement in the White House. The worlds largest International Dark Sky Reserve is now in West Texas backyard. The University of Texas at Austins McDonald Observatory, The Nature Conservancy -- Davis Mountain Preserve and the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) have announced the certification of the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve. The designation, granted by the International Dark-Sky Association, recognizes the commitment of organizations, governments, businesses and residents in the region to maintain dark skies, according to a press release. Protecting this resource benefits wildlife, ecology and tourism alongside astronomical research. The new Greater Big Ben International Dark Sky Reserve is more than 15,000 square miles and is the largest certified International Dark Sky Place to date. Moreover, this is the only reserve to incorporate portions of West Texas and protected lands in Coahuila and Chihuahua, northern Mexico. The core of the reserve, where the protection for dark skies is the strongest, is formed by the lands of McDonald Observatory and the Nature Conservancys Davis Mountain Preserve. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is one of the major partners that helped make the reserve a reality. The reserve will protect numerous nocturnal wildlife habitats and migration corridors passing through the Big Bend region. The full range of the reserve spans the Rio Grande, from the Davis Mountains of West Texas to the Sierra del Carmen of northern Mexico. In the US, it includes the Texas counties of Jeff Davis, Brewster, Presidio and a small section of Reeves County. Participating protected lands also include several certified International Dark Sky places, such as Big Bend National Park, the Big Bend Ranch State Park Complex and Black Gap Wildlife Management Area. South of the Rio Grande in Mexico, the reserve includes privately managed lands in Maderas del Carmen, Ocampo and Canon de Santa Elena. Four countries and five municipalities within the proposed reserve periphery or the area surrounding the dark core area, updated their existing lighting ordinances with relevant language to ensure their lighting reflects best practices and supports the efforts of protecting the cores dark skies. By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day I think I will try for a week of Lyre Birds. (They are videos, too, but I cant find one of Lyrebird courtship display.) * * * Politics But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51 They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Hunter Thompson Biden Adminstration Another enormous success for Bidens Vax-Only policy: Other Indoor Activities: I went to a large conference in Nashville last week. I wore my mask in sessions, though (to my surprise) ~80-90% of the MDs there did not. I did go to a few big indoor dinners/receptions with no mask, accepting it was probably the riskiest thing (20/25) Bob Wachter (@Bob_Wachter) April 17, 2022 Doctors are influencers, after all. They probably think that aerosols are the result of aerosol-generaling procedures in hospital. Who lost Bidens agenda? Democrats offer competing theories for failure of Build Back Better' [NBC]. There is now a quiet effort underway to pass some version of the presidents agenda under a legislative process known as reconciliation, which allows Democrats to circumvent Republican opposition and pass a bill along party lines. Officials said Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, and Louisa Terrell, the White House director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, are having conversations with Democrats on Capitol Hill. That effort, however, has hardly been central for Congress so far this year, as the focus has been on Russias war in Ukraine, funding the government and confirming a Supreme Court nominee. Democrats also expect to pass the CHIPS Act, to bolster the domestic production of computer circuitry, and an election security measure in coming weeks. And officials are quick to argue that even without Build Back Better, the presidents legislative accomplishments are significant from $1.9 trillion in Covid relief to the $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Oh no, an election security measure. A Biden Blood Bath? [Charles Blow, New York Times]. Poor messaging may contribute to the problem, but I think the problem is more on ground level, a gut level: How do people feel? They feel stuck and angry, theyre tired and overwhelmed, and that energy is being directed at Biden. Poor messaging may contribute to the problem, but I think the problem is more on ground level, a gut level: How do people feel? They feel stuck and angry, theyre tired and overwhelmed, and that energy is being directed at Biden. All the while, two major perennial issues are resurgent: crime and the economy. Agreement seems to be universal that a million dead in a pandemic and a proxy war with a nuclear power arent issues. Which is fine, I suppose, since the parties dont think theyre issues either. Democrats en Deshabille I have moved my standing remarks on the Democrat Party (the Democrat Party is a rotting corpse that cant bury itself) to a separate, back-dated post, to which I will periodically add material, summarizing the addition here in a live Water Cooler. (Hopefully, some Bourdieu.) It turns out that defining the Democrat Party is, in fact, a hard problem. I do think the paragraph that follows is on point all the way back to 2016, if not before: The Democrat Party is the political expression of the class power of PMC, their base (lucidly explained by Thomas Frank in Listen, Liberal!). It follows that the Democrat Party is as unreformable as the PMC is unreformable ; if the Democrat Party did not exist, the PMC would have to invent it. If the Democrat Party fails to govern, thats because the PMC lacks the capability to govern . (PMC modulo class expatriates, of course.) Second, all the working parts of the Party reinforce each other. Leave aside characterizing the relationships between elements of the Party (ka-ching, but not entirely) those elements comprise a network a Flex Net? An iron octagon? of funders, vendors, apparatchiks, electeds, NGOs, and miscellaneous mercenaries, with assets in the press and the intelligence community. Note, of course, that the class power of the PMC both expresses and is limited by other classes; oligarchs and American gentry (see industrial model of Ferguson, Jorgensen, and Jie) and the working class spring to mind. Suck up, kick down. * * * 2022 * * * MN: With An Attempt To Unseat Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota House Race Sets Up A Contest On Policing [The Intercept]. FOR THE SECOND cycle in a row, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is facing a serious primary challenger. Former Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels announced Thursday that his campaign had raised $350,000 in the month since its launch, with 75 percent in contributions under $100 and $320,000 cash on hand. Omars fundraising has been slower, pulling in $275,000 in the first quarter with an average donation of $13, with a total of $500,000 on hand. The Minneapolis primary will focus heavily on the question of policing. Over the past two years, the first count in the party establishments indictment of its progressive wing has been the push to defund the police, with President Joe Biden explicitly targeting the slogan during his State of the Union address and following it up with an infusion of cash for cops. Almost two years ago, amid calls to reform the Minneapolis Police Department after cops there killed George Floyd, Samuels, who also served on the citys school board, and his wife, Sondra, took on a new cause: In August 2020, they sued the city to hire more than 100 additional cops. Includes plenty of juicy detail on Samuels, like got an envelope with a couple grand. The segment on the hot dog vendors is also good. OH: Nina Turner in the Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional District [Cleveland.com]. With some bumps along the way, and considering how recently she was elected, Brown has conducted herself reasonably well, shown relish for the job and a commitment to important Democratic issues like voting rights reform although she should step down as party chair. But a fighter is what Greater Cleveland needs in Congress, especially with the strong possibility of a GOP takeover of the House. And a principled and focused fighter is what Greater Cleveland will get in Nina Turner. OH: Oil Mogul Bankrolls Attempt To Buy Democratic Primary [Lever News]. One month after Samson Energy mogul Stacy Schusterman poured $2 million into DMFI PAC, the group purchased TV ads starting Monday to boost Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) in her primary campaign rematch against former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner in a newly redrawn Cleveland congressional district. The primary election date is May 3. Last year, DMFI PAC spent $1.9 million attacking Turner and promoting Brown, helping the latter win the seat in a special election. The group also spent $1.4 million attacking Sanders during his 2020 campaign. Schusterman chairs Oklahoma-based Samson Energy, whose website describes it as a company that was formed to allow the Schusterman family to remain in the oil and gas exploration and production business following their sale of Samson Investment Company in 2011. The company has been one of the countrys largest per-well emitters of greenhouse gas emissions. PA: Its a big, big day for our crew. Coming to you live from the 2022 @WhiteHouse Easter Egg Roll! P.S. the rumors are False. I did *not* wear a bunny suit for this fine occasion. pic.twitter.com/l4dkbU4Hot John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) April 18, 2022 This is the second time Ive seen Biden give Fetterman a hand (the first was a photo op in Pittsburgh after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse). I dont see stuff like this happending for that little twerp Conor Lamb. Not sure whats going on here. 2024 Kamala Harris keeps traveling to unconventional places. Heres why. [Politico]. The swing to Greenville is part of an under noticed strategy for the VPs office, one in which shes homed her focus on the ways in which administration policy is intersecting with overlooked communities. Its brought her to other far-off, non-traditional locales, including a recent swing to Sunset, Louisiana, a rural town of fewer than 3,000 people, to tout the administrations work expanding rural broadband. And its manifested itself in the ways in which shes approached some of the White Houses big-ticket items. Weeks after the bipartisan infrastructure bill was passed into law, Harris convened a briefing with administration officials to go over the part of the bill related to charging stations for electric vehicles an interest that had animated her dating back to her time in California politics. As staff went from page to page of the briefing document, she peppered them with questions. How would 500,000 charging stations be built and distributed? Who would build them? What would it mean for overlooked communities? [She said] Talk to me about a community that has been left behind, a rural community. Where are they going to go? How are they going to get put there? Mitch Landrieu, senior adviser to the president, recounted to POLITICO. Now talk to me about an urban neighborhood that has been left behind where people are renting. A month later, she was in Brandywine, Maryland, a majority Black city though not exactly a locality at the vanguard of electoral politics talking about EV stations and announcing the administrations plan to make sure its charging network made it to communities like theirs. Its not necessarily that were going to win Mississippi or Louisiana, but it makes a difference in people knowing that theyre seen and theyre heard. The electoral benefits of going to remote communities in non-swing states seem decidedly limited for those in the Beltway, especially at a time when the White House is trying to turn around its polling nosedive and gain praise for the state of the jobs market. But administration officials contend that the symbolism of a vice presidential trip matters, and that when its tied with some larger announcement, it has a clear downstream upside. A downstream upside. Or maybe they send Harris to small places because shes not ready for the big leagues. Realignment and Legitimacy The End of Progressive Intellectual Life [Michael Lind, The Tablet]. The space to the left-of-center that was once filled with magazines and organizations devoted to what Diana Trilling called the life of significant contention is now filled by the ritualized gobbledygook of foundation-funded, single-issue nonprofits like a pond choked by weeds. It is not surprising that the written output of this billionaire-funded bureaucratic apparatus tends to read like an NGO word salad with crunchy croutons in the form of acronyms that stud post-intellectual progressive discourse: DEI, CRT, AAPI, BIPOC, LGBTQ+. Wokespeak is Grantspeak.Meanwhile, in one area of public policy or politics after another, Progressivism Inc. has shut down debate on the center left through its interlocking networks of program officers, nonprofit functionaries, and editors and writers, all of whom can move with more or less ease between these roles during their careers as bureaucratic functionaries whose salaries are ultimately paid by Americas richest families and individuals. The result is a spectacularly well-funded NGO-sphere whose intellectual depth and breadth are contracting all the time.. Who decides what is and is not permissible for American progressives to think or discuss or support? The answer is the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, the Omidyar Network, and other donor foundations, an increasing number of which are funded by fortunes rooted in Silicon Valley. It is this donor elite, bound together by a set of common class prejudices and economic interests, on which most progressive media, think tanks, and advocacy groups depend for funding. The center-left donor network uses its financial clout, exercised through its swarms of NGO bureaucrats, to impose common orthodoxy and common messaging on their grantees. The methods by which they enforce this discipline can be described as chain-ganging and shoe-horning. Chain-ganging (a term I have borrowed from international relations theory) in this context means implicitly or explicitly banning any grantee from publicly criticizing the positions of any other grantee. Shoe-horning is what I call the progressive donor practice of requiring all grantees to assert their fealty to environmentalist orthodoxy and support for race and gender quotas, even if those topics have nothing to do with the subject of the grant. Commentary: Democracy experts: Ive been thinking more and more that newsrooms need to hold an all-staff meeting where they invite democracy experts & historians in & really do a massive reset of how we are covering whats happening in our country right now. Its not about partisanship but covering reality. Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) April 17, 2022 Yikes: No wonder we dont know how to do diplomacy anymore. Reminds me of Carl Schmitt. #COVID19 If you missed it, heres a post on my queasiiness with CDC numbers, especially case count, which I (still) consider most important, despite what Walenskys psychos at CDC who invented community levels think. But these are the numbers we have. * * * Case count by United States regions: Fiddling and diddling. Remember, its 100% certain the cases numbers are significantly understated. Theyve always been gamed, but its worse than before. One source said they though cases might be undercounted by a factor of six. Yikes. But how do we know? Here are the cases for the last four weeks: NOTE I shall most certainly not be using the CDCs new Community Level metric. Because CDC has combined a leading indicator (cases) with a lagging one (hospitalization) their new metric is a poor warning sign of a surge, and a poor way to assess personal risk. In addition, Covid is a disease you dont want to get. Even if you are not hospitalized, you can suffer from Long Covid, vascular issues, and neurological issues. For these reasons, case counts known to be underestimated, due to home test kits deserve to stand alone as a number to be tracked, no matter how much the political operatives in CDC leadership would like to obfuscate it. MWRA (Boston-area) wastewater detection: As usual, the crisis of the past is the normal of the present. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) service area includes 43 municipalities in and around Boston, including not only multiple school systems but several large universities. Since Boston is so very education-heavy, then, I think it could be a good leading indicator for Covid spread in schools generally. For grins, heres the wastewater of another college town, Ann Arbor, Michigan (hat tip kcp): Improvement, unlike MWRA. From Biobot Analytics: Cases lag wastewater data. From CDC Community Profile Reports (PDFs), Rapid Riser counties: The Northeast isnt looking too good, now confirmed by hospital data. I wonder how many Gridiron Club attendees took the Acela home the following morning? (Remember that these are rapid riser counties. A county that moves from red to green is not covid-free; the case count just isnt, well, rising rapidly.) The previous release: Here is CDCs interactive map by county set to community transmission. This is the map CDC wants only hospitals to look at, not you: The Northeast remains stubbornly and solidly red. Hospitalization (CDC Community Profile): Suddenly, the Northeast isnt looking good. Of course, absolute levels are still low, so CDC can argue that nothing should be done. Again, I dont like these sudden effloresences of yellow and orange. I dont care that the baseline is low. From the point of view of our hospital-centric health care system, green everywhere means the emergency is over (and to be fair, this is reinforced by case count and wastewater). However, community transmission is still pervasive, which means that long Covid, plus continuing vascular damage, are not over. (Note trend, whether up or down, is marked by the arrow, at top. Admissions are presented in the graph, at the bottom. So its possible to have an upward trend, but from a very low baseline.) Oh, and if anybody tells you hospitalization is down, tell them No, it very isnt. A new way for hospitals to game the data: Covid hospitalizations are only counted in Massachusetts if the patient is given Dexamethasone, which is only recommended for those on oxygen. I feel the death & hospitalization criteria will extend across other states soon pic.twitter.com/J6ykG56Zrz MayasMommy2 #NotMeUs (@SheriD17536431) April 1, 2022 IM Doc writes: I would guess with Omicron about 60% of the patients were on Dexamethasone so no not an adequate proxy for hospitalization. Just a reminder: As with everything else, because the United States is not a serious country, our hospitalization data is bad. Here the baseilne is off: Hospital trick: patients admitted with covid in 10-12 days become post-covid & no longer counted as hospitalized covid patients. ICU is full of post-covid patients that are here for 30, 40, 50 & more days. Not counted in the official stats. Dr. Natalia (@SolNataMD) January 24, 2022 Gamed numbers aside, it also occurs to me that this time around, people might be avoiding hospitalization altogether, if they were relatives or friends of people who got hospitalized in earlier waves; no knock on the medical profession, but it was a bad way to go. (I wonder if theres some sort of proxy that would show this.) Death rate (Our World in Data): Total: 1,015,451 1,014,902 . We did it. Break out the Victory Gin. have added an anti-triumphalist Fauci Line. The numbers have been level for the past few days, and theyre still democidally high. Covid cases in top us travel destinations (Statista): Stats Watch * * * Retail: White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch Review: How Youth Fashion Turned Fascist [Variety]. The journalist Moe Tkacik recalls that the first time she walked into an Abercrombie outlet, she said to herself, Oh my God, theyve bottled this. They have absolutely crystalized everything that I hate about high school and put it in a store. * * * Todays Fear & Greed Index: 39 Fear (previous close: 42 Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 46 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Apr 18 at 1:19pm. Rapture Index: Closes up one on Israel: Violence has erupted on the Temple Mount [Rapture Ready]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 188. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) The Gallery So., NFTs for each can? News of the Wired Dad: The chemist tried to come up with a clever reply about breaking his glassware, but he had no retort SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) April 18, 2022 * * * Contact information for plants: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. GE writes: Im mostly a lurker around the water cooler, but I noticed todays plant image: GE writes: I believe I recognize this particular tree and have even painted a small gouache sketch of its trunk (66, in winter 2021). If Im correct, this tree is in a cemetery in Vancouver, BC, and if so, I love that this particular plant has inspired more than one NC reader to capture its unique image: And GE writes: The cherry blossoms in Vancouver are brief, but always spectacular! * * * Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the recently concluded and thank you! successful annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals: Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated: If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you! By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and U.S. president Joe Biden met virtually last Monday to discuss their bilateral relationship, especially U,S, insistence that India not increase its oil and gas imports from Russia, according to the New York Times, Biden Urges Modi Not to Increase Indias Reliance on Russian Oil and Gas. Russian oil currently accounts for about one percent of Indias exports. India has abstained from UN votes condemning Russian actions in Ukraine. India has most recently condemned the killings in Bucha and called for a fuller UN investigation, but tellingly, has not attributed those killings to Russia. Per the NYT: On Monday, Mr. Modi again declined to single out Russia by name even as he condemned the apparent human rights abuses in Bucha, which the United States and others have said are evidence of war crimes. The news about the killings of innocent civilians in the Bucha city was very worrying, Mr. Modi said in public remarks at the beginning of his meeting with Mr. Biden. He did not attribute the killings to Russia, but said that we instantly condemned the killings and have called for an independent inquiry. These talks were accompanied by 2 plus 2 meetings in Washington, between Indian external affairs minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh and their U.S. counterparts, U.S. secretary of state Anthony Blinken and U.S. secretary for defense Lloyd Austin. This was the fourth such meeting. Now, some have suggested in NC comments threads, among other places that Modi will respond to U.S. arm twisting by walking back Indias commitment to an independent multi alignment policy and instead capitulate to pursuing the sanctions policy against Russia that the U.S. demands. I think that highly unlikely, for reasons I outlined in a post two weeks ago, India: Pursuing its National Interest in the Multipolar World. First, India has pursued a broadly non-aligned policy more or less from its Independence from the Raj. This new multi-alignment policy is the logical follow-on from that policy, in response to the rise of a multipolar world. Second, Jaishankar published a remarkable book in 2020, The India Way, which serves as a primer for understanding Indias current approach to managing its international affairs. If one wants to understand the terms in which Indis leaders see the current state of the world and the role India should play in it, theres no better place to start than with this erudite, elegant book. Third, to be sure, Modis BJP government is advancing this policy. But Modi has time and time again demonstrated a facility to draw on the best of Indias technocrats such as Jaishankar in this case in designing and implementing BJP government policies. Moreover, support for this multi-aligned policy extends across the Indian political spectrum if anything, the Congress Party is even more committed to pursuing a non-aligned policy, as it was Indias first prime minister and Congress Party member, Jawaharlal Nehru, who first charted Indias non-aligned foreign policy course. So, even in the unlikely event of an electoral upheaval, Indias multi-aligned foreign policy is here to stay. Finally, its clearly in Indias self-interest to get the best possible economic deals for its people, especially as Jaishankar has observed, Indias Russian oil imports are mere drops in the bucket, compared to Russian fossil fuel being taken in by Europe. According to The Hindustan Times, Indias 1-month oil from Russia less than Europes in one afternoon: Jaishankar: Delivering a firm rebuttal to a widely held but factually inaccurate perception of Indias energy relationship with Russia, external affairs minister S Jaishankar has said those who are looking at Indias energy purchases from Russia would be better served if they turned their attention to Europe. At the press meeting after the conclusion of the 2+2 dialogue in Washington DC on Monday, Jaishankar said, If you are looking at energy purchases from Russia, I would suggest that your attention should be focused on EuropeWe do buy some energy which is necessary for our energy security. But I suspect, looking at the figures, probably our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon. So you might want to think about that. Or, to put it more bluntly, if Germany and Europe cannot forgo their Russian fossil fuel fix, why should India do so particularly when fuel is being offered on such favourable terms? Aftermath of 2 + 2 Indo-U.S. Meetings Lets delve a bit more deeply into what happened on the immediate aftermath of the D.C. meetings. The U.S. defense department followed with release of a warm and fuzzy document, Readout of U.S. India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue: From that document: Secretary Austin and his counterparts exchanged views on a range of regional security prioritiesspanning the Indian Ocean region to East and Southeast Asia to Europe. They agreed to maintain close consultations on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, including on humanitarian assistance efforts, and echoed support for an independent investigation into the brutal violence deployed against civilians in Bucha. In support of Indias leading role as a net security provider, the leaders discussed new opportunities to coordinate more closely together to ensure that the United States and Indias shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region continues to thrive. . The leaders discussed ways to coordinate more closely with like-minded nationsincluding Australia, Japan, and European partnersto ensure that our shared principles of the rule of law, freedom of the seas, and respect for the territorial integrity of sovereign states prevail today and far into the future. Todays 2+2 Ministerial reaffirmed that the United States and India will continue stand shoulder-to-shoulder, rooted in common democratic values, as two pillars of a free and open Indo-Pacific. in other words, all the correct noises were uttered in impeccable diplomat-speak. Alas, last September the U.S. had shocked India by peremptorily announcing a new trilateral security arrangement, AUKUS, among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, thus superseding the Quadrlateral Security Dialogue the Quad among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. More than any other recent U.S. action, this move helped convince India that the U.S. is a less than reliable ally. India had been a prime mover behind the Quad arrangements. Moreover, as part of the new AUKUS accord, the U.S. agreed to send nuclear submarines to Australia after having dithered about sending such subs to India, due to concern about technology transfer to India. While the U.S. defense department played good cop, state slipped easily into the bad cop role, choosing to highlight concerns about Indian human rights abuses at a joint press conference. According to the Hindustan Times, US monitoring concerning human rights abuses in India: Blinken: During his press appearance after the 2+2 dialogue with defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister S Jaishankar standing next to him Blinken said that India and the US share a commitment to our democratic values, such as protecting human rights. We regularly engage with our Indian partners on these shared values, and to that end we are monitoring some recent concerning developments in India, including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police, and prison officials. While Washington has emphasised the need for protection of minorities and civil liberties in India, this is the first time in recent times that US has directly implicated Indian government officials in human rights abuses. The Indian ministers did not respond on the dais. Blinken did not elaborate, and it was not clear what specific incidents he was referring to. The state department followed with the release of a report the very next day highlighting specific U.S. concerns aboutIndias human rights record, 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: India. From the executive summary: Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by police and prison officials; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention by government authorities; political prisoners or detainees; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; restrictions on free expression and media, including violence, threats of violence, or unjustified arrests or prosecutions against journalists, use of criminal libel laws to prosecute social media speech; restrictions on internet freedom; overly restrictive laws on the organization, funding, or operations of nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations; refoulement of refugees; serious government corruption; government harassment of domestic and international human rights organizations; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence; crimes involving violence and discrimination targeting members of minority groups based on religious affiliation, social status or sexual orientation or gender identity; and forced and compulsory labor, including child labor and bonded labor. Despite government efforts to address abuses and corruption, a lack of accountability for official misconduct persisted at all levels of government, contributing to widespread impunity. Investigations and prosecutions of individual cases took place, but lax enforcement, a shortage of trained police officers, and an overburdened and underresourced court system contributed to a low number of convictions. Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, northeastern states, and Maoist terrorism-affected areas committed serious abuses, including killings and torture of armed forces personnel, police, government officials, and civilians, kidnapping, and recruitment and use of child soldiers. The Hindustan Times article further discussed pressures from progressive Democrats which have accused India of democratic backsliding in recent years. Blinken and Jaishankar met again Tuesday in an event on Tuesday at Howard University, acccoring to The Times of India,Blinken & Jaishankar for enhanced US-India educational ties to boost bilateral relations. How did India specifically Jaishankar respond to the U.S. concerns? Over to the Times of India, Have concerns about human rights in US: EAM Jaishankar: Unfazed and unbowed in the face of American pressure, India is pushing back at Washington on several contentious issues- including the threat of sanctions. and its crusade for human rights while maintaining that ties between the two sides are strong enough to accommodate differences. In a blunt rebuttal to the US menacing New Delhi with sanction threats over its purchases of Russian S-400 missile system, external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said CAATSA, the US domestic law that enjoins sanctions for such transactions with American adversaries, was for Washington to sort out. It is their legislation and whatever has to be done has to be done by them, Jaishankar said, implicitly declaring that India will do what it takes to safeguard its security without worrying about sanctions. Jaishankar similarly pushed back at US criticism of human rights in India, attributing it to American lobbies and vote banks. People are entitled to have views about us.We also are entitled to have views about their lobbies and vote banks.We will not be reticent. We also have views on other peoples human rights, particularly when it pertains to our community, Jaishankar retorted in one of the strongest repudiation of the constant American lectures on human rights. Jerri-Lynn here: my emphasis. Is anyone in Washington listening? Well, this subsequent report in Firstpost, suggests that perhaps Blinken now understands that the US bullying isnt likely to yield the results the U.S. seeks, The latest reset: India and the United States amid Ukraine war. Blinkens next-day comments were much more cordial: After Blinken raised concerns about human rights in India, Jaishankar responded by saying India too has concerns about human rights in America. The next day, Blinken noted: The US and India have always had much to learn from one another interactions with Gandhi influenced a key figure in our nations journey: Martin Luther King, Jr. We share a special bond indeed. As to what happens next: I think its safe to say that India is not going to join the UK, and much of Europe, in entering the U.S. kennel, acting like a poodle happily yip yapping at Americas heels and allowing Washington to set the tone and course of its future relations with Russia or any other country, for that matter. Instead, as Dr. Sunandan Roy Chowdhury, editor of Eastern Review magazine, pointed out to me in a telephone interiew: India will not toe a US line not only because of its understanding of its relationship with Russia, but also India is acutely aware of its geopolitical location in Asia, its biggest neighbour is China, and Russia and China are poles that India will not ignore because India knows if it does so, that will be in effect to the detriment of its own self-interest. Geostrategic reasons may even override the immediate economic benefits of cheap petrol. As for the U.S.: Will Washington once again learn how to practice effective diplomacy? Im not so sure. During recent decades, diplomatic skills seems to have been lost, forgotten or outright abandoned, both along the Potomac and in the extensive outside interactions between the United States and the wider world. Yves here. While I do not watch gasoline market conditions closely, it seems just about certain that the price trajectory is higher. First, weve gotten a bit of a break from the China lockdowns, which have cut into Chinese demand for oil and gas. But second is a mixed item. Biden has authorized going into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at the rate of a million barrels a day, which is a bit more than our Russian oil imports. But thats only for six months. Think the US is prepared to end the sanctions on Russia by then? Not only is that answer likely to be no, Russia is also just about certain not to accept payment (in the event the US were to relent) in anything other than the pay in roubles process it set forth for European gas buys. The only way Russia might accept dollars is if the US were to give back the $300 billon in central bank reserves it stole, which is na ga happen. By Wolf Richter, editor at Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street Following the dizzying spike in gasoline prices, the question arises when demand destruction will set in, where people start driving less, start taking it easier to conserve gas when they do drive, or start prioritizing the most economical vehicle in their garage. If enough people do it, demand begins to decline, and gas stations have to compete for dwindling business. Demand destruction is what would cause the price to come down again. Are we there yet? The Energy Departments EIA measures consumption of gasoline in terms of barrels supplied to the market by refiners, blenders, etc., and not by retail sales at gas stations. The volume of gasoline supplied has fallen for the third week in a row. This is unusual this time of the year, when gasoline consumption normally rises through the summer. The EIA reported on Thursday that gasoline consumption fell to 8.61 million barrels per day in the week ended April 8 on the basis of a four-week moving average (red line), the lowest since March 4, down 2.3% from the same period in 2021 (black line) and down 8.1% from the same period in 2019 (gray line). Consumers Began to React in January Note how the past 11 months (red line) tracked the pre-Covid period three years earlier very closely (gray line) until they began to diverge sharply, not just in March, but already in mid-January, and have been solidly below the 2019 level ever since. Gasoline prices started shooting higher from collapsed levels in April 2020. By May 2021, the average price of gasoline, all grades combined, breached $3.00 a gallon, a multi-year high, and kept going. In November 2021, it hit $3.40 a gallon and took a break. Then in early February, it started spiking higher and in historic leaps hit $4.32 on March 14. But since mid-March, the price has ticked down. Now at $4.09, it remains nosebleed high but is a little lower than it was: Gas stations dont lower prices out of the goodness of their heart. They lower prices because sales are getting hit, and price competition has set in among gas stations in an effort to maintain sales volume. And gas stations could lower their selling price without taking a hit to their profit margins as the costs of their product also declined. Demand destruction that hits gasoline would then be passed through to crude oil demand. But crude oil has far broader uses than just gasoline, including the booming petrochemical industry. And a small decline in demand for gasoline in the US isnt going to shake up the global crude oil markets all that much. The Price of Crude Oil Already Bounced Again Crude oil grade WTI had spiked to $130 a barrel and then fell back into the mid-$90 range. In recent days, it has changed course again and hit $106 now. This is not a good sign for gasoline prices. Clearly, there has been some demand destruction, and perhaps this was enough to cause the price of gasoline to come back down a little. But maybe it wasnt. Maybe this demand destruction wasnt the cause of the decline in gasoline prices. Maybe they fell for some other reason, such as the current volatility that has hit everything. The wild dynamics of the commodities markets see to that. My Guess: Gas Prices Will Rise Again I can see the demand destruction, but for now I remain doubtful that it is big enough to cause a lasting decline in the price of gasoline. I would not be surprised if the price starts heading higher again. Crude oil prices have already started heading higher again. This could be a long-drawn-out process with prices being very volatile and zigzagging higher and higher. Thats my guess. What We Do Know Annual gasoline consumption hit a peak in 2007 and then declined over the next five years through 2012 by a total of 6.3%. It then rose again, and hit that 2007-peak again in 2016, and again in 2017, and in 2018, and again in 2019, without going beyond it. And then in 2020, consumption collapsed. In 2021, consumption recovered sharply, but the annual total consumption ended the year still down 5.3% from 2007! But total vehicle miles driven hit a record every year from 2015 through 2019. And in 2021, despite the collapse in 2020, miles driven were up 6.6% from 2007. People are driving more, but theyre using less gasoline to do so: So, there are many other factors that play into gasoline consumption, not just price. This includes long-term technology trends, such as more fuel-efficient vehicles, and the arrival of EVs on a scale that is now large enough to make a dent into gasoline consumption. Other changes also impact gasoline consumption, some of them dating back well over a decade, such as the building boom of high-rise residential towers in urban centers that reduced or eliminated commutes-by-car for residents; or the trend of working from home at least part of the time that also cuts commuter miles. Pulling in the opposite direction was the increase in driving vacations during the pandemic, that may by now have been superseded by flying again (domestic leisure traffic is up). Gasoline consumption is also highly seasonal, which makes it even tougher to spot where demand destruction has occurred due to price, and where unusual seasonal patterns could be at play. My Nashville Post role has evolved since 2000 when I joined the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister publication in 2008 (when I began doing some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have been managing editor of the Post since late 2011. Follow William Williams 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 (Natural News) A top commander with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is sounding the alarm about Russias expansion into the Arctic, saying that theres no way his country can hope to match it or stop it. Defense Chief Gen. Wayne Erye said that the CAF cannot possibly maintain a permanent, substantial military presence in the countrys vast northern regions, but will have to instead rely on deploying its forces when and where they are needed, according to Truth North News. Eyre gave his warning before a Senate panel earlier this week as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defense Minister Anita Anand were meeting with premiers from the countrys northernmost territories of Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. We are continuing to stand strong in our sovereignty and our defense of the Arctic, said Trudeau. Of course, with NORAD modernization on the table, with increased investments in defense, the Arctic is an area were going to look closely. In recent years, Russia has dramatically expanded its presence in the Arctic, building new bases throughout the region and rehabilitating old ones that had been shut down following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In addition, Moscow has been shoring up and expanding air bases along Russias Arctic coastline. Russia is refurbishing Soviet-era airfields and radar installations, constructing new ports and search-and-rescue centers, and building up its fleet of nuclear- and conventionally-powered icebreakers, Pentagon spokesman Thomas Campbell told CNN in 2021. Last month, it was also reported that Russian forces recently reopened and reoccupied several more bases that had been used during the Soviet period, True North reported. One of the challenges, one of the expressions of sovereignty is being able to project force to the extremities of your country, Eyre told a defense conference earlier this year, the outlet continued, adding: Russian forces have also crossed into disputed territory as numerous nations vie to make claims on the Arctic. For example, in Jan. 2020, NORAD warned that two nuclear-capable Russian bombers had buzzed Canadian airspace. The jets crossed over the North Pole and approached Canada, although they remained in international airspace. The UKs Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Sir Nick Carter has said that his nation is keen to cooperate with Canadians on Arctic defense. Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest also recently proposed that Canada develop more military bases in the arctic. As part of his defense plan, Charest stated that if elected prime minister, he would develop and properly support two military bases in the arctic, including a deepwater port. In addition, he has proposed having drones keep the northernmost regions under surveillance while having Canada procure two new icebreaker ships that would be armed. Already, Russian forces pose a significant challenge in the Arctic. Russias current military capabilities in the Arctic are sufficient enough to cut off sea logistical routes and lines of communication between the U.S. and NATO, noted The Cipher Brief in December. Climate change, logistical sea routes, and Russian military assets are threatening U.S. strategic capabilities and influence in the Arctic. Russias expansion into the Arctic and military posturing on the Kola Peninsula, has given it de facto control over the Northern Sea Route, the brief continued. In the event of war, which would be hard for Moscow to fight at present given the forces committed to the Ukraine invasion, Russia could attack Europe from the West as well as North America from the East. And because of the countrys geographic location, Russia currently has an advantage, meaning the U.S. (and Canada) must be preparing now to create strategic deterrence. The U.S. needs to focus more financial resources and expand military personnel capable of operating in Arctic conditions to engage Russia in the Arctic, and work with NATO partner forces and the Intelligence Community (IC) to gather information about Russias intentions and military build-up, The Cipher Brief concluded. Sources include: TheCipherBrief.com TNC.com (Natural News) As the country enters its 13th year of persistent drought, Chile is having to implement new water restrictions for the capital city of Santiago, population six million. A city cant live without water, announced Claudio Orrego, the governor of the Santiago metropolitan region (RELATED: Utahs Great Salt Lake region is also drying up due to drought). And were in an unprecedented situation in Santiagos 491-year history where we have to prepare for there to not be enough water for everyone who lives here. The new plan involves a four-tier alert system that slides from green to red, beginning with public service announcements and expanding mandatory water restrictions. When conditions are most extreme, Santiago will ration water on a rotating schedule with about 1.7 million customers losing access for up to 24 hours. The alert system is based on the capacity of the Maipo and Mapocho rivers, which supply the capital with most of its water and have seen dwindling water levels as the drought drags on, reported The Guardian (U.K.). The government estimates that the countrys water availability has dropped 10 percent to 37 percent over the last 30 years and could drop another 50 percent in northern and central Chile by 2060. Chile suggests that water rationing will be permanent because climate change is here to stay How the government of Chile will determine when to start rationing water will depend upon water deficit measurements in area rivers. If measured liters per second drop too low, water rationing will take place every four, six, or 12 days, depending. This is the first time in history that Santiago has a water rationing plan due to the severity of climate change, Orrego said. Its important for citizens to understand that climate change is here to stay. Its not just global, its local. The only exemptions to Chiles water rationing plan are for areas fed by well water or sources other than the two main rivers that currently feed the city. California faces similar problems as on-and-off drought conditions have left much of the state without steady reserves. The Golden State has seen its own water rationing schemes over the years, including restrictions on which days residents can water their lawns, for instance. Perhaps the worst-hit sector there is agriculture, which faces constant challenges in getting what it needs. Many farmers throughout California have been cut off completely, even as state officials intentionally drain reservoirs into the ocean. There is always some excuse as to why California wastes so much fresh water, one of the most ludicrous being that it is necessary in order to prevent certain endangered species such as the delta smelt from going extinct. This is mostly nonsense, of course, and is merely a cover story for the engineered collapse of the water supply, which is to be blamed on climate change. Chile and California appear to be leading the way in pushing this climate change narrative, which seeks to normalize water and other shortages as a natural consequence of a warming globe. They have been doing the same thing here in Arizona, noted one reader at Natural News. California has around 6 million acre-feet stored in our reservoirs and underground aquifers and they are trying to withdraw it all right now. That would mean that Arizonas allocation of water would be temporarily reduced while California sucks more from the Colorado River. The International Boundary and Water Commission is sending emergency water to Tijuana because of a pipeline and canal that was destroyed by a 2010 earthquake. The funny part is, they immediately fixed the damage and water is STILL being sent to the Colorado Delta UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. More related news coverage can be found at Drought.news. Sources include: TheGuardian.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The other day, fake government doctor Tony Fauci appeared on MSNBC to praise lockdowns as a way to torture people into getting vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). When asked by host Andrea Mitchell about the unfolding hellscape in Shanghai right now, which is locked down once again under the guise of keeping everyone safe against the latest BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron (Moronic) variant of the Chinese Flu, Fauci had this to say: China has a number of problems, two of which are that the complete lockdown, which was their approach, a strictest lockdown youd never be able to implement in the United States. Although that prevents the spread of infection, I remember early on they were saying, and I think accurately, they were doing better than anyone else. In what appears to have been a slip of the tongue or perhaps not Fauci went on to declare that you use lockdowns to get people vaccinated so that when you open up, you wont have a surge of infections. In other words, lockdowns have nothing to do with stopping the spread of any disease. They are about invoking fascism and tyranny as punishment against those who refuse to get shot in obedience to Faucis commands. Because youre dealing with an immunologically naive population of the virus because theyve not been exposed because of the lockdown, Fauci went on to reveal about his authoritarian philosophy. Fauci says China should commit mass genocide with more lockdowns because its vaccines are not good enough Despite the fact that Chinese people are hanging themselves and jumping out of windows due to the latest lockdown, which is leaving many of them starving, Fauci says this is all a good thing. Because Chinas version of the Fauci Flu shot is not good enough for Faucis personal standards, he says he believes that the lockdowns and subsequent genocide are needed in order to provide a better level of protection against Moronic. The problem is the vaccines theyve been using are not nearly as effective as the vaccines used in the United States, U.K., E.U., and other places, Fauci rambled. So, they dont have the degree of protection thats optimal. What Fauci really means by this is that he and his buddies do not have a financial stake in Chinas covid injections, and thus make no money from their use. So, in his mind, locking them all down until China starts buying the shots that Fauci is personally invested in is the best way to ensure a new profit stream for both himself and his friends. Also, they have a lot of their older population, which are the most vulnerable among us, and so, theres a double negative there, Fauci continued on the fake news network. One, they dont have people who are protected, and B, the people who need it most, are not getting the vaccination. Thats the source of the problem in China. You can watch a clip of the interview with Fauci below: WATCH Fauci PRAISES communist Chinas draconian lockdowns. Early on, [China] was saying and I think accurately that they were doing better than anybody else. pic.twitter.com/yM4WYAIw34 RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 13, 2022 At no point during the interview did Fauci even bring up the human rights abuses currently taking place in China, where residents are being forcibly locked inside their homes without food. So much for caring about human life. Isnt the more immediate source of the problem in China that people are being locked up in their box homes and starved to death in a maniacal quest for zero COVID?' asked Steve Watson, writing for Summit.news. The latest plandemic-related news can be found at Pandemic.news. Sources include: Summit.news NaturalNews.com (Natural News) French President Emmanuel Macron has made it perfectly clear that he would prefer to see his citizens victimized and killed rather than engage in any act of self-defense or self-preservation, both of which are natural human instincts. Macrons comments came after a French farmer was charged with murder for shooting a man after four burglars broke into his home. According to the initial investigation, the farmer fired twice with a large caliber rifle at a group of four burglars, killing one of them. The self-defense shooting took place last Friday, between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., and the man was alone with his 3-year-old daughter at the time, Remix News reported. However, Macron actually told a French news outlet that he opposes any and all forms of self-defense, the victims be darned. Everyone must be safe, and the public authorities have to ensure it, Macron told Europe 1, before going on to make a false premise while taking a jab at the United States. But I am opposed to self-defense. Its very clear and undisputable because otherwise, the country becomes the Wild West. And I dont want a country where weapons proliferate and where we consider that its up to the citizens to defend themselves, Macron actually said. Mind you, the farmer in question obviously did not have French police protection and its not like there are enough officers to station one outside every residence in the country (nor would that even be sane). But no matter; theyre still supposed to be everywhere at once all the time, 24/7/365 says a man who is literally protected by armed officers every moment of every day and does not have to worry about protecting himself. Macron insisted that the farmer should have called the police, who in many areas of France are already stretched to the limit thanks to criminal gangs of migrant youths being in a perpetual state of war with them, Infowars noted. Im not going to judge this news. I convey the rules, Macron, whose weak record on security and crime is already under scrutiny, added. There is also this: Presumably, if we are to take Macron seriously, the young farmer was just supposed to allow the four burglars free passage to ransack his home and potentially harm him and/or his toddler daughter. As for the farmer, he has been released but he remains under judicial supervision. Macron, meanwhile, is facing a tight election in a few days with polls showing a likely final round challenge from conservative-leaning Marine Le Pen. Regarding that race, Macron is taking a page from U.S. Democrats, calling Le Pen a racist and taking other personal potshots at her, according to reports which is a sure sign he is afraid hes going to lose. The race appears to be narrowing down to the two finalists of the 2017 election, and while Macron so far has kept clear of any direct debate, the two have increasingly taken aim at each other from afar. And they were not mincing their words on Friday, Reuters reported last week. There was a clear strategy (from Le Pens camp) to hide what is brutal in her program, Macron told Le Parisien in an interview. Her fundamentals have not changed: Its a racist program that aims to divide society and is very brutal, he said in remarks that literally divide French society. For her part, Le Pen responded in an interview with broadcaster Franceinfo that Macrons remarks shocked her while pushing back on them and branding the left-wing French president febrile and aggressive. She also said that her policies, which include a national priority principle of adhering to the French constitution, dont discriminate against anyone on the basis of their skin color or national origin as long as they are holding French passports. Macron is a typical socialist liberal and his country is suffering from it. But its up to French citizens to change their destiny at this point. Sources include: Reuters.com Infowars.com (Natural News) Molecular biologist and expert on genetically modified organisms (GMO) and pesticides Gilles-Eric Seralini appeared with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., recently to discuss the trials he has faced ever since coming forward to expose the dangers of Roundup (glyphosate) herbicide. Seralini, who currently serves as chairman of the Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), told Kennedy that Monsanto, the multinational corporation behind Roundup, went after him following the publishing of his 2012 study in Food and Chemical Toxicology showing that glyphosate causes cancer. He [did] something nobody else dared to do, which is to take the exact same test [on rats] that Monsanto did for 90 days and do it for two years instead, which is the typical lifespan of a rat, Kennedy explained about Seralinis work. And he found 80 percent of the rats that consumed Roundup developed tumors compared to 30 percent in the control group. Not only that, but the tumors in the rats were 130 percent larger. Check out our earlier coverage to learn more about the Seralini saga, which began about a decade ago. Former CIA and other intelligence assets launched witch hunt against Seralini Immediately after Seralinis study was published, Monsanto launched a crusade against him to try to suppress the research. The infamous Monsanto Papers revealed the companys strategy. It turns out that Kennedy was co-counsel on the legal team of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, which acquired the papers. Hundreds of thousands of documents were included, revealing for the first time Monsantos internal communications. We saw their strategy for destroying Professor Seralinis reputation and getting his article retracted, Kennedy says. Monsanto then proceeded to hire former intelligence agents and other hitmen to try to destroy Seralinis life and career, as well as that of his colleagues who were also involved in uncovering the truth. [Monsanto] had a number of strategies, Kennedy said. Each one of the strategies was designed to make sure that Monsanto that Roundup was not harmed by the science. One of the strategies was called Let Nothing Go. Another one was called Freedom to Operate or FTO. Another was called Whack-a-Mole. Every time a scientist would pop his head over the barricades and publish a study that showed that Roundup was unsafe, they would whack him. There was also another called Project Spruce that was implemented by black ops spies, including former members of the CIA and other intelligence agencies. These were the big dogs, in other words, that were deployed on Seralini as punishment for his work. And Seralini says that some of them tried to kill him, at first scientifically, and then physically. I have the chance to survive all this system, he added. Many people didnt survive. The chemical industry is an ugly one. And just like the pharmaceutical industry, there is a lot of money on the line if the truth ever gains real traction at the mainstream level. Seralinis revelations have, in many ways, gone mainstream, which is why Monsanto and other evil players continue to target him for destruction. Thankfully, he is still with us spreading the truth via mediums such as Kennedys RFK Jr. The Defender Podcast, which covered the latest news about Seralinis situation. You can watch or listen to that podcast episode at The Defender website. Wow, this should be on the front page of any newspaper, but no, it wont be, wrote a commenter at The Defender. This sentence struck me (in the interview): The thing is, people dont know that when they use pesticides, they eat petroleum waste.' More related news about toxic glyphosate can be found at Glyphosate.news. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org NaturalNews.com Sunday, April 17, 2022 by: Ethan Huff Tags: bioweapons , breathing , immunization , masks , pandemic , pathogens , respiration , respiratory , science , Viruses This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author (Natural News) For the past two years, the world was told that wearing a face covering would stop the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) and keep everyone safe. The truth, though, is that masks interfere with breathing, which a new Harvard University study found is one of the ways that the human body wards off infections. The natural exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) waste for fresh oxygen in the lungs, also known as respiration, is a powerful antiviral activity that masks directly interfere with, putting the body at risk. Inside your lungs are tiny sacs that exchange CO2 for oxygen. With every breath you take, these alveoli facilitate the transaction of CO2, which your body exhales, for oxygen, which your body inhales. This process oxygenates your blood and boosts immune function. A mask, however, traps CO2 inside the lungs while blocking oxygen intake. This creates a chemical imbalance inside the body, leaving it prone to infection and disease (Related: More than 400 studies prove that masks provide no benefits and are harmful.) The authorities told everyone that masks would end the plandemic, but this latest science suggests that masks more than likely made it worse. How many people ended up getting sick and dying because of the mask mandates, we wonder? Who knew that proper breathing is a natural anti-viral? Published in the journal Nature Communications, the Harvard study utilized a lung chip to mimic the mechanical forces of breathing to tests dead influenza bugs. Researchers evaluated how breathing impacts the uptake of these bugs, to which they discovered that respiration is basically an anti-viral activity that the body engages in automatically. This research demonstrates the importance of breathing motions for human lung function, including immune responses to infection, and shows that our Human Alveolus Chip can be used to model these responses in the deep portions of the lung, where infections are often more severe and lead to hospitalization and death, said co-author Dr. Haiqing Bai from Harvards Wyss Institute. The simple act of breathing also exercises the lungs, stretching and relaxing them with every inhale and exhale. This natural motion influences both the development and vital function of the lungs, which naturally combats infection. Two parallel microfluidic channels were lined with different types of living human cells, recreating the interface between human air sacs and their blood-transporting capillaries. The upper channel was given alveolar lung cells while the lower channel was given lung blood vessel cells. The channel lined with alveolar cells was then pumped with air while the blood vessel channel was provided with a flowing culture medium containing nutrients that are normally delivered by the blood. The research team then separated the two channels using a porous membrane that allowed molecules to flow between them before pumping H3N2 influenza into them. Upon doing this, they noticed several hallmarks of infection, including the breakdown of junctions between cells, a 25 percent increase in cell death, an increase in levels of multiple inflammatory cytokines, and the initiation of cellular repair programs. The blood vessel cells of infected chips also expressed much higher levels of immune cells, though there was 50 percent less viral mRNA observed in the alveolar channels of chips exposed to natural breathing motions, as well as a massive reduction in inflammatory cytokine levels. A follow-up genetic analysis revealed that the mechanical strain activated molecular pathways associated with immune defense and multiple antiviral genes. When the cyclical stretching stopped, however, mimicking no more breathing, these activations reversed. This was our most unexpected finding that mechanical stresses alone can generate an innate immune response in the lung, said fellow co-author Prof. Longlong Si. More related news can be found at Science.news. Sources for this article include: StudyFinds.org NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has signed into law two bills that aim to stop teachers and other school officials from pushing transgender therapy on their students. House Bill 322 and Senate Bill 184 together prohibit sexual indoctrination of children at school, as well as outlaw the promotion of hormone blockers, genital mutilation and gender reassignment surgery. I believe very strongly that if the Good Lord made you a boy, you are a boy, and if he made you a girl, you are a girl, Ivey stated. We should especially protect our children from these radical, life-altering drugs and surgeries when they are at such a vulnerable stage in life. The legislation also bans K-12 students from using bathrooms that do not correspond to their biological sex meaning only men in the mens room, and only women in the womens room. Here in Alabama, the men use the mens room, and the ladies use the ladies room, Ivey added. Sex talk at public schools throughout Alabama will now be a thing of the past, at least legally speaking. There will surely be rogue instructors who try to do it anyway, but they will have to learn the hard way that Alabama no longer tolerates that kind of thing. Much like the anti-grooming bill passed in Florida, this pair of bills in Alabama aims to protect children from pedophiles and child predators while receiving an education. This bill will also ensure our elementary school classrooms remain free from any kind of sex talk, Ivey revealed. Let me be clear to the media and to opponents who like to incorrectly dub this the Dont Say Gay amendment: That is misleading, false and just plain wrong. We dont need to be teaching young children about sex. Ivey also signed executive order defying Bidens COVID jab mandates Last fall, as you may recall, Ivey signed an executive order directing all government agencies throughout Alabama to ignore Joe Bidens Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine mandates. Ivey said at the time that Bidens mandates rest on dubious grounds and constitute significant federal overreach. Attorney General Steve Marshall was also on board with this, as Ivey urged state agencies to cooperate to the fullest extent possible with him on the matter. Private companies in Alabama could still choose to mandate the injections, but the executive order was designed to help in legal battles against the Biden regimes efforts to mandate the shots federally. It is better than nothing, but not quite up to par in terms of fully defending health freedom in Alabama. At least children there will no longer have to put up with grooming from sexual predators at school. Just as the Death Angel in Exodus passed over the Hebrew homes where the blood had been applied with hyssop so Alabama could be spared some of Gods judgement for Americas crimes against humanity, wrote someone in response to the news about the anti-grooming bills in Alabama. Public schools have no business teaching sex at any grade level, said another. However, several others pointed out that Iveys plandemic policies were among the worst in the South, and that they have not forgotten how she barely stood up to tyranny. I live in Alabama and if we actually had a candidate running against the joke Kay Ivey, she would be going in 2023, one of them wrote. Shes a joke and her Covid policies were the worst in the South. She old, a drunk and her commercials are embarrassing. More related news can be found at Gender.news. Sources include: CitizenFreePress.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Infowars host Owen Shroyer got the chance to interview Francis Boyle, PhD, a lawyer and bioweapons expert, about the alleged biolabs in Ukraine. And his view is that they do exist and are being funded by the United States (aka American taxpayers). The corporate-controlled media along with the Biden regime deny that these bioweapons facilities exist, claiming that this is all just Russian propaganda. But the truth, Boyle says, is that biological warfare is a Pentagon specialty. The Pentagon does not do missionary work, Boyle joked about this evil entity. They kill people, and thats why they are there. Boyle played a primary role in drafting the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act, which was unanimously passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by then-president George Bush Sr. in May 1989. That Act prohibits the type of thing that the U.S. appears to be doing in Ukraine. Everyone involved with these biolab operations, including the Biden crime family, is subject to life in prison for these crimes, if they can be proven. This explains the deep states mad scramble to cast these biolabs as something other than what they actually are. One popular excuse is that the labs were used to develop medicines as opposed to weapons, though Russian authorities deny this. They claim to have evidence showing that the U.S. is building bioweapons to kill people, not developing drugs to help people. The Pentagons plan was to surround Russia with bioweapons laboratories, says Boyle The fact that U.S. officials first denied the existence of the biolabs, only to later admit that they do exist, but claims that they are harmless. This was a change in narrative right from the start and proves that the American government has something to hide. The Western media are now trying to claim that the labs did show bioweapons, but that they were brought in there from the Soviet era to be secured and destroyed again blaming Russia, just like they always did throughout Donald Trumps presidency. Another narrative is that they are health labs being used to develop life-saving vaccines. The story changes depending on whos telling it, writes Dr. Joseph Mercola. Boyle, of course, does not buy any of these false narratives. He says that the Pentagon has always had a comprehensive policy in place to surround Russia with biological warfare laboratories and preposition biological weapons in anticipation of war against Russia. Such U.S.-run labs also exist in Central Asia, which is another target of the military-industrial complex. This all makes sense, seeing as how the Western deep state seems hellbent on igniting another world war against Russia and its allies. If all of these facilities have been getting built over in Ukraine and elsewhere for many decades now, then this plan has long been in the works. It is just that this is all coming to light only now, and the rats are scurrying to come up with excuses and reasons for the existence of these facilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pulled the curtain down, and now the emperor has no clothes. According to Boyle, there is a global Nazi cult that wants to rid the world of certain ethnic groups, hence the need for these biolabs. Many, if not all, of the facilities focus on DNA-based, ethnic-specific bioweapons. And the U.S., sadly, is still the only country in the world that is refusing to get rid of all of its biological weapons, all while making more of them in secret but now these secrets are being revealed for the world to see. The latest news about the Ukraine biolabs can be found at WWIII.news. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Many conservative academics in American, Canadian and British universities experience a hostile environment for their beliefs as demonstrated in a new study exploring political biases in academia. Titled Academic Freedom in Crisis: Punishment, Political Discrimination and Self-Censorship, the study authored by Dr. Eric Kaufmann was published on Monday, March 1. The study surveyed professors and graduate students in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) faculties at universities in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom to investigate political discrimination in academia and authoritarianism. Kaufmanns findings represented hard data on the absence of viewpoint diversity in universities and the presence of discrimination against conservative and gender-critical scholars. The study found that in the top 100 U.S. universities, 73 percent of academics are liberal, 22 percent made no affiliation and only around 5 percent are conservative. Less than half of left-leaning professors would be comfortable in a close social situation with someone who voted for Donald Trump, with that number plummeting to a quarter if the voter is critical of the issue about transgender. Among his main findings, Kaufmann noted that more than 90 percent of Trump supporters and 80 percent of Brexit supporters (Britain leaving the political union with Europe) working in academia reported discomfort in expressing their views to colleagues while more than 50 percent of all conservative academics in North America and Britain admitted censoring their own work. On the other hand, only around 8 percent combined slightly-left and far-left academics thought their department is hostile to their political beliefs. Kaufmanns study also revealed that more than their older counterparts, younger academics including Ph.D. students tended to favor their ideological opponents being fired for holding controversial beliefs. That trend, according to Kauffman, signified that progressive authoritarianism could get worse in the coming years. (Related: College leftists now acting just like Stalinist and Maoist operatives with purge demands for conservative thinkers.) But in general, less than 10 percent of academic staff members supported hard authoritarianism which included dismissal campaigns, social media smears and disciplinary action. In terms of soft discrimination, Kaufmann said the conservative academics suffered more from prejudices regarding hiring, promotion, grant applications, publishing, the allocation of teaching and research tasks, workplace civility and social inclusion. Soft discrimination was much more broadly practiced among the ranks of leftists. Kaufmanns study found out that not only a near-majority on the far left, but also some center-left and even centrist staff would support softer censorship measures against their right-wing colleagues. One in three British academics would discriminate against a known Brexit supporter while 40 percent of American academics and 45 percent of Canadian academics would discriminate against a known Trump supporter, said Kaufmann, a professor of Politics at Birkbeck College, University of London. As a result, most conservative academics reported self-censorship, including 70 percent of professors surveyed in the U.S. External intervention needed to curb leftist bias in academia The leftist bias in academia has intensified dramatically since the 1960s, at which time leftists outnumbered conservatives 2-1. Now, that ratio has increased to a 10-1 average bias of leftists over conservatives. According to Kaufmann, this vast left-leaning proportion within academia has discouraged conservatives from pursuing careers in SSH university departments, with 70 percent to 80 percent of current conservative academics saying their departments are hostile environments for their political beliefs. Kaufmann observed that no internal measures have proved capable of redressing the growing levels of discrimination against conservative academics. He suggested that it would require external intervention to address the issue. On Thursday, March 4, Kaufmann wrote a column for the website City Journal to discuss why and how the government should step in to reform universities. His piece was titled A Necessary Intervention. This is an urgent problem for policymakers. The intolerance and censorship that began on campus are now spilling out into the wider world of elite institutions, from tech firms and major news organizations to corporations and government agencies, Kaufmann wrote. Universities are a crucial site of struggle that will help set the tone for the wider culture of elite institutions. Policymakers at the state and federal level should push back against the tide of progressive authoritarianism and political discrimination on campus. According to Kaufmann, the role of government intervention should be to enforce the laws that todays universities routinely break. For instance, around nine in ten American universities currently maintain speech codes that violate the First Amendment. An interventionist approach would require universities to adopt the Chicago Principles, or a set of academic freedom principles that is functionally equivalent and to remove or amend all noncompliant speech codes and internal policies, he explained. To be effective, Kaufmann said legislation must mandate regular audits of individual universities for academic freedom violations. Follow Conservative.news for more news and information related to conservatives. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com City-Journal.org (Natural News) If there ever was any proof that high-ranking government jobs should be term-limited (just like Congress), Dr. Anthony Fauci is a walking, talking, living example. According to the findings of a legal watchdog, Fauci head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since the early 1980s as well as the State Department, knew that China was withholding key data on the then-emerging COVID-19 pandemic, meaning, as well, that the virus was almost certainly manufactured in a lab. In addition, according to The Epoch Times, the National Institutes of Health sent experts from the NIH-funded P4 lab at the University of Texas Medical Branch to instruct Chinese technicians at the Wuhan Institute of Virology about lab management and maintenance approximately two years before the pandemic, according to records obtained by Judicial Watch via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (and why does it take lawsuits to get information from government agencies when FOIA is already the law?). The legal watchdogs president, Tom Fitton, said he thinks the 90 pages of communications between the NIH and the lab in Wuhan indicate clearly that Faucis NIAID has been hiding information on Chinas failure to provide essential data on COVID-19. For instance, Judicial Watch obtained an email from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing circulated Jan. 8, 2020 by staff at NIH and the NIAID, led by Fauci, titled, PRC Response to Pneumonia Cases Shows Increased Transparency Over Past Outbreaks, but Gaps in Epidemiological Data Remain. Hi, here is the cable from US Embassy Beijing reporting on the pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China. It has ruled out SARS, MERS, and flu. [Redacted] confirmed it is [a] viral infection, says an email to colleagues from Dr. Ping Chen, who was then NIAIDs top official in China. The Epoch Times notes: Embassy officials in the email said they were concerned that a lack of epidemiological data hindered better risk assessment and response by public health officials. The officials noted that because of gaps in [detailed] information provided by the Chinese regime and lack of a final confirmed pathogen, the risk to the United States and global health is difficult to assess at this time. The first known cases of COVID-19 appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, according to reports. As of January 7, the Wuhan Health Commission has reported 59 local cases of pneumonia with unknown cause, the email says. Lab techs from the Wuhan institute were also trained directly by experts funded by NIH in April 2018, The Epoch Times continues. In addition to French assistance, experts from the NIH-supported P4 lab at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston have trained Wuhan lab technicians in lab management and maintenance, an April 19, 2018, email says. The Wuhan institute plans to invite scientists from the Galveston lab to do research in Wuhans lab. One Wuhan Institute of Virology researcher trained for two years at the Galveston lab, and the institute also sent one scientist to U.S. CDC headquarters in Atlanta for six months work on influenza, it continued. In another email between the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and NIH headquarters on Feb. 23, 2018, officials with the U.S. agency were flagging China Health News from Chinese Media. Among those flagged reports is a story published by the state-run news agency Xinhua headlined, Chinese scientists find how bats carry viruses without getting sick another indicator that Chinese virologists were likely conducting gain of function experiments in the lab involving bats. Chinese scientists identified bats that harbor highly pathogenic viruses like Ebola, Marburg and SARS coronavirus but do not show clinical signs of disease, according to the report. According to researchers, in humans and other mammals, an immune-based over-response to one of these and other pathogenic viruses can trigger severe illness, the report reads. If Anthony Fauci isnt guilty of some form of treason against his own country, then there is no such thing. Sources include: NaturalNews.com Pandemic.news (Natural News) This week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill into law allowing most residents of the state to carry a handgun without a permit. Known as the Georgia Constitutional Carry Act, the new measure passed in the states legislature on April 1. Under the act, Georgia residents can carry a concealed firearm without first obtaining a license. However, this right will not extend to people who have been convicted of a felony or treated for certain mental health problems in the last five years. Lawmakers who pushed for the act said requiring a carry permit, which costs around $75, infringes on Americans Second Amendment gun rights. In addition, they cited the delays in obtaining permits that were seen in some counties during the pandemic as another obstacle to people exercising their rights. One sponsor of the bill, Georgia State Republican Senator Jason Anavitarte, said of the signing: Today was a victory for the safety, security and constitutional rights of hardworking Georgians. This bill is about self-protection and self-empowerment. Its about disincentivizing criminals and empowering law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families. At a signing ceremony, Governor Kemp said the new law gives Georgians the power to protect themselves without needing permission from their states government. He said: SB 319 makes sure that law-abiding Georgians law-abiding Georgians, including our daughters and your family too can protect themselves without having the permission of the state government. The Constitution of the United States gives us that right, not the government, With the move, Georgia has become the nations 25th state to not require a permit for carrying concealed firearms for legal gun owners. Kemp also signed a second measure giving holders of concealed weapons permits from other states the right to legally carry in Georgia as well. Guns will still be prohibited in locations such as secured areas of airports or government buildings with security at the entrance, such as the state Capitol. Supporters believe the measure will help people protect themselves as crime continues to rise throughout the nation; criminals might hesitate to act because they wont know if a potential victim could be carrying a weapon. The governor signed the bill at a gun store in Douglasville where he and his wife bought a Glock 9mm for their daughter several years ago. Speaking to reporters after the signing, Kemp said: This simply allows you not to have to get a piece of paper to legally carry. And look, the criminals are getting the guns anyway. Gun rights advocates applaud the new bill National Rifle Association Chairman Wayne LaPierre praised the decision, telling Fox News: The success of the carry movement in America cannot be denied at this point. When Gov. Brian Kemp signs this landmark legislation, half of America will protect the right to carry as an inherent and inalienable right. He added that the divide between Washington, D.C. and the rest of the country is clear, with many states passing laws to protect peoples self-defense rights while the Biden administration fails to prosecute criminals and tries to enact gun control schemes and undermine self-defense laws. In essence, theyre overprotecting and indulging criminals while penalizing good Americans, he said. In the past two years alone, Ohio, Tennessee, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Iowa, Alabama, Indiana, and Texas have all passed constitutional carry laws. Georgia Democrats held a rally opposing the bill, which they claim puts people in danger as mass shootings around the country increase, including a shooting in a New York City subway that injured at least 23 people on the same day that the law was passed. Some used the occasion to call for Kemp to be defeated in the upcoming elections. However, many Georgians celebrated the new law for ensuring citizens rights to protect themselves in public. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com AJC.com (Natural News) The inhabitants of a city in southern Spain are making use of oranges to produce a different kind of juice one that powers the entire city. Life gave bitter oranges to the residents of Seville, the capital of Spains southern Andalusia region. But instead of throwing them away, Seville residents tapped these oranges as a potential power source. Originally from Asia, Seville oranges (Citrus aurantium) were first introduced to the country by the Muslim Moors about 1,000 years ago. The orange trees have adjusted to the regions climate and have grown abundantly ever since. People say the city of Seville is the worlds largest orange grove, according to Fernando Mora Figueroa. The head of the citys parks department added: [The orange trees] have taken root here: Theyre resistant to pollution and have adapted well to the region. However, the trees produce bitter fruits that are unsuitable for eating. They are simply left to fall from the tree and rot because of this. Some oranges fall on the streets where they are squashed by passing vehicles. This causes roads to become sticky, and the juice subsequently attracts flies. In fact, Seville employs around 200 people to clean the streets of juice from the squashed oranges. To solve this bitter predicament caused by C. aurantium fruits, Sevilles water utility company EMASESA proposed using the fruits to produce power. The resulting power will then be used to run a water purification plant in the city. The pilot test launched by EMASESA used 35 tons of oranges for clean energy with each ton of orange yielding 500 liters of juice and 500 kilograms of peel. The company explained how the system will operate: Oranges will be sent to a facility that produces electricity from organic matter, where they will be fermented. As the fruits ferment, they will produce a gas called methane which will then be collected and utilized to power the water purification plants generator. According to the results of the pilot test, one ton of oranges can produce up to 50 kilowatt-hours which is enough to power five homes for a day. EMASESA environmental department head Benigno Lopez said the move was not just about saving money. He remarked: The oranges are a problem for the city, and were producing added value from waste. Lopez also expressed hopes that all the citys oranges will be recycled into energy to power many homes instead of being discarded. (Related: Scientists develop new technology that extracts valuable chemicals from biological waste.) Squeezing energy from oranges allows Seville to cut down on fruit waste Seville has around 48,000 orange trees and all of the fruits from these trees could provide electricity to more than 70,000 homes if converted to power. EMASESA officials said in a statement that they hope to make that dream a reality but the city would need to invest about 250,000 (US$297,000) for the endeavor. For now, the oranges will be used to run the citys water purification plants ensuring Seville residents have clean water and sanitation. The plants currently consume almost 40 percent of the energy required to keep the city supplied with potable water. The long-term goal is to put back surplus energy generated from the oranges back into Sevilles electricity grid. Aside from this, the energy from oranges project will help the city hit its targets for lowering emissions and become self-sufficient in energy. Seville Mayor Juan Cejas said during a press conference that EMASESA is now a role model in Spain for sustainability. (Related: Duke suspends its plans for a new gas power plant and will focus on generating energy from pig waste.) EMASESA also created a use for the otherwise bitter-tasting fruits with its energy project. The entire Andalusian region produces about 15,000 tons of Seville oranges, but the Spanish do not consume them. The fruits are instead exported to the U.K, where they are processed into marmalade, a common teatime favorite. Seville oranges are also used in making the orange-based liqueurs Cointreau and Grand Marnier. With the endeavor by EMASESA, the city of Seville is guaranteed to eventually reap the sweet benefits of the bitter oranges. Check out Power.news to learn about fresh new ways of generating energy. Sources include: WakingTimes.com TheGuardian.com (Natural News) It has been revealed that animal venom is used as a designer toxin in a growing number of pharmaceutical applications. And a major player in the industry that catalogs different animal venom products admits that one of their unique benefits is that they kill prey in seconds. ToxinTech, which was profiled by CNN back in 2020, is a biotechnology startup firm run by Zoltan Takacs. The company was described as a library of designer toxins that can be manipulated to target various life functions in humans. Genetically modified (GMO) animal venom peptides, the ToxinTech website explains can target vital receptors, key to neuromuscular, cardiovascular, hemostatic and other life functions. They are also chemically stable, meaning they do not break down in water. Reading the language on the ToxinTech website, one is led to the conclusion that the company is really proud of the fact that these substances destroy life. How, then, do they impact humans? That is what many are now wondering as fresh revelations about snake and other animal venom make the news rounds. There is even speculation among prominent, outspoken analysts that theorizes snake venom peptides may have been engineered into part of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) payload. ToxinTech describes Designer Toxins as novel, chimeras In the Applications section of the ToxinTech homepage, it is further explained how animal venom peptides can be customized to hit very specific validated targets through optimization. Unlike many other drug technologies, animal venom peptides have the ability to precisely target whatever it is a drug manufacturer is trying to target, as well as perfect other existing active pharmaceutical ingredients. Typically, templates are a select set of animal venom toxins with known pharmacology that are varied to achieve novel properties against pharmaceutical targets, it further reads. Key features include, the vast number of novel molecules created, evolution-tested molecular motifs, and target-specificity of the library. There are more than a million novel molecules in the Designer Toxin libraries, representing a vast pool of non-random variations intentionally introduced and defined all derived from natural templates. The use of the word novel, in this context, is interesting, as they were calling it the novel coronavirus early on in the plandemic, only to later drop the use of the word novel entirely. Another interesting word choice that ToxinTech uses to describe Designer Toxins is chimeras, or mosaics, which exhibit novel and fine-tuned biological properties compared to the natural templates. To ToxinTech, this chimeric customization is a way to improve nature, which sounds a whole lot like man trying to play God which is what all of this appears to be when you really think about it. What is basically happening is that scientists are extracting venom from animals, manipulating it through bioengineering, and inserting it into human bodies for reasons that, in many ways, are still a mystery. They say they are just trying to help people alleviate pain or blood clots, but is that all these drugs really do? Is there anything else these animal venom poisons do that might hurt a human body, seeing as how they are natures way of killing prey? These are disturbing ideas that are still without clear answers, but more gets revealed every day, it seems, and we are sure to learn more in the coming days. Weve invited this through our own apathy and self-centeredness, suggested someone at Natural News, adding the following quote from Dr. Anna Kingsford, MD: The spiritual malady that rages in the soul of the vivisector is in itself sufficient to render him incapable of acquiring the highest and best knowledge. He finds it easier to propagate and multiply disease than to discover the secret of health. Seeking for the germs of life, he invents only new methods of death. The latest news about animal venom peptides can be found at Toxins.news. Sources include: NaturalNews.com ToxinTech.com CNN.com (Natural News) A number of cities in the U.S. have proposed banning natural gas lines in new buildings. The moves to prohibit gas connections in new developments are linked to efforts to slash carbon emissions. However, parties against these bans on natural gas have talen to state legislatures to express their opposition. Meanwhile, other places have taken a middle-ground approach by allowing natural gas connections for certain purposes only. The fight for natural gas first began in 2019 when city leaders in Berkeley, California passed an ordinance banning natural gas connections in new construction. The progressive citys ordinance spread like wildfire to other California cities, eventually reaching far areas such as Seattle and Denver. Now, 42 cities in the Golden State have passed bans or severe restrictions on natural gas. The California Energy Commission could pass a state-wide ban amid its update of state building codes. But opponents of natural gas bans were also at work behind the scenes. They have lobbied a number of states to pass laws limiting natural gas bans in certain cities. Their efforts have paid off in four states as of writing Arizona, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Meanwhile, Denver made concessions on the use of natural gas for certain purposes. The Colorado city is working on a plan that would continue the use of gas for cooking, while banning it for heating on new buildings. Under the plan, new developments in Denver will only be permitted to use electricity for home heating. Seattle also followed Denvers footsteps by adopting a partial gas ban in February. This ban focused on larger structure, with the citys building code being updated to reflect the move. All new commercial and multi-family buildings standing four stories or taller to be built in Seattle must use electricity for heating. However, the ban does not police the use of gas for heating in smaller buildings and houses. The prohibition also excludes natural gas being utilized for cooking. Natural gas is in the crosshairs of environmental advocates after coal Environment advocates and the gas industry are in conflict over the future of natural gas. Those against the energy source want to make it the new coal and accelerate its demise, while natural gas supporters insist that the bans are products of fringe politics that will never reach the mainstream. The gas industry meanwhile responded to the laws in a seemingly contradictory fashion. It downplayed the dangers of natural gas, yet pledged to cut emissions and plug gas leaks. University of California, Berkeley business professor Lucas Davis said: Youre seeing more cities in states where [banning natural gas] is possible and youre seeing more states take pre-emptive measures. Its becoming more front-of-mind for policymakers all over. The initial four states that struck down natural gas bans do not have emissions reduction as part of their agenda. Many of the 12 states aiming to follow their footsteps argue that restricting possible energy sources would be unfair to their residents. (Related: Climate lunatics are working to ban natural gas stoves, forcing consumers to rely on electric burners that are mostly powered by coal.) Indiana State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-20) said last February: I think its very unfair to our constituents, any of them, to take away any source of energy. The Republican state lawmaker noted that most cities that have adopted the natural gas bans are located in California. Pressel made the remarks amid a debate at the Indiana House of Representatives for his bill banning the natural gas bans: It eventually passed the lower chamber. The gas industry has also went on the defensive through organizations such as the American Gas Organization and the binational Northwest Gas Association. Both groups have responded to the legislative challenges by downplaying the environmental impact of natural gas. But interestingly, they have also pledged to cut emissions by mixing fossil fuels with cleaner fuels and improving how leaks in the gas supply chain are addressed. Some other groups have reached out to people to fight the natural gas bans instituted in the Golden State. The Power Florida Forward campaign made use of a flyer that said: Dont bring failed California policies to Florida. The campaign conducted by the Florida Gas Association urged support for a proposal in the Sunshine State preventing cities from banning natural gas connections. (Related: Stable energy for America: Natural gas supply in the eastern U.S is growing faster than demand.) Check out Power.news to read more news about bans on natural gas use. Sources include: CleanTechnica.com SeattleTimes.com One of the first things that come to mind when you think of a bird is that it has wings and can fly. Of course, not all birds have the ability to fly. Penguins, rheas, ostriches, and emus are well-known examples of flightless birds, but there are several others, as per Bird Spot. Many flightless birds went extinct years ago due to their inability to escape imported predators, but here are ten of the more unique birds that still live with their feet firmly planted on the ground. People have wistfully watched birds take flight for millennia, feeling a little envious. But what about non-flying birds? You'd think they'd be envious of their wild cousins, but these boys are just as fantastic in their own right, as per Britannica. Atlantisia rogersi The Inaccessible Island rail (Atlantisia rogersi) is the world's smallest flightless bird. It only lives on Inaccessible Island, which is part of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. The species was named for Henry Martyn Rogers, a missionary priest on Tristan Da Cunha who spotted the Inaccessible Island rail. Penguins Without the penguin, no list of flightless birds would be complete. All 18 penguin species are unable to fly and are instead better adapted to swimming and diving, which they spend most of their time doing. Because of their small legs and stocky stature, they move with a unique waddling gait. While most people identify penguins with Antarctica, the majority of species dwell at higher latitudes. Some even live in temperate temperatures, while the Galapagos penguin may be found almost on the Equator. These birds are also incredibly passionate. Penguins are generally monogamous and seek out the same mates season after season, even if there are hundreds or even thousands of birds in their colony. Steamer ducks Three of the four steamer duck species are flightless, but four of the four should not be tampered with. Even among flighted species, some males are too hefty to accomplish liftoff. These South American ducks got their name by dashing over water and thrashing their wings like steamboat wheels. They also utilize them for various kinds of thrashing. Steamer ducks are notoriously violent and have been known to engage in dramatic, bloody conflicts over territorial issues. They have even been observed killing waterbirds numerous times their size. Read more: Top 10 Deadliest Animals In Asia.Extremely Fatal And Dangerous Galapagos cormorant The flightless cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi) is only one of the strange creatures that live on the islands. It is the only cormorant found in the Galapagos, and it breeds in the coldest seas and nests on shingle or lava outcrops on two islands, Fernandina and Isabela. The biggest member of the cormorant family and the only one that cannot fly is the flightless cormorant. It resembles its relatives except that its wings are roughly one-third the size necessary for flight in relation to its body. The keel on the breastbone, to which the major muscles required for flying are linked, is also significantly decreased. Weka Another New Zealand bird is the weka. This brown, chicken-sized bird was a valuable resource for both native New Zealanders and European settlers, but its population is now declining. Weka has a booming cry that males and females sing as a duet, despite their unimpressive appearance. They are also known as cunning thieves, as they will steal food and little stuff that appeal to them and flee with them. Weka is also a good swimmer. Related article: Top 10 National Parks in the Indian Subcontinent for Spotting Wildlife A participant walks past a camel during the Ultra Mirage El Djerid marathon in the desert near the southwestern Tunisian city of Tozeur on October 7, 2017. The Ultra Mirage El Djerid marathon is a 100 kilometres ultra marathon across the largest salt pan of the Sahara Desert. (Photo : Photo credit: AMINE LANDOULSI/AFP via Getty Images) The world can be full of so much mystery that to be "baffled" is an understatement. The African continent can attest to this. For years, two enormous land masses have been sitting just beneath the Earth's surface. Meanwhile, one blob beneath Africa seems to emerge from underneath the ground - slowly starting to make its way to the surface, according to Popcrush. Scientists discovered that deep beneath the opposite sides of Earth's surface sits two enormous blob-like structures spanning thousands of miles, observed via seismic observations, as per Newsweek. To understand this bizarre natural phenomenon, researchers from Arizona State University have studied these blobs, what they are and where they sit in Earth's mantle, and published their findings in Nature Geoscience. What is the African Blob? The two giant structures sitting between 400 and 1,600 miles below the surface in the lowermost mantle is the African blob. It is known as large low-shear-velocity provinces (LLSVPs). One blob was discovered beneath the Pacific Ocean, while the other is under Africa. According to scientists, they tend to influence processes at the core, as well as the mantle. After extensive study, researchers Mingming Li and Qian Yuan tried to determine what they really are. These 'anomalies' are generally considered to be "intrinsically dense thermochemical piles". However, it remains unclear what their height difference entails. It was later on found that "the maximum height a thermochemical pile can reach is more controlled by its density and the surrounding mantle viscosity, and less so by its own viscosity and volume," the authors wrote. The two blobs differ in terms of density - with the with the African LLSVP seemingly less dense than the Pacific; and maximum height - with one in Africa sitting about 620 miles higher than the Pacific LLSVP. They also vary in terms of compositions, dynamics and evolution histories. Also read: Cave in Bulgaria Revealed New Information on Migration of Ancient Humans Linked to Volcanism The African continent has experienced more supervolcano eruptions over the years compared to the Pacific. Scientists explain that this is because the African blob was known to be less stable. "The Africa LLSVP may have been rising in recent geological time," ASU researcher Li said. "This may explain the elevating surface topography and intense volcanism in eastern Africa." While the African blob is currently rising, Li said that it would take about 50-100 million years for it to reach the surface, as its rises at a rate of around one to two centimeters per year. "In fact, as the African rises, it may become cold and dense. It is not impossible for it to sink again when it becomes dense enough," Li added. Findings from seismic results and geodynamic modeling provide new insights and has "far-reaching implications" on the two largest structures in Earth's deep interior, and how they interact with the surrounding mantle. Related article: An Ancient Tsunami-Unleashing Earthquake 3800 Years Ago Sent Humans into Hiding for a Thousand Years Records from ancient plant life, according to a climatologist at Washington University in St. Louis, revealed the actual story of global temperatures. Warmer temperatures drew plants, and subsequently increasing temperatures, according to new climate models published in Science Advances on April 15. Vegetation change on climate change Alexander Thompson, a postdoctoral researcher in Earth and planetary sciences at the University of Arts & Sciences, altered simulations from a prominent climate model to reflect the importance of changing vegetation as the main consequence of sustainable climate during the last 10,000 years. Since the previous ice age, Thompson has been plagued by difficulty with simulations of Earth's atmospheric temperatures. Too many of these models exhibited constant temperature rises throughout time. Climate proxy data, on the other hand, presented a different narrative. Many of these sources point to a significant increase in global temperatures between 6,000 and 9,000 years ago. Thompson suspected that the models were disregarding the importance of changes in vegetation in favor of impacts from carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere or ice cover. According to Thompson, "pollen data show a considerable growth of vegetation throughout that period," as cited by ScienceDaily. However, earlier models only show a limited amount of vegetation development, so even though some of these other simulations contained dynamic vegetation, the vegetation change wasn't nearly enough to account for what the pollen records imply. The Sahara Desert in Africa grew brighter than it is today early in the Holocene geological age, resembling a grassland. Deciduous and coniferous forests in the mid-latitudes and the Arctic, as well as other Northern Hemisphere vegetation, flourished. Thompson used pollen records as evidence and devised a set of tests using the Community Earth System Model (CESM), one of the most well-regarded models in a wide-ranging class of climate models. He used simulations to account for a variety of previously unaccounted-for changes in vegetation. Also Read: UN Report: Measures Against Climate Change and Global Warming not Sufficient How plants could impact global warming? Biodiversity has an impact on climate at the local, regional, and global levels, but most climate models ignore it because its variables and effects are too varied and complicated to calculate. However, two recent studies show how crucial it is to be able to account for vegetation's reaction to increased carbon dioxide levels in climate models when attempting to forecast our climatic future. The direct impacts of carbon dioxide on plants, according to scientists at the Carnegie Institution for Science, contribute to global warming. Plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through stomata in their leaves, which they utilize for photosynthesis. They then expel water via the stomata, a process known as evapotranspiration, which cools the plant in the same way that perspiration cools people. On a hot day, a tree may transpire up to 10 gallons of water, which cools the surrounding air. Plants' stomata shrink when carbon dioxide levels rise, releasing less water into the air and limiting the cooling effect. Long Cao and Ken Caldeira of Carnegie Mellon University increased the amount of carbon dioxide in their model and discovered that reduced evapotranspiration was responsible for 16% of global land warming, with the balance attributable to CO2's heat-trapping effects. More than a quarter of the warming in North America and Asia was attributable to the influence of rising CO2 on plants. Related article: Heatwave Prompted by Climate Change May Cause Shortage of Christmas Tree This Year After an abnormally warm Easter weekend, Monday is predicted to bring a decrease in temperatures and rain to several parts of the UK. On Sunday, temperatures were predicted to reach the high teens, with the chance of even higher in the south, following Good Friday, which was the hottest day of the year so far with 23.4C recorded in London's St James's Park. Warmer weather on Easter weekend After enjoying the warmest day of the year so far, the UK is poised for mild weather ahead of Easter Sunday. According to the Met Office, the temperature at St James's Park in downtown London reached 23.4C on Good Friday afternoon, making it hotter than in California. Saturday will be somewhat colder, although temperatures in parts of southern and central England are anticipated to reach 22 degrees. Despite a murky start to the day in certain locations, many portions of the country will have bright, sunny moments. "It will be a rather overcast start to the morning before evolving into a rather fine and bright day on the whole," Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told the PA news agency via the National World. The West Midlands, in central and southern England, is most likely to see temperatures in the low twenties. Also Read: New Jersey Is Preparing for Spring Big Pollen Blast While Warm Weather Will Strike Brighton Seaside Temperatures will drop on Monday On Sunday, the weather will progressively drop, with showers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but most other places should stay nice. More broadly, some areas will have temperatures in the low twenties, while portions of Scotland and Northern Ireland will experience temperatures in the mid-to-high teens. On Sunday, cloudier skies were forecasted in the west, with rain outbreaks in Northern Ireland and western Scotland gradually moving eastwards in a week that the UK Met Office said would bring a return to more typical weather for April when the average temperature is around 12C. It was forecast that temperatures will begin to decrease on Easter Monday, with some rain and cloud rolling in over the week. Rain would come in from the west tonight, but it would be "weakening" as it proceeded, so the east may stay dry, according to Marco Petagna, a senior meteorologist at the Met Office. "The assumption is that over the following several days, temperatures will gradually crawl down across the UK," he added, as per The Guardian. The further south and east you travel, the better your chances of remaining dry, but it will be a little cooler on Monday, with temperatures in the low to mid-teens in some areas in the south-east and low to mid-teens everywhere. Pollen levels, which are still high across the country, causing harm to those suffering from seasonal allergies, will begin to decline in many areas starting Monday, according to Petagna, who added that Easter Monday may be the last day of the week's dry, bright weather, which saw moderate UV levels also with the sun as strong as it was in August. The sunny weather over the weekend, along with the fact that it was the first Easter without lockdown restrictions in two years, drew a large number of people to the seaside, with Bournemouth seeing some of the busiest crowds of the year and coastal car parks in Cornwall were full. The RAC has recommended those returning from weekend getaways travel before 10.30 a.m. or after 6.30 p.m. on Easter Monday to avoid congestion. Related article: Cold Weather With Strong Winds And Snow Will Sweep Across Northern US Environmental scientists highlighted that coral reefs may soon disappear within the next three decades if no concrete actions are taken. The detrimental effects of ocean warming due to human-induced climate change are imminent, but mitigating measures are still possible, according to a new scientific paper. Coral Reefs at Risk During the "Our Oceans Conference" held in Palau on April 14, the Vibrant Oceans Initiative consisting of an international team of environmental scientists presented their paper regarding the future of vulnerable and important habitats, as cited by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The paper focused on the fact that the Earth's coral reefs are in danger of being extinct due to ocean warming caused by climate change over the years. Also Read: Scientists are Weeding Coral Reefs to Help Lessen the Impacts of Climate Change Coral Reef Portfolio In spite of achieving the global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius under the Paris Agreement, environmental scientists said that 90% of the world's coral reefs could still vanish within the said period. In 2018, the Ocean Agency identified 50 coral reefs that were chosen as a site of study for surviving the effects of global warming. Due to the ground-breaking discovery of underwater atolls were called climate change avoidance sanctuaries. Based on the current database, the oceanic group recorded these reefs between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, bordering the coastal waters of Florida, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. In other regions, the following reefs were found in the following bodies of water: The Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Brazil The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, off the waters of Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti The Indian Ocean, located off Somalia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka The Java Sea, off the coasts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore The South China Sea, near the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei The Pacific Ocean, off the shores of Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Fiji Since then, scientists have called for the expansion of the portfolio that includes "resistant reefs" and "fast-recovering reefs," as cited by AAAS. Proposed Recommendations During last week's conference, the Vibrant Ocean Initiative provided an action plan consisting of the following recommendations below to protect the said "50 Reefs" worldwide: Continue the prioritization and conservation of the 50 Reefs as climate change avoidance sanctuaries Expand the 50 Reefs conservation portfolio related to coral resistance and recovery sanctuaries against climate change Increase the regional evaluations and financial initiatives to support the conservation efforts of the 50 Reefs portfolio Develop data-driven coral reef monitoring methods to examine, test, and predict climate undiscovered sanctuaries around the world Utilized science-based and latest guide about coral reefs to assist investment, especially topics about the environmental repercussions of climate change Implement the management of the 50 Reef Sites in coastal communities, applying connections to fisheries and water quality management Ecological Degradation and Marine Ecosystems According to the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), climate change causes destruction to marine ecology and marine habitats, and it is considered to be the highest global threat to the world's coral reef ecosystems. The US agency emphasized that scientific evidence shows that both the Earth's atmosphere and oceans are warming due to greenhouse gases (GHG) from human activities. This, in turn, changes the pattern, frequency, and intensity of tropical storms that affect the coral reefs. Related Article: Coral Reef in Ocean's 'Twilight Zone' Untouched by Climate Change Found in Tahiti A man in Arizona, United States, is facing charges of animal cruelty after being found to possess almost 200 animals, including dead birds, dogs, rabbits, and other species, in his garage freezer. Local authorities believe some of the animals died from freezing while they were alive. Frozen to Death In early April, a woman reported to officials that a 43-year-old man by the name of Michael Patrick Turland has not returned the snakes she lends to him for breeding at a rented home in Golden Valley, a rural community in western Arizona. The incident raised initial speculations that Turland was keeping animals at the said storage. The initial report was confirmed when the property's owner cleaned the establishment while Turland and his wife were away. The owner then contacted the woman who informed the authorities of the incident. This prompted the Mohave County animal control officers and deputies to respond, which paved the way for the April 3 discovery of the dead animals, which also include mice, rats, turtles, lizards, and snakes. The sheriff's office said they were kept in a large-sized chest freezer, as per The Guardian. Initial investigation indicated that some of the said mammals and reptiles died in such a manner due to body positioning, added by the sheriff's office. Also Read: Mass Deaths of Koalas in Australia Prompt Animal Cruelty Charges Arrest: Animal Cruelty Charges Police forces arrested Turland when he returned to his home on April 13. The suspect admitted that he kept some of the animals in the freezer while they were still alive. However, there is still no new information regarding scheduled hearings. Bur, court orders indicated that Turland had 94 counts of animal cruelty on his plate. Moreover, it is not clear why Turland acquired a large number of animals before killing them. The case can also be categorized as animal hoarding aside from animal cruelty under Arizona law. Arizona Animal Law In 2021, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey reportedly signed a bill that prevents residents convicted of animal cruelty from owning a pet for up to five years. As a result, the Arizona law requires pets such as cats and dogs to be transferred to a "different household" if their owner is convicted of such a crime. In exceptional cases, an offender may live in a house with a pet as long as the animal is taken care of by someone else that has not been convicted. During these circumstances, the monitored person must be under the strict supervision of judicial courts. Furthermore, an offender may take care of a pet again if he or she has undergone psychiatric treatment and no longer poses a threat to animals after a year of being convicted. According to Debra Nolan, founder of the animal rights organization 'Don't Leave Me', there is also a strong correlation between domestic violence and animal abuse, as cited by the local media outlet KOLD News 13. Nolan, who also initiated the animal bill in the Grand Canyon State, said that 89% of abused women also had their pets harmed, threatened, or killed by their partners. US Animal Welfare Act Over recent months, multiple cases of separate yet related cases of animal abuse and animal cruelty such as hoarding, beating, killing, and abandonment have been reported in several states across the country. In the US, states are governed by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) ratified in 1966, as per the National Agricultural Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Still, each federal jurisdiction are allowed to impose or develop its own specific measures when it comes to upholding the advocacies of the AWA, which prohibits all kinds of violence and actions that degrades the welfare and well-being of animals. Related Article: New Jersey Dog Hoarding Couple Face 552 Animal Cruelty Charges Microfossils from billions of years ago discovered in what is now Canada suggests it may be Earth's oldest life, as per a new study. If proven to be the oldest fossils, the discovery may change our understanding that life as we know it may have developed earlier than previously thought. Oldest Fossils In a new study published in the journal Science Advances on April 13, scientists from the University College London (UCL) found new fossil evidence consisting of microscopic structures inside rocks. They believed that it could only be formed by microbes living near hydrothermal vents in the oceans billions of years ago. Based on carbon dating technology, the fossils approximately date back between 3.7 and 4.2 billion years ago; which means that microscopic life may have started to emerge 300 years after the Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago. If proven, the ground-breaking discovery will surpass the previously confirmed 3.5 to 3.7-billion-year old microfossils. The new study had its roots in a separate 2017 research led by Dominic Papineau, an associate professor in astrobiology and geochemistry at UCL. During the previous study, Papineau and his team discovered the fossils, but some members of the scientific community doubted their biological nature. This curiosity has led to further years of research by the same team, which led to the latest developments. Also Read: The Moon Was Part of the Earth 4.5 Billion Years Ago, New Study Suggests Origins of Life on Earth Prior to the new study, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hinted that there is some unconfirmed evidence that biological activity took place on Earth more than 3.8 billion years ago, a period also called the "late heavy bombardment." NASA said the initial phase of Earth's existence was marked by violent and continuous comet and asteroid impacts, which extremely caused the warming of the planet, preventing the formation of life. The Earth's climatic conditions at the time are conventionally known as "anti-life" due to the absence of significant water and carbon dioxide, says NASA. It is also during this period when the solar system, including the Sun and our neighboring planets, just started to form 4.6 billion years ago. This entails that the atmospheric and geological stability of Earth as we know it today is still out of the picture. Implications: Earth's Oldest Life The implications of the discovery of the potentially oldest life on Earth, whether proven or not, is substantial since it may not only lead to further research on the same subject matter. Hence, it would also pave the way for previous study remodeling their approach concerning the emergence and development of life on Earth. In a previous research article posted on the site of the Research Outreach (RO) organization in 2019, the origin of life on Earth has been long debated from a scientific point of view. These debates were grounded in several theories. One of the standing hypotheses claimed by RO is that the birthplace of life came from a nuclear geyser where there is a constant circulation of energy and material. Related Article: Big Bang and More: Life On Earth Likely Began 300 Million Years Earlier, Researchers Say According to local officials in a Turkish town in the south, forest fires that erupted in two areas early Monday have been brought under control. When flames flared in two portions of a forest in Dortyol, a town in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, around one hour after midnight, villagers called the firefighters. Immediate Respond Local forestry services and Hatay municipality firemen responded to the spot. Strong winds impeded their efforts to put out the fire. Winds also hampered efforts to put out the fire using aircraft or helicopters. The firefighters were assisted by residents living near the woodland. The cause of the fire is yet unknown. Occasionally, flames erupt in the region throughout the summer, the peak season for wildfires. Also Read: UN Warns of Catastrophic Effects as Wildfires Continue to Worsen Globally Turkish Wildfires Wildfires are threatening Turkey's evergreen countryside, exacerbated by climate change. Between 2012 and 2021, 226,845 hectares of forest were damaged or burnt across the country, with more than 61 percent of this loss occurring in 2021 alone. According to the Directorate General of Forestry (OGM), there have been 27,150 forest fires around the country in the last ten years. Fires have become more intense, although not unusual, due to strong winds spreading them and scorching temperatures exacerbating the flames. Also Read: Statistic Reveals How Big of a Damage Wildfires Caused in 2021 Last Year's Fire Though last year may appear to be the worst in terms of the extent of the woods destroyed by fires, the largest number of flames, 3,755, occurred in 2013, one year before the country had its fewest fires in a decade, with 2,149. There were 2,793 forest fires recorded last year. The majority of them, like in the past, took place during the summer months. Antalya and Mugla, two southern provinces on the Mediterranean Sea's coasts, were home to most of the massive flames. At least eight persons were killed in the horrific fires. The fire generated a countrywide effort to assist the burned-out communities and a discussion over the country's response to such large fires. Also Read: Hazardous Forest Fires Erupted Around Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Forest Fires All Over Forest fires erupted in more than 500 areas over two provinces, with the largest lasting 15 days, forcing the evacuation of communities in Manavgat, Antalya's worst-affected district, and Bodrum and Marmaris, two famous tourist spots in Mugla province. Also Read: Rare Early-Year Wildfire Burned Through 1,500 Acres of Land in California Bracing Up As summer comes, Turkey braces for another season of wildfires, some of which are caused by terrorist organizations, but most of which are caused by human mistakes, such as improperly dumped combustible materials. This year, 55 helicopters and 20 airplanes have been allocated for dumping water on burning woods, while 15,000 volunteers and professional personnel are ready to go into the field. The government also uses drones to monitor woods around the clock to respond to wildfires faster. Related Article: Invasive Fire Ants Moved to a New "Wetter" Environment After Old Hills Damaged by Wildfire For similar news, don't forget to follow Nature World News! After being picked up by a tornado and found dangling from a tree, a 6-year-old girl is in critical condition. Miriam Rios was severely injured when an EF-3 tornado with winds of 165 mph ripped through her family's house in Texas. After an EF-3 tornado swept apart her family's mobile home in Central Texas on Tuesday, a 6-year-old girl is battling for her life. Miriam Rios was tossed hundreds of yards from her home during the storm in Salado, which had peak gusts of 165 mph. She was eventually discovered hanging upside down from a tree. She is presently in serious condition at a local hospital, just days before her 7th birthday on Saturday, according to KWQC. Her injuries were the most serious in her family, although her parents and 1-year-old brother were all present during the storm. Also Read: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt Against Global Warming Remain High Despite Pressing Evidence Road to Recovery Miriam's father, Joel Rios, was also flung around inside, and her pregnant mother, Vanessa Rios, wound up on the other side of the home. According to the publication, one-year-old Ezra was tossed from his house and into a field. Vanessa was told she had a miscarriage after the family of four was transported to the hospital. According to KWQC, Vanessa's brother Stephen Perez claimed the infant had the least severe injuries and would be released shortly, while the rest had undergone much surgery. According to Perez, the Rios family attempted to drive away from the storm, but it began to hail, so they returned home. "All left is the foundation; there's nothing else," Perez told the newspaper. Perez's GoFundMe campaign generated more than $44,000 of the $80,000 target. While the tornado has snatched everything they've worked so hard for, he claims they've managed to hold on to each other. "Our objective is to raise 80,000 dollars to assist restore their house and get them back on their feet and give them hope and encouragement to keep fighting," Perez said. During a press conference on Wednesday, Bell County Judge David Blackburn stated that the tornado injured 23 individuals, one of whom was in serious condition. In a video taken by KCEN, he claimed that 63 structures were damaged, including churches, residences, and storage buildings. At the time, there were also 638 electricity outages reported. Surviving Tornadoes Every year, tornadoes wreak havoc on communities around the country, bringing huge winds and property devastation in their wake. Prepare an emergency plan and an emergency kit, keep alert of weather conditions during thunderstorms, know the best places to shelter both indoors and outdoors, and always protect yourself from injuries, especially to your head, to stay safe during a tornado. Related Article: Exposure to Major Disasters Can Cause Long-Term Mental Health Problems For more climate and weather updates, don't forget to follow Nature World News! Champaign, IL (61820) Today Windy. Cloudy skies will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 78F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Vaccines can be made over 25% more effective by adding left-handed chiral gold nanoparticles as adjuvants, according to a study by an international collaboration in which Brazilian researchers took part. An article reporting the results is published in Nature. Three research groups collaborated on the study, one affiliated with the University of Michigan in the United States, and another with Jiangnan University in China. The Brazilian group was led by Andre Farias de Moura, a professor in the Chemistry Department at the Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar) and a researcher with the Center for Development of Functional Materials (CDMF), one of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs) funded by FAPESP. The study was also supported by FAPESP via a research grant awarded to Moura. It did not involve COVID-19 vaccines because it began well before the pandemic. The researchers used vaccines developed to combat a specific influenza virus strain. While this is not the strain that is currently circulating in Brazil, in principle the results can be generalized for any type of vaccine, evidently with case-by-case complementary studies. The reason is that left-handed chiral gold nanoparticles are not the active ingredient, but an adjuvant that potentiates the recipient's immune response. "The key to understanding the contribution of these nanoparticles is the concept of chirality, which applies to an object or system that can't be superimposed on its own mirror image," Moura told Agencia FAPESP. Chirality, then, is a type of asymmetry. The term is derived from kheir, the Ancient Greek for hand, and the best example is precisely the difference between left hand and right hand. When we hold up our hands to a mirror, the hand we see on the right is our left hand and vice-versa. Everything alive on Earth is chiral. Chiral molecules can have entirely different properties depending on whether they're left- or right-handed. The two chiral forms of the same molecule are known as enantiomers. A tragic example is thalidomide, a drug prescribed to pregnant women for morning sickness in the late 1950s and 1960s. It caused babies to be born with a range of malformations. One of the enantiomers in the substance had the expected therapeutic effect, but the other atrophied the limbs of the fetus." Andre Farias de Moura, Professor, Chemistry Department, Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar) Nanoparticles Research in nanomaterials has advanced sufficiently to enable scientists to separate one enantiomer completely, Moura explained, and the study reported in Nature was based on this possibility. "We began with gold nanoparticles, which are symmetrical and lack chirality. They're achiral. We first induced chirality in them by having them interact with the amino acid cysteine, and then intensified the induced chirality by exposing them to polarized light using the amino acid phenylalanine as a light-harvesting antenna," he said. Chirality is measured in "g-factor" on a scale from minus two (-2) to plus two (+2). The procedure used in the study enabled the scientists to exceed 0.4 and resulted in three nanoparticles: the original achiral gold, the right-handed enantiomer, and the left-handed enantiomer. "Initially we tested the nanoparticles on human immune cells cultured in vitro and found that the chiral nanoparticles induced production of substances associated with an immune response even in the absence of an antigen any substance capable of triggering antibody production. This kind of reaction is exactly what an adjuvant does in a vaccine," Moura said. Next, the researchers tested the nanoparticles on the influenza virus. "We found that the enantiomers greatly enhanced the efficacy of the vaccine," Moura said. "Specifically, the left-handed enantiomer caused a 25.8% increase in efficacy compared with the right-handed enantiomer, and an even greater increase compared with the achiral nanoparticle." The knowledge is published and available to anyone who wishes to use it, Moura stressed. "It can be used by any producer of any type of vaccine, including vaccines for novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 or influenza. We aren't vaccine developers, but we're offering this basic knowledge as a novel technological platform for those who are," he said. Nurse Angel Ho-king sways her head to the sound of salsa music as she waits for people willing to roll up their sleeves to get a shot. Ho-king is part of a four-person crew staffing a covid-19 vaccine table at a health fair in Rampart Village, a predominantly immigrant neighborhood about 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium. In three hours on a recent Saturday, Ho-king and Brenda Rodriguez, a medical assistant, vaccinated 16 people far fewer than they had anticipated. Nearly everyone who showed up at the fair, organized by Saban Community Clinic, was an adult seeking a booster shot or a young child getting a first dose (children ages 5 to 11 became eligible for a vaccine late last year). As covid infections have declined so too has interest in covid vaccines even though the shots are highly effective at preventing serious illness and death from the virus. In California's most-populous county, where more than 1.7 million people have not received even one dose, vaccination events have turned desolate. About 46,000 county residents got their first dose in March, a 79% decline from January, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Those who remain unvaccinated are harder to convince, telling health care workers and vaccination coordinators that they don't feel a sense of urgency. According to a January survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, about 1 in 10 California adults said they definitely won't get vaccinated, which has remained consistent since January 2021, and 86% of unvaccinated adults said the omicron variant wasn't enough to persuade them. Employers and businesses are dropping or rolling back vaccination mandates. And although proof of vaccination once offered perks like allowing people to go maskless indoors, face coverings are generally no longer required in California. At a recent vaccination drive coordinated by an immigrant advocacy group in Palmdale, near Lancaster in northern LA County, only two people showed up over four hours, both for second doses. As of April 1, 25% of Palmdale residents ages 5 and up were unvaccinated, compared with 17% of county residents, according to county data. Jorge Perez, Salva Organization's vaccine coordinator, spent a week promoting the event with his team, going door to door, visiting local businesses, and publicizing it on social media. At previous vaccine drives, "we got 42 people, then 20, then four," said a disappointed Perez. "Now two." Perez reduced the number of staffers at vaccination events from five to two in February as the numbers started to dwindle. Much work remains to be done to combat vaccine misinformation, especially given the spread of BA.2, an omicron subvariant that is highly transmissible, said Dr. Richard Seidman, chief medical officer for L.A. Care, a public Medicaid insurance plan that serves county residents. The number of covid cases and hospitalizations had been declining since February, but the county is again seeing a bump in cases, according to data released this week. People have various reasons for remaining unvaccinated, Seidman said. "For some, it's distrust of the government or health care providers in general," he said. "Some are more cautious and want to take a wait-and-see approach. Others simply don't believe the science." A study published April 11 by JAMA Internal Medicine shows just how entrenched views are. Many people who refused to get vaccinated early on said they were waiting for the shots to get full approval from the FDA. But when the agency's first full approval of a covid vaccine came in August 2021, the study concluded, it did little to change people's minds and "had little immediate impact on vaccination intentions." In California, unvaccinated people were nearly 14 times as likely to die from covid as people who had been fully vaccinated and received a booster dose, according to state data from March 7-13. Perez said people getting their first shots now are doing so mainly because they feel obligated to meet a work requirement, for example, or enter places such as restaurants, bars, and gyms that require proof of vaccination. That was the case for Modesto Araizas, one of the two people who showed up at the Palmdale vaccine event. Despite contracting covid twice, missing work, and having a hard time breathing, he didn't get vaccinated until he needed proof of vaccination to eat at his favorite seafood restaurant. "I haven't been scared," said Araizas, 46. "I take vitamins, eat healthy food, and I work out." Until recently, the federal government reimbursed doctors, hospitals, and other providers for tests, treatments, and vaccines for uninsured people. But the Health Resources and Services Administration stopped accepting reimbursement claims for tests and treatments March 22, and for vaccinations April 5. Many uninsured people now will likely need to pay out-of-pocket for tests and other services. Perez is hoping people might become more open to vaccines if covid tests become too expensive for them. No one will want to keep paying for tests when they can just get a shot, he reasoned. Nurse Roxanna Segovia works at a pop-up vaccine and testing clinic in front of South LA Cafe in South Central LA. She recently spent 45 minutes trying to persuade a man who had visited the clinic regularly for free tests to get vaccinated. "He gave me all the reasons he has not been vaccinated, like his civil rights were being violated and Bible verses," Segovia said. "His job requires it now, and he said he was losing money by missing work waiting for test results. If he continued this way, he wouldnt be able to feed his family, but even so, he still wasn't sure if he was making the right choice." At the end of their conversation, he got the shot. This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. In a recent study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers found six monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) binding to the spike (S) proteins of all human coronaviruses (CoVs). Study: Broadly neutralizing antibodies target the coronavirus fusion peptide. Image Credit: Slow Area / Shutterstock.com Background Coronaviruses belong to Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta genera and can infect different birds and mammals. There are seven human CoVs that have been identified to date, of which include HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV, Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. Whereas HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-HKU1 are endemic viruses and cause mild disease, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 have caused severe outbreaks in the past two decades. SARS-CoV-2 causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. The development of COVID-19 mitigation policies has been consistently complicated by the emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), which exhibit at least partial resistance to many therapeutic antibodies and vaccines. Protection induced by vaccines is mainly provided by neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) directed at the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, which is also targeted by the therapeutic mAbs. Since the most recent Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variants contain a highly mutated RBD, most mAbs are ineffective against them. Thus, other sites on the S protein need to be explored for therapeutic breakthroughs. Study findings The researchers identified broadly reactive mAbs from COVID-19 convalescent donors in the current study. Plasma samples from 142 convalescent donors were examined for B-cells producing broad mAbs. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactivity to S proteins of the human CoVs was assessed. About 19 donors were identified for isolating and characterizing mAbs. IgG+ memory B cells (MBCs) were screened in a two-stage method prioritizing for mAbs with great breadth of reactivity, which identified 60 mAbs reactive to a minimum of three CoVs. Further examination revealed that only six mAbs were reactive to all seven S proteins, which included COV44-62, COV91-27, COV44-79, COV77-39, COV77-04, and COV78-36. The neutralization capacity of the six mAbs was tested against pseudoviruses of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, and authentic HCoV-OC43. Two mAbs of COV44-62 and COV44-79 exhibited the highest breadth of functional reactivity, neutralizing both Beta (HCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2) and Alpha CoVs (HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63). Additionally, the two mAbs neutralized the BA.1 and BA.2 variants of SARS-CoV-2. Only COV44-62 showed neutralization of MERS-CoV, whereas other mAbs failed. Interestingly, COV77-39 had no neutralizing activity despite having the same broad binding reactivity as the remaining mAbs. All six mAbs were observed to bind to the S2 subunit and not to the RBD or N-terminal domain (NTD) of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. A surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based high-throughput analysis was performed, wherein 15-mer overlapping peptides spanning the entire length of the SARS-CoV-2 S2 subunit were mapped. The SPR analysis revealed that the mAbs bound to peptides 42 44 sharing the 815 RSFIEDLLF 823 motif, located in the fusion peptide region of SARS-CoV-2. Thirty-five viral isolates, which were representative of each CoV genus, were studied to determine genetic diversity in the 815 RSFIEDLLF 823 motif. The motif was conserved in more than 90% of the selected isolates. Broadly neutralizing antibodies target coronaviruses associated with human disease. (A) Analysis of the frequency of MBCs expressing broadly reactive antibodies from n = 19 donors. Values in parentheses represent the percentage of SARS-CoV-2 reactive supernatants that also bind the specified subsets of non-SARS coronavirus spikes. A total of 10,356 MBC culture supernatants (50-100 B cells/well) was screened. (B) Phylogenetic relationships across the coronavirus spike proteins targeted by the broadly reactive mAbs were inferred by the Neighbor-Joining method in MEGA11 using full-length amino-acid sequences of CoV spike proteins. Bootstrap values from 500 samplings are shown on the branches. (C) Heat map representing the binding of broadly reactive mAbs to spike proteins from coronaviruses across the alpha, beta and deltacoronavirus genera. H1 hemagglutinin was included as a negative control for mAb binding experiments and area under the curve (AUC) values for each antigen are shown after subtraction with values for the negative control antigen CD4. (D) Values represent antibody titer at 50% neutralization (NT 50 ) against SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan Hu-1, SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-229E envelope-pseudotyped lentivirus, as well as authentic HCoV-OC43. NT50 values were calculated using the dose-response-inhibition model with 5-parameter Hill slope equation in GraphPad Prism 9. (E) Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (pseudovirus) by COV44-62 and COV44-79. Alanine scanning was performed, focusing on the amino acids (AAs) targeted by COV44-62 and COV44-79. To this end, the team found that the E819, D820, L822, and F823 residues were vital for COV44-62 binding. As with COV44-79, the E819, D820, F823, and R815 residues were crucial for binding. These five residues were among the conserved sites for S proteins across CoVs. Polyclonal sera (IgG) from convalescent donors, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-1273 (Moderna) vaccinees, and SARS-CoV-2-naive individuals were obtained to test the binding to fusion peptide of SARS-CoV-2. As a cohort, convalescent donors had lower responses than vaccinated subjects; however, several convalescent subjects had the highest responses among the three cohorts. This indicated that a natural infection could trigger a more robust antibody response to the fusion peptide in specific individuals. A Syrian hamster model was used to assess the efficacy of COV4-79 and COV44-62 in vivo. COV44-79-treated hamsters showed reduced weight loss with faster recovery than control hamsters. Four out of six COV44-62-receiving hamsters developed clinical signs by day six post-infection, in contrast to only one COV44-79-treated hamster, which showed a respiratory rate on day six. Conclusions The authors discovered six mAbs from convalescent individuals binding to all seven human CoVs and two mAbs neutralizing at least six CoVs. All mAbs were directed against the fusion peptide, which is identical in current SARS-CoV-2 VOCs, and conserved across the four CoV genera, thereby highlighting its pivotal role and potential as a candidate site for vaccine design. Despite its potential benefits, this peptide has not been focused on, likely because of the relatively weak binding of mAbs to the intact S protein, which improves only when its S1 cap is removed. Overall, the present study offered valuable insights into broadly acting mAbs targeting the fusion peptide, a highly conserved site across the CoVs, necessitating further research into this region as a potential vaccine candidate. *Important notice bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. In a work of systematic biology that advances the field, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have identified 16 distinct cell populations in a complex area of the midbrain called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA. The VTA is important for its role in the dopamine neurotransmission involved in reward-directed behavior. Substance use disorders involve dysregulation of these reward circuits, leading to repeated drug-seeking despite adverse consequences. These include more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in the most recent year. The VTA also has a role in several other neuropsychiatric disorders. Thus, expanding knowledge of its function is a start to explaining the mechanisms for substance use disorders involving drugs like cocaine, alcohol, opioids and nicotine, or psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity, or ADHD. Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters used by the brain as chemical messengers to send signals between nerve cells. While decades of research have focused on dopaminergic neurotransmission in the VTA, there is also substantial evidence for the importance of two other neurotransmitters acting in the VTA in reward-related behaviors -; GABA and glutamate. There is also evidence for "combinatorial" neurons that can potentially synthesize and release multiple neurotransmitters. These suggest an additional layer of complexity in VTA cellular and synaptic function. Systematic biology is the science of classification, and it usually refers to the classification of organisms with regard to their natural relationships. The UAB VTA study classifies cell populations to extend and deepen previous work on the different cell types in the VTA, to provide a starting point for deciphering the relationships among these cells and their broad connections to other areas of the brain. The research, published in Cell Reports, was led by co-first authors Robert A. Phillips III and Jennifer J. Tuscher, Ph.D., and corresponding author Jeremy J. Day, Ph.D. The 16 distinct cell populations were identified by differences in gene expression after single-nucleus RNA sequencing of 21,600 cells from the rat VTA, creating a searchable online atlas of the VTA. The rat is the prime model for reward and substance use studies. This unbiased approach -; in contrast to previous studies that selected some subsets of cells for RNA sequencing -; was used to create the largest and most comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic analysis focused exclusively on the composition and molecular architecture of the VTA. Though it was well known that the VTA is composed of heterogeneous cell types, the UAB atlas expands those studies in several key ways. For example, previous single-cell sequencing studies were conducted exclusively in the mouse brain and have relied primarily on sequencing a subset of fluorescence-activated cell sorting-isolated midbrain dopaminergic populations, rather than sampling all VTA cell types. Notably, our sequencing dataset focuses exclusively on VTA sub-regions, unlike other studies that have focused on pooled cells from the mouse substantia nigra and VTA or a subset of fluorescently tagged cells from general midbrain regions." Jeremy J. Day, Ph.D. The 16 distinct cell populations include classic dopaminergic neurons, three subsets of glutamatergic neurons and three subsets of GABAergic neurons, as well as nine other cell types, including astrocytes and glial cells. After sub-clustering neuronal cells, the UAB researchers also identified four sub-clusters that may represent neurons capable of combinatorial neurotransmitter release. They also identified selective gene markers for classically defined dopamine neurons and for the combinatorial neurons. A selective marker allows viral targeting of distinct VTA subclasses for functional studies. The researchers also examined sub-clusters for opioid neuropeptides and their receptors, and identified pan-neuronal increased expression for risk genes associated with schizophrenia and "smoking initiation," as well as enrichment of ADHD risk genes in two glutamatergic neuronal populations. Co-authors besides Day, Phillips and Tuscher for the study, "An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area," are Samantha L. Black, Emma Andraka and N. Dalton Fitzgerald, UAB Department of Neurobiology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute; and Lara Ianov, Civitan International Research Center at UAB. Day, Phillips and Tuscher are, respectively, associate professor, graduate student and postdoctoral fellow in the UAB Department of Neurobiology. Support came from National Institutes of Health grants MH114990, DA039650 and DA048348; UAB's Pittman Scholars Program, AMC21 Scholars Program and Civitan International Research Center; and a Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator grant. The UAB Department of Neurobiology, McKnight Brain Institute and Civitan International Research Center are all part of the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. Patricia Keys, 71 and a stroke survivor, needs help with many everyday activities, such as dressing and bathing. Her daughter Christina, who lives near her mom in Vancouver, Washington, cares for her in the evenings and pays about $3,000 a month for help from other caregivers. Christina Keys, 53, was thrilled three years ago when Washington state passed a first-in-the-nation law that created a long-term care benefit for residents who paid into a state fund. She hoped it would be a resource for others facing similar challenges. The benefit, which has a lifetime limit of $36,500, would have made a big difference during the first year after her mom's stroke, Keys said. Her mom needed a ramp built and other modifications made to her house, as well as a wheelchair and hospital bed. The extra money might also have made it easier for Keys to hire caregivers. Instead, she gave up her technology sales job to look after her mom. "People are under this cloud of delusion that between your insurance and your retirement [income] you're going to be fine," she said. "They don't understand all the things that insurance doesn't cover." But relief for Washington families will have to wait. The WA Cares Fund, which was set to begin collecting money for the program with a mandatory payroll tax on workers in January, has been delayed while lawmakers made adjustments during the current legislative session. Payroll deductions will start in July 2023, and benefits will become available in July 2026. Other states are watching Washington closely as they weigh offering coverage for their own residents. In California, a task force is examining how to design and implement a long-term care program, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Illinois and Michigan are also studying the issue, according to the NCSL. Supporters of the Washington program say it just needed fine-tuning and note that social programs like Medicare and the Affordable Care Act also underwent tweaking. The program's long-term solvency, however, is in doubt and the cost to workers who buy into the program is in question. What's not in doubt is that it is critically important to address long-term care needs. About 70% of people who turn 65 will require some type of long-term care services. Many will need help such as an at-home assistant, while others could face a stay in a nursing home, which on average costs more than $90,000 a year. But many don't have good options to cover the expense. Medicare's coverage is very limited, while Medicaid generally requires people to impoverish themselves before it picks up the tab. Private long-term care insurance policies are unaffordable for most people. The upshot: Many people rely on unpaid family members to help them with medical care, as well as everyday activities like bathing and dressing. The problem is getting much worse. The number of people 85 and older is projected to more than double within the next 20 years, while the number of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is expected to double as well, to 13 million. The federal Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act), which was part of the Affordable Care Act, created a voluntary long-term care buy-in program, but it was never implemented because of concerns it wouldn't be financially sound. Since then, policymakers in Washington, D.C., have had little appetite for addressing the problem. "We don't have a solution at the federal level, so states are taking it on themselves to experiment with solutions," said Bonnie Burns, a consultant for California Health Advocates and an expert on long-term care who was appointed to a Washington state committee to help develop a supplemental long-term care insurance product to be offered alongside the state benefit. The Washington state program's maximum benefit is intended to cover a year's worth of home care at 20 hours a week, said program director Benjamin Veghte. Although wealthy people likely can afford to pay for their care and the poorest families qualify for Medicaid, middle-class families might burn through their savings trying to cover such bills. "It doesn't solve all the problems, but with a modest premium and a modest benefit it eases the problem for families," Veghte said. It could also give some families time so that "maybe they can develop a plan" for long-term care needs after their benefits expire, he added. Although the law passed in 2019, it remained below many people's radars until the mandatory payroll deduction approached. Workers faced a tax of 0.58% per $100 of income. For someone earning $52,000 annually, the deduction would equal $302 a year, according to state estimates. As people realized they were about to have to start paying into the program, some pushed back. Workers could get an exemption if they had private long-term care insurance, and thousands of people scrambled for that coverage before the Nov. 1, 2021, opt-out deadline. Many of the state's employers quickly offered workers the opportunity to buy private plans. Because withholding for the benefit isn't capped based on income, wealthier people may be better off with private long-term care insurance, if they can pass the insurer's medical evaluation. "We did have a good number of higher-earning, younger folks who wanted to buy a policy," said Gary Brooks, a certified financial planner who is co-owner of BHJ Wealth Advisors in Gig Harbor, Washington. By last month, 473,000 workers had taken the one-time offer to opt out of the program. Other people raised objections because they would have to pay into the system but wouldn't benefit. These included people who work in Washington but live in a neighboring state, the spouses of service members who are unlikely to make Washington a permanent home, people planning to retire before the three years needed to qualify for benefits, and some workers on temporary visas. The commission overseeing the long-term care program has estimated that the number of people from these groups eligible to opt out is about 264,000. In January, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation that addressed many of these issues. It allows certain groups to opt out and people nearing retirement to receive partial benefits based on the number of years they paid into the program. One other group those who plan to retire elsewhere hasn't been addressed, but the state is developing recommendations for the legislature, Veghte said. According to current actuarial projections, 3.1 million workers will begin paying into the program next year, out of a total of 3.6 million, Veghte said. Some critics are concerned that allowing more people to opt out of the program puts it on increasingly precarious financial footing. "The solvency issue just gets greater and greater," said Richard Birmingham, a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle who is representing employers and workers in a class-action lawsuit that claims the law violates federal and state statutes governing employee benefit plans. "Any change they make further increases the cost." Supporters are sponsoring a ballot initiative that they believe would help bolster the program's assets by allowing program funds to be invested in a diversified portfolio rather than fixed-income investments. That initiative "probably will eventually" pass, Veghte said, even though it failed in 2020. Although the program delay isn't ideal for the thousands of people who could benefit from the new program in the short term, consumer advocates are taking it in stride. "We know that as the first state to do this that it may not be perfect going out of the gate," said Jessica Gomez, coalition manager of Washingtonians for a Responsible Future, which represents community groups for aging and disability populations. "It may have to be fixed, but we'll fix the problems and go forward." BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese central authorities have issued a set of guidelines to crack down on fraud involving telecommunication and the internet. China will step up efforts to fight the whole criminal chain of telecom and internet fraud, and will enhance international cooperation to hunt down and extradite fugitives involved in these crimes, per the document jointly released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council. The authorities will make all efforts to retrieve money acquired by fraud rings, it said. Technology should be used against the websites, apps and short messages used by fraud rings, and to enable law enforcement agencies to identify potential victims more precisely. Awareness campaigns will be devised to better equip the public to identify fraud schemes, according to the document. Authorities will also tighten the supervision over financial institutions to detect and cut off new money laundering channels of fraud rings. Those involved in telecom or internet fraud will be blacklisted by the country's social credit system. (Newser) Following a recent piece about the origin myth of starlingsthe small black birds that move in cloud-like, synchronous flocksNew York Times writer Jason Bittel was overrun with questions and commentary about snarge, the term biologists and aviation professionals use for the bits or clumps of bird remains found on (or in the engines of) airplanes after midflight collisions. In a follow-up piece, Bittel digs deeper into the word's origins, which dates back to 1960, after an Eastern Airlines flight crashed into Boston Harbor. Just 10 out of 72 passengers and crew survived; investigators later determinedbased on clumps of feathers in the enginesthat the plane had struck a flock of starlings. The term emerged from the Smithsonian Institutes Feather Identification Lab, where feather expert Roxie Laybourne pioneered a critical branch of research around wildlife-aviation hazards. It's not clear whether Laybourne herself coined the term, though Bittel anoints her the "Queen of Snarge." Since then, Smithsonian ornithologists have worked with the FAA to identify and address potential risks, which vary from one airport or region to another. (Just ask Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.) Airports use various management options, such as noise cannons, capture/relocation, and even trained falcons. The aviation industry has also adapted plane engines, which are expected to survive most bird impacts. The FAA documented 17,358 strikes in 2019, most of which did little or no damage. Read the full story. (Read more snarge stories.) (Newser) Children's book author Jason Tharp says his planned book reading at an Ohio elementary school was halted after concerns were raised about the book's possible "gay agenda." Tharp was scheduled to read It's Okay to Be a Unicorn on April 6, but the day before, he got a call from Buckeye Valley Local School District informing him of the issue. "I just said, did somebody think I made a gay book? And he's like, 'Yeah,' and I'm like, 'Because why? Rainbows and unicorns?'" Tharp told USA Today. He says the answer to that question was essentially affirmative. He later clarified on Instagram, "The principal, teachers, students, and school was awesome. These decisions were made outside of that building." There are no references to homosexuality in the book, which is about loving and accepting yourself, but, Tharp tells USA Today, a parent scrolling through Tharp's social media saw that he supports the LGBTQ+ community. "One parent ... came in and said that apparently, I was coming in with an agenda to recruit kids to be gay," he says. Tharp offered to read another book, It's Okay to Smell Good, which has a similar message but involves a story about skunks rather than unicorns, but he was told to instead just focus on an uplifting message rather than read any of his books. In a statement to ABC 6, the district says the author visit went on as scheduled, just, apparently, without the book reading. "Jason shares an inspirational message with students about how he was 'weird' in school but has capitalized on what made him unique (his drawing) and turned it into a strength. Jasons message revolves around K.U.P which stands for: Kindness (be kind to others and yourself) Uniqueness (be yourself and capitalize on what makes you unique) Practice (practice unique skills you have, chase your dreams). After discussing his message, Jason will share his talent of drawing and illustration." The district says the book has not been banned. (Read more Ohio stories.) (Newser) Russian missiles hit the city of Lviv in western Ukraine on Monday, killing at least six people, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscows troops stepped up strikes on infrastructure in preparation for an all-out assault on the east. Plumes of thick, black smoke rose over the city after a series of explosions shattered windows and started fires, reports the AP. Lviv and the rest of western Ukraine have seen only sporadic strikes during almost two months of war and have become a relative refuge for people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, vowed to fight absolutely to the end in strategically vital Mariupol, where the last known pocket of resistance in a seven-week siege was holed up in a sprawling steel plant laced with tunnels. Russia has repeatedly urged forces there to lay down their arms, but those remaining ignored a surrender-or-die ultimatum on Sunday. Lviv's regional governor, Maksym Kozytskyy, said six people were killed and another eight, including a child, were wounded by four Russian missile strikes. He said three hit military infrastructure facilities and one struck a tire shop. A hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled fighting further east was among buildings badly damaged in overnight missile strikes, according to Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, who put the toll at six dead and 11 wounded. The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv," said Lyudmila Turchak, 47, who fled with two children from Kharkiv. "There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe. Military analysts say Russia is increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railways, and other infrastructure targets across Ukraine to wear down the countrys ability to resist a major ground offensive in the Donbas, Ukraines mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial heartland. The Russian military said missiles struck more than 20 military targets across Ukraine overnightincluding ammunition depots, command headquarters, and groups of troops and vehicles. Russia is bent on capturing the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists already control some territory, after its attempt to take the capital, Kyiv, failed. (Read more Ukraine stories.) (Newser) An alleged murder case in South Korea is making headlines for its unusual circumstances, including the use of pufferfish toxin. Police near Seoul arrested 31-year-old Lee Eun-hae and alleged accomplice Cho Hyun-soo, 31, and accused them of murdering Lee's husband for insurance money, reports the Korea Herald. Police say the couple drowned Lee's 39-year-old husband in 2019 in a case that was initially ruled to be an accidental death. However, a tip to police led to an investigation that authorities say uncovered two previous murder attempts in 2019. One involved poisoning the husband's food with deadly pufferfish toxin, per Yonhap News. The second involved an attempted drowning. Whether the husband grew suspicious at any point remains unclear, notes the Daily Beast. Lee was on track to receive about $650,000 before the police investigation derailed the payout. The pair went on the lam in December after police issued arrest warrants, and they were arrested over the weekend in Goyang. (Read more South Korea stories.) (Newser) About the only thing certain about the Russian war ship Moskva is that it is now at the bottom of the sea. But days after it sank, key questions remain, including how it got there and how many members of its 500-plus crew were injured or worse. Ukraine says it sank the ship with missilesand the Pentagon believes itbut Russia denies that and says the ship sank in stormy seas while being towed after an onboard fire broke out. On Monday, photos and video appearing to show the damaged ship before it went down emerged on the messaging app Telegram, reports the Moscow Times. The images, which show the ship listing and parts of it engulfed in smoke, have not been verified as authentic. I believe the video is real," journalist Yoruk Isik, an expert on Russian ships, tells the Guardian. "It is the Moskva." Even if so, the images won't do much to settle the mystery of what caused the ship to go down. However, the Guardian points out that the ships' lifeboats are gone, suggesting that the crew was able to escape. Over the weekend, Russia's defense ministry posted new footage of what it described as a gathering of Moskva sailors, but the Moscow Times notes that only about 100 sailors were present. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that the Moskva's sinking has led to a lively public debate in Russia. Just explain to me how you managed to lose it, said Vladimir Solovyev on his prime-time talk show, one that usually sticks to Kremlin talking points. He also openly speculated that Ukraine might indeed have sunk the ship, at odds with Russia's official line. Also of note: director Vladimir Bortko, a former member of Russia's parliament, publicly blamed Ukraine for the sinking and said Russia must retaliate, per the Times. "The special military operation has ended, it ended last night when our motherland was attacked, he said, using the term that Moscow has stipulated in place of "war." He added that "the attack on our territory is casus belli, an absolute cause for war for real. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.) (Newser) A grim story out of New York City, where the body of a Queens mom was found in a wheeled duffel bag by a dog-walker early Saturday. Most of the details beyond that have been provided by unnamed police sources. The New York Daily News spoke with a police source who said Orsolya Gaal, 51, went out on Friday night and arrived home around 11pm, "and at 4:30 in the morning, somebodys pulling that bag down the street." A police source said much the same to the New York Post, explaining multiple cameras recorded the scene around 4:30am and cops "actually traced it backward from the scene to the house." The duffel bag was found about a half-mile from her home in what the Daily News describes as a "quiet, upscale residential" neighborhood. It reports that upon arriving at the residence, police found Gaal's 13-year-old son there alone, though its source says it's not thought the boy was involved in the murder. Gaal's husband, Howard Klein, and their 17-year-old son were reportedly on the West Coast at the time; a since-deleted tweet suggested they were visiting colleges. PIX11's police sources say Klein received a message, possibly sent from the killer using his wife's phone, saying, "Your whole family is next." Klein seemed to back that up in comments to the Post, which reached him by phone at the airport Saturday. "Thank God [my son] is safe," he said of his youngest son, adding the family's "lives are at stake." (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) If you're not familiar with flechettes, that's understandable. The Washington Post reports the roughly inch-long finned darts "are rarely seen or used in modern conflict"the Ukraine-Russia war apparently being an exception. The Post isn't presenting evidence that they've been widely used, but it visits with a woman who lives outside Kyiv in Bucha and who has piled up the flechettes that studded her yard. "If you look closely on the ground around my house, you will find a lot more of them," she says. Post reporters observed others in the streets. The projectiles, or a version of them, were used in WWI and in Vietnam, and while they aren't banned under any international conventions (in part because their use fell out of fashion), groups like Amnesty International point out that they're indiscriminate weapons that should not be used in civilian-heavy areas. The Guardian in 2014 reported they were being used by Israel in Gaza and explained that when the shell containing the flechettes explodes, thousands of metal darts are dispersed "in a conical arch" nearly 1,000 feet long. A munitions expert tells the Post the weapon is most effective in specific scenarios, as when troops are massing together in an open space. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.) (Newser) Police have made an arrest in the murder of a high-profile figure in the LGBTQ community of Florida. Authorities say 36-year-old Steven Yinger strangled 54-year-old Jorge Diaz-Johnston of Tallahassee, whose body was found in a landfill in January, reports the Tallahassee Democrat. Diaz-Johnston was one of the plaintiffs in a 2015 lawsuit that led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in Miami-Dade County, per People. He was also the brother of former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. Yinger and Diaz-Johnston were roommates, Diaz-Johnston having offered Yinger a place to stay upon his release from prison in October. The two met in an an alcohol-recovery program, and Diaz-Johnston was known for helping people in recovery, notes the Democrat. His death "sent shock waves throughout Florida," per the Washington Post. Yinger, who has a long criminal record, has been indicted on charges including first-degree murder and moving Diaz-Johnston's body. He is also accused of stealing the victim's BMWpolice stopped him while driving it shortly after Diaz-Johnston went missingand iPhone. Diaz-Johnston had been in the midst of a divorce from his husband, Don, when he was murdered. (Read more murder charges stories.) (Newser) The new Showtime series The First Lady premiered Sunday, a show that features Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford. Unlike Anderson and Pfeiffer, Davis is portraying somebody who is still very much alive and well, and she spoke to Vanity Fair about that pressure: "Everyone knows what she looks like and what she sounds like, so I am absolutely terrified," says Davis. "But I'm mostly terrified about what she will think. I don't want to insult her and have her calling me. I gotta make the sister look good. I just hope that it lands with her." Davis further says she pored over videos of Obama, listened to her podcasts over and over, and even spoke to the former first lady in preparation. "She said to me, 'Im not an angry person,'" recalls Davis. "So what I really wanted to do with my performance was to protect her, to honor her, and not be the perception that Black women are angry and hostile." In a separate interview with the Guardian, Davis elaborates: "Heres the thing about Michelle Obama, which is very different from me, different from a lot of people: She's healthy. Shes a healthy human being, because she grew up in an environment where she always felt seen, always felt worthy," she says. "Maybe because Ive been with a lot of artists in my life, a lot of people whove been traumatized, including myself, its very interesting to portray someone who literally is healthy," adds Davis. So far, Obama has not publicly weighed in since the show's Sunday debut, though the New York Post picks up on social media chatter from people who aren't crazy about Davis' use of pursed lips in her portrayal. In general, the show itself is getting lackluster reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. (Read more Viola Davis stories.) (Newser) The "cake" was made from frozen fruit juice, sweet potatoes, carrots, and sugar cane, and it lasted about 15 minutes once giant panda mama Mei Xiang and her cub Xiao Qi Ji got hold of it. The National Zoo's most famous tenants had an enthusiastic breakfast Saturday in front of adoring crowds as the zoo celebrated 50 years of its iconic panda exchange agreement with the Chinese government. Xiao Qi Jis father Tian Tian largely sat out the morning festivities, munching bamboo in a neighboring enclosure as Chinese ambassador Qin Gang praised the bears as "a symbol of the friendship" between the nations. In addition to hailing the 1972 agreement sparked by President Nixon's landmark visit to China, Saturday's celebration also highlighted the success of the global giant panda breeding program. The zoo's original 1972 panda pair, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, were star attractions at the zoo for decades, but panda pregnancies are notoriously tricky and none of their cubs survived. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived in 2000, and the pair has successfully birthed three other cubs: Tai Shan, Bao Bao, and Bei Beiby artificial insemination. All were transported to China at age 4, under terms of the zoos agreement with the Chinese government. Similar agreements with zoos around the world have helped revitalize the giant panda population. Down to just over 1,000 bears in the 1980s, the species has since been removed from the lists of animals in danger of extinction, reports the AP. Xiao Qi Ji's birth in August 2020 was hailed as a near miracle, due to Mei Xiang's advanced age and the fact that zoo staff performed the artificial insemination procedure under tight restrictions shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic shut the entire zoo. At age 22, Mei Xiang was the oldest giant panda to successfully give birth in the United States. Normally they would have used a combination of frozen sperm and fresh semen extracted from Tian Tian. But in order to minimize the number of close-quarters medical procedures, zoo officials used only frozen semen. Xiao Qi Ji's name translates as "little miracle." (Researchers have figured out why pandas like horse manure.) (Newser) A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of US health officials even in the coronavirus pandemic, per the AP. The decision Monday by US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President Trump, also said the CDC improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking. In her 59-page ruling, Mizelle said the only remedy was to vacate the rule entirely because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who objected to it in the lawsuit. Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate, she wrote. The CDC recently extended the mask mandate, which was set to expire Monday, until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the US. The mask requirement for travelers was the target of months of lobbying from the airlines, which sought to kill it. The carriers argued that effective air filters on modern planes make transmission of the virus during a flight highly unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to kill the mandate. Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores, and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January. (Philadelphia just reinstated its mask mandate for indoor public spaces.) (Read more mask mandates stories.) (Newser) The US Supreme Court on Monday declined an appeal by the Penobscot Indian Nation in its fight with Maine over ownership and regulation of the tribes namesake river. It was a bitter defeat for the tribe that sued a decade ago, claiming the Penobscot River is part of its reservation. Penobscot Chief Kirk Francis says it is a disappointing outcome in a legal case that goes to the "core identity of the Penobscot Nation." "We see this as a modern day territorial removal by the state by trying to separate us from our ancestral ties to our namesake river," Francis tells the AP. A federal judge previously ruled that the reservation includes islands of the river's main stem, but not the waters. There were appeals to a panel of the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals and then to the full appeals court. On Monday, the nation's top court, without comment, declined to hear the tribe's appeals over river regulation. The ruling came as the Maine Legislature was considering several measures that relate to tribal sovereignty. The Penobscots, whose reservation is on an island in the river, sued in 2012 after then-Attorney General William Schneider issued an opinion that the tribes territory was limited to islands. The tribe said the lawsuit was necessary to protect tribal authority over its ancestral river and ensure sustenance rights. But state regulators argued that a win by the tribe would create "a two-tiered system" on the Penobscot that would be a detriment to the general public. Francis says the Supreme Court's action is probably the end of the road for the appeal, but the tribe won't give up. "Well continue to see every avenue to remedy this," he says. (Read more Maine stories.) (Newser) The long-expected major Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine is now underway, with Russian forces trying to push forward along a front around 300 miles long, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday. "We can now say that Russian forces have started the battle of the Donbas, for which they have long prepared," Zelensky said, per Reuters. Ukrainian forces have been bracing for an attack in the area since Moscow started withdrawing its troops from northern Ukraine, including the Kyiv area, last month. "The second phase of the war has started," said Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff. "This morning, along almost the entire front line in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv regions, the occupiers attempted to break through our defenses," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said Monday, per the New York Times. "Our servicemen are holding out" and the Russians have only been able to break through in two places, Danilov said. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions make up the Donbas. Shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February, Vladimir Putin said Moscow was recognizing two breakaway pro-Russia republics in the areaand their claims to larger areas of Ukrainian territory. "A large part of the Russian army is now dedicated to this offensive," Zelensky said Monday. "No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight." A senior US defense official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity, said there are now 76 Russian combat units in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. The official said that could work out to 50,000 to 60,000 troops based on typical unit size before the invasion, but the number is harder to determine after weeks of heavy Russian losses. Before the Monday offensive, Russian strikes hit dozens of targets across Ukraine. Some strikes hit the western Ukraine city of Lviv, killing civilians in a city that had been considered relatively safe. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.) Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Cloudy with occasional showers this afternoon. High 42F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Rain and snow showers this evening transitioning to snow showers overnight. Low 31F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 50%. The Public Safety Report is compiled from criminal complaints filed in state and federal courts, as well as some police blotter information, trooper dispatches, fire department reports and interviews with public safety officials. Individuals named as arrested and/or charged with crimes in this report are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Join me onboard Japan Airlines First Class all the way over to Tokyo. What's more, I'll have the entire cabin to myself for 14 hours. Starting in Chicago, my flight will cross the international date line, meaning technically I will be onboard for two days before arriving into Tokyo's Narita Airport. Given I've recently travelled onboard Singapore Airlines First Class, as well as ANA First Suites (both on their Boeing 777-300ER) I feel this review will be an interesting point of comparison between key luxury airline products in the Asian region. Japanese farmers are being hit by higher prices of grain, fertilizers and other supplies necessary for agriculture and livestock farming as Russias aggression against Ukraine continues. In particular, grain prices are soaring due to a decline in exports from both Russia and Ukraine, boosting the prices of compound feed. But many producers are finding it difficult to pass on the higher costs to buyers. Sales prices of fresh food items, such as vegetables, are usually determined by the balance of supply and demand because it is difficult to adjust the production amount quickly. Grain prices had risen due to poor harvests caused by drought. The situation worsened further, as Russias invasion of Ukraine sparked supply concerns, leading wheat futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to rewrite their record highs for the first time in 14 years. Compound feed prices also rose sharply. Uber Technologies on Monday said it will partner with Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten Group in Uber's food delivery business, a move that will likely intensify the delivery battle in Japan. By the end of April, users of Uber Eats will be able to pay for orders using the credit card linked to their Rakuten ID. They can earn Rakuten Points, a reward program run by Rakuten Group, as well as use the points to pay for purchases. Users will also be able to sign up for Uber Eats with their Rakuten ID. In a recorded video message, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the tie-up was a result of years of talks between him and Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani. Rakuten has been a major investor in Lyft, Uber's ride-hailing rival in the U.S., since 2015, but Mikitani stepped down from Lyft's board in 2020. Rakuten last year transferred its food delivery operation to Gurunavi, a Japanese restaurant booking site that counts Rakuten as a shareholder. The move signaled that Rakuten was scaling back ambitions of building its own delivery business. Uber's biggest rival Demae-can said last week that net loss for the September 2021 to February 2022 period more than doubled from the previous year from 9.8 billion yen ($77 million) to 22.9 billion yen. Demae-can's revenue, however, also doubled to 22.7 billion yen. ...continue reading Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - Turkey Monday expressed its sympathy to the people of Benin following the recent terrorist ambush in the Pendjari Park (North) that left five dead and one injured (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Sebastian Tello-Trillo, University of Virginia (THE CONVERSATION) The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea When children get health insurance through Medicaid or the Childrens Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, their families benefit too. Thats what I found through recent research conducted with two fellow health economists, Daniel S. Grossman and Barton Willage. And it was particularly true for their mothers, who become 5% more likely to be in a stable marriage and experience a 5.8% reduction in stress levels. Moms are also less likely to smoke cigarettes and drink heavily. We figured this out by comparing the rates for marriage, mental health conditions and health behaviors of mothers whose children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, a joint effort by states and the federal government to cover kids in families with relatively modest incomes that are too high for Medicaid eligibility, with mothers whose children are less eligible for these programs. We also compared the employment status of low-income mothers of children who obtained health insurance eligibility with those who did not. Why it matters Some 4.3 million children under the age of 19, or 5.6% of all U.S. kids, lacked health insurance coverage in 2020 the most recent data available. President Joe Bidens proposed Build Back Better Act, currently stalled in the Senate, would help close this gap. States set their own eligibility requirements for Medicaid and CHIP, and these thresholds range widely. Eligibility usually depends on a childs age, the number of people in the household and the familys income. For example, in Oregon, a 3-year-old in a family of three with an annual income of US$33,000 would not be eligible. That same child living in Wisconsin, however, would be. And Wisconsins policies are not even the most generous in the nation. Previously, researchers have primarily measured the effectiveness of the Medicaid and CHIP programs for children by assessing direct effects related to their own health. Our study shows that gaining access to government-provided health insurance coverage also affects a childs household in positive ways. One reason thats important: Prior research has shown that growing up in a stable home benefits a childs cognitive development. What still isnt known Our study complements previous research suggesting that obtaining health insurance coverage through Medicaid and CHIP has long-term effects for children, such as through higher educational achievement. But how that happens remains unclear. That is, do these kids perform better in school because their health is typically better than it would have been or something else? Another question that remains is whether these patterns crop up when people gain access to other beneficial programs. For example, when children with special needs obtain the services they require, does it also benefit their parents? Or how does student loan forgiveness improve the lives of people in a household besides the person who owed the money? Whats next We focused on moms because maternal data was more readily available. In the future, we would like to do further research to see whether the benefits for the fathers of children who gain health insurance coverage through Medicaid and CHIP are similar to the boost that mothers get. [Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.] This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/health-insurance-coverage-for-kids-through-medicaid-and-chip-helps-their-moms-too-178249. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT The morning of Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018 began like any other for Paulo Henriques, a commercial fisherman who owns a shellfish business on Seaview Avenue. That changed about 8 a.m., when a friend who came to do some maintenance work on one of Henriques boats alerted him to something he saw from the business dock, near the area of a public boat ramp. He told me that he thought he saw a doll on the beach, Henriques said in Superior Court Monday. I walked back up to the dock with him. The person was face down and I saw sand on their shoes. I said This is not good. I grabbed the phone and called 911 right away. Henriques was the first witness to testify Monday in the trial of former Ansonia resident Brandon Roberts in the killing of 25-year-old Emily Todd, of Bethel. Police said Todds mother told detectives that her daughter had met Roberts, who was staying with relatives at a Stratford hotel, on an online dating app. After several dates, police said Todd, who lived in Bethel, called off the relationship. But they said Roberts convinced her to meet him one more time, luring her to the area of the boat ramp before killing her. States Attorney Joseph Corradino introduced photos depicting Todds lifeless body sprawled on the sand before showing the jury a close-up of her head taken after cops turned the body over, with blood covering her face. Some of Todds family members, who filled the front row of the courtrooms public gallery, wept quietly and wiped tears from their eyes. Others turned away from the screen where the photos were being shown. Cops had to move quickly to document the scene, said Detective Juan Serrano, who worked at the time in the police departments crime scene unit. The detective said police didnt have time to record video of the area as they normally would. The water was rising, high tide was coming in, Serrano said. We were afraid that it was going to wash the body out. A single .40 caliber shell casing was found nearby. Dr. Maura DeJoseph, a deputy chief medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Todds body, testified that the gunshot that killed Todd struck her near the base of her neck and exited her mouth near her right cheek. The bullet broke one of her cervical vertebrae and injured her vertebral artery, carotid artery, and jugular vein. The last witness called Monday was FBI Special Agent James Wines, a specialist in analyzing cell phone data, who testified about the cell towers used by Todds and Roberts phones the night she died and the next morning. He said the data showed Todds cell phone was in the Bethel area earlier that night before traveling southeast toward the Trumbull area, then into Stratford and Bridgeport near the area of the boat ramp. He said he found Todds cell phone the night after her death on the shoulder of Interstate 95 south near the Route 8/25 connector. Information from Roberts phone records, which he said included more specific per call measurement data, showed movement consistent with the phone being in the area of the Quality Suites in Stratford and the Peoples United Bank in Trumbull the night of the killing. Police said that after killing Todd, Roberts took Todds car, cellphone and credit cards. Video surveillance allegedly showed Roberts driving Todds car into the drive-through at the bank, where officers said he used Todds debit card to withdraw $400 from Todds bank account. In 2020, Roberts had offered to plead guilty to the killing in exchange for a 45-year prison sentence. But after hearing from numerous friends and family members of Todd, Judge Joan Alexander rejected the deal, saying the sentence would not be appropriate. Roberts, who is now 29, is charged with murder, felony murder, first-degree robbery and carrying a pistol without a permit in the case. Todds death sparked debate about numerous issues, including Connecticuts gun laws and Bridgeports response to a 911 call from Todd about a week before the killing. According to Todds mother Jennifer Lawlor, Todd had called 911 eight days before her death. She told the dispatcher that Roberts had a gun and was threatening to hurt himself after she had broken up with him, and that hes going to kill me for telling anyone. Police located Roberts more than an hour after the 911 call, but he drove off and police did not pursue him. On Dec. 14, police arrested Roberts at his fathers home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and charged him with Todds murder. While being questioned in the Shaker Heights police station, police said Roberts confessed to Bridgeport Police Lt. Chris LaMaine that he had killed Todd and shot another woman near Washington Park a year earlier. The second woman, who was 43 at the time, was taken to Bridgeport Hospital with a bullet wound in her right shoulder. Roberts is charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault in that case. Corradino told a judge last month that as part of the agreement with Todds lawyer, he will not be presenting evidence of the second crime during the trial. At the hearing, the prosecutor told Superior Court Judge Alex Hernandez that Roberts lawyer, Public Defender Joseph Bruckmann, will not be contesting his clients recorded confession to police, but instead will be raising a defense of extreme emotional disturbance. Unlike the so-called insanity defense, if a jury is convinced Roberts was acting under extreme emotional distress they could find him guilty of a lesser manslaughter charge. Testimony in the case was expected to resume Tuesday morning. CALGARY, AB, April 18, 2022 /CNW/ - Avanti Energy Inc. (TSXV: AVN) (OTC: ARGYF) ("Avanti" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Chris Bakker, Chief Executive Officer of Avanti, will be a guest today, April 18th, on Bloomberg Radio at approximately 11:45 a.m. EST with Paul T. Sweeney and Matt Miller. Mr. Bakker will be discussing Avanti's major helium discovery in Montana, which the Company believes has the potential to become one of, if not the largest new helium pools in North America, as well as helium's uses in industries of critical national importance such as semiconductor manufacturing, fiber optics, and rockets. Bloomberg Markets AM Radio is on weekdays from 10am-12pm. Paul Sweeney and Matt Miller focus on market coverage as Wall Street begins its day, with analysis from Bloomberg Opinion writers, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts, and influential newsmakers. To listen to the interview please go to: https://www.bloombergradio.com/shows/bloomberg-markets-am/ Avanti Energy is a helium exploration and development company pursuing new opportunities in extracting untapped helium deposits across western Canada and the United States to help fill the void in supply left from the depleted Federal National Helium Reserve in Amarillo, Texas, the world's single largest source of helium for the past 70 years. Furthermore, the way demand is going, the nature of helium as a finite resource, geopolitical risks of threats to supply and potential supply outages, helium is going to be highly sought after. It is more important than ever to secure North American supplies of helium for materials that are critical to everyday living as well as national defense. About Avanti Energy Avanti Energy is focused on the exploration, development, and production of helium across western Canada and the United States. Avanti's professional oil and gas exploration and production team is actively targeting untapped potential helium reserves to help meet the increasing global demand for an irreplaceable and scarce element critical to advanced technology, medical and space exploration industries. For more information, please go to the Company's website at www.avantienergy.com. Forward-Looking Statements The information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Avanti Energy Inc. For further information: For corporate and shareholder inquiries, please contact: Avanti Energy, Investor Relations, Phone: 403-394-0409, Email: [email protected]; Avanti Energy Inc., Website: www.avantienergy.com The bench, headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana, set aside the Allahabad High Court's order that granted bail to Ashish. The SC held that the Allahabad HC's order is not sustainable. The Supreme Court on Monday cancelled the bail granted by Allahabad High Court to the prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, Ashish Mishra Teni. The apex court further directed him to surrender within a week. The bench, headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana, set aside the Allahabad High Courts order that granted bail to Ashish. The SC held that the Allahabad HCs order is not sustainable. The top court also observed that victims were not heard while considering the bail plea of Ashish Mishra in Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court remanded the matter back to the Allahabad High Court to hear the issue afresh. Earlier, on April 4, the bench had reserved the order after hearing all the parties. The Uttar Pradesh government had said that accused Ashish Mishra is not a flight risk. Earlier, in an affidavit, the Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court that the state has taken all efforts to protect the witnesses and families of victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. According to Hubli Police commissioner, 88 persons, including an AIMIM corporator's husband, have been arrested in the matter so far. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said probe is underway into the stone-pelting on Old Hubli Police Station in the state on Sunday. Bommai also assured strict action against the perpetrators. Speaking to the media, the Karnataka CM said, We have arrested all accused, and further investigation is going on. Action will be taken against the perpetrators after the investigation. According to Hubli Police commissioner, 88 persons, including an AIMIM corporators husband, have been arrested in the matter so far. Section 144 which was imposed soon after the incident continues to remain in place in the Hubli city. Earlier on Sunday, state Minister CN Ashwathnarayan said that the strongest possible action should be taken against those involved in the stone-pelting incident. Ashwathnarayan was quoted as saying, The strongest possible action should be taken to send the right message to the people who time and again do not respect the law of the land. We condemned the incident. On Sunday, 14 accused were produced before the Rohini Court. The court remanded custody of two prime accused - Ansar and Aslam - to the police for one day. The Delhi Police has arrested another accused in connection with the Jahangirpuri violence that broke out during the Hanuman Jayanti Shobhayatra on Saturday. This takes the total number of arrests in the case to 21. Two juveniles have also been apprehended in the case. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) North-West Usha Rangnani. said, One more accused has been arrested in connection with the Jahangirpuri violence case. He is found to be previously involved in a robbery and an attempt to murder case under Jahangirpuri Police station. She further added, An FIR has been registered under sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 332, 323, 427, 436, 307, 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 27 Arms Act dated April 16, following 20 accused persons have been arrested and 2 Juveniles in conflict with the law have been apprehended. On Sunday, 14 accused were produced before the Rohini Court. The court remanded custody of two prime accused Ansar and Aslam to the police for one day. The remaining 12 were sent to judicial custody for 14 days. The new ministers have been appointed with the aim to ensure the smooth functioning of the administration. The swearing-in ceremony for the ministers took place at the Presidential residence. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday appointed 17 cabinet ministers amid the worsening economic crisis in the island nation. The new ministers have been appointed with the aim to ensure the smooth functioning of the administration. The swearing-in ceremony for the ministers took place at the Presidential residence. President Rajapaksa had earlier offered cabinet positions to opposition party lawmakers after 26 ministers resigned from the countrys cabinet. On April 3, cabinet ministers of the Sri Lankan government had resigned en masse, except for Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in view of the economic crisis. The new cabinet consists of eight former ministers, reported the Colombo Page. There have been widespread calls for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajpaksa. Rajapaksa had earlier refused to step down from his post and said that he would transfer power to any party that proves a simple majority in the countrys parliament. The island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the people, resulting in massive protests over the governments handling of the situation. InfoWars, the company run by Alex Jones, has filed for bankruptcy as Jones faces mounting legal pressure in a suit brought by the families of victims in the Sandy Hook school shooting. The victims families have sued Jones over his claims that the shooting, which left twenty children and six educators dead, was a hoax. The bankruptcy filing now means that civil litigation will be put on hold while the business reorganizes, the Associated Press reported. Several of the families already won judgments against Jones in Connecticut and Texas state courts last year. A new lawsuit filed earlier this month by some of the families who had won a judgement against Jones alleged the host of the InfoWars program had transferred millions of dollars in his fortune to shield his assets from the families. Federal court filings show Jones company InfoW, Inc., which operates under various names including InfoWars, has all filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The list of creditors owed money by the businesses includes the parents of children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, as well as family members of educators who were killed. The filings show InfoWars was estimated to have between one and 49 creditors and estimated liabilities between $1 million and $10 million. A defamation suit against Jones filed by some of the families in state court is ongoing after a judge found Jones liable for damages. A trial on specific damages is scheduled in August. Last week, a judge in the case ruled that $75,000 in fines Jones had paid after he initially failed to appear for a deposition should be returned to him, because he eventually did show up for a deposition in the case. 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 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) A judge told jurors deliberating in the trial of an Ohio doctor charged in the deaths of 14 hospital patients to keep working Monday after they said they were deadlocked. Franklin Judge Michael Holbrook told the panel to make one more attempt to come up with a verdict in the case of Dr. William Husel, who's accused of ordering excessive painkillers that led to the deaths of patients in the Columbus-area Mount Carmel Health System. WEST HAVEN Following a vote from a state board last week that potentially could lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenditures for the already cash-strapped city, officials are wondering what to do though an apparently unintended recording may provide some insight. The states Municipal Accountability Review Board voted to begin the process of escalating West Haven to Tier IV, the highest level of state oversight allowed under the MARB by state statute. Since the MARB was formed in 2017, West Haven is the first municipality to be recommended for such oversight. Although the special meeting Thursday ended after roughly an hour, residents who were viewing the meeting on the citys YouTube channel were given a sneak peek of city officials reaction to the vote. For about 30 seconds after the meeting ended, city officials apparently in a room together could be heard reacting to the vote. The questions gonna be whether you seek an injunction before the governor signs or whether you do it immediately thereafter, city Corporation Counsel Lee Tiernan said in the video. Tiernan said Monday that the city is reviewing its legal options. The Mayor will be advised of all of the legal options the city has concerning the state of Connecticut, Tiernan said in a text message. Mayor Nancy Rossi did not respond to a request for comment Monday. City Treasurer Mike Last told the Register prior to Thursdays meeting that he had been researching the MARBs authority in order to form an opinion. Last did not respond to a request for comment Monday as to whether the city is planning next steps. Although the MARB voted to recommend advancing West Haven to Tier IV, the final decision is for Gov. Ned Lamont to make. A 30-day public comment period is underway following the MARB vote, and all feedback from that process will be forwarded to Lamont before he makes his decision. However, Lamont already has expressed support for the MARBs vote. I think its appropriate that MARB is taking the action they have, which means the state and [Office of Policy and Management] and the outsiders will be there to be another set of eyes on everything going on in the budget office in West Haven, he said at a news conference following the vote. City Council weighs in At Thursdays meeting, the MARB followed a provision of the state statute that outlines the process for voting on whether a city enters Tier IV involuntarily that allows for three representatives of the city to serve on the board for the special meeting. Rossi, Last and City Councilman Mitch Gallignano, D-4, were recognized as members for the meeting, although only Rossi and Gallignano were granted votes on whether the city should be recommended for Tier IV. In pleading the citys case to not be placed under Tier IV, Gallignano said he believed the mayor had worked hard and made progress on the citys finances since taking office in 2017. He said he has served on the City Council under three mayors, and Rossi is the citys best mayor in that time. My full support is with Mayor Rossi on this and with the city of West Havens residents, he said. I believe Mayor Rossi is on the right track and the City Council supports her. Gallignanos comments struck some of his colleagues as odd, they later told the Register, and several said Gallignano did not speak for them when making his comments on the councils behalf. Three days prior to the MARB meeting, the City Council heard 21/2 hours of negative testimony, predominantly against Rossi, from residents outraged over findings in an audit report ordered by the state that concluded about $900,000 of the citys $1.15 million federal CARES Act funding meant to be used to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic either was misspent or improperly documented. Some residents called for Rossis resignation; others asked the council to take a symbolic vote of no confidence in the mayor. When City Council Finance Committee Chairwoman Bridgette Hoskie, D-1, made a motion to authorize a council investigation into the findings in the audit, Gallignano proposed an amendment to the motion that the City Council also take a vote of no confidence in Rossi. The amendment was included in the motion for an investigation, which passed unanimously. Following Thursdays MARB vote, Hoskie said she supports Rossi as an irreplaceable part of a team. I do believe Mayor Rossi and the team of people shes put around her like (Finance Director) Scott Jackson and (Purchasing Director) Ricky Spreyer and her other department heads are going to rise to the occasion and be stronger for it and be more collaborative and do their due diligence, she said. I support her because she is our mayor, and I understand and know she is not going to resign, so we need to become one team even with the MARB. Council Minority Leader Steven Johnstone, R-10, said in a statement that the council Republicans believe the city needs more help than it can accomplish without state intervention. In response to Councilman Gallignanos statement at the April 14, 2022 MARB meeting the council is not united in the Tier IV decision, he said in an emailed statement. I cant speak for the Democrats but we the Republicans wholeheartedly support MARBs decision for takeover and further supervision of our finances. On Monday April 11, we as a council unanimously gave Mayor Rossi a vote of no confidence. Clearly whatever we are doing is not working and we need help. Three of the councils 13 members are Republicans. Gallignano did not respond to requests for comment Monday. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State of using state funds to support his wife, Mrs Be... The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State of using state funds to support his wife, Mrs Betty Akeredolus senatorship ambition in Imo State. Mrs Akeredolu had declared her intention to run for the Imo East Senatorial District ahead of the general election in 2023, under the banner of the All Progressives Congress, APC. A statement issued over the weekend by the PDPs state Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, said the Ondo first lady had been nurturing her senatorial ambition immediately her husband became governor. PDP added that the part of the move to use state resources to support the Mrs Akeredolu was that, some of the Free School Shuttle buses bought by the former Governor Olusegun Mimiko for easy movement of school children were sighted in Owerri, Imo State capital. Mrs Betty Akeredolu is desirous of joining the league of wives of former governors in the Nigerian Senate. The first was Senator Zainab Kure, wife of former Governor of Niger State, Engr. Abdulkadir Kure. Zainab was elected to represent Niger South Senatorial District in 2007 at the end of her husbands second term as Governor. The other person is Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of APC leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a two term Governor of Lagos State. Senator Remi was elected to represent Lagos Central Senatorial District in 2011. She was re-elected in 2015 and 2019. Reacting, the Governors wife who slammed the PDP over the statement, said it was an effort to disparage her. In a statement released by Debo Akinbami, Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media and Archives, the first lady said it was false that the first Lady is dependent on the Ondo State exchequer fund political aspiration. Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa state, says Nigerians now see the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as their only hope. Speaking d... Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa state, says Nigerians now see the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as their only hope. Speaking during a programme on Channels Television, on Sunday, the former governor said the ongoing arrangements by the party with regards to the 2023 general election are for the interest of the country. He said the consultations by PDP stakeholders across the country will further promote the image of the party. In PDP, whatever we do is purely for Nigerias interest, not for us. People see the PDP as the only hope in Nigeria today, Lamido said. We look at what do we come up with and Nigerians will be comfortable with it and will give them the environment that will restore mutual love and trust for each other. To me, before you do anything else, we need to restore the trust among ourselves. Apparently, in Nigeria today, we dont trust each other. We dont believe in each other anymore. Our common bond is not there anymore. Our common bond is humanity. Some aspirants in the PDP have begun consultations across the country ahead of the partys presidential primary election. During the Niger state PDP stakeholders meeting on Saturday, Nyesom Wike, Rivers governor, said there was nothing wrong with a consensus candidate if it is based on equity, justice and fairness. The Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has absolved his principal, the President, Muhammadu Buhari, fr... The Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has absolved his principal, the President, Muhammadu Buhari, from criticism that the Presidents ruling style had contributed to the division in the country. Recall that the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, on Sunday, heavily criticised Buhari over insecurity, corruption, and division in Nigeria. Kukah made his complaints known in his Easter Message on titled, To mend a broken nation: The Easter metaphor. According to the bishop, every aspect of life in Nigeria has been destroyed while corruption is enthroned. He said, It is hard to know whether the problem is that those in power do not hear, see, feel, know, or just dont care. Either way, from this crossroad, we must make a choice, to go forward, turn left or right or return home. None of these choices is easy, yet, guided by the light of the risen Christ, we can reclaim our country from its impending slide to anarchy. The challenge of fixing this broken nation is enormous and, as I have said, requires joint efforts. With everything literally broken down, our country has become one big emergency national hospital with full occupancy. Our individual hearts are broken. Our family dreams are broken. Homes are broken. Churches, Mosques, and infrastructure are broken. Our educational system is broken. Our childrens lives and future are broken. Our politics is broken. Our economy is broken. Our energy system is broken. Our security system is broken. Our Roads and Rails are broken. Only corruption is alive and well, the message read in part. But in a veil response to Kukahs harsh criticism of Buharis regime on Monday, the presidential spokesman said it was surprising that those who are guilty of creating division with mouths in Nigeria are the ones accusing the President of the same crime they committed. In a tweet on his verified Twitter handle, Adesina wrote, Those who divided Nigeria with their mouths, with evil, unguarded speaking, are the ones now accusing President Buhari. How sad! Their wicked intentions shall not come to pass. The state governments have asked the federal government to refrain from deducting from funds accruing to them and all local government cou... The state governments have asked the federal government to refrain from deducting from funds accruing to them and all local government councils as liquidation for the alleged $418 million London/Paris Club loan refund-related judgment debts. The governors stated this in a letter dated April 4 as its response to a November 11, 2021 letter from the minister of finance, budget, and national planning, advertising the commencement of the deduction for the liquidation of the alleged judgment debts. In March, attorneys-general of the 36 states appealed a judgment that dismissed a suit seeking to restrain the federal government from effecting the planned deduction of $418 million from states funds. The plaintiffs in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1313/202 sought to restrain the president and others. Speaking through the body of attorneys-generals of the federation, the state governments said they were not parties to any suit on the London/Paris Club refund, hence, were not liable to any person or entity in any judgment debt being relied on by the federal government. According to Channels Television, the document was signed by leaders of the body of attorneys-general of the federation, including Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) of Lagos state, interim chairman; and Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana of Nasarawa state, interim secretary, as well as the attorneys-generals of Rivers, Abia, Taraba, Benue, and Zamfara states, for and on behalf of all the state attorneys-generals. Their Excellencies have drawn our attention to your letter referenced above, which the various states of the federation received at about the end of March 2022. The letter notifies the states of your intention to commence deduction from allocations due to the states from the Federation Account for the liquidation of the London/Paris Club Loan refund-related judgment debts on behalf of the 36 States of the federation and the 774 local government councils, the letter reads in part. Please note that the states of the federation were not parties to any contract or suits concerning the London/Paris Club refund, from which the said judgment debts arose. Consequently, the 36 States of the federation are not liable to any person or entity in any judgment debt. It further noted that the deduction of the allocations due to the 36 states of the federation from the Federation Account to liquidate the London/Paris Club Loan refund-related judgment debts is the subject of an appeal filed by the 36 states at the Court of Appeal, Abuja. The appeal challenges the Federal High Courts (per Honourable Justice Inyang Ekwo) judgment delivered on 25th March 2022 between A.G Abia State v. President, Federal Republic of Nigeria & 42 Ors. and, therefore, the issue is sub judice, the states explain in the letter. They noted that they have also filed a motion on notice for an order of injunction pending the appeal. The controversial payment of $418 million to consultants over the Paris Club refund had become a contentious issue between the three tiers of government. Consultants had claimed the amount as a percentage of the payment of services rendered to the states and local government councils. The federal government had said its decision to deduct the fund was based on a previous verdict of the court. Chrisland School has explained why it suspended a 10-year-old female student who was abused and r@ped by her colleagues. In a statem... Chrisland School has explained why it suspended a 10-year-old female student who was abused and r@ped by her colleagues. In a statement dated 14 April 2022 and signed by Chrisland School Head Teacher, Mrs G.I. Azike, the school also stressed the action taken to resolve the case as it categorically stated that the action of the student was a truth and dare game. The statement, titled, Indefinite suspension of (the female student), partly read, It was discovered that your daughter was involved in improper behaviour during the recently concluded World School Games in Dubai with a few of her counterparts willfully participated in a game they called Truth or Dare, a game which led her and a few other co-learners to carry out an immoral act after the lights-out instruction was given. In line with our core values centred on discipline, Chrisland Schools have zero tolerance for any improper behaviour and misconduct. A full-scale investigation has been done and the parents of all the culpable learners have been duly notified of the necessary punishment meted out on the learners. However, in the course of the schools efforts to see how best we can helpwho was a major participant in the whole incident, every effort to inform you as her parents about the incident and ensure that this improper behaviour is permanently corrected, has proved to be futile. We cannot as a school condone such. Consequently, (the student) is hereby placed on an indefinite suspension until you as the parents ensure that she is punished, adequately counselled and rehabilitated. This comes after the Chrisland School was called out on social media for deliberately sweeping under the carpet the incident of a female student who was taken turns on by a number of male students. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has shut the school over the alleged sexual violence case involving its students which occurred in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Popular Kannywood film star, Nafisa Abdullahi has advised parents to stop giving birth to babies they cant afford to take good care of. The... Popular Kannywood film star, Nafisa Abdullahi has advised parents to stop giving birth to babies they cant afford to take good care of. The actress made the remarks in a series of tweets on Saturday, saying: Stop giving birth to babies you know you cant afford to take care of. God will hold you accountable for having children without giving them all the necessary guidance and parental care. God will ask you on the way and manner you raised your children, so those in the habit of having many children they cannot take care of, ending up in sending them far in search for knowledge get prepared, the actress said. She expressed her deep concern on the way some parents were sending their two to three-year-olds to Almajiri school. Although the actress didnt point finger at any part of the country or tribe, it is not uncommon in Hausa land for young children to be sent to Islamic school far from their parents in search of knowledge (Almajiranci). A notorious bandits leader, known as Nasanda, has demanded the sum of N30 million from Zamfara State government for neutralizing his wife, ... A notorious bandits leader, known as Nasanda, has demanded the sum of N30 million from Zamfara State government for neutralizing his wife, her uncle and her aunt or he would kill 300 persons to revenge the killings. According to reports, the bandits leader had already giving a 14-day ultimatum to the State government to pay the 30 million naira as compensation on the three deceased persons or face massive killings in the State. If the State government fails to pay the compensation, I vow that I would lead to the killing of 300 community people, he said. In a recorded audio message trending on social media, Nasanda described the murder of his bride, her uncle, and aunt as deliberate, saying that the Yansakai men knew that they were related to him. In the audio, the Nasanda was quoted as saying that he has been realistic and not greedy in asking for the N30 million compensation, adding that if he was greedy, he would have demanded for N50 million for each of the people killed. I cannot give months for the government to settle me, the 14 days would be enough to settle my demands. And we will not attack until when people are on their farms. If our Fulani people are not allowed to live in peace, we will also not allow others to live in peace. If the government cant pay the N30 million demanded, the government should be ready to see me in action. I will kill 300 people to avenge the death of my bride and two of her relations. Yes, the lives of 900 will be in danger, he warned. It was reported that as of the time of filing this report, there has been no official statement from Zamfara State Police Command and all efforts to get the State Commissioner of Security and Internal Affairs, DIG (rtd), Mr. Mamman Tsafe for confirmation over the threat proved abortive, as his line was not going. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: David Volion doesnt have his restaurant back open yet, and he still has a long road ahead. But this weekend he will be cooking his heart out anyway at French Quarter Festival. Voleos Restaurant was wiped out when Hurricane Ida drove a wall of mud through its small fishing community in Lafitte, about a 30-minute drive from the city. He was able to salvage his old cast iron kettles and piece together enough equipment to build a temporary kitchen as he plans Voleos eventual return. He and his crew have been hard at work preparing for the festival, and theyre going all out with a menu of smothered rabbit po-boys, fried shrimp remoulade, crabmeat boudin balls and crawfish enchiladas. The French Quarter Festival returns Thursday-Sunday (April 21-24), and it brings an opportunity that the restaurants and other vendors taking part haven't seen in years and badly need after the tumult of the pandemic. Weve got to be out there, we got to work, Volion said, whose festival stand will be at the Jax Brewery Lot. It feels like is a comeback tour for sure. Biggest chance yet Food is a key component of French Quarter Festival, with some 55 vendors serving hundreds of dishes (see the full list at frenchquarterfest.org/food). It turns the French Quarter into a bastion of street food, with six different clusters of vendors spread across the festival area, which stretches from the Old U.S. Mint on Esplanade Avenue to Woldenberg Park along the Mississippi Riverfront. After missing two years through the pandemic, and enduring the wrenching decisions to reschedule and cancel the return, to festival is shaping up to mark a major celebration and a revival. Nowhere does that ring more true than at Cafe Dauphine, the family-run Creole soul restaurant in Holy Cross. It has been shuttered since the pandemic began. Chef and owner Tia Henry has supported herself through community feeding efforts in the early days and now events and catering. In the midst of the pandemic, hurricanes roiled her tight-knit family across the state. Hurricane Laura displaced family members from their Lake Charles home in 2020, and Hurricane Ida damaged her New Orleans restaurant last year. Blue tarps still cling to the restaurants roof, patching damage from that storm. Henry hopes to reopen for normal business during the summer, but for now shes firmly focused on making French Quarter Festival a success, with her booth at Kohlmeyer Lawn. Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Her own festival menu reads like a feast - fried ribs, seafood stuffed egg rolls, and fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade, each served individually or together as a sampler platter. Its the first taste of Cafe Dauphine that a lot of our regulars out there will get in so long, so we know we have to bring it, Henry said. Expanding flavors, diversity The food lineup at French Quarter Festival has been growing in diversity for years, both in the flavors presented and the New Orleans people behind it. This year brings a lot of new operators to the mix. Some vendors are still struggling with staffing and logistical issues that have plagued the industry nationwide and were unable to commit this year, said Kenneth Spears, food and beverage director for French Quarter Festival. But the festival keeps a list of prospective vendors, and this year 11 of them got the nod. Many of the new additions are set up near the Old U.S. Mint, including Ma Momma's House of Cornbread, Chicken & Waffles, serving wings and waffles, NOLA Crawfish King, with whole hog barbecue platters, and Dittos Food Truck, making shrimp, chicken and fried crawfish tacos. Another new addition near the Old U.S. Mint this year is Addis NOLA. The Ethiopian restaurant in Mid-City has been introducing more people to this traditional form of African cooking, and making a splash on the festival scene as well. Look for sambusas, crisp savory pastries filled with lentils or greens, and awaze chicken legs, the heady Ethiopian chile sauce. Tradition endures These vendors will be cooking alongside some of the most vaunted names in French Quarter dining, including Tujagues and Galatoires, each set up in Jackson Square for the festival. And theyre joining New Orleans food families with very long roots in the business. This weekend will be the biggest event since the pandemic for Vaucressons Sausage, a staple going back to the earliest days of French Quarter Festival, and the upcoming New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival as well. Now run by third-generation owner Vance Vaucresson, the company is putting the finishing touches on a new butcher shop and cafe in the 7th Ward, reviving a market the family ran in the same spot before Hurricane Katrina. That should be complete in the months ahead. For Vaucresson, taking part in festivals is an extension of what he wants to do at his shop, which is tell the story of Creole New Orleans culture through food. There are culturally significant dishes to Creole heritage, and we want to make it an experience and educate people about our city and our traditions, said Vaucresson. His chaurice po-boy, a Creole hot sausage mix and beef and pork with a spice blend deeply embedded in local tradition, is a handheld, festival ready demonstration of that. And this weekend, at long last, it will be back in circulation in Jackson Square. +3 French Quarter Fest 'Geauxing Green' with new recycle, compost program for food, drink vendors Eat, drink, repeat could be the motto for people getting after the reliably prodigious food and beverage options at local festivals. As the The French Quarter Festival isn't wasting any time. When the fest returns this weekend, there will be bands on 20 stages spread across the French Quarter and along the riverfront. There also will be plenty of cold beer and food booths galore. After a tough two years, it'll be nice to enjoy the excess. This year's music lineup includes 270 bands on stages from Thursday, April 21, through Sunday, April 24, including Irma Thomas, Tank and the Bangas, Rickie Lee Jones, Kermit Ruffins, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and so many more. In this week's Gambit, we preview some of the bands performing at the festival, including up-and-coming acts and bands with new albums out. Flip through the digital edition below to read more. And if you scroll down this page, you'll find the official French Quarter Fest guide, with cubes, stage info and the food lineup. Cant see the e-edition above? Click here. Also in this week's Gambit: "Varla Jean Merman's Little Prick..." comes to New Orleans; Political Editor Clancy DuBos writes about some of the political migraines Mayor LaToya Cantrell has had so far in her second term; Blake Pontchartrain tells readers more about New Orleans' long history at the Grammy Awards; chef Ana Castro digs into family memories for the tasting menu at Lengua Madre plus news and more. If pandemic restrictions make it harder to pick up a Gambit in your usual spot, we have you covered. Our e-edition is available to download at bestofneworleans.com/current and read at your leisure. If you enjoy this weeks issue, please share this digital edition on social media. And as always, New Orleans, thank you for your support. The Gambit staff People in one Metairie neighborhood are tired of making way for ducklings. Specifically, Muscovy ducklings and their adult counterparts, an invasive species that has roamed the streets of the Pontchartrain Shores neighborhood for several years, thwarting attempts to reduce their numbers. The rapidly multiplying avians, encouraged by some residents who feed and put out small plastic pools for them, number in the hundreds, leaving droppings all over yards and driveways and creating a nuisance, neighborhood leaders say. Now the Pontchartrain Shores Civic Association and Jefferson Parish Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken are discussing an agreement that would see the parish give up to $50,000 for the association to hire a trapper to remove and possibly euthanize Muscovy ducks from the area. The problem has been brewing for several years, civic association President Warren Surcouf III. "We started this conversation in 2018," he said. In 2019, neighborhood residents complained to the Parish Council, which adopted an ordinance making it illegal to feed or put out pools for the ducks, punishable by a citation and a fine. Since then, some 60 citations have been issued, according to information provided by Van Vrancken's office. But it hasn't done enough. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "The number (of ducks) has gotten so alarming," she said Monday. "They are overwhelming that neighborhood." In a recent meeting with members of the civic association, Van Vrancken said the parish was ready to move forward with the agreement to help hire a trapper. There were only a few civic association members who voted against pursuing the agreement, Surcouf said. Residents have complained about the duck feces covering driveways and sidewalks, and some have blamed it for health problems, Van Vrancken said. "Both old and young residents are being affected," she said. It isn't known if other areas of the parish are having similar duck issues. The Muscovy duck a warty-faced bird originally domesticated by natives of Peru and Paraguay when Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century is a prolific breeder and considered an invasive species in the United States, outside of certain parts of Texas. Federal law permits the removal of the animal but doesn't allow for relocation, Van Vrancken said. Van Vranken said she provided to the civic association a list of trappers she received from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The removal and likely euthanization would only impact Muscovy ducks, she said. "They are not where they belong and we have to figure out a way to address it," she said. One person was killed and four others were injured overnight Sunday in five separate shootings across New Orleans, police say. Three people were injured in a shooting on North Claiborne Avenue earlier Sunday afternoon. One killed in Seventh Ward homicide Officers were called to a report of a shooting in the 2600 block of Allen Street (map) around 7:35 p.m., where they located a 31-year-old man who had been shot multiple times. The man was taken to a hospital where he later died. Information about a motive and suspect were not immediately available. The investigation is ongoing. One injured in Algiers shooting One man was injured in a shooting at the intersection of Mardi Gras Boulevard and Farragut Street (map) around 8 p.m., the NOPD said. The man drove himself to a hospital. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up One injured in Treme shooting Police received a report of a shooting in the 1800 block of Orleans Avenue (map) around 9 p.m. One man was taken to a hospital. One injured in Little Woods shooting Police were called to a report of a shooting in the 7100 block of Florita Court (map) shortly after midnight. One woman had been injured and taken to a hospital. One shot on Chef Menteur Highway A woman was injured in a shooting in the 6200 block of Chef Menteur Highway (map) shortly before 6 a.m., according to the NOPD. She was taken to a hospital. Note: Police previously reported that this shooting occurred at the intersection of Gentilly Boulevard and Paris Avenue. Editor's note: New Orleans police originally reported the driver in the hit-and-run died from injuries sustained in the collision. Police later corrected their report to reflect that a pedestrian had died, not the driver, who fled the scene and is wanted. This story has been edited for accuracy. One man was killed and four other people were injured in a hit and run in the Seventh Ward on Sunday night, New Orleans police said. Officers were called to the intersection of Pauger and North Miro Streets around 7 p.m., according to a press release from the NOPD. Investigators say they believe the driver of a Chevrolet Suburban was traveling at high speed in the wrong direction on Pauger Street when he crossed into North Miro and struck a Honda Accord. The Suburban flipped and hit five pedestrians on the sidewalk and three parked, unoccupied cars. The driver of the Suburban and its occupants fled the scene on foot. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The five survivors were also taken to a hospital, police said, where one of them died. The woman driving the Honda Accord is in what police described as good condition. The hit and run remains under investigation. The Orleans Parish Coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Anyone with information is asked to call the NOPD at (504) 821-2222 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-111. Its springtime in New Orleans, which means thousands of families around the city recently learned where they will send their children to school come August. For the first time, families this year could apply to all of the public charter schools in New Orleans through the NOLA Public Schools Common Application Process, or NCAP, including schools like Lusher and Ben Franklin High School, which have academic admission requirements. Formerly known as OneApp, it allows parents to apply for any school in New Orleans no matter where they live, but priority in the lottery process is often given to students with siblings already at the school or who live in the neighborhood. About 9,600 families applied for spots in the city's public schools this year, up from 9,200 last year. Parents can rank up to 12 schools on the application, in order of preference. Most schools have some kind of priority, such as sibling preference, seats reserved for students living within a half-mile of the school or parents who work in a partnering university. Everyone else goes into a lottery, and some don't get placed at all and move into a second round where students are funneled into leftover spots. About 9,600 families applied for spots in the city's public schools this year, up from 9,200 last year. Matching up Overall, the percentage of students who secured a spot at one of their top three choices remained consistent with last year -- 86% of students applying for a spot at a new school got in and 82% matched into one of their top three choices, the same percentage as last year. Of students applying for a spot in kindergarten or 9th grade, the two biggest entry points to New Orleans public schools, the match rates are even higher -- 94% got into a school and 90% got into one of their top three choices. The most popular elementary and high schools didn't change from last year. Hynes Charter School in Lakeview, an A-rated school, saw the most applicants for kindergarten this year, with 628 families seeking entry. The match rate was just 19%. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Lusher Charter School received the second-most kindergarten applicants, followed by Bricolage Academy, Audubon Charter School Montessori and Audubon Charter School - Gentilly. For high school, Warren Easton Charter High School, an A-rated school, received the most 9th grade applications, 2,059, and had a match rate of 34%. Edna Karr High School, which also had a match rate of 34%, had the second most applicants for 9th grade, followed by Benjamin Franklin High School Eleanor McMain Secondary School and McDonogh 35 Senior High School. Other than Warren Easton, Edna Karr and McMain, the top ten high schools had a 100% match rate. The match rate does not take into account students who are ineligible -- including those who may have applied with a non-New Orleans address -- or those that have already been matched to a higher-ranked choice. Supply and demand But the problem of scarcity remains: with limited spots in highly-rated schools, some families are bound to be disappointed, and some students did not receive a placement at all. In 2020, one-quarter of the 11,314 applicants didn't get placed into any of the choices they had listed as first round picks for the 2020-21 school year. The following year, in 2021, 999 students did not receive a placement in the first round. Student who did not receive a placement should apply for the second round of placement, which began on April 11 and will close May 13. This year, 852 students did not receive a placement. The vast majority of those students, 86%, listed three or fewer choices on their applications, drastically decreasing their odds. About 40% of the students who did not receive a placement were applying for kindergarten or 9th grade spots. When announcing the switch from OneApp to NCAP last year, NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said that the uniified NCAP process would allow families "to apply to the schools that best meet the needs of their children." Our enrollment team is committed to treating all applications fairly, and the NOLA-PS team will continue to work towards providing options and expanding access that ensures all our students receive a high quality education," Lewis said. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East OPPO has now confirmed a launch for the K10 5G series in China, the vanilla model of which will become the world's first smartphone with the "MAX" version of the Dimensity 8000 processor, whereas its Pro counterpart will emerge with a high-end Snapdragon SoC. The new devices are also now slated to have 120Hz displays, fast charging and even a Razer tie-in. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Benchmark , Biotech , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel , Intel Evo , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Leaks / Rumors , Linux / Unix , List , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Raptor Lake , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Wi-Fi 7 , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) , Zen 4 Ticker OPPO has now announced that the K10 series will debut soon in China. A phone of this name has already launched in India, although this was the series' rather underwhelming 4G-only variant. However, the OEM has now made it clear that the incoming devices are the line's full-fat 5G flagships. They consist of the vanilla K10 5G, to be powered by not just the Dimensity 8000, but a new 8000-MAX version of this chipset. The Pro 5G, on the other hand, is to be a Snapdragon 888-powered device. Both SoCs are now officially slated to drive 120Hz displays, although this spec may be combined with AMOLED in the higher-end version only. The K10 series is also now destined for flagship-grade 80W SuperVOOC charging, not to mention OPPO's well-favored Sony IMX766 as a 50MP main camera. The OEM has also now teased a "top-end" X-axis linear motor for haptics that are, moreover, tuned by "experts" from Razer so as to reproduce the tactile feedback of a mechanical keyboard on these upcoming K10 screens. Finally, OPPO has now confirmed that the new K-series units will turn out with this line's distinctive industrial design, which acts to camuflage an increasingly standard-issue camera hump in this case. As with the 4G/LTE-only model, it will be finished in just 2 choices of blue and black. The K10 and K10 Pro 5G will be unveiled in full on April 24, 2022. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. CROWN POINT A long-serving deputy prosecutor has been named head of Lake County's new High Tech Crime Unit. Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter announced Monday he's chosen Deputy Prosecutor Edgar Rodriguez to lead a comprehensive effort to obtain evidence from computers, cameras, laptops, tablets, cell phones and other electronic devices for use in criminal cases. "His understanding of what we do as prosecutors, coupled with his innate ability to excel in all that he does, makes him the ideal choice moving forward," Carter said. The High Tech Crime Unit is a partnership between the prosecutor's office and Purdue University Northwest focused on finding and extracting digital evidence in connection with investigations involving murder, robbery, drug distribution and other violent crimes. Altogether, 10 counties across the state are setting up similar units after the 2021 Indiana General Assembly authorized $6 million for the effort, which is based on similar, successful forensic technology units already operational in Tippecanoe County, in partnership with Purdue University, and in St. Joseph County, with assistance from the University of Notre Dame. Carter said Rodriguez's experience in many different areas of the prosecutor's office, including work with the Lake County Drug Task Force and Lake County Metro Homicide Unit, has prepared him to lead technology-based investigations. "For this particular role with the High Tech Crime Unit, we believe it is critical that we continue to forge a solid partnership with law enforcement and Rodriguez will continue to do just that," Carter said. Students at the PNW campus also will play a key role in the unit's investigations while gaining hands-on training in the latest technology used by law enforcement, new research skills and experience solving actual crimes in Lake County. "PNW has significant expertise in a number of areas needed to do thorough investigations and to probe new directions in research and investigations with the prosecutors office. We look forward to availing the expertise of our faculty in this endeavor and having our students assist in developing new avenues of research," said PNW Chancellor Thomas Keon. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education awarded four Region organizations with the 2022 School and Community Partnership Grant. The grant is designed to bring together K-12 schools, colleges, employers and community partners to implement supportive efforts for students to complete education and training beyond high school. Griffith High School, Scott Middle School, the School City of Whiting and Indiana University Northwest were Region recipients. There were 21 organizations that received the grant, with the total amount awarded $162,680. Grant recipients will implement their suggested programs and events this summer. IU Northwest will use its funds to host a #M.O.N.E.Y. planning workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 23 for current Indiana 21st Century Scholars and their parents. The grant is designed to support collaborative efforts focused on three main priorities: completion of the 21st Century Scholars Scholar Success Program and maintenance of academic eligibility with at least a 2.5 GPA; family engagement programming focused on college and career readiness; and pre-college and postsecondary professional development focused on Indianas college achievement gap. The funding is made possible through Indiana Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LAKE STATION Lake Station Community Schools is establishing the "Eagles Education Foundation" to help provide teachers in the district with grants and programming. Superintendent Tom Cripliver said that while the district is appreciative of the money received from the state, there is a need for additional funds in education. We find that we would like to be able to supplement what tax dollars dont or cannot provide, Cripliver said. The foundation will support innovative and creative classroom programs through donor support. While initially the foundation will not be able to support grants, the plan is to fundraise in the first few years and then begin giving grant money. Cripliver said that teachers are often interested in doing projects or field trips but that there is not enough funding to do it. Eric Kurtz, chief financial officer for Lake Station schools, said the foundation is a necessity. The view in Indiana is to shortchange public education, Kurtz said. He said it's an opportunity to find new funding sources outside of the state. Kurtz also emphasized the need in Lake Station due to the economic status of many of the students. According to the Indiana Department of Education, approximately 76% of Lake Station students qualify for free or reduced lunch as of the 2021-22 school year. Lake Station approved a referendum in 2017 to help supplement support received from the state. It will end in 2024, and Cripliver said the district wants to tap into any financial avenues before going to the community to increase taxes again. I want to demonstrate to our community that we are very sensitive to our communitys economic situation, Cripliver said. Before we go and ask them to renew the referendum, we want to exhaust all financial avenues that we possibly can. Members of the foundation will meet four times a year, at least initially. Lake Station is still looking for interested participants. Teachers, parents, community members and community leaders are welcome to apply to join its board of directors. Our schools and students are second to none, and this foundation will help keep it that way. It will take a couple of years to build up the Eagles Education Foundation. We need people to serve on the Board of Directors to build up the funds to support our schools, but it is worth it because our students are worth it, Cripliver said. It is a separate entity from the school board and school corporation. The first meeting is at 6 p.m. May 24 at Edison Jr. Sr. High School. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CROWN POINT A judge denied the state's motion Thursday to join the cases of men charged in the 2019 shooting death of an 18-year-old Portage High School student for trial. Elrice L. Williams, 28, of Park Forest, and Joe C. Pittman Jr., 29, of Chicago, each have pleaded not guilty to murder, robbery and burglary charges in a series of alleged events Jan. 9, 2019, that led to the homicide of 18-year-old Alayna Ortiz. The men's co-defendants, Giovante M. Galloway, 23, of Gary, and his uncle Juarez E. Rogers, 51, of Park Forest, each accepted plea agreements and could face sentences of three to 16 years. Lake Criminal Court Judge Natalie Bokota rejected Williams' proposed plea agreement in September after Williams claimed his gun went off accidentally and said, "I didn't intend to shoot." The charges to which Williams had intended to plead guilty included an element of intent. Pittman, who has pleaded not guilty, recently was appointed a new public defender. He previously has asked to represent himself and claimed to be a "sovereign citizen." Bokota re-appointed the public defender's office to represent Pittman in August, after he repeatedly refused to accept he'd be held to the same legal standards as an attorney if he were to represent himself. Williams and Pittman are accused of approaching Ortiz's red SUV with guns in a parking lot at the Park West Apartments in Griffith and screaming for Ortiz and three others to open the doors. When Ortiz's boyfriend, the intended target of a robbery, attempted to drive the SUV over a wooden stump, Williams fired a single shot that took Ortiz's life, records state. Williams' trial remained set for the week of May 31. Pittman's attorney, Aaron Koonce, asked that his next hearing be set for June 15. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Tiarra Glenn initially claimed that the child had been told to stand in a corner to discipline her for not eating, police said. Glenn told police the girl began crying hysterically because she did not want to go in the corner, and started to hyperventilate, defecated on herself and then became unresponsive. Doctors determined the girl had a life-threatening brain injury, and she was later airlifted to Comer Children's Hospital. Doctors stated it appeared the damage was from lack of oxygen. Officers spoke to medical staff, who said the child appeared to have been battered and abused based on bruises covering her body from head to toe, which were documented with photos. Medical staff and police also noted a bite mark on the child's abdomen, bruising in the shape of three fingers on her chest and belt marks on her legs, thighs and buttocks. There was also blood on her lips, redness around her neck, bruising on her feet, redness under her armpit and a bump or bruise on her forehead. The child suffered traumatic brain injuries, and a CT scan revealed acute hemorrhages, officials said. Sister describes abuse The girl's 5-year-old sister said Allen made the younger girl stand in the corner Tuesday and was forcing her to "make an 'X' on the corner," records show. Tiarra Glenn told investigators "making an 'X' in the corner" refers to making the child spread her feet and hands out against the wall to form an "X" and stay in the position for a long time. Allen tied the girl's hands behind her back, and after she broke loose, Allen re-tied the child's hands and forced her into the bathroom, turned off the lights and closed the door, officials say. Allen allegedly beat the girl with a belt because she wouldn't make an "X" on the wall. The child further told police that her sister had soiled herself and passed out, at which time Tiarra Glenn told the 5-year-old to put the fan on her sister. Then the child said they cleaned the whole house and her mom called police. Tiarra Glenn, who is three months pregnant, said she was angry with the 3-year-old Tuesday and hit her with a belt at least six times, after which time she was beaten again by Allen, police said. Tiarra Glenn said she saw Allen carry the child into the living room because she was hyperventilating. Allen had tied the girl's hands behind her back and covered her eyes, nose and mouth with a black scarf, police said. Allen then took the girl back into the closet and after she was not able to do what he wanted her to do on the wall, he began to strike her several more times. Allen carried the girl into the living room, according to police. She was not wearing a shirt, her hands were still tied behind her back and she had urinated and defecated on herself. Tiarra Glenn and Allen allegedly changed the girl's clothes, washed her up, cleaned the apartment and after 20 minutes passed, Glenn did a Google search of hyperventilation. The internet directed that she should call 911, so she called for an ambulance. Long list of charges Allen is also charged with battery resulting with serious injury to a person under 14 years old; neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury; battery resulting in serious injury; battery resulting in injury to a person under 14 years old; neglect of a dependent resulting in injury; battery resulting in injury; battery on a person less than 14 years old; and neglect of a dependent where the child is placed in a situation that endangers them. Glenn faces charges of battery resulting with serious injury to a person under 14 years old; neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury; battery resulting in serious injury; battery resulting in injury to a person under 14 years old; neglect of a dependent resulting in injury; battery resulting in moderate injury; battery on a person less than 14 years old; and neglect of a dependent where the child is placed in a situation that endangers them. GARY The Gary Community School Corporation has partnered with WorkOne to host a Career Fair Saturday. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Gymnasium of West Side Leadership Academy, located at 9th and Gerry St., in Gary. More than 25 employers from Northwest Indiana will be interviewing job seekers for positions in education, hospitality, manufacturing and healthcare. Specifically, the Gary Community School Corp. will be hiring successful candidates on the spot and offering bonuses for specialty positions. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for education," said Melisha Henderson, Director of Human Resources for GCSC. "Individuals with degrees in other fields who have an interest in teaching are invited to apply. We will pay for them to become certified, and they can begin a new and exciting career with our school district. Attendees should dress professionally and bring copies of their resume. Interested candidates may apply for open positions at garyschools.org ahead of the event. Representatives from the school district's enrollment team will also be on site enrolling students for next school year and sharing information about academic enrichment and extracurricular activities available at all school buildings. For more information, visit www.GarySchools.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. JAKARTA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Coal mining giant PT Adaro Energy Indonesia said Monday that it has started to export coal to European buyers as the continent is currently experiencing disruptions in coal supplies. "We have sent around 300,000 tons of coal to the Netherlands and Spain. However, that is an on-the-spot purchasing, not for a long-term contract," the company's Finance Director Luckman Lie told a press conference. Lie said that although Adaro has been open to demands from European buyers, the company would still prioritize the Asian market and its largest buyers like China, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. A familiar name to generations of south Lake County voters is challenging an incumbent Lake County councilman who says he's spent the past four years "fighting for south county." Cedar Lake Town Council President Randy Niemeyer whose cousin, state Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, and uncle, the late Ernie Niemeyer, both represented Lake County Council District 7 is vying for the Republican nomination against first-term Councilman Christian Jorgensen, R-St. John, vice president of the county's financial governing body. Niemeyer said he was inspired to follow in the footsteps of his family members and seek a seat on the county council because of the ongoing "ridiculous power struggle" over purchasing authority between the county council and the county commissioners, including a lawsuit now pending at the Indiana Court of Appeals that he said initially was instigated by Jorgensen. "This attempt to usurp the normal checks and balances of county government effectively disenfranchises all of us who reside and pay taxes in the 7th District of Lake County," Niemeyer said. Niemeyer said that if he defeats Jorgensen in the May 3 GOP primary, and prevails in November over Michael Jacobi, of Crown Point, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary, he plans to focus on making Lake County government more accessible by broadcasting meetings and other events and more consistently updating the county's website. He also is pledging to implement zero-based budgeting principles to ensure that during times of economic uncertainty, the county can properly maintain and grow essential services while reducing the burden on taxpayers. "I have 14 years of successful local government experience in which my community grew while tax rates dropped, services and infrastructure improved and home values increased," Niemeyer said. "I have spent my entire life in the 7th District and will not forget that I serve the people of the district first and not the government contractors and special interests which have been the priority of my opponent and so many Lake County politicians for generations." The 45-year-old CEO of Niemeyer Milk Transfer Inc. said his experiences as a "family man, small business owner and public servant" ensure he can properly represent the values of the district, which includes the southern ends of St. John and Crown Point, all of Cedar Lake, Lowell and Winfield, and the remainder of south county. "I will never be owned by any people or groups. The person you see in a public meeting is the same person you will see at the local grocery store. I will post my cell phone number publicly and always make myself available for the people I represent," Niemeyer said. "I will not influence directly or indirectly the appointment or employment of any immediate family members by Lake County government while I serve. You never have to wonder where my loyalties lie." Jorgensen, meanwhile, said he's running for a second four-year term on the county council because he still has unfinished business on behalf of south county. "Anyone in public service can tell you that a single term is usually insufficient to accomplish the job you set out to do," Jorgensen said. "There are tremendous opportunities coming Lake Countys way, and I want to ensure that south county receives its fair share like I did for Crown Point and Lowell with American Rescue Plan Act (funding)." In addition to securing federal funds for sewer improvements, Jorgensen said he's helped ensure that Lake County has a balanced budget with a surplus every year, freed up unused funds from prior budgets for future use, opposed all new taxes and tax hikes, halted a proposed face mask mandate in county schools and led the repeal of target shooting restrictions in unincorporated areas of the county. Jorgensen also said he's promoted transparency in government by maintaining and improving remote access services begun amid the COVID-19 pandemic, combated tax fraud and ensured safe public works projects through the use of responsible bidder ordinances and project labor agreements, and kept the sheriff's department properly equipped within its own budget. "It takes time to build relationships and trust amongst your colleagues and departments years actually," Jorgensen said. "I currently have earned that trust and built the relationships that make me the most effective candidate for south county." "That is the tremendous benefit of being a successful incumbent. I have a proven track record of getting things done for south county." If reelected, the 49-year-old attorney and former president of the St. John Town Council said his goal is to get Lake County in a sufficiently secure financial position where it could possibly reduce its 1.5% income tax rate or return a portion of its revenue to county taxpayers. "I am a conservative. My goals as both a town official and county official are, and have always been, fiscal responsibility, limited government, responsible growth and skilled labor. I want to continue to advance these goals in Lake County," Jorgensen said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CROWN POINT John Petalas needs no introduction to voters. One of two candidates running for Lake County treasurer, Petalas has been a public official for 31 years and said he would like one more four-year term in office as the county governments cashier. He is opposed by Josefina Magallanes, a Whiting woman and insurance agent, who ran unsuccessfully for county clerk in 2014 and 2018. Magallanes did not return calls seeking comment. Petalas previously served for 14 years as Merrillvilles clerk-treasurer. Lake Countys Democratic precinct committee members chose him as county treasurer in 2005 when the previous officeholder, Peggy Holinga Katona, left to become county auditor. He won two four-year terms from voters between 2006 and 2014 before term limits required him to step down as treasurer. Voters then elected Petalas to two four-year terms as county auditor from 2014 until the end of this year, when term limits again came into play. Petalas said he and Katona, who alternatively ran the county treasurer and auditor offices during the last two decades, work well together. He also said his years in public service help him deal with the intricacies of county government finance, which involves tens of thousands of transactions taking place annually among all public offices and departments of Lake County and other local government units that add up to $1.3 billion annually. He said he is now working to help integrate the new $5 million Oracle financial reporting system needed to modernize county accounting practices. He said he will continue to make both the auditor and treasurer offices more efficient, put internal controls into place to guard against misappropriation and oversee the county police pension plan. He said he has received endorsements from all county Democratic precinct organizations as well as the steelworkers, Northwest Indiana building trades and the Greater Northwest Indiana Realtors Association. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WINFIELD Three lawyers, two steelworkers and a former teacher are in the running for at-large Winfield Town Council positions. Democratic candidate Stacey Wachowski, 39, a former teacher, late this week tried to formally withdraw her name from the race but was told it was too late, so her name will appear on the ballot but she is not actively campaigning. The three Democrats actively running in the primary are Sara Kubik, Louie Gonzalez and Mark Lash. The two Republicans running in the primary are incumbent Zachary Beaver and Michael Lambert, a former Winfield Town Councilman. Voters on May 3 will pick two candidates from each of the two parties, and those four two Democrats and two Republicans take part in a run-off in the General Election in the fall. The two elected individuals will serve a four-year term beginning Jan. 1. Beaver, 34, is the only incumbent, having been elected in 2019 for a three-year at-large term along with fellow Republican Gerald Stiener, who presently serves as Town Council president. Stiener, who held the other at-large position, has chosen not to run. Beaver, a former Indiana State Trooper, now serves as a corporate lawyer working in Chicago. Lambert hopes to return to the Town Council after being elected in 2007 and sworn in as a new member in 2008. Lambert, 52, who was born and raised on a family farm in Winfield, serves as a criminal defense lawyer with his offices located in Crown Point. Kubik, 50, also a lawyer, moved to Winfield four years ago to raise her two children. Louis Gonzalez, 47, has worked at Laborers Local 41 for over 15 years. The East Chicago native has lived in Winfield for 15 years. Mark Lash, 52, has worked for U.S. Steel for 27 years, serving in different capacities. He currently serves as president of United Steelworkers Local 1006. All candidates agree that the growth in Winfield, which is one of the fastest-growing communities in the state, is of main concern, along with management of infrastructure and public safety. The Democratic candidates also said theyd like to see more transparency in the towns dealings and more diversity on the Town Council, with more women and minorities serving on the board. Candidates also said they'd like to see Winfield have more of an identity. Beaver said maintenance of the growing towns infrastructure definitely tops the list of important issues in the race. The town is growing, and we need to improve our roads. Its never-ending, Beaver said. Public safety is also an important issue, Beaver said. As the town grows we need to grow our police and fire, Beaver said. Beaver said theres been a lot of progress as far as infrastructure during his tenure, including improvements to roads as well as sewer and water systems. In addition to infrastructure improvements during his term, Beaver points to the fact that there have been more police officers added to the department, with two more being hired this year. The current council is collaborative, and everybody kind of weighs in on what it does for the community. We sit and talk about it and deal with it as a full group, Beaver said. Lambert said he would like to return to serve on the Town Council to address such issues as the town's growth and infrastructure needs. "I've lived all my life in Winfield except for when I went to college and when I served in the military," Lambert said. His military service was with the U.S. Army and his tour of duty was in Operation Desert Storm. Kubik, who moved to Winfield four years ago with her two children, said she chose the town because of its open space and its good schools. Her children are 9 and 11, so having a good school district was something she looked for before moving to Winfield. The academics of the Crown Point schools are outstanding, Kubik said. Kubik said she began attending Town Council meetings and, as an attorney accustomed to structure and rules, grew frustrated by the lack of transparency. She would like to see more transparency, including possibly holding using Zoom so that residents could view meetings at home. Gonzalez, who moved to Winfield 15 years ago, said growth of the town is one of the top issues. I feel there is not a grasp on how fast we are growing, Gonzalez said. He also believes infrastructure remains one of the important issues going along with that growth. Gonzalez cites high sewer rates and problems with flooding and drainage in the town. We need to do a better job with our infrastructure plans. We need to stay in pace, Gonzalez said. Gonzalez said he would also like to see more transparency in town council meetings and more diversity on the council board. People want more inclusion, Gonzalez said. He would also like to see meetings streamed and more input on social media. So people know what issues are coming up on the council, Gonzalez said. Lash moved to Winfield in 2006 and now has two college-age sons. He said he has worked in different capacities for the steelworkers union and would like to represent the issues of Winfield. Lash said he isnt sure that the interests of what he termed regular residents are being represented. He said he'd like to be a councilman to represent those interests. Lash said he wants to make sure the infrastructure keeps pace with the growth of the community and that everything roads, sewers and water is up to par. I want to make sure we are not putting the cart before the horse, Lash said. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LAPORTE A middle ground has been reached between residents of a LaPorte area subdivision plagued by years of flooding and property owners downstream concerned the solution will leave their yards and farm fields in higher water. The LaPorte County Commissioners earlier this month approved starting construction of a gravity drain aimed at lowering the water table at Meadowview Estates, between LaPorte and Kingsbury. However, the commissioners also ordered that the project be stopped when it is halfway completed to make sure the amount of water coming out wont add to flooding problems downstream. The gravity drain will consist of burying a 30-inch diameter pipe seven feet in the ground to take in strictly groundwater. The pipe will be extended 1,000 feet to empty into Kingsbury Creek, said LaPorte County Surveyor Tony Hendricks. He and other drainage experts assured landowners downstream that the volume of water filtering into the pipe will not be enough to worsen the occasional flooding occurring in their fields and yards. The creek and surrounding area is a designated wetland. Because of the time it takes for stormwater to seep into the ground, Hendricks said, the drainage system will accept and release water slowly into the creek so it doesnt further run over its banks. Even if theres a horrendous storm, it will take a long time for this to percolate into the system were installing, he said. Hendricks also said he was confident the 30-inch pipe will never reach capacity not even when the drain is first opened to start lowering the water table. Initially farmers, believing the pipe would carry stormwater, feared a negative impact on the water quality of the spring-fed creek. Hendricks assured them only groundwater would go into the pipe, and stormwater, after filtering into the ground, would be clean once entering the system. Downstream property owners seemed less skeptical about the plans, especially when Hendricks said the pipe can be plugged if the amount of water going into the drain is above projections. If it all is wrong and everyone is completely wrong, it can be stopped, Hendricks said. Opponents asked the commissioners to reconsider their approval of the $1.3 million drain. The project has been years in the making for residents operating sump pumps continuously year-round to keep the water table from pushing up through their basement floors. Officials said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has approved the permit for construction of the drain. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. VALPARAISO Lysol wipes, masks and strict distancing guidelines are again a reality for the Humane Indiana Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, only this time it is to quell the spread of a much different virus. As the avian flu outbreak creeps closer to Porter County, the center, whose population is about half birds, is on high alert. I am essentially back to social distancing, not necessarily for my sake, but for the birds' sake, said Wildlife Center Director Nicole Harmon, who has been monitoring the highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, outbreak since January. Every year the wildlife center receives thousands of injured, abandoned or diseased animals. Two older houses sit on the Valparaiso property: one for animal rehabilitation and the other for educational programs. Armed with a staff of three, a team of volunteers and about 20 summer interns, the center works tirelessly to heal the many foxes, turkey vultures, squirrels, turtles and other wild animals in their care. If rehabilitation is successful, the critters are returned to the wild. Right now, the center is gearing up for the busy spring season, readying cages and prepping for interns. "There are times when this building is humming with 800 animals all at once," CEO Brian Fitzpatrick said as he gestured to the small rehabilitation building. While watching the spread of avian flu, Harmon quickly realized the center would have to make some adjustments. In February, staff cleaned out an old storage area at the front of the education center. Separate from the rest of the building, the space will be used to house all waterfowl. Harmon explained that waterfowl can serve as "reservoirs" for avian flu, not displaying symptoms but still spreading the disease to poultry and birds of prey. Fitzpatrick estimates the center receives about 800 waterfowl a year, 25% of its total intake. If the waterfowl spread the disease it would be "disastrous," as HPAI is 90% fatal in birds of prey, Harmon said. The center is also concerned about infecting the 12 ambassador birds that are used in educational programming and as surrogate parents for other birds. If avian flu reaches the area, the center would have to shut down operations for three weeks. If a bird on the property tests positive, there is a chance all of the center's birds would have to be euthanized. "If something tests positive here, there are more animals that I can't help because we are quarantined," Harmon said, explaining that they may have to start turning away birds who appear to have lead toxicity or West Nile virus, as the symptoms are similar. "You have to ask yourself, are you really willing to take that risk?" HPAI was detected in North America in December 2021. The H5N1 subtype, not known to cause human illness, was found at an exhibition farm on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. By January 2022, multiple wild bird species in the U.S. had also tested positive for the strain. The outbreak reached Indiana on Feb. 9, first confirmed at a commercial turkey farm in Dubois County. Since then, avian flu has spread to six commercial turkey operations, in Dubois and Greene counties. According to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, a total of 171,224 commercial turkeys have tested positive. All of the affected commercial turkey populations have been depopulated and the control areas for Dubois and Greene counties have been lifted. Then, on April 8, the highly contagious illness was found in a flock of 4,679 commercial ducks in Elkhart County. As of April 16, a second commercial duck flock of about 6,000 had tested "presumptive-positive," meaning the initially positive tests are still being verified at the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa. "It is right around migratory season, so we are worried about some of those waterfowl that are passing through that area coming up here. You have waterfowl that could be in Elkhart County this afternoon and get here by tomorrow morning," Harmon said, adding that the outbreak of wild birds by the Illinois-Wisconsin border is also a concern, as the area is in Porter County's flight path, meaning migrating birds from Wisconsin will likely stop in nearby ponds and fields. Avian flu has been detected in over 600 wild birds in the U.S., though out of the over 200 wild birds tested in Indiana, only one redhead duck has been deemed presumptive positive. Because commercial birds are often kept in confinement, the disease is spreading faster among poultry. Over 27,000,000 have been affected in the U.S. However, it is harder to test, track and control the spread in wild birds. "The difference between something like avian influenza and COVID is that COVID does not do really well on surfaces and avian influenza does amazingly well on surfaces," Harmon explained. "It will live on the surface of the grass for up to 30 days." Birds shed the virus through their droppings and nasal discharge, meaning wild birds can carry the virus almost anywhere. Harmon looked at the farm fields surrounding the wildlife center on all sides, pointing out the many neighbors that raise chickens. If a wild bird flies over a poultry cage and defecates, the entire flock could be infected. The wildlife center is already "planning for the worst" Harmon said. All educational programs will be conducted indoors; interns and staff will wear gloves, medical gowns, booties and masks; shoes will be changed frequently; and there will be footbaths at every door. No cases of human infections have been reported, and there is no food safety risk associated with the outbreak. Humans can still carry the virus on their shoes and clothes, Harmon said, encouraging increased disinfecting. Standing before an enclosure housing Arlene, an eastern screech owl that lost her vision after being hit by a car and is now a center ambassador, Fitzpatrick said, "We just cannot risk having our ambassadors decimated because of this." With a stack of cleaning supplies, signs that read "no waterfowl beyond this point" and an isolation area at the ready, all the center can do now is watch the spread. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WASHINGTON As millions of Americans raced to finish filing their tax returns on Monday, the Biden administration made another plea for Congress to give the Internal Revenue Service more money. The latest call for funding to modernize the agency and beef up its enforcement staff followed I.R.S. and Treasury Department officials complaints that they are facing an extraordinarily challenging tax season because of staff shortages and the complexity associated with distributing pandemic relief money. The Biden administrations proposals to provide the I.R.S. with $80 billion over a decade have thus far fallen flat in Congress. The I.R.S. knew walking into this filing season that it did not have the work force or technology in place to serve the American people the way they deserve to pick up the phones when taxpayers call, to help them access all the credits and benefits to which they are entitled and to ensure that each and every taxpayer receives their refund quickly, Natasha Sarin, Treasurys counselor for tax policy, wrote in a report about Tax Day. Ms. Sarin said the I.R.S. had collected more than 130 million tax returns from individuals and businesses this year and had disbursed more than $220 billion in refunds. The average refund, as of the week of April 8, was $3,175. The word venturesome has appeared in eight articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 28 in A Spiritual Meeting in the Sand and a Wedding There, Too by Lois Smith Brady: On the morning of April 24, Emily Arnold and Youssef Ait-Khouya walked over the dunes at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park outside Kanab, Utah, chose a spot to get married and began accessorizing it. They laid down Moroccan rugs and pillows, set up a portable table and decorated it with vases of flowers, a tea set and Moroccan lanterns. The surrounding dunes were continually changing shape because of the near-constant wind. A sign inside the park reads: When you left your car in the parking lot, you left stability behind. Ms. Arnold, 34, grew up in a Mormon family in South Jordan, Utah, and was known for being studious and devoutly religious, but also venturesome and independent. Super duper is one of her favorite phrases and one of her favorite books is I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson. I loved the idea of wanting to marry adventure, not just marry the boy next door or somebody from school, she said. Daily Word Challenge Can you correctly use the word venturesome in a sentence? Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using todays Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the words definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun. Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the Recommend button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you. If you want a better idea of how venturesome can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. If a vaccinated child is highly exposed to Covid at home but is still healthy, parents might consider keeping that child home to protect others. Masks do come off at lunch. But this measure would be going above and beyond the federal recommendations, and only one expert I spoke with recommended it. Should I try to reduce exposure in the household, even if it seems futile? As parents know, the term close contact takes on a whole new meaning with young children, who seem to have an uncanny ability to sneeze in your face. Even so, the experts agreed that reducing exposure to each others illnesses is still worth the effort. There is a small window of time when this is particularly important between exposure and when the immune system begins to fully engage. Parents have to care for children, and some siblings simply cant be kept apart. Still, there are steps you can take. Whoever gets sick first should be in his or her own room, if possible. Put a HEPA filter in there, if you have one. Try to get the sick person to stay in there for meals. Wear high-quality masks when family members are together. Open the windows. Place another HEPA filter, if you have two, where other family members are spending time. Another pro-tip: Keep the air at 40 to 60 percent humidity, which helps stop aerosol transmission, Dr. Pirzada said, by using a hygrometer or a humidifier to measure the level. Use common sense. Once the air filters are running, the windows are cracked and masks are worn when possible; attempting more may feel like too much if a young child is ill. If my kid were sick, my natural instinct would be to care for them, said Dr. Linsey Marr, a leading expert on viral transmission. I could see throwing my hands up, relying on the vaccine and my good health to keep me from falling seriously ill and cuddling with my kid. The good news is that once you test positive, exposure to other family members who are also positive is unlikely to make you sicker, the experts agreed. And it isnt likely that the family members who recover first will be reinfected by those still sick. VENICE The 78 bronze funnels were ready, the pump tested and the backdrop was almost done. So when it looked as if war was most likely coming to Ukraine, Maria Lanko, one of the curators of the Ukrainian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, was determined to get the artist Pavlo Makovs fountain sculpture safely out of the country. In a recent interview in New York, Lanko described how she loaded the funnels in three boxes and packed them into her car. We expected something might start, she said. There was a lot of tension and Putin gave us many hints. On the evening of the wars first day, as explosions besieged the city, Lanko set off driving from Kyiv with her dog and a colleague, the pavilions art director, Sergiy Mishakin. I started the journey without a precise route, said Lanko. I had to decide which road was safest. So began a harrowing three-week journey driving 10 hours a day on back roads, staying in places without heat that ultimately took Lanko out of Ukraine and to Vienna, where the sculptures materials were sent onward to Italy. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. The American conductor Gavriel Heine has been a fixture at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia, for 15 years. He has led hundreds of performances of classics like Swan Lake and The Rite of Spring. And he has done so as a protege of the companys leader: Valery Gergiev. On Saturday, Mr. Heine went yet again to the Mariinsky, but not for an evening at the podium. He was there to inform Mr. Gergiev a longtime friend and supporter of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that he was resigning from his post as one of the state-run theaters resident conductors. Mr. Heine gathered his possessions, including a few white bow ties and scores for La Boheme and The Turn of the Screw, and prepared to leave the country. Mr. Heine, 47, had been increasingly disturbed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Theres no way I could ever be in denial of what is happening in Ukraine, he said during a series of interviews over the past week. Russia is not a place where I want to raise my son. Its not a place where I want my wife to be anymore. Its not a place I want to be anymore. His resignation comes as the war continues to upend performing arts. Cultural institutions in Europe and North America, vowing not to hire performers who support Mr. Putin, have severed ties with some artists most notably Mr. Gergiev as well as orchestras, theaters and ballet companies. Many artists, citing the invasion, have canceled appearances in Russia. DISORIENTATION, by Elaine Hsieh Chou ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING, by Lisa Hsiao Chen As every writer, teacher and tyrant knows, art is a powerful thing. These two debut novels explore the danger and wonder of art, its capacity to distort and illuminate the world. In Elaine Hsieh Chous Disorientation, an eighth-year Ph.D. candidate named Ingrid Yang wrestles with the work of a fictional poet, Xiao-Wen Chou, the so-called Chinese Robert Frost and the late crown jewel of the faculty at Barnes University the mid-tier Massachusetts institution where this campus dramedy unfolds. Facing the end of her funding and the expiration of her student loan deferral, Ingrid struggles to produce 250 pages (they had to be shockingly original and convincing!) on the famous poet: But after hundreds of hair-pulling hours spent at the archive, all she had accomplished was 50 pages of scrambled notes on Chous use of enjambment. Plus an addiction to antacids. It doesnt help that Ingrid never wanted to study Chou in the first place she just caved to pressure from her adviser, Michael Bartholomew, the defensive, snaky, white chair of Barness East Asian studies department. Have you, too, experienced an identity crisis related to being Chinese American, Ingrid overhears him asking another student, or as Chou said, forever caught betwixt east and west? Chous poetry has become controversial among the new generation of scholars, due in large part to its Chinese-y pandering, trading on cranes and ancestors, thousand-year-egg porridge and porcelain spoons. When Ingrids research leads her down an unexpected path, she makes a discovery that could decimate Chous legacy and unleash pandemonium in the halls of Barnes. Image Disorientation is a satire, and it is frequently funny and insightful, with plenty to say about art, identity, Orientalism and the politics of academia. Though her own department is filled with white men who talk over her and correct her Mandarin pronunciation, Ingrid finds her nemesis in Vivian Vo, the outspoken, prolific star of the postcolonial studies department. Ingrid and her friend Eunice understand that there were two varieties of Asians: Asians like Vivian and Asians like themselves. And that the two varieties eyed each other warily: the former with pity and the latter with resentment for being pitied. At first Ingrid cannot stand Vivians activism and constant railing against white supremacy (oppression this, justice that attention seeking, that was all). But as the East Asian studies department erupts in scandal and the university becomes a hotbed of open racism masquerading as free speech (this is America and it is our God-given right to pursue happiness at the expense of others!), Ingrid re-evaluates her long-held beliefs and complacencies, as well as her closest relationships. It is a lot for a young girl to bear, and as Billy begins to cross dangerous boundaries, so too does Sunshine. On the bayou a yellow rope has been slung between the safe shallows and the alligators swamp. When Sunshine dares to swim beneath it, we wonder if she will encounter the fabled crocodile or his gentle bride. Image Pedersen does well to temper the accumulative dread with the care and camaraderie of Sunshines nearby relatives. Aunt Lou lives just across a small bridge with her daughter, J.L., the just-older cousin from whom Sunshine tentatively seeks guidance. Aunt Lou watches with concern as her brothers behavior becomes more volatile and her niece becomes increasingly withdrawn. Lou has seen violence before. In the 1950s, their father, John Jay, turned it on their mother, Catherine, and then on his children. His abuse was total and, like the crocodile, consumed everything in its wake. Aunt Lou knows these currents roll and swirl and although she loves her brother and can still see some good in him she can also detect the beginnings of a wretched repetition. Further generations are described compellingly, and Pedersen slots each into the novels familiar mold. Catherine was born in 1919 and before her there were her parents, Margaret and Talmadge, in Portland, Tenn. Talmadge returns from the First World War a broken man. He mutters to himself and draws the attention of neighbors. Despite the ameliorative exertions of his wife and daughter, he falls into a depression, lost inside his own mind, or inside the past, or inside the belly of a beast no one could see or understand. That beast has a natural home and it is Fingertip, a wonderfully evoked place of rot and ruin (Fingertip was dying on the vine). With its New Deal communities offering 99-cent mortgages, the town was built as a salve for the devastation of the Great Depression, though it was not Franklin D. but Eleanor Roosevelt who imagined the scheme, the name calling to mind her healing hands. When Catherine and John Jay move here from Tennessee in 1942, they expect steady jobs and cheap housing; but in the years since its salutary conception the town has seen more of bust than of boom. Elsewhere, clear waters might run into the sea, but Fingertip only ever catches the silt. Economic hardship exacerbates, provides a rancorous undercurrent for, John Jays sadism. When, in 1982, his son, Billy, is laid off just as his father was, we fear a similar downturn in the younger mans moods. Billys character does not contain the unrelenting malice of his fathers, and he deserves sympathy for the abuse he suffered in childhood, but we are meeting him at a critical moment. He can either sink into the bayou or hoist himself out or be offered the lifeline this novels guiding parable has promised. In Mariupol, Ukrainians vow to fight to the end After weeks of shelling and bombings, Russia gave Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol until yesterday morning to lay down their weapons or be eliminated. When Ukrainian officials vowed that they would not surrender, Russian forces intensified their attack on the southeastern city, including at the Azovstal steel plant, near Mariupols port. Follow the latest updates. The plant has become the last line of Ukraines defense in preventing Russia from securing a strategically important land bridge between its stronghold in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said yesterday that the struggle for Mariupol was not over and that its military forces would fight to the end, according to Denys Shmyhal, the prime minister. Taking Mariupol would be one of the first major victories for Russia over the past weeks, a period in which it withdrew from the area around Kyiv, Ukraines capital, and lost one of its most important warships, the Moskva. The Moskvas sinking drew fierce reaction in some corners of the Russian news media, which called for harsh retaliation. By the numbers: It was unclear how many Ukrainian troops were still fighting in Mariupol. Russian officials said there were 2,500 soldiers aligned with Ukraine at the steel plant, including 400 foreign mercenaries. Ukrainians officials say Russian troops outnumber the Ukrainian forces in the city by six to one. If you live in most any Western country, your governments support for Ukraine, including sending weapons and imposing sanctions on Russia, can give the impression of a united global response to Vladimir Putins invasion. But that isnt the case. Most of the worlds 195 countries have not shipped aid to Ukraine or joined in sanctions. A handful have actively supported Russia. Far more occupy the messy middle, as Carisa Nietsche of the Center for a New American Security calls it, taking neither Ukraines nor Russias side. We live in a bubble, here in the U.S. and Europe, where we think the very stark moral and geopolitical stakes, and framework of what were seeing unfolding, is a universal cause, Barry Pavel, a senior vice president at the Atlantic Council, told me. Actually, most of the governments of the world are not with us. Todays newsletter offers a guide to some of those countries and why they have committed to their stances. Auto experts say the electric F-150, known as the Lightning, must be a success if Ford is to thrive in the age of electric vehicles. Introducing this truck now is equivalent to betting the company, said William C. Ford Jr., the companys executive chairman, who is a great-grandson of Henry Ford. If this launch doesnt go well, we can tarnish the entire franchise. The company has amassed about 200,000 reservations for the trucks, but it could still stumble. Production could be slowed by the global chip shortage or the surging costs of lithium, nickel and other raw materials crucial to batteries. The software that Ford has developed for the truck could be flawed, a problem that hampered sales of a new electric Volkswagen in 2020. Ford and Mr. Farley do have some things going for them. Unlike many other electric cars, the F-150 Lightning is relatively affordable it starts at $40,000. Teslas cheapest car is the compact Model 3 sedan, which starts at more than $48,000. The Lightning has tons of storage, including a giant front trunk, which is appealing to families and businesses with large truck fleets. And it helps that Tesla will not begin making its Cybertruck until next year. And Ford is also already in the E.V. game with the Mustang Mach-E, an electric sport utility vehicle. It had sales of more than 27,000 in 2021, its first year on the market, and won favorable reviews. Production of the F-150 Lightning is scheduled to start next Monday. Competing models from General Motors, Stellantis and Toyota Fords main rivals in pickups are at least a year away. Rivian, a newer manufacturer that Ford has invested in, has begun selling an electric truck but is struggling to increase production. If the Lightning launch goes well, we have an enormous opportunity, Mr. Ford said. Jimmy Car-Car In many ways, Mr. Farley checks most of the boxes when it comes to leading a large U.S. automaker. Like Mary T. Barra, the chief executive of G.M., whose father used to work on a Pontiac assembly line, Mr. Farley has family roots in the industry: His grandfather worked at a Ford factory. On visits to his grandfather, he would tour Ford plants and other sites important to the companys history. As a 15-year-old, he bought a Mustang while working in California one summer and drove it home to Michigan without a license. His grandfather nicknamed him Jimmy Car-Car. But like Mr. Musk, a native of South Africa who was a founder of PayPal and other companies, Mr. Farley has had a varied career and been involved in creating businesses. Born in Argentina when his father was working there as a banker, Mr. Farley, 59, also lived in Brazil and Canada when he was growing up. His career started not in the auto industry but at IBM. He spent a long stretch at Toyota. He helped the Japanese automaker overcome its reputation for making boring and economical cars by working on its fledgling Lexus luxury brand, now a powerhouse. It has not helped that the industry has been burned before by a green tech boom. About 15 years ago, environmentally conscious start-ups were seen as the next big thing in Silicon Valley. One of the premier venture capital firms, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, made former Vice President Al Gore a partner and pledged that clean energy would eventually make up at least a third of its total investments.Instead, Kleiner became a cautionary tale about the risks of investing in energy-related companies as the firm missed out on early backing of social media companies like Facebook and Twitter. There is evidence that these old fears are receding. Two years ago 360 Capital, a venture capital firm based in Paris and Milan dealing in early-stage investment, introduced a dedicated fund investing in clean energy and sustainability companies. The firm is now planning to open up the fund to more investors, expanding it to 150 million from a 30 million fund. There are a growing number of dedicated funds for energy investments. But even then there is a tendency for the companies in them to be software developers, deemed less risky than builders of larger-scale energy projects. Four of the seven companies backed by 360 Capitals new fund are artificial intelligence companies and software providers. Still, the situation has changed completely since the companys first major green-energy investment in 2008, Fausto Boni, the firms founder, said. We see potentially lots of money coming into the sector, and so many of the issues we had 15 years ago are on their way to being overcome, he said. But the availability of bigger investments needed to help companies expand in Europe still lags behind, he added. The funding gap RICHMOND, Va. Hamidullah Noori was 8 years old when his father, uncle and cousin were killed by Taliban militants in Kabul, Afghanistan. As the eldest son, he soon went to work to support his family, selling boiled potatoes and balloons from a pushcart. Violence and flight have shaped his life ever since. So as he follows news reports about the Russian assault on Ukraine, Mr. Noori feels a weary kinship with the refugees fleeing that conflict, knowing that their futures will resemble his past. This is something where I have already experienced it, he said, sitting in his Richmond restaurant, the Mantu. If youre lucky, you survive. When Mr. Noori opened the Mantu in 2019, four years after arriving in Virginia as a refugee, he joined a group of restaurateurs who had already established a solid presence for Afghan cuisine in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. The region is home to one of the largest populations of resettled Afghans in the United States more than 16,000 came to the area during the 20-year war that ended last year, an influx second only to Californias, according to U.S. News & World Report. Rose Shields-Jefferson, a Chickasaw Nation elder and the firstborn of 13 children, leaned into her computer screen, her red and black beaded earrings swaying as she gave a conspiratorial smile. Im not bragging, you know, but were good cooks. Mrs. Shields-Jefferson, 77, is well known in her community of Ada, Okla., for her grape dumplings, panki alhfola in the Chickasaw language, of which she is a native speaker. Dont try asking for her exact formula, however. We dont use recipes, you know, she said during a video chat. I just know how to make it. This dessert has been a favorite among various southeastern Native tribes for centuries. The tender dumplings are coated by a warm, deeply purple sauce that explodes with an uncommon grapiness. Originally made from balls of ground corn mush boiled in the juice of wild grapes and then mostly prepared with store-bought ingredients, these dumplings illustrate the evolution of Indigenous foodways, first with voluntary seasonal migration, then because of forced relocation, cultural exchanges and developments in the food system. Modern chefs and cooks are now renewing interest in the earliest recipes, which predate current movements to eat locally grown foods. Its simple. Press some firm tofu to extract as much liquid as you can. Make a marinade of soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, a spoonful of gochujang, a splash of neutral oil, some sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Slice the tofu into thick squares, and slide them into the marinade. Let that sit a half-hour works; a few hours works better. Then roast them on an oiled and foil-lined pan until theyre crisp. Serve with bibb lettuce cups to wrap them in, rice, kimchi and a dipping sauce of ssamjang and a little bit more gochujang thinned out with neutral oil and sherry vinegar. (If not, go sesame oil and ground white pepper.) Thats a fine dinner. There are thousands more actual recipes to consider awaiting you on New York Times Cooking, and further inspiration on our on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube channels. Its true that you need a subscription to access the recipes and to use our features and tools. Subscriptions are the fuel in our stoves. They allow us to keep cooking. I hope youll consider, if you havent already, subscribing today. Thank you. We will in turn be standing by should anything go squirrelly while youre using the site and app. Just reach out to us at cookingcare@nytimes.com, and someone will get back to you. Now, its nothing to do with food and its preparation, but Id like to steer you toward Maud Newtons first book, Ancestor Trouble, the begats of the Bible brought into shimmering, difficult light. For T Magazine, Alwa Cooper spoke with the Ivory Coast artist Joana Choumali about her painting The Return of the Swallows, which depicts a sunrise she experienced in Dakar, Senegal. The golden glow that halos around the two former lovers reconnecting in See You Then is tinged with melancholy. More than a decade has passed since the sudden breakup of Kris (Pooya Mohseni) and Naomi (Lynn Chen). Some things have changed, some things stayed the same. That such an aphorism is easily applied to any number of Before Sunrise-style movies of people reminiscing and litigating what once was sets Mari Walkers film at a disadvantage. But the chemistry of its stars gives the movie a curious magnetism that is almost enough to forgive its flaws. In the time since the two parted, Kris has transitioned, has a job in network security and is visiting Los Angeles from Phoenix. Naomi is an art professor at their alma mater and is married with two children. After a nervous start, they ease into a familiar rapport. Dinner turns into drinks, small talk gives way into how they really are, becoming a vortex of past and present. A federal prosecutor said on Monday that the government had issued more than 160 subpoenas for financial, phone and other records as part of its investigation into New Yorks former lieutenant governor, Brian A. Benjamin, who resigned last week after being charged with bribery and fraud. At a hearing in Federal District Court in Manhattan, the prosecutor, Jarrod L. Schaeffer, suggested a trove of potential evidence of broad scope and complexity. On Monday morning alone, Mr. Schaeffer said, the government turned over about 160,000 pages of materials to Mr. Benjamins lawyers. The government had also executed about seven search warrants for email accounts and seized and searched cellphones, including one belonging to Mr. Benjamin, he said. The hearing was the first court appearance for Mr. Benjamin, 45, since his arrest a week ago in what the authorities have depicted as a brazen scheme to funnel illegal contributions to his previous political campaigns and to cover up the criminal activity. The manhunt that followed had an immediacy that was unique to this moment. It was difficult to remember a manhunt where bystanders pointed the police to a suspect, with one photographing the man and posting on Twitter. Hooray for bystanders who helped, one commenter wrote on nytimes.com after reading our story about the manhunt. Like Mayor Eric Adams, who deplored the crisis that is playing across our country involving guns and violence, some commenters mentioned access to guns. We just dont understand all the guns everywhere, someone from Australia wrote. Ive loved the traveling Ive done in the U.S. in the past but Im not sure Id return now all I read is anger and guns. The subway attack unfolded as New York wrestled with questions about public safety above ground as well as on its labyrinthine transit system. But it began unremarkably: Someone who looked like a construction worker a man wearing a hard hat and a reflective safety jacket and clutching a backpack walked into a subway station. When he swiped his MetroCard at a turnstile and it did not let him pass, the agent at a nearby booth pushed a button, unlocking an emergency exit door. The man stepped through. It was 6:12 a.m. at the Kings Highway station in Brooklyn. At some point he boarded an N train that arrived at 59th Street, a half dozen stops away, around 8:20. Once the train was moving again, he stood and pulled on a gas mask. He took a canister from a bag he was carrying. Oops, he said, according to a rider standing nearby. My bad. As the car began filling with smoke from the canister, he took out a handgun and opened fire. At the next stop, at the 36th Street station, those who could those who had not been wounded poured out. The gunman apparently fled with them, boarding the R across the platform and riding the same train as people he had just shot. One way to make clean hydrogen is with electrolyzers that split hydrogen from water. Right now thats expensive, but with a spurt of new investment, electrolyzer costs will likely tumble. Other methods will compete as well. Central to the European plan for cutting dependence on natural gas is investment in hydrogen and other alternatives to conventional gas something that companies are lining up to do with their own capital. Privately backed projects are exploring how to link hydrogen production to renewable electric power generators a key innovation because hydrogen is easier to store than electricity and could help make electric grids reliable even when they depend on large amounts of intermittent wind and solar. Leaders in sectors such as steel, refining and chemicals all see hydrogen investments as part of their plans to remain viable in a world that slashes emissions. Maersk, one of the worlds largest container shipping companies, is backing some of these projects along with several other clean fuels. Even in aircraft and heavy trucks, hydrogen may prove the best way to cut emissions. The consulting firm McKinsey estimates that the value of investment in clean hydrogen projects by 2030 will exceed half a trillion dollars, based on the announcements made with Europe in the lead. For comparison, the total value of all fossil fuels sold globally in 2021 was about $5 trillion. The United States is finding it harder to be a clean technology leader because the political environment is fractured. But one area of promise is $8 billion for hydrogen hubs in the recent bipartisan infrastructure law to build the production facilities, pipelines and terminals to link producers and consumers. A hydrogen revolution could take a while perhaps two decades, with a highly committed effort, until there are substantial volumes of hydrogen replacing conventional natural gas and also replacing oil. But beyond hydrogen, there are many other examples of credible policy, along with new technology attracting a flood of capital. New designs for nuclear plants attracted $3.4 billion in private capital in 2021 alone. (New nuclear plants are likely to focus on America, Britain, China and other markets. Attitudes around nuclear power in most of continental Europe are yet to turn reliably in favor.) Other, more mature clean technologies like solar, wind and batteries are expanding massively as well. To the Editor: Re After Toying With Twitter, Musk Now Wants It All (front page, April 15): What a disaster it would be for Elon Musk to acquire Twitter and open it up to disinformation and lies from Donald Trump and other right-wing activists. Misinformation, unconstrained by any need to be accurate or honest, is psychologically seductive, and countering it by fact-checking is often ineffective. That is why the right wing is in full support of Mr. Musk, cynically claiming that its a free speech issue. Twitter would likely return to broadcasting anti-democratic misinformation about elections, with devastating consequences. In the face of intense voter suppression, gerrymandering and partisan attacks on election boards and secretaries of state, Americas grasp on democracy is already very shaky. The country just barely survived a coup attempt on Jan 6. A return to a complete free-for-all on Twitter is a frightening prospect. Gary M. Stewart Laguna Beach, Calif. To the Editor: In a stunning move, Elon Musk has taken action into his own hands by offering to take over Twitter for more than $40 billion. The worlds richest person, in a letter to Twitters board chairman, stated his primary goal: to transform Twitter, the de facto town square, to be the platform for free speech around the globe. Once again we invite high school students to enter our letter-writing competition. Write a letter to the editor in response to a Times news or opinion article from the past week, and we will choose some of our favorites for publication. Letters should be about 150 to 200 words and include the headline and a link to the article. Include your name, age, high school and grade, city or town and state (for publication), and telephone number (not for publication). Email: letters@nytimes.com Please put Student Competition in the subject line. The deadline is Monday, April 25, at 10 a.m. Eastern time. For examples of what were looking for, look at the letters published here. For more opportunities to publish student work, visit The New York Times Learning Network. As the petition attracted signatures, I spoke at several school board meetings on the issue. I recall one meeting in particular. I had prepared to talk about how these novels helped shape me both as a student and as a human being. I spoke briefly about how reading the story of a Black family in the Deep South in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, under the guidance of a caring teacher, had moved me to tears and to a commitment to learn more about the resilience and resistance of the people upon whose backs this country was built. I explained how these class experiences helped move me and some fellow students from complacent private citizens to people who today are deeply involved in the fight for social justice. There was more I could have said: How Atticus Finchs defense of Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird taught me the danger of complacency; how the unlikely friendships of Huckleberry Finn and Jim in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Phillip Enright and Timothy in The Cay taught me that love transcends any and all differences. But standing on the boardroom floor as comments from others in the meeting began, I witnessed the public forum made up mostly of parents, administrators and educators devolve into tribalist dissension. The meeting quickly became a two-sided shouting match pitting supposed freedoms against purported justice. There was plenty of arguing but little or no meaningful discussion on why those novels were in question or what students would lose or gain by a ban against them. At that moment, I had a long-overdue realization: How we as Americans approach restrictions on literature curriculums is not only flawed but also wholly reactionary. My experience at that meeting and others convinced me that the problem is not that we disagree but how. We need to shift focus away from reflexive outrage about restrictions and bans and toward actual discussions of the merits and drawbacks of the individual books. Nearly a year and a half later, the Burbank book restriction is still in place, and more have been approved in schools and school districts across the country. A report from PEN America this month found that 86 school districts in the United States have banned 1,586 books in the past year. From the Tennessee school board that decided Maus, Art Spiegelmans graphic novel about the Holocaust, could no longer be taught, to the Oklahoma State Legislatures proposed law giving a parent of any student the power to enforce bans on books of a sexual nature, to the sweeping removal of 130 books with sexual themes from school shelves at the request of a Texas superintendent, one element unites all the conflicts around these bans a political and ideological partisanship that buys more into contemporary culture wars than into our students education. Technicians also discovered that a valve on the upper stage was malfunctioning, and for the third rehearsal try last Thursday, the test was modified so that only the propellant tanks on the booster stage were to be filled. But then a hydrogen leak was detected in what is called the tail service mast umbilical that attaches to the bottom of the rocket, and the rehearsal was scrubbed. The oxygen tank was not quite half full, and hydrogen fueling had just started. Last week, NASA officials said they hoped to fix the hydrogen leak while the rocket was still at the launchpad. But on Monday, they said they had changed their minds. Next week, the rocket is to be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where technicians can more easily get access to parts of the rocket. That will allow replacement of the balky upper-stage valve. At the same time, an off-site vendor that provides nitrogen gas used to purge hazardous gases will upgrade its systems. During two of the rehearsal attempts, disruptions in the nitrogen supply delayed the countdowns. The mega moon rocket is doing very well, Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for common exploration systems development at NASA, said during a news conference on Monday. I think were really getting smart with this rocket. But weve got a little bit more work in front of us. The Space Launch System, a key component of NASAs Artemis program to send astronauts back to the moon, is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. With the latest problems, getting the rocket ready in time for a launch during a two-week window in early June would be challenging, Mr. Whitmeyer said. There are additional two-week opportunities beginning in late June and late July. WASHINGTON A federal judge in Florida struck down the mask requirement on airplanes, trains, buses and other public transportation on Monday, less than a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had extended it through May 3. The ruling left it up to individual airlines and local transit agencies to decide what to do, and by late Monday, the nations largest airlines had dropped their mask requirements for domestic flights. The Amtrak rail system said passengers and employees would no longer need to wear masks. In a 59-page decision, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, voided the mandate which also applies to airports, train stations and other transportation hubs nationwide on several grounds, including that the agency had exceeded its legal authority under the Public Health Services Act of 1944. Because of the ruling, the masking order was not in effect for the time being, and the Transportation Security Administration would not enforce it, a Biden administration official said on Monday evening. The official said that the administration was still reviewing the decision and assessing whether to appeal it, and that the C.D.C. still recommended that people wear masks in enclosed public transportation settings. Sally Poncet first came to South Georgia in 1977. Back then, she said, the sub-Antarctic island was as gorgeous as it is today: A spine of mountains, some 100 miles long, defines the terrain; glaciers drape down from the peaks, with verdant slopes running up to meet them; glistening beaches wrap around the shoreline. But in those days, Ms. Poncet recalled, the island had an empty feel to it. You felt a lack, she explained. It wasnt alive like you knew it could be. Nobody knows South Georgia the way Ms. Poncet does. An independent field ecologist, she has surveyed or counted everything from its grasses and albatrosses to its elephant seals. Her first son was born on a sailboat here in 1979. Now, at the age of 69, she continues to work in the field just as she did 45 years ago. Three companies affiliated with the far-right broadcaster and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, among them the media outlet Infowars, filed for Chapter 11 protection on Sunday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, according to court documents. Infowars is facing multiple defamation lawsuits from families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, which Mr. Jones has claimed was a hoax. Two other companies connected to Mr. Jones, IWHealth and Prison Planet TV, also filed for bankruptcy protection on Sunday. Last September, Mr. Jones lost two defamation lawsuits filed in Texas by victims families because he failed to provide requested information to the court. Months later, in a case representing the families of eight others killed in the shooting, a Connecticut judge ruled that Mr. Jones was liable by default because he had refused to turn over documents ordered by the courts, including financial records. The rulings delivered sweeping victories to the families. Mr. Jones for years spread bogus theories that the shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn., was part of a government-led plot to confiscate Americans firearms and that the victims families were actors in the scheme. But the crisis is most acute in California, where about one in four of the nations 500,000 homeless people lives. The process of tallying homeless deaths is painstaking, involving the cross-referencing of homeless databases and death reports. But based on data from the handful of Californias 58 counties that report homeless deaths, experts said that 4,800 is a conservative estimate for last year. In Los Angeles County, the homeless population grew by 50 percent from 2015 to 2020. Homeless deaths have grown at a far faster rate, an increase of about 200 percent during the same period to nearly 2,000 deaths in the county last year. These are profoundly lonely deaths, said David Modersbach, who led the first public study of homeless deaths in Alameda County across the Bay from San Francisco. In some cases, bodies are left undiscovered for hours. Others are unclaimed at the morgue despite efforts to reach family members. In San Francisco, where people sleeping in cardboard boxes, tents and other makeshift shelters are a common sight, the body of a homeless man who died on a traffic median last spring lay for more than 12 hours before being retrieved. Guy lay dead here & no one noticed, said a cardboard sign left at the scene. Those who sleep on the streets speak of the wear that it imposes on the body, of several untreated illnesses and the loneliness of being surrounded by pedestrians who ignore you. Billy, a metal worker and carpenter from New Jersey who now sleeps in the narrow alleys behind Venice Beach in Los Angeles, constantly feels the reminders of his previous jobs. At 50 he has chronic pain from an accident while trimming trees, treating it with a jumbo-size bottle of Aleve he keeps in his backpack. Studies have found young people are more likely to vote in local and national elections after they were involved in P.B., more likely to walk into a city-owned building, more likely to consider going into politics, more likely to speak to a public official, more likely to volunteer and more confident in their skills. Any favorite examples of P.B. in action? In New York, it came up that Muslim women in a certain Brooklyn district needed resources to feel safer in their neighborhoods. Using P.B., they got a self-defense class on the ballot. In Arizona, the Phoenix Union High School District decided to get rid of armed officers in schools. Were going to take the $1.2 million from that contract and go through a participatory budgeting process where students, parents, guardians and teachers get to define what safety is and how to invest in those things. The vote will happen this spring, but already the community has built an understanding of what alternatives to policing look like. In Boston, I launched the countrys first youth-focused P.B. effort, with $1 million of city funds. That included money to make parks more accessible. But right before we broke ground on one, I got a call from the citys archaeologist. They said we had to stop because of a site there. I said, Can we engage community members to protect the site? You seem like you dont have a lot of staff! And it worked. We put out a call and soon were enlisting regular people to be archaeologists. Many were criminal-justice-system-impacted young people. Because of P.B., they not only had a chance to find historic artifacts in their own city, but theres now a park in Boston thats far more accessible than it was before. What if the community chooses wrong? Often Im asked, What if people make bad decisions? What if all the kids in this school decide they want a taco truck? First, if that many young people are voting for a taco truck, I might want to look into why. But second, theres an involved process we follow. You build relationships with the community over time, you have conversations, you track ideas, you score them, you vet them. How does defunding Batman fit into this? With Tracey Corder [of the Action Center on Race and the Economy, which focuses on racial justice and Wall Street accountability], Ive been giving these workshops at youth conferences, placing everyone into a world theyre familiar with Gotham in order to envision a new one. We get amazing answers: What if the whole idea of a villain was flipped, and the Joker starts putting on quarterly arts concerts? Suddenly theyre imagining this new world, and no ones talking about police and jails and prisons anymore. Millions of coronavirus vaccine doses that the United States has already purchased and could send abroad could soon expire because of the impasse in Congress over additional pandemic aid, Senator Chris Coons has warned. Senators failed to pass the stalled $10 billion package before leaving for a two-week recess earlier this month, despite increasing pressure from the White House to approve emergency aid for new vaccines, therapeutics and research. Mr. Coons, a Democrat from Delaware who has been one of the negotiators of the package in the Senate, framed global aid as a critical national security matter on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday, saying that expanding international access to vaccines was the best way to protect the American people from the next variant. Public health experts have repeatedly stressed that vaccine inequity allows new and potentially more dangerous variants to emerge. Only 16 percent of populations in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to data compiled by the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford, compared to 80 percent in high- and upper-middle-income countries. The White House announced on Monday that it would co-host the second global Covid-19 summit next month, a gathering intended to build momentum for vaccine donations and for ending what the White House called the acute phase of the pandemic. The meeting, which was originally expected to be held in March, is now scheduled to take place virtually on May 12. Efforts to subsidize more global vaccinations stalled in the United States after lawmakers stripped $5 billion from a pandemic relief package that could come up for a Senate vote in the next few weeks. When lawmakers announced an agreement earlier this month on the $10 billion coronavirus aid package, which is centered on domestic coronavirus testing, vaccination and treatment, they turned away a push from the Biden administration and from some members of Congress to reinforce the nations global Covid-19 commitments, which some public health experts said were already lacking. Republicans had demanded that any new aid be financed in part by repurposing previously approved but unspent Covid-19 relief. Mr. Love was convicted of committing a murder for hire. As part of jury selection in his case, prospective jurors filled out a questionnaire that asked, among other things, Do you believe that some races and/or ethnic groups tend to be more violent than others? The prospective juror in question, who is white, said yes. He added an explanation: Statistics show more violent crimes are committed by certain races. I believe in statistics. He elaborated when he was questioned by the lawyers in the case, saying he based his views on news reports and criminology classes rather than his personal feelings toward one race or another. The prospective juror added that he did not think because of somebodys race theyre more likely to commit a crime than somebody of a different race and that he would not feel differently about Mr. Love because hes an African American. Mr. Loves lawyers asked the judge to strike the prospective juror for cause, but the judge declined. Mr. Love had exhausted his peremptory challenges, and the juror was seated. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that Mr. Love could not contest the judges decision to seat the juror because the judge had earlier granted Mr. Love two extra peremptory challenges. Mr. Love had used those challenges before the juror at issue was questioned. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Pentagon may take disciplinary action against a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve who refused to be vaccinated against the coronavirus on religious grounds. The courts brief, unsigned order gave no reasons, which is common when the justices act on emergency applications. The courts three most conservative members Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch noted dissents but did not explain their thinking. The courts order, an interim measure that denied relief while appeals proceed, followed a similar ruling last month that said the Navy could consider the vaccination status of 35 of its service members in decisions about where they should be assigned or deployed. The same three justices dissented. In the new case, Lt. Col. Jonathan Dunn, who has been removed from his command after serving for nearly two decades as a pilot, trainer and commander, said he sought only protection against further punishment, including a discharge. But just as Mr. Eastmans original plan to use Congresss final count of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021, to overturn the election was seen as far-fetched in the run-up to the deadly Capitol riot, the continued efforts are fueling a false narrative that has resonated with Mr. Trumps supporters and stoked their grievances. They are keeping alive the same combustible stew of conspiracy theory and misinformation that threatens to undermine faith in democracy by nurturing the lie that the election was corrupt. The efforts have fed a cottage industry of podcasts and television appearances centered around not only false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020, but the notion that the results can still be altered after the fact and Mr. Trump returned to power, an idea that he continues to push privately as he looks toward a probable re-election run in 2024. Democrats and some Republicans have raised deep concerns about the impact of the decertification efforts. They warn of unintended consequences, including the potential to incite violence of the sort that erupted on Jan. 6, when a mob of Mr. Trumps supporters convinced that he could still be declared the winner of the 2020 election stormed the Capitol. Legal experts worry that the focus on decertifying the last election could pave the way for more aggressive and earlier legislative intervention the next time around. At the moment, there is no other way to say it: This is the clearest and most present danger to our democracy, said J. Michael Luttig, a leading conservative lawyer and former appeals court judge, for whom Mr. Eastman clerked and whom President George W. Bush considered as a nominee to be the chief justice of the United States. Trump and his supporters in Congress and in the states are preparing now to lay the groundwork to overturn the election in 2024 were Trump, or his designee, to lose the vote for the presidency. Most of Mr. Trumps aides would like him to stop talking about 2020 or, if he must, to focus on changes to voting laws across the country rather than his own fate. But like he did in 2020, when many officials declined to help him upend the election results, Mr. Trump has found a group of outside allies willing to take up an outlandish argument they know he wants to see made. A 52-year-old man was charged with murder after a 15-year-old girl was stabbed to death outside her high school in central California on Monday morning, the authorities said. The stabbing occurred outside Stagg High School in Stockton, Calif., the authorities said. On Monday night, the Stockton Police Department said in a Facebook post that a suspect, later identified as Anthony Gray, had been arrested, charged and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail. The police said the stabbing appeared to have been a random act. The student was identified on Tuesday as Alycia Reynaga by the San Joaquin County Medical Examiners Office. Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department, said by phone on Monday that the authorities were trying to determine why Ms. Reynaga student had been targeted. Officer Silva said on Tuesday that it did not appear they knew each other. The new case concerns Barry D. Romeril, a former Xerox executive whom the S.E.C. accused of participating in a scheme to mislead investors. He settled the case in 2003 without admitting or denying the accusations; paid more than $5 million, much of it reimbursed by Xerox; and agreed to the agencys take-it-or-leave-it condition that he stay forever silent about any shortcomings in the governments case. In 2019, he sued the agency, seeking to be released from his promise. The S.E.C. responded that Mr. Romeril, represented by sophisticated lawyers, had intentionally given up his right to speak in a negotiated settlement. He had been free to go to trial, the agency said, and then to say whatever he liked whether he won or lost. Instead, he made a deal, the agency said, waiving any First Amendment rights. He accepted silence as a condition of settlement rather than being forced into silence against his will, the agencys lawyers told the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in New York. A unanimous three-judge panel of the court ruled for the agency. A defendant who is insistent on retaining the right to publicly deny the allegations against him has the right to litigate and defend against the charges, Judge Denny Chin wrote for the panel. Romeril elected not to litigate. Floyd Abrams, a noted First Amendment lawyer who represents Mr. Romeril in the Supreme Court, says there are some rights that cannot be bargained away. To impose a speech ban as an element of a settlement is, in my view, unconstitutional, he said. The idea that the government is demanding an enforceable promise not to speak ill of it is really troubling. The Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case, Romeril v. Securities and Exchange Commission, No. 21-1284, in the coming months. The justices grant review in very few cases, but the question this one presents may intrigue them, as lower courts have adopted differing approaches to so-called gag orders in settlement agreements with the government. TORONTO If you are hankering for a government-sanctioned joint, then you have come to the right city. The options along Queen Street West are bountiful. You could start at Toronto Cannabis Authority, with a sign outside suggesting customers warm up with hot cannabis infused beverages. You could take a few steps down the sidewalk and enter Friendly Stranger, which trades on nostalgia for tokers who picked up their first bong here, long before cannabis was legalized three and a half years ago. Or you could dash across the street to the Hunny Pot, which made headlines in 2019, when it became the citys first legal cannabis store and saw an overnight line of customers. And thats just in 1,000 square feet. Walk two minutes and three more options appear. Theres a standing joke in Toronto that dispensaries are sprinkled around like parsley. They are everywhere, said Dalandrea Adams, a budtender standing behind the long glass display counter revealing pipes, grinders and rollers inside Friendly Stranger. Which is convenient, if you are a pothead. As Toronto slowly comes back to life after two years of repeated lockdowns and closures, the wreckage of the pandemic is surfacing like cigarette butts in melted snow drifts. Along the citys many neighborhood main streets, For lease signs hang in dusty windows. Office towers in the citys dense core remain mostly empty. High-profile prisoners held by both Russia and Ukraine, including two British fighters believed captured in Mariupol, appealed on Monday to be exchanged. Viktor Medvedchuk, one of the richest tycoons in Ukraine and a close ally of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, appeared in a 34-second video posted on Twitter by the Security Service of Ukraine. Mr. Medvedchuk, 67, the leader of a Ukrainian political party, asked both Mr. Putin and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to exchange him for the people defending Mariupol as well as any civilians trapped in the besieged, shattered southern port city. Mr. Medvedchuk, who had been under house arrest on treason charges when the war started but escaped, had been shown after he was captured on April 12, handcuffed, in military fatigues and looking disheveled and dazed. In his appeal on Monday, his hair was combed and he was wearing a zippered sweater. Mr. Medvedchuk was considered particularly close to Mr. Putin, who was godfather to his youngest daughter. Many in Lviv, like Ms. Belau, have learned to acclimate to the sounds of air raid alarms and even occasional strikes on military facilities. But the scenes of billowing smoke from the center of the city were a stark reminder that the violence now razing cities and villages to the east could be at their doorstep, too, at any moment. The city, no more than 50 miles from the western border with Poland, has been largely spared direct attacks as Russia has focused its attention on larger and more strategic areas to the east. It has turned into a critical gateway to safety for the millions of Ukrainians who have fled westward to escape the worst of the fighting, which is concentrated in the east. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people have passed through the citys train and bus stations as they look to cross the border and reach foreign lands. For others, it is a new home, if fleeting. The city, which had about 720,000 residents before the war began, has since welcomed at least 350,000 more people who were displaced from other parts of the country. Until Monday, the only direct targets that had been hit in Lviv were a fuel storage site and tank facility in the citys northeast, struck by several missile strikes about three weeks ago. Before that, a pair of attacks targeted an airport facility and a military base just outside the city, killing at least 35 people. The war, nonetheless, has transformed the city. Known for its quaint cobbled streets flanked by historic architecture and statues a UNESCO world heritage site Lviv was quickly repurposed from a tourist hub to a vital base of operations. Since the war began in late February, it has served as a channel for humanitarian supplies, aid workers and foreign fighters to front line cities. In a small parish in northern Italy affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, the mostly Ukrainian worshipers IT specialists, migrant factory laborers, nurses and cleaners decided to repudiate the full-throated support for the war in Ukraine from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. The Moscow Patriarch had repeatedly bestowed blessings on the Russian military, giving a historical golden icon of the Virgin Mary to a senior commander, for example, and casting the war as a holy struggle to protect Russia from what he called Western scourges like gay pride parades. He has been a vocal supporter of President Vladimir V. Putin, with the church receiving vast financial resources in return. We saw that the Moscow Patriarchate was not engaged in theology, it was simply interested in supporting the ideology of the state, said Archpriest Volodymyr Melnichuk of the Church of the Elevation of the Cross in Udine, Italy, In essence the patriarch betrayed his Ukrainian flock. So on March 31, the Ukrainian cleric wrote a letter severing all ties to the Moscow Patriarchate. With the Eastern Orthodox Easter approaching this Sunday, similar tensions are rippling through the churchs more than 200 million faithful, concentrated in eastern and southern Europe. Around the world, the war is dividing national churches, parishes and even families as they reassess relations with Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Orthodox Church. People were getting information from their relatives in Lviv about the attacks, said the conductor, Fedir, leaning out of the railway car to talk before it pulled away. They werent panicked, but they were worried. I told them to stay calm, he added, asking that he be identified by his first name only. Inside the train station, Anna Khrystiuk, a volunteer staffing an information desk for displaced people flooding into the train station, said most people had ignored the air raid siren until the first explosion. We told people to go to the shelter but they didnt listen to us, said Ms. Khrystiuk, 23. But with the sound of the explosion, she said, passengers ran to the underground level of the station that serves as a shelter. It was panic, she said. Many people came from Kharkiv and other places and they were so afraid of rockets already. They thought that it was safe to stay here.. While they were underground, they heard three more explosions. Russia-Ukraine War: Key Developments Card 1 of 3 Victory Day. President Vladimir V. Putin used his May 9 holiday speech to falsely depict his invasion of Ukraine as an extension of the struggle against Nazism in Europe. But contrary to some expectations, he did not make any new announcements signaling an escalation of the war. A show of support. Jill Biden, the first lady, traveled to western Ukraine in an unannounced trip, the latest show of support from the United States, which in recent weeks has significantly increased military aid for Ukraine. Canadas leader, Justin Trudeau, also made an unannounced visit. Russian oil ban. Leaders of the Group of 7 nations pledged during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky to ban or phase out Russian oil, aiming to further erode Russias economic standing. The group did not provide details but said the plan would take effect in a timely and orderly fashion. Many people cried, she said. We told them to keep calm and everything would be OK. Orest Maznin, a police officer, said he had been driving to work past the garage when the missile struck and he narrowly escaped being hit by shrapnel. His car windshield had a large hole from the impact of a piece of metal. He said he and other drivers slammed on the brakes and took cover near their cars when the missiles struck. It happened too quickly for me to be afraid, said Mr. Maznin, who joined the police force just six months ago. JERUSALEM Militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Israeli airspace on Monday night that was intercepted by an Israeli air defense system, as tensions continued to rise after recent clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police at a holy site in Jerusalem. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, but it followed several recent hints by Islamic Jihad, a militant group in Gaza, that it may respond to the clashes at the Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as Temple Mount. It was believed to be the first rocket strike since January from Gaza, where tensions have been comparatively low since the end of an 11-day war between Gaza militants and Israel last May. Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza, has condemned Israeli interventions at the mosque, but also indicated it is wary of escalating tensions so soon after last years war. Khaled Meshaal, a senior Hamas official, said Saturday that both Hamas and Israel had told Qatari mediators that they did not seek a new round of fighting. Gazan authorities are still rebuilding infrastructure that was damaged or destroyed in last Mays fighting; militants are still rebuilding their arsenal; and Hamas is considered leery of losing several economic concessions Israel recently made to Gaza, including a rise in the number of Israeli work permits assigned to Gazan residents. Intense fighting continued around a large steel factory in the southern city of Mariupol, in what appeared to be one of the last redoubts of Ukrainian forces in the besieged city, an adviser to the mayor said on Monday. Pyotr Andryushchenko, an aide to Mayor Vadym Boychenko, said that some 2,000 civilians were trapped along with the soldiers inside the Azovstal steel plant, one of Europes largest metal factories. Mr. Andryshchenko insisted that street fighting was continuing throughout Levoberezhny, the district that includes the factory. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had completely surrounded the steel plant, and that the Ukrainian forces holding out forbade negotiations about surrendering, citing an intercepted radio transmission. The Ministry repeated a demand that the Ukrainians put down their weapons. In case of further resistance, the ministry said, all of them will be eliminated. Photo illustration by Braulio Amado Talk Julia Roberts Hasnt Changed. But Hollywood Has. Julia Roberts is one of those few actors who have achieved a stardom that never really fades: Shes always up there in the pop-culture firmament, flashing that famous smile. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that her role as the Watergate whistleblower Martha Mitchell in the new Starz mini-series Gaslit, which premieres April 24, is her first acting work in four long years. As if making up for lost time, Roberts has found in the part of Mitchell wife of the former attorney general and Nixon confidante John N. Mitchell, played in the series by Sean Penn a character that affords her the opportunity to deliver the full Julia experience. Marthas brighter moments give Roberts the chance to exude the charisma and sass that lit up her earlier, lighter movies. Then as the story slides into grimmer territory, she draws on the darker, more fine-grained character work that has defined the later years of her career. Its a welcome return. It wasnt by design, Roberts, who is 54, says about her recent low profile, so much as not finding something that I was interested in. I was surprised how quickly the years seemed to go by. The story of Martha Mitchell is largely about power and influence and how men react to a woman trying to exert it. Youre someone who has experienced having power in your world. Did you bring any of that to Martha? I guess I could find commonality with Martha in that on the surface shes a woman whos sure of herself and comfortable around all the gents and cigars and knows how to work a room. Whats interesting is that her undoing, in my thought process in portraying her, was that she didnt want to go out and beat the drum for Nixon, but people responded to her. So she was pushed to go out and represent Nixon, and I think she started to dig it. But it wasnt without an enormous amount of cajoling. She had problems with her nerves and anxiety and being in front of people, which I can completely appreciate you have to conceal all that. I dont know if that answers your question. I feel like ultimately I could appreciate her more than lend myself to her. The thing about your answer My rambling? [Laughs.] You can ramble. Its fine. But you skipped the part of the question that alluded to your experience of power. OK, what is my experience of power? Well, its always going to be the person, man or woman, who doesnt know what theyre doing or doesnt have confidence in what theyre doing thats going to be the pain in the ass. Even when I am for sure not the smartest or most powerful person in the room, if I feel confident being in that room then I feel good saying, Im sorry, what are we doing? That becomes collaboration, which is my favorite thing. Sam Esmail, hes a great collaborator because he brings in such a strong team, and goodness knows I have waited my adult life to work with my friend Sean Penn. The John and Martha scenes, when we first read them, Sean and Matt Ross came over to my house, and I made lunch, and I said to Sean, I dont know the kind of actor I am that I could perform these scenes with someone that I didnt know very well. Because its tricky stuff. Especially when you start hitting each other. Im not a method actor, but someone hitting you is someone hitting you. Julia Roberts and Sean Penn in the new mini-series Gaslit. Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Starz What kind of actor are you? If I had just met someone and wed had a week of rehearsal and then started these scenes Id be curious to see how that performance would have ended up. The first day that Sean filmed, our characters are coming into a hotel from an event. Were all dressed up and we walk into this room and we realize that the Secret Service guy is there. He says, Mr. Mitchell, I need to speak with you or something. Its pretty straightforward. But Sean goes, I have an idea. Trust me on this. So we go outside the door, Matt says action and Sean gets on his knees behind me. Hes got his hands on my hips, and hes going Rawr rawr rawr rawr into the back of my dress as we come into the room. Only a pal could be that crazy off the bat. It cant be, Nice to meet you; I have an idea! When I asked you about parallels between yourself and Martha Mitchell, you said you could appreciate her more than lend yourself to her. It occurs to me that when I went back to old interviews you have done, you often seemed resistant to making links between yourself and your characters. Is that because you dont think of acting as many people do as this process of pulling from ones innermost experiences and emotions? Or maybe is it because you have an aversion to talking about your internal self with journalists? If it comes off as resistance, I think its because youve been doing a deep dive on me. So hearing me say whatever it is Ive said before might feel like Im making a big point when they were just a smattering of small points. But if I were to examine this as youre asking me to, to say that too much comes from inside me is to negate all the hunting and gathering Im doing to create something. I want to find things and examine outside myself and make things up. Because once you start the performance, that stuff thats inside us, that alchemy that makes us individuals, thats always going to bubble up to the surface in whatever way it needs to. Gaslit is another of these emotionally heavy ensemble pieces that youve done over the last 20 or so years. But before that you were doing more persona-driven, romantic-comedy star vehicles movies that called for a different kind of acting than Gaslit or Ben is Back or August: Osage County. Did the move toward heavier material make you think differently about the kind of actor you are or can be? What Ive learned is that you always want to do what youre not doing. Whenever Im in a comedy, I think I just want to be at a table with a cup of tea sobbing over something. Then youre doing that, and you think, Oh to be wearing a pretty dress and laughing. People sometimes misconstrue the amount of time thats gone by that I havent done a romantic comedy as my not wanting to do one. If I had read something that I thought was that Notting Hill level of writing or My Best Friends Wedding level of madcap fun, I would do it. They didnt exist until this movie that I just did that Ol Parker wrote and directed. But even with that, I thought, Well, disaster, because this only works if its George Clooney. Lo and behold, George felt it only worked with me. Somehow we were both able to do it, and off we went. To go from John and Martha Mitchell, to play these scenes with the greatest dramatic actor, I think, of my generation in Sean Penn, and then run around Australia with George playing these very funny scenes Im living my acting dreams. Roberts with Lucas Hedges in Ben Is Back (2018). Mark Schafer/Roadside Attractions, via Everett Collection Youre telling me you didnt do a romantic comedy for 20 years because there wasnt a single good script? Not one? Yeah. It cant be 20 years, can it? It is. What was 20 years ago? That was around the time of Americas Sweethearts. You also did those Garry Marshall movies but your parts were small. Heres the thing: If Id thought something was good enough, I would have done it. But I also had three kids in the last 18 years. That raises the bar even more because then its not only Is this material good? Its also the math equation of my husbands work schedule and the kids school schedule and summer vacation. Its not just, Oh, I think I want to do this. I have a sense of great pride in being home with my family and considering myself a homemaker. For so much of my childrens younger life they would see their dad go off and I would work a little, but they almost didnt notice. It was like I was only gone when they were napping or something. But as they get older, and particularly with my daughter, I do have a sense of responsibility for showing my children that I can be creative and that its meaningful to me so meaningful that for periods of time I will choose to focus on that almost more than my family, which has been hard for me to come to terms with. I almost didnt do August: Osage County because they were going to start filming right as our youngest son was starting kindergarten, and I was like, How could I miss this? I remember talking to Danny about it, and he said: At some point you were going to have to leave us to work. Wouldnt you rather roll those dice in a situation like this, where you have a good understanding of what youre going to be doing and the people youre going to be working with? He was right to push me, because if he said, I dont know, I would have been like: I dont either! Im not going! Thats the female plight. That feeling of leaving is hard. Roberts with Meryl Streep and Julianne Nicholson in August: Osage County (2013). Claire Folger/Weinstein Company, via Everett Collection What about from a business perspective rather than a family perspective? How do you decide whether the moves youre making are the right ones? Ive never put the work in a place of, Doing this part, what will people think? I read it. I want it or I dont want it. Thats how Ive made my decisions for 50 or whatever movies. But was that the case with movies like, for example, Mary Reilly and Michael Collins, both of which were seen as an effort on your part to break out of some typecasting and both of which didnt do well? Youre saying they had no bearing on the choices you made after? You werent then gun-shy or looking for roles in which you would be more secure? No. Your performance, obviously there are people helping you accomplish this goal. But the further away you get from it, the more you look alone. When youre alone out there in the world the Mary Reilly, 100-years-ago world you look at that performance, and you think, I am fully responsible for it. I have to be fully responsible for my decision. You say Mary Reilly to me today, and I mean, Im not half bad in that movie! I think I got short shrift. I can stand next to it happily because it was my decision. I feel that way about everything: Do I want to be that person who can stand next to this forever? Because the sum of my joy is finished the day that we wrap. Thats all the fun I will have on a movie. Youre basically saying you dont want to make a turkey. Yeah, I dont want to make a turkey. But if I do, I want to be able to go, Thats my turkey. If a young actor or actress were to ask for advice about how to build a career or navigate Hollywood now, what would you tell them? My first response is dont take advice from actors. Because everybodys experience is unique should be unique. Also, I am less qualified to give advice now because the business has changed entirely. Its a little sad, because when I started, I felt like you did a movie and if it did well then you might get offered a couple of other movies and might have more choice and youd get paid a little bit more on the next one. There were incremental shifts in opportunity, and it made more sense. Now its made more of air; maybe it doesnt feel as sturdy when youre going along. I felt pretty sure-footed about the choices I was making. You dont have those incremental markers anymore, it doesnt seem like. So this new movie youve made with George Clooney: Was it easy to stretch the rom-com muscles again? The good news is yes. I love to laugh and be funny. You get into that mode of those endorphins going off when youre clever and people going, Oh! Then that becomes this automatic thing where youre always thinking in terms of creating fun. Its a joy to play in that sandbox. It has been a long time. Is it still possible for you to do the trademark Julia Roberts moves the big smile and the big laugh without any self-consciousness? If somethings funny, Im going to laugh. If somethings not funny, nothings going to make me laugh. I would probably get a lot further in my career if I had more control over those things. Roberts with Dermot Mulroney in My Best Friends Wedding (1997). Everett Collection Its true, you havent gotten very far. [Laughs.] Still! Is it right that your smile is insured? No. What am I insuring it against? How would you do that? I dont know. I thought it was like how you hear that Tina Turners legs were insured. Oh, I have heard that. I mean, if my smile was insured, there would be someone at my house on a nightly basis saying, You need to floss longer. Its interesting for me to hear you talk about your smile because when I give my big smile, people say things like Are you OK? and Have you seen a doctor? [Laughs.] Oh, stop. Im told I mostly make up for it with my winning personality. Anyway, I asked earlier about the roles youve taken during the later part of your career. Are there personal reasons for why youve gravitated toward heavier stuff? Im 54 years old. The truth of what you see and how you understand it and the weight of things becomes clear. You want to be able to unpack that. Also, it might be a response to having a happy life. You think, Why would I leave a happy life to go pretend to be in a happy life? You were also talking about me being more in ensembles: I havent put a geography map over the workload and seen where the borders are of what Ive done. I bet in the analysis of it theres probably equal amounts of two-handers, four-handers, six-handers, eight-handers. Sorry, if we overlaid eight-handers on the geography map? Im throwing out a lot of nomenclature here, David. Keep up if you can. [Laughs.] But what does it all mean? You tell me. Roberts and Albert Finney in Erin Brockovich (2000). Everett Collection Well if you look at that map, you pretty much stopped doing big Hollywood star-driven lead roles after around 2001, 2002, and Im curious about what drove that aside from family dynamics. Or let me put it to you this way: I interviewed Brad Pitt once. He, like you, had a similar demarcation line in his career, after which the roles changed. When I asked him about it, he said he had an epiphany on the movie Troy, when he realized that he couldnt get out of the center of the frame and didnt want to play the hero anymore. Im wondering if you had any similar turning point? Um, no. But I do remember watching Troy and thinking Brad should not be the center anymore. I had that moment of clarity for Brad. For me, there might have been something subconscious. But I cant say that I made a decision to do something different. Going back to Gaslit: There has been this trend of retelling the stories of women who were harshly and quickly judged by the public in their time people like Monica Lewinsky or Tonya Harding. Martha Mitchells treatment in Gaslit fits in with that redemption-narrative cultural theme. Were you thinking of her in those terms? And are there risks to interpreting a historical figure through a contemporary perspective? Martha could very much find herself in the same situation today as 50 years ago, left holding the bag and to have the whisper campaign against her: Shes crazy. Shes an alcoholic. Theres nothing that makes you look crazier than running around screaming, Im not crazy. You say culture is quick to judge. Is anyone slow to judge? It doesnt exist. So of course when given time to consider someone or a situation, nine times out of 10 you are going to reveal a gentler interpretation. Theres also the issue of the gap between an individuals self-perception and how theyre perceived by the public. What do you know about that gap? I decided a while ago that Ill never really understand what people think about me and I dont need to. I also feel like Im a neutral person. Im not one of those polarizing personalities I dont think. I dont know. Because my job is so perfectly positioned in the priorities of my life, Im not investing time in understanding the relationship between who I am and who people might perceive me to be. Did you ever spend time thinking about it? Maybe when I was spending more time thinking about, Who am I? When I was 22 or whatever. Roberts in Pretty Woman (1990). Everett Collection What were you thinking about who you were back then? In that period of time, particularly when I wasnt working, I was not sure what I was looking for, but I was sure what I wasnt looking for. At least I had that going for me. I could read a script and say, I am not looking for that. People often ask actors, Whats your dream part? I have no idea. I cant conjure it. That period of searching was that connected to suddenly becoming so famous at such a young age? There was that too. But what that meant in 1990 is different than now. I mean, Im not Grandma Moses, but theres been so much innovation in these last few decades that put such a different shift on society and the way people communicate. Its just different. Let me ask: During one of these periods when youre not working, when youve got downtime, whats an ideal day? Oh, I dont want to sound like a turkey. I could say it, and then people will either be like, Thats sweet or Oh, [expletive] off. I thought you didnt care what people think. I still have a beating heart! When people say shes this or shes that that I cant do anything about. But I dont want people reading your nice piece thats going to be so interesting and people are going to be like, Wow, shes interesting in a way I never realized its all on you, David I guess its like when actors talk about their eating and exercise habits. Theres two people inside me: one that goes, OK, they look great. They eat these things; they dont eat those things. Then the other part of me goes, Oh, [expletive] off. This is a convoluted answer to What do you do for fun? [Laughs.] Well, Ill tell ya. They say youre only as happy as your least happy child. So when theres harmony in the house and you get up and make breakfast and see everybody off to school. Then do some adventuring with my husband. Well take a bike ride or have a coffee or a meal somewhere, and then Ill have time to myself and now its almost 3 oclock. Ill go get the kids from school. Lacrosse practice. Start making dinner. Its boring! Thats why you want to go, Oh, [expletive] off. But its the joy of the details of life that I get to lean into because I have this cool job. If I was here for the last 18 years doing that all day, every day, it probably wouldnt still have pixie dust on it. But I go away, and I miss it so much. Then I come back, and it kind of resparkles. I dont know. I cant be the kookiest person youve ever talked to, David. God knows, I cannot be! This interview has been edited and condensed from two conversations. Opening illustration: Source photograph by Shayan Asgharnia/AUGUST David Marchese is a staff writer for the magazine and the columnist for Talk. Recently he interviewed Neal Stephenson about portraying a utopian future, Laurie Santos about happiness and Christopher Walken about acting. If you enjoy staring at womens thighs while you eat, theres now a place that allows you to do just that, without looking like a pervert. Welcome to Japans new World of Thighs Photography Cafe! Its no secret that Japan loves themed restaurants and cafes, but if you thought airsoft restaurants and reptile cafes were a bit too much, youre going to love this new joint that is colored by the world of thighs. Young girls thighs, that it. Designed as an extension of Japanese photographer Yurias artistic exhibitions, the newly opened cafe in Tokyos Ebisu district is decorated with photos of womens thighs from Yurias existing portfolio, as well as some never-before-seen pics from a recent photo shoot in Guam. If youre unfamiliar with Yurias body of work, its pretty much centered around female thighs. Photo: Yuria Called World of Thighs Photography Cafe, Tokyos newest themed cafe was inaugurated on October 6 and will stay open until December 6, allowing patrons to feast on various popular dishes while surrounded by dozens of photos of young womens thighs. Judging by some photos released by the organizers, the food will also feature thigh-shaped decorations, although its not yet clear if those are edible. For die-hard female thigh fans, World of Thighs Photography Cafe also features a thigh-themed gift shop where you can buy pins and other thigh-related merchandise. Photo: Yuria via SoraNews24 A 28-year-old man from Pakistan has become known as the Tarzan of Karachi after spending the last eight years of his life living in a makeshift treehouse in the city. Farman Ali became somewhat of an overnight social media sensation after footage of his unusual home went viral on social media a few weeks ago. People were fascinated by the young man who managed to live in a modest treehouse for over eight years, but as he keeps telling everyone who asks, he didnt do it by choice. After losing both his parents, Ali was simply too poor to afford any kind of conventional housing, and after living on the streets for a while, he decided to build his own home in the only place where no one would bother him or drive him away in a tree on public property. Photo: Ruptly The Tree Man of Karachi, as Farman Ali is known by some in Pakistans largest city, makes a living by washing cars, sweeping and cleaning outside peoples houses and making groceries for others. Most of his clients pay him in cold water and food, and the little money is barely enough for his daily necessities, so he cant even think about getting a proper home. The 28-year-olds story went viral in Pakistan, with many praising him for his grit and outside-the-box thinking. He was recently interviewed by international video news agency, Ruptly, and said that he only started living in a Karachi tree as a last resort. He knocked on every door he could, asking relatives and acquaintances for help, but no one wanted to deal with a poor man who had nothing to offer. Ali said that he built his treehouse out of bamboo, wood and old doors, with cloth to protect himself from the wind and rain. Apart from a makeshift bed, he also managed to set up a sink to wash his face every morning, a small oven for cooking and heating water, and even a small, battery-powered light and a charger for his phone. The young treehouse dweller told Pakistani interviewers that he was married at one point, but since he couldnt earn the 30,000 rupees ($165) that his partner was asking for per month, she eventually left him. After appealing to authorities for help numerous times only to be ignored, Tarzan of Karachi said that at this point his hope lies only with the Almighty Allah. Eight days after communal clashes broke out in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone, the first death was reported on Monday. The body of a person identified as Ibarish Khan, who was reported missing since April 10, was found in Indore's MY hospital morgue. The family of the deceased identified the body at the morgue, which is around 120 km from Khargone. The family alleged that the police tried to hide the death. The family claimed that the deceased had been missing since the day violence erupted in Khargone. A missing complaint was also lodged at the police station, family claimed. According to the local police, Ibarish Khan was murdered by seven-eight men on the night of the clashes. "An unidentified body was found a day after communal violence in the Anand Nagar area of Khargone had occurred," senior Khargone police officer Rohit Kashwani told reporters on Monday. He added that Khan died of a head injury and his body was identified by his family on Sunday night. Khan's body was kept in a freezer at Indore's MY Hospital. His family was taken to the hospital on Sunday night and that was when the body was identified as that of the missing man. The body was handed over to the family and brought to Khargone early Monday, police said. Ibarish Khan was a local municipality employee in Khargone and leaves behind a wife and a young son. Deceased's family alleged that he was killed by the police and local residents when he had gone to a mosque to arrange food for iftar. The family also claimed that Ibarish Khan was last seen in police custody at Khargone police station on April 10 evening. "The people in Anand Nagar attacked my brother with weapons and crushed his head with a stone," said the deceased's brother Iqhlak Khan. According to him, the police finally told him about Ibarish Khan's death only after he threatened to go to the media. "A policeman came to me on Sunday night and told me that Ibarish's body is kept in Indore," he said. The condition of the body indicated a brutal attack, Iqhlak said. "His one eye was damaged, there were cuts on his face and legs," he added. On April 10, communal violence erupted in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone during the Ram Navami celebrations. Stones were hurled at the procession, triggering incidents of arson wherein some vehicles were set on fire, prompting authorities to clamp curfew in three areas and section 144 of CrPC in the entire city. Police fired tear gas shells to control the situation. The Manuscript Writing Cafe in Tokyo, Japan only caters to writers working on tight deadlines, providing the motivation and assistance required to make sure they meet those deadlines. Japan is no stranger to offbeat cafes that sometimes inspire worldwide trends. Remember cat cafes? That popular trend originated in the Asian country, as did, maid cafes, owl cafes, reptile cafes, and even a cafe dedicated to female thighs. And those are just a handful of examples; in reality, Japan has come up with a plethora of intriguing cafe concepts, and somehow keeps coming up with new ones. The latest example is the Manuscript Writing Cafe in Tokyos Koenji neighborhood, a venue that only welcomes writers struggling to meet their deadlines. Photo: Takuya Kawai/Twitter The Manuscript Writing Cafe only allows in people who have a writing deadline to face! owner Takuya Kawai tweeted. Its in order to maintain a level of focus and tense atmosphere at the cafe! Thank you for your understanding. The cafe, which only opened a few days ago, charges patrons by time used (it operates at a rate of 150 yen or $1.32 per 30 minutes), and is equipped with USB ports, computer stands, and free Wi-Fi. Struggling writers can also bring their own food and drinks, or have it delivered there since coffee and water are the only things available, but its pretty strict when it comes to the actual writing. Although the Manuscript Writing Cafe actually accepts a wide range of writers, from translators and copywriters to novelists and proofreaders, the rules are the same for everyone. When entering the cafe, patrons must write down at the reception desk how many words they plan to write and by what time they plan to finish. Every hour, a member of the staff will come by to check on their progress and apply a predetermined pressure level to help move things along. For example, opting for the S course will have the cafe staff more aggressively pushing you to get the work done, while the M course involves a more mild approach. Its all based on what kind of person you are, and what works better for you, I guess. However, the craziest rule of the Manuscript Writing Cafe is that writers are not allowed to end their session until reaching their declared goal or until the place closes down for the day, whichever comes first. Its not clear how the cafe enforces this rule, but it is meant to keep patrons from declaring ambitious targets that they wont be able to meet. The space in which the Manuscript Writing Cafe operates is actually a recording and broadcasting studio called Koenji Sankakuchitai. The cafe itself is only open when the studio isnt, so you wont be able to go every day. However, Takuya Kawai makes sure to always announce the next date that the cafe will be open. For example, this month, the Manuscript Writing Cafe will be open on the 20th next. The guys at SoraNews24 recently featured the Manuscript Writing Cafe and the wacky concept went viral on social media. While some found it intriguing, others said that it was too much pressure. If it were me, I would no longer be able to leave the store and would end up having to live there, one person commented. SHINRONE Sensory Walkway Group was established in 2021 with the support and facilitation of Offaly Local Development Company. Group members include Amy McLoughlin, Lesley Davies, Declan and Karina Mullally, Sandra Mullally, Ciara Carey, Peter Ormond and Rachel Moloney (OLDC). The group aims to develop a multifunctional sensory walkway through the village for the benefit of all the community. There will be a particular emphasis on children and families with autism and the walk will provide space for self-regulation as well as exploration, creativity and development. The proposed walk will start at the Birr Road, continue through the village and connect with Cangort Wood. The group and Offaly Local Development Company staff are working closely with Shinrone Tidy Towns, The Heritage Group, Offaly County Council and the local CE scheme to ensure the sustainability and success of the project. Youth initiatives are ongoing through planting/horticulture projects with young people and their families, Sunflowers preschool Shinrone, mosaic workshops, DIY Frog Tyre planter workshops, Motto/Caption Competitions, and The Dog Fouling awareness campaign with Shinrone National School and ODEN (Offaly Disability and Equality Network). They even had a mini Womens Shed going for a while with volunteers painting the activity boards as seen in the Sensory space at St Marys Terrace/Church View. In July 2021, the group supported by Shinrone Tidy Towns, were successful in procurement of funds of 1,000 from the Community Enhancement Programme 2021 to develop the Sensory Touch area at St Marys/Church View. The remainder of the project was funded by Healthy Ireland and SICAP (Social Inclusion and Community Activation) within Offaly Local Development Company and manual labour was provided by OLDCS Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and TUS participants. This project would not have been feasible without their labour, hard work, and commitment. They appreciate all their work and taking time away from regular responsibilities in order to be a part of this project. Thank you to RSS Supervisor Tracy Pigott, RSS participants Pat Dolan, Sean Brown, Malachy Bradley and TUS Supervisor John Kelly for their work making the activity boards and to RSS supervisor George Digan, RSS participants Brian Beavans, Richie Greene, Thomas Fahy, Enda Molloy, Paddy Kennedy and Cathal Fleury for their manual labour on and off site with sensory footpath, seating area, placement of boards and more. Thanks also to P.J. Cleary for voluntary manual labour and Cuimin Maher for donations of paint. A massive thank you to Martin King, David Moloney, Jerome King and the family at Shinrone Tyre Centre for all their support, patience and kindness and help throughout. They would also like to thank Birr Community Policing Unit, Garda Grace Heffernan and Garda Lisa Touhy for helping with youth activities Thank you to OLDC staff members Roisin Lennon, Rural Development Team Leader, Louise Larkin, SICAP Support Worker, Peter Maher, Recreational Development Officer. This project was also massively dependant on volunteers and The Sensory Walkway group would also like to thank everyone who volunteered their time, materials/resources and most of all support and encouragement throughout: Shinrone Tidy Towns, Shinrone Heritage Group, Offaly County Council and the many volunteers within the community, who gave of their times and skills so generously in order to complete the many aspects of this project. The Sensory Space was officially opened on Saturday last April 9th and there was great attendance and support for the initiative. Martin King at Shinrone Tyre Centre kindly allowed use of his premises for the event, where they had art and craft, games, sensory spaces, ice-cream and refreshments kindly provided by Karina Cummins, Eileen Brereton, Centra Shinrone and SICAP. There is loads more to look forward to as they plan to develop more spaces similar to this, revisit projects from last year, engage in litter picks/clean ups and continue Planting the Seed project as a tradition for those transitioning from preschool to primary school. If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more then contact Rachel Moloney at Offaly Local Development Company on (086) 8336873, or rmoloney@offalyldc.ie . A Ferbane man has just returned from Ukraine where he helped to rescue 53 dogs, bringing them across the border to safety in Poland. Darren Bracken, who volunteers with the Laois based Husky Rescue Ireland regularly transports rescued dogs from Ireland to good homes in Sweden. He had been watching what was happening in Ukraine and thought Husky Rescue should travel there to take care of the pets who had been abandoned in the war through no fault of their owners. ''I have 4 dogs of my own and I would feed them before I would feed myself,'' said Darren. ''Myself and Andy Cullen, the founder of Husky Rescue Ireland were talking about it and we agreed to go. We put up the appeal online and we were overwhelmed. We got 10 to 15 tons of supplies. We got food for dogs, cats, hamsters and rabbits plus people donated food for the people of Ukraine as well, along with toiletries and other things, added Darren. We were overloaded with stuff and a little bit overweight, but we got through customs and we drove from Dublin to France. to Germany and Poland. We crossed the border three times to rescue the dogs. Darren and Andy were only allowed to bring 10 dogs at a time which they found frustrating as the van can hold a number of large dogs, but they were the rules so it required them to make the hazardous journey three times. We passed through an army barracks the same night as it was blown up. We didn't know until we came out, said Darren. The dogs were being cared for in a small family run rescue centre in Ukraine. Many of the buses crossing the border with refugees dont allow dogs on board so people left their dogs with the rescue centre. Darren and Andy off loaded their supplies at this particular centre which meant that people who were dropping off their pets were able to pick up vital supplies. ''We know the stuff got to the people and to some of the soldiers as well. The people who were picking it up knew the area. They knew which roads to travel to avoid being bombed.'' Darren and Andy were able to reunite three of the dogs with their owners. The owners of the other dogs will know their pets are in a safe place and being well looked after, until the day they can be reunited. ''One dog gave birth to 7 pups just days after she was brought across the border. She waited until she was in a warm and safe place.'' said Darren. Darren said he and Andy couldnt have made the journey without the support of the team at Husky Rescue Ireland. They looked after the centre while they were abroad, feeding and walking the dogs in their care. He also gave a big thanks to Star Rescue for all their help. To make a donation to Husky Rescue Ireland log onto https://www.huskyrescueireland.ie/donation-options BORD na Mona could soon be embroiled in a new legal battle which threatens the immediate future of the briquette factory in Derrinlough and its power station near Clonbullogue. The energy company has said it will resist any move by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) to seek an injunction stopping it from supplying peat to both plants. FIE is the environmental lobby group which won a landmark court case on the planning regulations governing peat extraction in 2019. Bord na Mona had already launched its 'brown to green' strategy the previous year and last year announced it was ceasing turf harvesting on all its bogs. In an unexpected move on Wednesday, FIE revealed that its solicitors had written a warning letter to Bord na Mona accusing the company of using unlawfully extracted peat at the power station, the briquette factory and at its horticulture facility in Co Kildare. FIE told Bord na Mona that unless it stopped removing peat from its stockpiles by that evening (Wednesday, April 13) it would seek an injunction under the Planning Acts to ensure that planning permission is sought with an opportunity for public consultation. The environmental group's demand was made as a result of a statement to an Oireachtas committee on March 23 last that Bord na Mona had 950,000 tonnes of peat in reserve. FIE said that when Bord na Mona's representative Ger Breen was questioned by Sinn Fein TD Matt Carthy at the committee, Mr Breen agreed he was absolutely satisfied planning permission for the extraction of stock was not required. The solicitor's letter from FIE to Bord na Mona said the peat was extracted without the required planning permission, and without an environmental impact assessment (EIA) or appropriate assessment and added: Bord na Mona now seeks to profit from this unauthorised development by using the material unlawfully extracted. The excavation and removal of peat stockpiles amounts to works within the Planning and Development Act 2000 that itself require planning permission and may also require EIA and/or appropriate assessment. Speaking to the Tullamore Tribune, FIE spokesperson Tony Lowes said Bord na Mona had not previously said publicly that it had nearly one million tonnes of peat in stockpiles and the information given to the Oireachtas committee prompted the threat of legal action. Mr Lowes said FIE's move was motivated by its belief in the importance of public participation in planning and development matters. We all have to go through the planning process and the key thing about that is it gives everybody a chance to discuss it, he said. We have to be pretty clear in the law on what we issue planning permission for and what we don't. In the context of the High Court ruling that large scale peat extraction needed planning permission, he said Bord na Mona had applied for substitute consent at a number of sites but then subsequently withdrew those applications. In a response to this week's threat of legal action, Bord na Mona's solicitor outlined to their FIE counterpart how the energy company had already ceased all peat harvesting from its lands and had accelerated its decarbonisation strategy to deliver ambitious enhanced peatland decommissioning, rehabilitation and restoration targeting circa 33,000 hectares in over 80 of its bogs. Bord na Mona's solicitor said FIE had previously welcomed all those developments. The letter to FIE's solicitor went on: In all the circumstances, we are surprised at your clients demand for confirmation that excavation has ceased, and do not understand what further commitment is necessary. Further, we cannot understand why your client makes this demand now, at this time and with this short deadline. Our client has been transparent and clear with all stakeholders about its ongoing activities. There is nothing different or new in these activities. We believe that any and all ongoing activity is carried out under and in accordance with applicable laws, including under and in accordance with the several licences granted by the Environmental Protection Agency to our client." The letter also told FIE that Bord na Mona had permission from An Bord Pleanala to continue using extracted peat at Edenderry Power Station for seven years from December 2016 and that Derrinlough briquette factory had been constructed and opened prior to October 1 1964. Since then, Offaly County Council have granted permission for amendments to the factory, including, most recently, for new workshop building on 2 February 2015... The use of peat at that factory is lawful. The legal letter also said Bord na Mona did not understand FIE's suggestion that lifting previously extracted peat into transport vehicles requires planning permission: There is an important difference between extraction of peat from land, and mere transport of peat. The latter does not comprise development. We read your letter to suggest that permission is required to transport previously extracted peat, solely because the peat was, itself, unlawfully extracted. Your client has not identified or established that peat has been unlawfully extracted. Further, we do not understand how that could make any difference to the proper construction of what comprises development that requires planning permission. Bord na Mona plc has been careful to comply with applicable laws, across the entire of its 80,000 hectare land bank. We note your threat of an application to court. We do not believe that any such application is necessary or appropriate at this time. Any application based on the suggestions made in your letter will be resisted. We must insist that you bring this letter to the attention of the court. FIE is currently assessing the reply from Bord na Mona's solicitor in advance of a decision on seeking a court injunction. In a statement released on Thursday night, Bord na Mona said it permanently ceased all peat extraction on its lands in January 2021 ensuring it is in full compliance with its legal obligations concerning the extraction of peat from its lands. "The company has been advised that the movement of milled peat stockpiles does not require planning permission," said a spokesperson. "The company continues to operate under and in accordance with its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licences, that are granted and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Those regulate peat stockpile management, including weather protection, loading and removal from its lands." Bord na Mona has previously said it will cease supplying peat to Edenderry power station in 2023, at which point the electricity generation plant will be supplied by biomass wood chip only. It has been using both fuels for a number of years. The energy company also plans to discontinue the manufacture of peat briquettes in 2024. No matter what has happened today, don't lose hope. Hold on to hope as much as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. Much love and Easter blessings to each of you. Be kind every chance you get. The ripple effect, if visible, would astound you. What the world needs now is hope. Hope transforms you, it transforms me, and it is only as transformed hope-filled people that we will be able to bring such urgently needed hope to the world: to our own personal world of family, friends and acquaintances, but also to the world as a whole. One little drop of hope has far reaching consequences for all of humanity. As Desmond Tutu who sadly passed away recently said, "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. They say that a man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope. Hope can be the difference between success and failure. You can withstand so much if you know you have people who support you and are looking out for you. You can face just about anything, as long as you dont lose the hope that you can succeed. Even hope and faith as tiny as a mustard seed can produce mountainous amounts of blessings. Hope is a positive and potent spiritual practice that has the power and influence to pull us through difficult times. Hope is the basic ingredient of optimism, a tendency to dwell on the best possibilities. It is often described as a metaphor such as a ray, a beam, a glimmer of hope; the break in the clouds; the light at the end of the dark tunnel. Hope can often be revealed in unexpected places or through others. Hope is energizing. Certain attitudes or virtues can support the development of hope in our lives. Hope can be learned with practice. One attitude or virtue that supports a deepened sense of hope in our lives is patience, an ability to tolerate set-backs, and a willingness to let events unfold in their own time. The other is courage, an attitude of confidence even when facing the unfamiliar. A third is persistence, the determination to keep on going no matter what happens. We have hope when we can say, "everything will be ok, and we mean it. Without hope, we find it difficult to be patient and can be easily frustrated. We may lack the courage to continue struggling against hardship. We are often easily discouraged. The common expression, "Hope for the best, but expect the worst" implies the worst. When we are without hope, we easily fall victim to such negativism. When the light of hope is absent, we are overcome by gloom and doom, despair and negativity. Hope gives us enthusiasm, courage and drive to continue moving forward in every situation. Each of us carries within our hearts the seeds of enduring hope. With a conscious effort and committed action, and rooted in God's love, our hopes have the power to transform our lives and the lives of others. Hope challenges us When life happens, people are tempted to give up hope. It must feel like that today for the people of the Ukraine where I have spent many weeks over the last 50 days of war who just experienced the horror and evil of the Russian invasion and whose lives have been ripped apart by the cruel bombings and gunfire. Life happened over the last few weeks and months in Ukraine and the war blew away a lifetime of work, life and memories. Homes, possessions, towns, cities, livestock, and livelihoods all destroyed in weeks of evil carnage. I wonder what emotions they must be feeling. How would I feel? Would I still have hope? Have you ever had the sense that the virtue of hope gets short-changed in our Christian experience? We focus on faith in Jesus. We focus on loving God and our neighbor. But do we really value and nurture hope? Hope is what sustains us as we persevere, remaining steadfast in times of trial and discouragement. For instance, when our lives are turned upside down by a war or climate change or another of lifes disruptions that are bound to come and, when they do, feel like a hurricane. The virtue of hope challenges us and empowers us to be determined, resolute, intentional, purposive, and steadfast. Hope is not wishful thinking or passive waiting. It means intentional, purposeful living; and it is something we experience before the bad stuff happens. We live hopeful lives. Thomas Merton was one of the more influential spiritual writers of the last century. He wrote a now-famous prayer that seems appropriate for those times when we experience the hurricanes of life and dont know which way to turn. My Lord, God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does, in fact, please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do that you will lead me by the right road, although I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me and will never leave me to face my perils alone. Hope means to keep living amid desperation and to keep humming in the darkness. Hoping is knowing that there is love; it is trust in tomorrow; it is falling asleep and waking again when the sun rises. In the midst of a gale at sea, it is to discover land. In the eyes of another, it is to see that you are understood... As long as there is still hope there will also be prayer... And you will be held in God's hands. Thought for the week As your thought for the week, pray for hope for the people in your life and know that hope never abandons us. We abandon hope. Consult not your fears especially during these worrying times but consult your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do. Hope is the basis of existence and we should never give up hope. Hope should be our true companion of all times. I want to encourage you to stay focused on the hope that is Jesus. Pray for endurance. Know the Lord has a plan. And finally, be a reflection of hope to the world. Let them know where your hope, faith, and trust lies, sharing the light and hope of Jesus with them. A prayer of Hope I like to say to keep me going each day goes as follows - Dear Lord, I try so hard to be your humble servant, I come before you today in need of hope, courage and strength. There are times when I feel helpless and lost. There are times when I feel weak and addicted. I pray for hope. I need hope for a better future. I need hope for a better life. I need hope for love, care, shelter and kindness. Some say that the sky is at its darkest just before the light. I pray that this is true, for all seems very dark in my life at times. I need your light, Lord, in every way. I pray to be filled with your light from head to toe. To bask in your glory. To know that all is right in the world, as you have planned, and as you want it to be. Help me Lord to walk in your light, and live my life in faith and support to those most in need. Help me to shine my light to help others shine their light. Let us also pray for all who are recovering from illnesses of all types in hospital, nursing homes , hospices and in the family home and for families who are unable to visit loved ones especially those in ICU and High Dependency Care wards and for our nurses, doctors, carers and all on the frontline who serve us daily despite the extreme stress and anxiety they endure. Dear Lord, Our Lady and St. Joseph, we ask you to hear our prayers during these worrying times and especially for all our people who are sick or unwell with any type of illness at home or in hospital. Comfort those who are vulnerable, anxious or fearful. Protect our healthcare workers and all our frontline workers who put their lives at risk. Inspire our leaders to make good decisions and may we all act responsibly and lok and pray for peace in our world. "When my arms can't reach people close to my heart, I hug them with my prayers. In your name I pray, Amen. A MAN was jailed for five months after a court heard he was caught driving just three months after being hit with a 15-year ban. Tullamore Circuit Court was told that Simonas Medeika, aged 42, was found to have no insurance when he was stopped at Dublin Road, Edenderry at 12.15pm on June 22, 2020. Sandra Mahon, Offaly state solicitor, told Judge Keenan Johnson that the tax on Mr Medeika's vehicle was out of date and he did not pay a fixed charge penalty notice. Gardai subsequently found that he was disqualified at the time having been banned for 15 years at Tullamore Circuit Court on March 6, 2020. He had also been convicted of having no insurance and drink-driving at Mullingar Circuit Court in May 2019 and more recently, in December 2021 at Naas Circuit Court, he received another 15-year disqualification. In all, he had up to eight convictions for driving without insurance. One of the worst records I've seen, commented Judge Johnson. Mr Medeika was back before the judge to appeal against the severity of a sentence imposed on him at Tullamore District Court. Defence counsel Suzanne Dooner said she was aware of the risks run by taking the appeal but added that the man had a very good work history since coming to Ireland in 2004. A father of one, he worked as a mechanic and the offence before the court was committed when he was carrying out a pre-NCT test on a car and and naively he had driven it outside the premises. Judge Johnson asked: How could it be naively with a record like that? Ms Dooner said the appellant was just outside the perimeter of the garage and she had explained to him that it was public property so he had no right to be there. Because of the very good working relationship he had with his employer they cleared some of the site so he can do the testing within the grounds. Letters of support were handed in to the court, including one from his wife. Ms Dooner said the man had spent a period in custody for road traffic matters and that meant he was away from his family. He had served one-and-a-half months and was on temporary release and he signed on at a garda station and at the prison. Ms Dooner added that he had pleaded guilty at an early stage in the District Court and he had saved 1,000. Judge Johnson said Mr Sedeikas had driven while disqualified, had at least eight previous convictions and had been the subject of a 15-year ban. I don't know what it takes to get the message through what it means to be disqualified, he said. When Mr Medeika, with an address at Tanara, Broadford, Co Kildare, was before Tullamore Circuit Court in March 2020, Judge Johnson was told he had served just four days of a two-month sentence which was previously imposed on him for drink-driving. You wonder what we're doing up here, really, remarked the judge. Judge Johnson learned about the short time served in prison when Mr Medeika, a native of Lithuania, was appealing against a six-month prison sentence which had been imposed for a drink-driving offence. The court was told then that the man had three convictions for drink-driving since 2017 and a 10-year ban had been imposed on him for the last one in October 2019. A nine-month suspended sentence was imposed. A stalagmite from Yonderup Cave, a shallow cave in Western Australia, preserved a record of fire events and climate conditions. We found that the largest fire event in the stalagmite record, in approximately 1897 CE, coincided with a decades-long drought period known as the Australian Federation drought, said Dr. Liza McDonough, a researcher at Australias Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). The intensity of this fire was likely caused, at least partially, by these dry conditions. We also know that this fire occurred a few decades after Indigenous cultural burning would have been suppressed by Europeans, so the fire was also probably exacerbated by a build-up of understorey vegetation and dry combustible material on the forest floor due to removal of Indigenous land management practices. Dr. McDonough and her colleagues interpret the pre-European period captured in the stalagmite record as characterized by regular, low-intensity fires, while its post-European record depicts infrequent, high-intensity fires, which they speculate could be due to management practices. Nutrients such as phosphorus, and trace metals are found in bushfire ash and, in theory, can dissolve into waters that eventually infiltrate underground caves, she said. Our research provides the first evidence that water containing high concentrations of these dissolved ash-derived elements can also alter the chemistry of a stalagmite and result in the preservation of signals from past fire events. Why had stalagmites not been previously discovered as archives of past fires? We realised we needed to use the highest resolution geochemical techniques available, as stalagmites grow very slowly, Dr. McDonough said. In one year, a stalagmite increases in height by the same thickness as that of a sheet of paper. The geochemical trace left by a fire would be even thinner. Its not just historical fires that are recorded in stalagmites but also the annual accumulation of years, much like tree rings. In regions with high seasonality, wet winters can lead to a flush of organic matter into the dripwaters that form stalagmites, Dr. McDonough said. This causes annual dark bands alternating with light calcite bands in summer. This means that these stalagmites can be easily and precisely dated by counting back the annual layers. While the particular portion of the Yonderup stalagmite is relatively young, allowing scientists to peer back just 260 years, the range of time promised by other stalagmites and other speleothems (cave ornaments) stretches back much further, thousands or even tens of thousands of years. This new technique opens the possibility of speleothems, and their chemical record, to describe historical fire and climatic events around the world potentially anywhere we might find caves, Dr. McDonough said. The technique also grants new perspectives on climate change. Speleothems record increasing or decreasing rainfall rates and changes in evaporation and their potential influence on local fire events, whether theyre becoming more or less frequent through time. The results appear in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. _____ Liza K. McDonough et al. Past fires and post-fire impacts reconstructed from a southwest Australian stalagmite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, published online March 19, 2022; doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2022.03.020 A humid evening greeted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as she touched down in Singapore to start her first overseas trip in over two years.Ardern and a 12-strong trade and business delegation are spending this week in Singapore and... With Auckland's CBD lacking the hustle and bustle of office workers with more people working from home, and with the hospitality industry suffering as a result, Kirsty Wynn asked our mayoral candidates what they would do to revive... Bang Media International Limited 10 Jun 2021 Prince Edward says his mother Queen Elizabeth is coping as well as can be expected following the death of her husband Prince Philip.. The covid-19 pandemic has highly impacted our everyday lives. No one expected this worldwide crisis to last so long, but events cannot be foreseen. The virus is still among us, continuing to claim several lives from all around the globe. One of the most visible effects of the pandemic is the change in social interaction, which has affected the lives of millions of people. Thousands of people have passed away due to the pandemic - studies show that there are about 978,000 lost lives in the U.S. alone. Homelessness is another issue brought into the discussion here since the spread of the pandemic has increased the percentage of the homeless population. Northshore Clinical Labs in Chicago, Illinois, has been making considerable efforts to provide support during these challenging times. Since the pandemic's start, the high-performing lab has constantly been working to process thousands of Covid-19 tests and deliver results effectively and efficiently. Because time is crucial in preventing the disease, Northshore Clinical Labs has expanded their services, helping the citizens of Illinois not only with Covid-19 tests but also with on-site support, donations and charitable fundraising, homeless programs, and other significant contributions. Community-oriented services have become one of the lab's main priorities - fruitful partnerships with numerous organizations (nursing homes, summer camps, schools, churches, etc.) and businesses have been formed to ensure the community's well-being. This article explores the various ways Northshore Clinical Labs has helped combat the pandemic: Testing Testing remains one of the most effective ways to avoid spreading the virus. Once you know you're sick, you won't go outside and interact with other people because your civic spirit doesn't allow you to do so. If there's something everyone should learn from this pandemic is responsibility. That's why testing was and continues to be one of the most powerful weapons against the virus. Covid variants have claimed many lives, including Omicron. That's why Northshore Clinical Labs continues to serve tests. One of their main priorities is to keep people safe, so they're constantly working to deliver high-quality results in the shortest possible time. They also decided to partner with different organizations, such as nursing homes, public school districts, daycares, and so on, to ensure a smooth testing process. They also expanded to locations where testing was necessary to ensure everyone had access to this technology. On-site testing in high-crowded areas proves to be a viable solution in the fight against the virus. But even these laboratories' employees are humans and get sick sometimes. Many of the Northshore Labs' workers have experienced the effects of Covid-19, being forced to remain home (in isolation). In some cases, members of their families got sick and had to take care of them. No matter the circumstances, the lab has experienced a shortage of labor, which caused tests to be backed up and the processing time to take longer. These experiences are understandable - it's not like the virus chooses whom to sicken. Fortunately, Northshore Clinical Labs has found solutions so that the infection among employees should no longer be a problem. How did they manage to solve this? By hiring more lab workers and forming partnerships with different companies. This way, they encourage effective and efficient testing, which is nothing but imperative in these troubling times. But that's not all. Northshore has also invested in high-quality equipment to avoid slow testing. Therefore, Northshore Clinical Labs focused on buying modern technology to speed up test delivery to the highest standards, apart from almost doubling their staff. They're committed to easing Illinois's community members' lives, and that's why they chose to invest in top-notch testing supplies. Therefore, Northshore's responses to the pandemic are hiring more lab employees, investing in high-quality technology, and forming partnerships with community organizations and businesses. Nursing Homes It's not surprising that older people are more vulnerable to the virus - their immune system no longer functions at full capacity, which makes infection with Covid-19 more likely to happen to them. According to statistics, there's a mortality rate of approximately 75.5% among people above 65 in the U.S. The numbers are alarming, so what is to be done? They need support and special care in some cases, but what if they have no place to stay? In this case, nursing homes prove to be of great help. They offer shelter for the most vulnerable to the virus population who can't tend to themselves. Northshore Clinical Labs has made significant efforts to support nursing homes, assuring that seniors are at a lower risk of getting sick. In this regard, they provided these facilities with testing supplies and sent an experienced team to test the ones in need. Westminster Place, Greek American Rehabilitation, and The Springs of Monarch Landing are just a few locations they helped fight against the pandemic. Homeless Programs As we already mentioned, the number of unsheltered people has risen significantly during the last few years, and the pandemic only encouraged this fact. Since the virus was spreading so fast, so many people have been left without shelter, finding refuge on the street, where the risk of getting various diseases was much higher. One thing is for sure: they need help, and Northshore Clinical Labs has done their best to support them. They make incessant efforts to ease homeless people's lives - the labs engaged in sponsorship, fundraising, and other supportive services. For example, they represent the main sponsor for the ShoweUp Program in Chicago, a non-profit organization preoccupied with providing hygiene resources to the homeless population. Charter Schools Since the rise of the pandemic, students have no longer access to a land-based education environment. And even if they physically return to school, things are no longer the same. Safety should be on the top of any school's priorities list. Northshore Clinical Labs has offered outstanding support services to help children return to school as soon as possible and assure safety standards in educational institutions, contributing to the students' constant testing. They've also provided about 100 summer camps with testing supplies to ensure children make the most of their recreational time. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Justen Watkins, the self-proclaimed leader of the white nationalist group The Base, pleaded guilty to gang membership in a Washtenaw County courtroom on Monday afternoon. Watkins pleaded guilty to gang membership, a felony, for his role in a December 2019 incident in which he and another Base member, Alfred Gorman of Taylor, terrorized a family at their Dexter home after mistaking one of the residents as the host of an Antifa podcast. Two other counts against Watkins in Washtenaw County, unlawful posting of a message and using computers to commit a crime, will be dismissed at sentencing. Watkins and prosecutors made what is known as a Cobbs agreement, a practice in Michigan criminal law that allows a Judge to make an agreement with a defendant concerning the sentence the court will impose if the defendant pleads guilty or no contest. On Dec. 11, 2019, around 11:30 p.m. the victims reportedly witnessed Watkins and Gorman around their home, shining a light and taking photos from the front porch of the home, according to a press release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels office. The photos were then uploaded to The Base's channel on the social media platform Telegram with the caption: "The Base sends greetings to Daniel Harper of the Antifa podcast 'I Don't Speak German.'" According to the release, Watkins and Gorman intended to threaten and intimidate Harper but mistakenly believed he resided at the victims' home. In January 2022, Gorman pleaded guilty to one felony count of gang membership for his role, and in February he received a suspended sentence of one year in jail and was also sentenced to four years of probation. Washtenaw County Judge Patrick J. Conlin Jr. agreed to sentence Watkins concurrent with the recommendations in Tuscola County, where Watkins and fellow base members Thomas Denton and Tristan Webb were charged for allegedly breaking into "two former Michigan Department of Corrections sites MDOC Camp Tuscola Annex and MDOC Tuscola Residential ReEntry Program which were, and are, vacant in the city of Caro on Oct. 3, 2020," a press release from the attorney general's office stated. The original charges alleged Watkins, Denton and Webb broke into the MDOC properties and stole state-issued clothing from one of the locations. It is also alleged the sites were assessed as potential future training grounds for hate camps, which is what the group named its paramilitary firearms training exercises. Those charges included one count of larceny in a building, a four-year felony; one count of gang membership, a 20-year felony; one count of conspiracy to commit teaching use of firearms for a civil disorder, a four-year felony; and one count of felony firearm, a two-year felony. Denton, 32, was sentenced to a maximum of 48 months on two felony charges in January 2022 that were issued by Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene in cooperation with Michigan Assistant Attorney General Sonita Doddamani. Under the Cobbs agreement, the judge agreed not to sentence in excess over what Tuscola County sentences. If that changed, Watkins could withdraw his plea. Watkins is scheduled to be sentenced in Washtenaw County on June 13 at 1:30 p.m. File photo A 41-year-old Midland woman is lodged in the Midland County Jail after she was arrested for drunken driving with a child in her vehicle. Rebecca Fisher was arrested Friday night and faces five misdemeanor counts. She is charged with child abuse third degree; driving on a revoked/suspended/refused license; operating while intoxicated with a child under 16; OWI; and driving while license suspended. The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan will help bring a popup food pantry to Huron County the week of April 18. This weeks free food giveaway is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20, in Harbor Beach. The food distribution will begin at 10 a.m. at the Harbor Beach Village Hall, 766 State St. The Greater Michigan Construction Academy (GMCA) and LOGIC (Ladies Operating for Growth in Construction) are bringing Power Up: It's a Mother-Daughter Thing! to the Great Lakes Bay Region at 5:30 p.m. on May 18. The event will be held at the Greater Midland Curling Club, 2009 S. Jefferson Ave., Midland. Power Up's mission is to educate young women on careers in the construction industry, engage girls with women and employers in the construction industry and encourage young women to explore the construction industry through hands-on activities and learn more about the educational resources. Power Up uses innovative solutions to create partnerships at all levels, and works diligently at removing barriers that have prohibited the development of a diversified and strong workforce for the construction industry. We are so excited to be bringing the Power Up event to young girls and their moms/guardians. This will be the first event of its kind in our region. This event will educate and engage young girls and allow them to explore the construction industry through hands-on activities, said Stephanie Davis, president of GMCA, about bringing the event to Midland. KALEVA Bethany Lutheran Church of Kaleva will host a soup luncheon on April 23 to benefit Ukraine. This event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kaleva Lions' Den, located at 14361 Nine Mile Rd. in Kaleva. The lunch is set to feature a variety of homemade soups and desserts with refreshments at the cost of a donation. Three gift basket raffles will be held with the raffle ticket cost of $1 each, or six for $5. The drawing will be the same day at 12:50 p.m. Participants need not be present to win. Funds raised by the lunch and the raffles will be donated to help the people of Ukraine. WELLINGTON New Zealand Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited (TSXV: NZP and NZX: CRP or the Company") is pleased to announce, further to the Companys news release concerning this acquisition dated October 14, 2021, that the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has just approved the acquisition by CRPs wholly owned subsidiary Korella Mining Pty Ltd of the Korella Mining Tenement ML90209 FIRB approval, a condition precedent of the acquisition, was required because the Company is predominantly owned by shareholders not domiciled in Australia. This paves the way forward to a speedy conclusion of the acquisition of the Korella mine from Australia Venus Resources and to the required TSXV approval of the $A2 million share issue relating to the transaction. In anticipation of the FIRB approval and the completion of the acquisition Chathams executive director Colin Randall and recently appointed Field Services Manager Maurice March have already established a base in Cloncurry, the nearest town. They have already made significant progress towards the joint aims of expediting the immediate sale of an already mined stockpile, future transport arrangements and commencing mining operations from the existing open pit. During the last two months we have identified a preferred site for the grinding, bagging and dispatch of Korella rock phosphate. We have also commenced negotiations with mining contractors, transport and processing plant providers and been actively involved with key local stakeholders, including the landowner and the local government authorities. On the marketing front we have established the Korella phosphate rock specification, together with a pricing schedule for rock delivered ex-works at Cloncurry. We have identified a very wide range of potential customers and have been contacting them. Subject to access to the mine site, following the acquisition, and arrangements for crushing and bagging in Cloncurry, the first sales of Korella phosphate are now expected in July. The start of cash generation from phosphate sales will mark a transformative milestone for the Company. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Chatham Commences Scoping Study for Phosphate Export Mine 9th May 2022 Morning Report CHI - Indicative Interest Margin for Bond Offer ARG - FY22 Annual Result Announcement Date and webcast Marsden Maritime Holdings commences due diligence MCK appoints Stuart Harrison as Managing Director CDI appoints Jason Adams as Managing Director 6th May 2022 Morning Report KPG FY22 annual results announcement date BGP - 1st Quarter Sales to 1 May 2022 TO THE EDITOR: A few weeks ago, Mr. P. Richard Stoesser asked the question, "Does Biden have the competence or courage to be president?" This needs a response. Biden has not been able to create an insurrection or commit sedition, he has not alienated all our European allies, and he has not praised Putin, North Korea and China for their skills at exploiting their citizens (all autocratic countries). Biden has not developed the skill to lie and blame others to protect his fragile ego nor has Biden been subject to impeachment, twice. Poor Biden has not quit on the average "Joe" to enrich the privileged or adopted frivolous conspiracy theories to confuse the uninformed. So, the answer is Biden is not up to our last president, thank God. But, to be honest, our last president had the misfortune of using too much bleach to cure COVID. RONALD TAYLOR Midland At a glance Experts Rating Pros Stable, high throughput at close range Works well as a modem stand-in TS9 ports for better cellular range Good battery life Replaceable battery C-Wave support Cons Very spendy No mmWave support 5G plans havent caught up to the technology Our Verdict The Netgear Nighthawk M5 isnt quite good enough to be a router on its own for anything larger than an apartment or small home, but its an excellent hotspot fit for even large groups of coworking people, and it could conceivably be well-suited to be a modem replacement, if only telecoms had good, widely available internet plans comparable to modern unlimited broadband. Best Prices Today: Netgear Nighthawk M5 (MR5200) Retailer Price Delivery $699.99 Free View Netgear $699.99 View As the practical reality of 5G begins to bear fruit, its many touted uses are becoming more clear. One of those applications is the creation of a strong, home-internet-style connection almost anywhere you can find a decent 5G signal. To that end, Netgear has released the Nighthawk M5 WiFi 6 mobile router, which we review here. Pocket internet The Nighthawk M5 is a diminutive AX1800 device, about the size of a small, square, 250-page book, weighs about half a pound, and is aesthetically spartan. A 2.5-inch touchscreen on the top of the router gives you direct and easy configuration of your network, with some other basic options for the cellular connection and other configurations. On the front edge of the device theres a gigabit ethernet LAN port and a USB 3.1 Gen-2 port that pulls double duty, charging the M5 and serving as a USB tethering port. Flanking these ports are two covered TS9 ports for external cellular antennas, which are not included. It has textured, grippy flat sides and a removable soft-touch bottom cover hiding the devices mercifully replaceable 5040 mAh battery. A SIM card is secured under that. The overall package is pleasantly compact (for a router), and while I wouldnt exactly call it pocketable, its close enough that I could slip it mostly into my hoodie pocket when moving tables while out in public with it. That said, it fit quite easily into a compartment in my laptop case. Though its bulky for a hotspot, its size-to-performance ratio is genuinely impressive. Two TS9 ports let you increase the M5s reception. USB-C and Ethernet give you tethering options with fast throughput. Wes Davis / IDG Whats inside Its beating heart is a Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G modem chipset, which is one generation older than the excellent 3rd iteration of the Snapdragon X60 modem that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra carries within its chassis. The X55 is a slightly bigger chip built with a 7 nanometer process (compared to the X60s 5nm) that isnt quite as efficient as its successor. It also cant aggregate mmWave and sub-6 connections like the X60that is, using them simultaneously for higher throughputin fact, the M5 does not support an mmWave connection at all. Netgear has forgone this in favor of adding more 5G bands in this router. C-Band support is a key feature here, as the limits (and limited availability) of mmWave mean that, on the whole, this router has more opportunities for faster throughput, as the C-Band is far less susceptible to physical impediments, and will be much more available for the near future. The Nighthawk M5 has impressive configurability via its touchscreen, as well as plenty of other options for network management. Netgear Feature set The nice thing about a hotspot is that they generally come with a touchscreen, which means that, so long as your needs are basic, you may never have to fuss with the GUI or an app, which is good because I found the Netgear Mobile app to be kind of buggy. In the case of the Nighthawk M5, you get that basic control and then some, with configurable band regions, data-and-battery-saving options, output band options, and more. Youll still need to dive into the app or web GUI (I recommend the latter, here) to do anything more complicated, but whats available via the touchscreen is still more comprehensive than youd expect, and thats pleasant. As a router, the Netgear Nighthawk M5 is fairly elemental. It supports Wi-Fi 6the interference-busting, IoT-friendly usurper protocol meant to take over from the aging 802.11ac (now renamed Wi-Fi 5) standardand by extension it also uses the new Wi-Fi security standard WPA 3, which improves the security of your Wi-Fi network most notably by rendering the complexity of your password largely irrelevant. The M5 also includes a few security features like web filters, access scheduling, and you can set up port forwarding/filtering or configure which cellular band regions youd like to connect to, and it even supports VPN Passthrough and UPnP. Apart from the cellular-specific things, these are all pretty standard features for an ordinary router, but not necessarily for a mobile hotspot. Because of these features though, you could feasibly use the Netgear Nighthawk M5 as your only connection to the internet; whether you would want to is an entirely different question, of course. Its hard to find a mobile plan that wont severely throttle your connection after a certain set data limit, and the M5 costs far more than routers with significantly better performance. Of course, these are the considerations of a city slicker; for those bound to the road or living in rural spaces, internet access is sometimes hardly better than the bad old days of dial-up. As 5G coverage expands, however, switching from hardwired internet or satellite internet to cellular-based access may be the more attractive option, as demonstrated by the average 30Mbps download speed reported on, for instance, T-Mobiles standalone 5G network or 53.4Mbps on the faster Non-standalone access network, by mobile analytics firm Open Signal in February of this year. At home, the M5 is almost indistinguishable from a normal router. Wes Davis / IDG Performance as a broadband alternative To test the Nighthawk M5s throughput, I ran TCP file transfer tests from six points in and outside my home, testing throughput on the 5GHz band using the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) protocols, then on the 2.4GHz band using Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)the latter is likely to be used by most of your IoT devices, and although its possible to use Wi-Fi 5 on the 2.4GHz band, most router manufacturers dont support it. For my client device I used a Lenovo Yoga (2019) with an Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 NIC, while an M1 MacBook Air, hardwired with a Plugable 2.5Gbps USB-C-to-Ethernet adapter, stood in as the server. Each average was taken from six individual tests at a given location. What I found was a router more capable than I expected, though it fell short of being a replacement for the full network apparatus that is my doomed ISP-supplied modem-router combo and my Eero mesh system. Brad Chacos/IDG Throughput in the same room as the M5 averaged an impressive 651Mbps using Wi-Fi 5, and 605Mbps with Wi-Fi 6. That is fast. By comparison, the only router that outperformed it at this range was an Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 at 917Mbps, but thats a gigantic gaming router intended for the highest possible throughput, and is our high-water mark for most of the comparison testing in this review. Brad Chacos/IDG The M5 outperformed all other routers tested (on raw throughput) at close range, including an Eero Pro (2nd Generation), which came in at 562Mbps on the Wi-Fi 5 protocol, and a Linksys EA9500 with an average 380Mbps at 3 feet. The story changed as we moved away from the M5, though, with its throughput dropping by more than half on the 5GHz band on my front porch, with one exterior wall and 20 feet of open air in the intervening space. None of the other routers experienced anywhere close to that big a drop in performance here or anywhere in my testing space on the 5GHz band, but it was able to stay above 100Mbps everywhere I tested inside my home, while it failed to reach my backyard with usable signal (the only way Ive managed to get any sort of decent signal back there is to bounce it with a mesh system. Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG On the 2.4GHz band, the M5 was passable indoors, but slower than all the other routers tested on most tests except in my basement and upstairs area, where it at least outperformed the Asus router, which has poor ranged performance on the 2.4GHz band, at least where the Wi-Fi 4 protocol is concerned. Thats the intra-network performancepassable, but not stellar, in a large space with many walls; but in a more appropriate environment, is a 5G connection reliable enough to fully replace a wired connection to an ISP? To test this, I ran a 2-hour connection test at testmy.net, set to poll my connection every 5 minutes, up to 24 times. The result was a connection that did occasionally dip below 100Mbps, but ultimately averaged 120.71Mbps, while my DSL connection never made it above 50Mbps (Im currently paying for a 100Mbps plan). As I expected, there was a lot more deviation in throughput on the 5G downlink, but it was quite a bit faster than my relatively creeping DSL, and that isnt even using a C-Band connection, which as far as I can tell, is not available at my home. In gaming, I wasnt able to connect to other players on my Nintendo SwitchI kept receiving a NAT traversing errorbut I found it surprisingly serviceable for some on-the-go Counter Strike: Global Offensive play; although, with ping hanging out around 100-140ms, you certainly wont want to use it for competitive play. According to Netgear, activating Universal Plug n Play fixes the Switch NAT issue, but I was unfortunately not able to get a different result on making that change. No online MarioKart for me, then. Overall, as a standalone access point, the Nighthawk M5 could legitimately hold its own, but I wouldnt recommend it in a home any larger than, say 1,000 square feet, and probably not for serious gamers. Unless Curious, I replaced my modem-router combo with the M5 and ran it at the head of my network, with Eero handling all of the intra-network routing. After a day of testingstreaming 4K or HD video on three Apple TVs, listening to music on the three HomePods Mini positioned around my home, playing games, browsing the internet and swapping files between computersI found the Nighthawk M5 more than merely capable: It handled the duty of providing internet access to my entire network with aplomb. In fact, my network seemed more stable, with fewer long pauses and failed requests from smart speakers than I have via my normal ISP. If not for the price tag, I would strongly consider replacing my DSL plan with a data plan using this router. More on that option, later. More than just a hotspot, the M5 can easily be a mobile office network. Wes Davis / IDG Internet to-go Next, I convinced my wife to come with me to a nearby brewery to try the router out in the wild. While we were there, connected to the router with two phones, an iPad, and three laptops, we streamed video, music, and surfed the internet, and the Nighthawk M5 didnt miss a beat. I performed some more throughput testing, and saw some rather significant throughput drops versus similar testing conditions at home, but being inside a brewery, its likely there was significant interference. Still, throughput during iPerf testing on the 5GHz band was well in excess of 300Mbps, and my downlink bandwidth was enough to stream at-least-HD video on multiple devices. Given this experience, its apparent why Netgear insists on calling this a mobile router, rather than a hotspotit could easily be used by an entire office working together in a public space without relying on the often insecure wireless connection of a business or each using their own private hotspots. More than enough battery for a normal workday. Wes Davis / IDG Battery life Netgear claims up to 13 hours of battery before you need to recharge the Nighthawk M5; I tested this assertion, and found it to be no tall tale. In fact, it actually took 14 hours of active use for me to completely exhaust the 5040mAh battery. That was with multiple devices connected, often streaming video or music, and fairly constant internet browsing. In standby mode, the M5 battery life seems to stretch out into infinity, as it only lost a single percentage point over a three-day period wherein I left it sitting untouched on a shelfI asked Netgear about this and was told that in their testing, at pure idle, the M5 lasted 14 days, putting it in the territory of old feature phones for battery life. There isnt a lot out there to compare this device to right now, but the Inseego 5G MiFi M2000, which boasts much of the same feature set and compatibility, has about the same battery rating (5050mAh, in this case) and runs with the same chipset. It claims all-day battery life, but thats fairly subjective, while a PC Mag review put it at 11 hours. For the purposes of this review, well assume its similar enough not to really matter. Bottom line I came away from the Nighthawk M5 extremely impressed. While I dont think 5G is quite ready to be a full-blown alternative to a home internet connection for most people, this piece of hardware is a wonderful glimpse into a future free from the frustrations of our big broadband company cartels. The biggest obstacle now seems to be the lumbering telecom giants, whose access plans simply havent caught up to where the hardware seems to be. At the moment, plans are reminiscent of the bad old days of cell phones, with data caps and throttling and overage fees aplenty, with some offering unlimited home-internet-style plans, but how they correlate to 5G coverage is a mystery to me, as simply getting a 5G device doesnt seem to be the only prerequisite (I tried). Where the Netgear Nighthawk M5 truly falls flat is its price, though: for $700, you can buy a very nice router or mesh systemheck, for one-third of that price you can get a great router for most needs, and if youre the thrifty sort, pick up a used mesh system for even less. Of course, the M5 doesnt hit the same market, but it doesnt really get better if you look at other 5G mobile hotspots. In fact, if youre on AT&T, the predecessor MR5100 itself is almost $200 less despite being, for all intents and purposes, the same router. If you wanted mmWave, the Inseego MiFi M2100 5G UW offers that (albeit without the option for a C-Band connection) for a hair under $400. Unlike those devices, however, the MR5200 is carrier agnostic, and that C-Band compatibility is going to see a lot more use than an mmWave connection; so on balance, it might be worth the extra $200-$300 to some folks. As they say, though, its too rich for my blood. Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google said on Wednesday it plans to invest about $9.5 billion across its U.S. offices and data centers this year, up from $7 billion last year. Google said the investment will create at least 12,000 full-time jobs in 2022 and focus on data centers in several states including Nevada, Nebraska and Virginia. The company will open a new office in Atlanta this year, and expand its data center in Storey County, Nevada, it added. "It might seem counterintuitive to step up our investment in physical offices even as we embrace more flexibility in how we work. Yet we believe it's more important than ever to invest in our campuses," Google said in a statement. Google has been trying to bring back its employees to some of its offices in the United States, the UK and Asia Pacific by mandating working from office for about three days a week, a step to end policies that let employees work remotely because of COVID-19 concerns. Google will continue to invest in offices in its home state of California and support affordable housing initiatives in the Bay Area as part of its $1 billion housing commitment. read more Last year, Google helped provide $617 billion in economic activity for U.S. businesses, creators and developers, according to its 2021 economic impact report. Source: REUTERS 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 Four gunmen stormed a church and opened fire on worshippers during an Easter service Saturday dawn, local police have confirmed. The incident occured at the Heaven Embassy Chapel International located in the Atwima Kwanwoma District town of Afrancho near the Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi. A patrol team from the Foase District rushed to the scene following a distress call but the assailants could not be traced. One witness told dailymailgh.com that the four armed men shouted in a local language asking the whereabouts of the Head Pastor before shooting indiscriminately at the worshippers. We were observing our worship session when the masked men surfaced. Two of them who wielded locally-made guns shot sporadically at the congregation and we had to take cover. Five of the victims including three children survived with gunshot wounds. We have suspended church service for now as we await further directives from our Head Pastor, the witness said. A police report revealed that some of the congregants were robbed of their phones and an unspecified amount of cash. Four of the wounded victims, including children aged between 10 and and 13 years are receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi. A fifth victim was however on admission at the Foase Health Center, according to the report. The police at the Foase District have commenced investigations into the incident. Source: dailymailghana 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 Catholic Bishop of Koforidua Diocese, Most Rev Joseph Afrifa-Agyekum, has raised issues against the lack of continuity of projects and policies when a new government takes over the administration of the country. He said this way of doing things in the country must stop. Regarding the free senior high school (SHS) policy, he said it is a programme that should remain no matter the government in power. Speaking in an interview with TV3s Eastern Region correspondent Yvonne Neequaye on Sunday, April 17, he said We start a project, let us try to continue. I am happy the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo started this free senior high school policy. This is a policy that we also need to assist for it to be successful in spite of the challenges that came up at the beginning but I think gradually they are trying to make it up, he said. He further called on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to address issues facing the feeding of pupils in the various schools. I also mention the buffer stock which is where the headmasters and headmistresses will get their supplies from the suppliers who have been designated. At the beginning it was wonderful, you go to school and the students say they are eating eggs, fish, mackerels, but these days it looks like the situation is becoming more challenging for the heads. I think it is an area that we seriously have to look into, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service so that we unearth the challenges that are causing this issue, he said. Source: 3news 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 Amnesty International, a global organisation focused on addressing human right issues, has indicated that inequality and instability grew in 2021 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. George A.B. Aggrey (2nd from left) Board Chairman of Amnesty International Ghana (AI), launching the 2021-2022 Amnesty International state of the worlds human rights report. With him are Cynthia Adu Darko (left) Board member, Hannah Osei (2nd from right), Human Rights Education and Youth Engagement Co-ordinator, and Belinda A. According to the organisation which has a branch in Ghana, the devastating effects of the pandemic were compounded by poor health systems with economic and social support crumbling under the weight of decades of neglect, especially in Africa. A Human Rights Eduction and Youth Engagement Cordinator at Amnesty International Ghana, Hannah Osei, made this known at the launch of Amnesty International's state of the world's human rights 2021/2022 report in Accra. The report focuses on the state of Ghana's human rights within the global environment. "In Africa, only eight per cent of the population were fully vaccinated by the end of 202. Lockdown measures to curb COVID-19 infections led to increase of sexual and gender-based violence," she said. She said security forces in Africa fired live ammunition at protesters resulting in the death of more than 100 people while about 1000 others got injured. Aside from that, she said armed conflict in some African countries resulted in thousands of civilians being killed and millions displaced as they attempted to flee from the violence. Ghana situation In reference to Ghana, the report bothered on excessive and unnecessary use of force by the security forces, arbitrary arrests and detentions, inhumane prison conditions and women's and girls rights. It also touched on the right to health, forced evictions, environmental degradation and the rights of LGBTI people's rights. For example, Ms Osei noted that there were incidents of excessive and unnecessary use of force by the security forces as various media outlets reported that the National Security operatives assaulted journalists Peter Tabri and Caleb Kudah in connection with their work. Future focus The Board Chairman of Amnesty International Ghana, George A.B Aggrey, however, said the organisation recognise that there have been considerable improvements in the human rights situation in the country since 1992. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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. Observing the carbon emissions by sectors in 2018, the transportation sector is the highest contributor of carbon emissions followed by electricity and heat sector. by Imesha Dissanayake We often ask the question as to why Sri Lanka should decarbonise when our carbon emissions are relatively low. This is true as the countrys share of global carbon emissions is only 0.06% and has been plateauing at the same rate for the last five years since 2015. However, as an island nation, Sri Lanka is very vulnerable to climate change impacts and hence joining hands with global decarbonisation initiatives is imperative for the country. The global climate risk index 2021, ranked Sri Lanka as the 23rd most affected country from extreme weather conditions during the period of 20002019. Therefore, Sri Lanka is susceptible to temperature rise, rainfall variability, and sea-level rise. A rise in sea level will hamper sectors of the economy such as tourism and fisheries. A significant population of the country is also dependent on livelihoods connected to agriculture and will be adversely affected due to impacts of climate change. The World Bank estimates that the countrys GDP could decline by 7.7% by 2050 in a worst-case scenario where no action is taken to combat climate change. This is estimated to result in a loss of USD 50 billion to the economy over the course of the period. Sri Lanka also contains hidden hotspots that are often not discussed in public fora. Climate change poses an economic risk to these hotspots. The World Bank identifies hotspots as a location where changes in average temperature and precipitation will have a negative effect on living standards. The World Bank assessments show that approximately 19 million people in Sri Lanka are currently living in locations that could become moderate or severe hotspots by 2050 under a situation where no action is taken to limit emissions. This population is equivalent to about 90% of the countrys population. Sri Lanka has a global responsibility to achieve climate change commitments as well, since, the country signed and ratified the Paris Climate Agreement. This resulted in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) being developed initially in 2016 and renewed every 5 years in accordance with the 21st Conference of the Parties (CoP) commitments. Currently, the updated NDCs in 2021 accounts for 4% and 10.5% of unconditional and conditional actions, respectively, for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions against the Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario during the period of 2021-2030. It must be noted that in spite of abiding by these international climate commitments, it would still put the world on course for 2.7C of warming this century while, net-zero pledges could reduce warming by 0.5C. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that the new and updated global climate commitments only accounts for an additional 7.5% reduction of emissions while a 30% reduction is needed for 2C and 55% is needed to meet the 1.5C Paris goal. Sri Lanka is also reliant on its export earnings and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), and there are key business risks associated with lackluster attempts at decarbonisation. The rapid pace at which countries are moving towards becoming net-zero carbon economies is also determining the global demand for products and services. This has led to consumers and investors seeking products and services that underpin low carbon emissions. Hence, it will be crucial for the country to latch onto the shift in demand and reap benefits of having products and services that produces less carbon emissions. Therefore, quick decisive and implementable actions are needed to decarbonise the country, since decarbonisation of an economy or a business takes a significant amount of time. As observed in other countries, climate change impacts disproportionately to the poorest and marginalised communities. This is more so applicable in Sri Lanka, as a majority of the population are living in rural areas and engaged in small-scale agricultural activities or fisheries activities that are increasingly threatened by extreme weather events and irregular monsoon rainfall patterns. This is in return can exacerbate poverty and inequality within regions of the country. Sector Overview Observing the carbon emissions by sectors in 2018, the transportation sector is the highest contributor of carbon emissions followed by electricity and heat sector. While carbon dioxide is the most dominant GHG produced by burning fossil fuels and industrial production, there are others that are driving global climate change. This includes methane, nitrous oxide, and trace gases, which have contributed to a noteworthy amount of global warming. A brief overview of sectors with high emissions, which are of economic importance to the country is given in the section below. Transportation Sector The transportation sector is grappling with many issues such as congestion, pollution and a resultant substantial fuel bill. The private and public transportation accounts for nearly 60% of the fuel consumption in the country. Congestion is particularly seen in city limits such as Colombo with about 1.9 million passengers entering the City of Colombo daily. One of the causal factors for these issues has been the growing population of private vehicles in the absence of good public sector transportation modes. About 85% of the vehicle population in Sri Lanka are privately owned vehicles, namely; cars, motor bicycles and trishaws. The growing disposable income, urbanization, availability of credit, and the need for last mile transport can be identified as the reasons for this trend. Energy Sector Historically growth in electricity demand of the country has seen a direct correlation with the growth in the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and hence, plays a vital role in the economy. In this regard, the sector has seen high level interest from the top most officials in the country including HE president in achieving a 70% renewable energy target by 2030 as announced in the annual budget of 2020. However, the government is yet to gazette this target and make it part of the formal state policy. The electricity generation for the last two years show that renewable energy accounts for approximately 35% of the total energy mix in 2019 and 2020. Coal and oil have contributed to more than 60% of total generation mix in the same period. The current power outages experienced by the country is a result of the energy sectors dependence on fossil fuel for generation and lack of reforms in the sector. Manufacturing Sector The value added by Sri Lankas manufacturing sector as a percentage of GDP stood at 18% in 2021. Manufacturing sector exports such as Apparel is the largest contributor to the countrys export earnings with a share of 43% in 2021. Therefore, with a change in demand by consumers and investors for products that generate low carbon emissions, it will be imperative for the countrys manufacturing sector to adopt low carbon measures in order to attract investors for more local value addition and as well as to cater to a growing market. The Apparel industrys key customers in export destinations are increasing the pressure to decarbonise supply chains. Examples of these include Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), G7 Fashion Pact and EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which are likely to include apparel, metal and ceramics with time. Agricultural Sector The agricultural sector plays a vital role in Lankas economy with linkages across all sectors. It contributes to key exports of Sri Lanka such as Tea and Rubber that accounted for 11% and 8% of the export earnings in 2021. The agriculture sector, accounts for 7% of the GDP and employs nearly 30% of the countrys labour force. About 70% of the rural population is dependent on livelihoods attached to Agriculture and utilizes 43% of the total land area of the country. Climate change impacts such as irregular rain patterns, and extreme shifts between droughts and rainfall, directly affects agricultural activities. The agriculture sector in Sri Lanka as assessed by Climate Watch data is the highest contributor of both methane emissions and nitrous oxide emissions, albeit contributing to low emissions in carbon during 2018. Methane and nitrous oxide are mainly produced through agricultural activities such as rice production, and from the use of chemical and organic fertilisers. Way Forward 1. Introducing direct power purchase agreements together with power wheeling Globally countries are offering power purchase agreement models that yields financial as well as environmental benefits to organisations. This allows companies to work with a renewable energy developer and receive renewable energy directly from the developer. Power wheeling will allow renewable energy developers to use existing transmission and distribution networks to supply renewable electricity to prospective buyers. An appropriate fee for the grid can be charged for this purpose. 2. Roadmap for circular economy The country lacks a road map for encouraging a circular economy in Sri Lanka. As a first step, identifying sectors that have linkages within other sectors can be explored, where output waste can be translated into input material of another sector. This is already taking place in the brewing industry and in the case of PET bottles. Coupling waste management and energy generation is another area for the circular economy that can also look beyond key urban areas. 3. State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) reform Reforming SOEs can not only result in productivity and efficiency gains but also facilitate innovations in the enterprises that will aid in carbon reduction mechanisms. It will also provide the entities with additional revenue to pursue the carbon neutral targets. Reforms can be carried out to entities such as Sri Lanka Transport Board and unbundling of the CEB. Partially listing a percentage of SOEs on the stock market would also help to increase public oversight and increase accountability for achieving carbon emission targets. 4. Solarisation Solarisation can take many forms including; highway solarisation; solarisation of railway and bus stations; and conversion of existing industrial zones to renewable energy industrial zones. Sufficient storage capacities will be required for this process with technologies such as pump hydro and battery storage that will facilitate high renewable energy integration to meet real time electricity demand. A significant amount of investments too is required for this and hence can be opened up for investors with conducive policy to support it. 5. Electric vehicle policy Sri Lanka lacks a policy for Electric Vehicles (EVs) with a proper mechanism of disposing batteries of EVs. Therefore, a policy on EVs together with a proper mechanism for disposing batteries will be imperative in reducing the fuel dependency of the country, which thereby can reduce forex outflows. Feasibility of local value addition for batteries can also be explored as about 70% of the value of EVs are in the battery. Further, establishing more charging stations for EV and solarisation of EV charging stations will make EVs more sustainable. 6. Public transport strategy A public transport strategy covering both bus and railway sectors is imperative for the country. This will enable the public transport systems to be safe, affordable and attractive to the public. This can encourage the shift from private vehicles to public transportation modes, which in return can reduce congestion and pollution in the country. The strategy can encompass sector reforms; digitization; standards and quality assurance processes; and rationalised pricing regimes 7. Introducing parking facilities Introducing parking facilities at city entry points, especially in the Colombo city limits with shuttle bus services is another area that can aid in transferring passengers from private vehicles to public transportation, reducing congestion and pollution. The shuttle bus service can be operated with electric buses to support the initiatives of reducing fuel dependencies. Conclusion Climate change does not stop at borders, as with the on-going pandemic, and requires the same level of urgent and decisive measures to avert its detrimental impacts. The above-mentioned strategies can help the country to be placed on a path towards achieving carbon neutrality. This will result in improved growth and development, improved living standards, and help reduce poverty and inequality. The economic crisis the country is currently experiencing, presents an opportunity for Sri Lanka to decarbonise. This can act as a catalyst to tap into green financing that can help in closing the gap between financing and infrastructure needs of the country while also improving the countrys foreign reserves. Hence, this is an opportune time for Sri Lanka to reduce its dependency on fossil fuel and reduce its strain on the import bill. This can bring in new avenues of FDI to the country and improved performance of export earnings. This can also ensure that sustainable projects are in place to build resilience for future crises. The full report can be accessed at: Catalysing Decarbonisation in Sri Lanka The writer is a Senior Research Associate attached to the Economic Intelligence Unit of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. This article is part of the Strategic Insight Series, which focuses on key contemporary topics. Two Indian nationals died and seven others sustained various degrees of injury in a motor accident at Gomoa Mampong near Winneba in the Central Region. The dead were identified as Rujuta Ferrao, 46 years, and Rosa Ferrao 72, who were pronounced dead on arrival at the Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba. Sergeant Maxwell Yeboah of the Effutu Municipal Police Division of the Motor Traffic Transport Department told the Ghana News Agency that a Mitsubishi Pajero Station Wagon, with registration Number GE 6723-17, belonging to Olam Company Limited and driven by Jacob Abusah Ahideke, aged 40, was from Accra to Apam Junction, with four Indian nationals on board. He said at about 1150 hours on Saturday, the driver of the Mitsubishi Wagon, on reaching a section of the road at Gomoa Mampong near Winneba, lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle veered into the opposite lane and collided with an oncoming KIA Truck. The Kia Rhino truck, with registration number GR 9705-17, driven by Ebenezer Offei, aged 27, was loaded with bags of sachet water from Agona Swedru to Accra, with three persons on board. All the occupants of both vehicles sustained various degrees of injury and were rushed to the Trauma and Specialist Hospital at Winneba for treatment but Rujuta Ferrao and Rosa Ferrao were pronounced dead on arrival. The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Hospitals mortuary for preservation. The other Indians are Noel Ferrao, 47, an employee of Olam Ghana Limited, and Naomi Ferrao, 15. The injured are on admission responding to treatment, Sgt Yeboah said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Christians have been charged to value the resurrection of Jesus Christ as it is the foundation of Christianity. In a sermon to climax the Easter Convention at Zenu Lazio Park in Ashaiman, the Reverend Aaron Yaw Kyei, the District Pastor of the Church of Pentecost, Ashaiman Lebanon District urged believers to make the resurrection of Christ a topmost priority in their Christian lives. "Our foundation as Christians is based upon the resurrection of Christ because through this particular incident, we have received forgiveness of sin, justification, reconciliation, peace, joy, happiness, and victory," he said. If Christ was not able to resurrect after the crucifixion, Christians would have been false witnesses, lacked hope, and direction, and would perish forever. The resurrection was central and paramount to the faith of Christians, hence, the need not to take it for granted, he said. He said, "While the early disciples were unlearned men, even they knew that dead people stay dead. So, imagine their astonishment when they witnessed the risen Lord standing before them three days after he had risen from the dead." The District Pastor stated that Christs resurrection stands as a giant exclamation point that separates Jesus Christ from all other mortals, adding that the resurrection did not only prove that there was life after death, or that Jesus is God, but the resurrection also announced the beginning of a kingdom, which would live forever to glorify God. "When Jesus died on the cross, He didnt take the place of Christians, but the place of sinners. He came as mans substitute. The whole world has been saved from the punishment of sin, but Gods interest wasnt just to save man from the punishment of sin but to save man from the life and nature of sin, he indicated. He said Jesus Christ is unique and exceptional, therefore, He must be worshipped truthfully, righteously, and religiously as His resurrection has brought a new form of newness to the world. He noted that Easter reminds Christians never to lose faith in God for it may take some time but God will never leave prayers unanswered hence all one needed to do was to; "Place your trust in Him and watch Him work wonders in your life." "What better sacrifice can one talk of than when our Lord himself laid down his entire life in suffering to save us from our sins, let us praise and thank our Lord for his loving blessings. I wish each and everyone a blessed Easter," he added. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr. Godwin Kwame Dadzawa, District Chief Executive of South Dayi in the Volta Region says the Assembly is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that persons with disability (PWDs) have access to opportunities to reach their potential. He said the Assembly was making every conscious effort to create an enabling environment that worked for all including PWDs so they could explore their potential and contribute to societal development. Mr. Dadzawa said these at Kpeve when the Assembly presented some items to persons living with disabilities in the area to help them establish their businesses to earn a decent living. The items which included 10 deep freezers, two fufu pounding machines and two cassava graters were aimed to empower the beneficiaries economically and improve their wellbeing. The items were funded from the three percent of the assembly's share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) allocated to PWDs. The Assembly also presented 31 wheelchairs to the PWDs which were donated by the World Bank through the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled. Reverend Mrs. Emma Adom, Director of Social Welfare and Community Development, said the disability fund aimed to reduce poverty among the PWDs. She entreated the beneficiaries to ensure proper maintenance of the items and put them to effective use to achieve their intended purpose. Madam Adom disclosed that the Assembly through the Department paid medical bills for some PWDs and provided support to some students living with disabilities in the district. The Director said the Department would continue to positively touch the lives of PWDs and urged parents and guardians of disadvantaged children to desist from hiding them. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Reverend Benjamin Tettey, Associate Pastor, Ring Way Gospel Centre, Assemblies of God, Osu has advised Ghanaians to emulate Jesus Christs sacrificial nature by putting the national interest above personal gains. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Easter Resurrection Sunday, he explained that being sacrificial in nature required selflessness and giving careful thought to the outcome of ones actions before taking them. Let us all, from the leadership down to the citizenry, embrace the spirit of sacrifice. We must think of others when taking any step regarding the nation. Do not focus on yourself alone and what you can derive from your privileged positions but rather, let us operate with a generational mindset of selflessness and sacrifice, he said. Rev Tettey said Jesus life on earth was to point humans to God as the Almighty One in whom they should trust. He, therefore, encouraged citizens not to fret over the current hardships facing the nation but to rely fully on God to see them through. Throughout Christs stay here on earth, He taught us to trust more in God. This is because our human strength and abilities have a limit but God cannot be limited by any circumstance. Our dependence must be on Him alone, he said. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb on the third day after his crucifixion. It is the fulfilled prophecy of the Messiah who would be persecuted, die, and rise on the third day, according to Isaiah 53. Easter follows a period of fasting called Lent, in which many churches set aside time for repentance and remembrance. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion. The 40-day period was established by Pope Gregory 1 using the 40-day pattern of Israel, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus' time in the wilderness. The week leading up to Easter is called The Holy Week, or "Passion Week", and includes Palm Sunday (the day Jesus entered Jerusalem and was celebrated), Maundy Thursday (the "Last Supper" where Jesus met with his disciples to observe Passover), and Good Friday (when Jesus would be crucified on the cross). Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament(MP) for Dome Kwabenya Sarah Adwoa Safo has pleaded with her constituents to forgive her long absence from the constituency. Adwoa Safo as she is affectionately called has been out of the country for a long time; a move which has been condemned by even members of her political party. Its not clear what is keeping the vibrant Parliamentarian out of the country. But in an interaction she had with her followers on social media, Adwoa Safo asked for forgiveness and promised she was going to be back in the country very soon to help push government business and also help develop her constituency. Adwoa Safo disclosed that things are happening to her that she has no control over but is of the firm belief that with time, things will get better. She said Hey Eben, its never been my intention to stay away from my people for so long. Just that, sometimes in life, things happen that we have no control over. As you know, in my first two terms as MP, at no point in time did I stay away from my duties and responsibilities as MP and Minister. "So do find a place in your heart to forgive me as my constituent. Even in my absence, I have been constantly in touch with the appropriate authorities to ensure that whatever development deserving of our Constituency is done. "I am aware that the Atomic-Pillar 2 Road has been completed, the dualization of the Atomic Junction-Atomic Roundabout is ongoing, several interial roads in Taifa (around the market) are being worked on, Ashongman Estate roads have been completed with asphalting works ongoing, the Bank of Ghana Road works is also currently ongoing, the Agbogba-Abokobi link Road was also just recently sealed and works on the Abokobi town Roads are also to begin in the earnest. The Dome Kwabenya Member of Parliament called on members of the New Patriotic Party not to refer to her as a traitor when they have not heard her side of the story. Source: mynewsgh.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 Minister of National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah has been at the receiving end of backlash after his comment on the Judiciary. Mr Kan Dapaah speaking at a sensitization workshop on the national security strategy for judges of the superior courts said: injustice occasioned as a result of the absence of an effective justice delivery system or delayed justice or biased justice is certainly a threat to national security. Indeed, when injustice abounds, particularly in situations where the bench, which is considered the final arbiter of disputes, is deemed biased, citizens tend to take the law into their own hands most times without recourse to the established systems of justice delivery, he said. If the interpretation of the law is tilted in our favour all the time, people will start accusing the judiciary and will not have the confidence that they need he added. Frank Davies question This has, however, generated controversy. According to NPPs head of Legal Committee, Frank Davies Justices or judges of our courts do not dispense justice in tandem with whichever political party holds the reins of government. So this business tilting interpretation in favour of uswho determines who has tilted the interpretation of the law? Ayikoi Otoo's take The Former Attorney General in reaction said even though the perception of bias exists, the judges have taken an oath to do justice to all manner of persons without fear or favour. Im sorry to say that, I dont think he sought legal advice, because the judges have taken an oath to do justice to all manner of persons without fear or favour, ill-will and affection. He was saying that if someone brings a bad case, the Supreme Court must give a decision to favour that person merely because every time ruling for you will make people feel there is something wrong? he quizzed. However, Sam Pee Yaley, a lawyer and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) believes Frank Davies and Ayikoi Otoo have no right to criticise the National Security Minister. Contributing to a panel discussion on UTV's Adekye Nsroma, the former High Commissioner to India said the only one to call the Minister to order is President Akufo-Addo. "These are not just mere claims...if people lose confidence in the judiciary, it has dire consequences. As a lawyer, I take Kan Dapaah's statement very serious...he's a member of government; he's not the government's lawyer or attorney, he is just the National Security Minister and I'm sure he's been briefing the President and so if he's made a comment which you feel is bad, all you need to do is to invite him to a cabinet meeting for him to explain himself or the threat we're facing as a country so that we can take the necessary steps..." he said Adding "if he's said something which is not right, it is the President who must query him and not Frank Davies or Ayikoi Otoo" Listen to Sam Pee Yaley 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 opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been asked to review the performance of its legal team instead of complaining anytime the party loses a case in court. National Communication Director of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Sylvester Sarpong Soprano believes it is the quality of the opposition partys legal representation that is questionable. The NDC has on several occasions butted heads with the Judiciary. Their criticisms against the Judiciary went an octave higher when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Deputy Speakers had the right to vote while presiding and can form part of a quorum in decision making. The Minority, in its reaction, described the ruling as smacking of Judiciary support for the controversial and now passed Electronic Transfer Levy (E-levy). Mahama's Take Former President John Mahama also waded into the issue accusing the judiciary of being politicized. We do have problems with the Judiciary, I must say. I think that it is necessary for some internal reforms to take place there. It is necessary for the Chief Justice or whoever is responsible to make some reforms. Most of the governance institutions have been politicized. I give the example of the Judiciary. It is only in Ghana that a Supreme Court will make a decision that a birth certificate is not proof of citizenship..... .....That is what our judges should do. They must rise to the occasion, he added. Kan Dapaah's Observation Few weeks after, the National Security Minister made some comments that the NDC believes are a confirmation of their views against the Judiciary. According to Kan Dapaah, injustice occasioned as a result of the absence of an effective justice delivery system or delayed justice or biased justice is certainly a threat to national security. Indeed, when injustice abounds, particularly in situations where the bench, which is considered the final arbiter of disputes, is deemed biased, citizens tend to take the law into their own hands most times without recourse to the established systems of justice delivery. If the interpretation of the law is tilted in our favour all the time, people will start accusing the judiciary and will not have the confidence that they need, he added. Change Lawyers If... But Sylvester Sarpong Soprano, reacting to these issues during a panel discussion on Neat FM's Me Man Nti programme said the problem might not be coming from the Judiciary; "maybe their lawyers are not good enough" "I feel when the Judiciary makes a decision we need to go with it because, in litigation, you win some and lose some...when the Judges give a ruling and it's a 7:0 or 9:0, maybe it means your case was so bad that they couldn't help but come to that conclusion... "...when there's a unanimous ruling, I think a number of factors are involved; probably the Attorney General is too good...if he met the NDC (in court and the case was ruled in his favour), probably their (NDC) lawyers were not good enough...he's probably done his homework and he's too brilliant...so there's nothing wrong with the judiciary, they're doing their work..." he noted. According to Soprano, "it appears Asiedu Nketiah and former president John Mahama has issues with this particular Supreme Court because they never said anything about the Atuguba court when they won the election petition; so I'm saddened to see the revolution in their opinion about the judiciary especially as they're not winning. I think probably they need to take a second look at their representation in court...if you don't get a good lawyer...you cannot blame the system because you didn't like the ruling." 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 TOKYO, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan's top government spokesperson said Monday the government here will look to closely communicate with South Korea's incoming administration. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press briefing that the Japanese government would use an upcoming visit by a delegation sent by South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party to seek to closely communicate with Yoon's incoming administration. The delegation will comprise lawmakers, diplomats and business leaders. They are scheduled to visit Japan from April 24 to 28, ahead of Yoon's planned inauguration on May 10, government sources here said. They added during the visit, policy talks will be held between the various parties of the South Korean delegation and their Japanese counterparts. Matsuno said that in order for relations to improve between the two sides, close communication would be paramount. "To restore healthy Japan-South Korean relations, we will closely communicate with the new government on the occasion of the delegation's visit to Japan," Matsuno said. Japan and South Korea have been at odds with ties having sunk to their lowest in years owing to discord regarding Japan's compensation for its coercion of women into sexual slavery during World War II and issues pertaining to Japan's use of wartime labor. Matsuno said that bilateral ties remain in an extremely severe state due to these issues but stressed they should not be left as they are and that bilateral cooperation between the two sides was essential. 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